Alabama’s approach under head coach Kalen DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan is becoming increasingly clear: this isn’t a program built on Transfer Portal quick fixes. Instead, the Crimson Tide are doubling down on high school recruiting, stacking three straight top-five classes and putting their chips on long-term development rather than short-term roster patches.
That philosophy, while admirable and rooted in tradition, comes with its own set of challenges-especially in today’s college football landscape, where NIL and the portal have reshaped how rosters are built and maintained. When you’re not dipping into the portal to plug holes, every high school commitment carries extra weight.
And when other big-name programs with deep pockets start circling your guys? That’s when things get interesting.
Enter Miami and head coach Mario Cristobal, who appear to be making a push for 2027 cornerback Nash Johnson III. The Powder Springs, Georgia native committed to Alabama back in October, but just this week, he posted a photo of a recruiting package from the Hurricanes-complete with a tag to Miami’s football account and secondary coach Zac Etheridge.
It’s not the first time Miami’s shown interest. Johnson received an offer from the Hurricanes the day after he committed to Alabama, part of a wave of offers that also included Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Tulane, and Tennessee. That kind of attention tells you one thing: Alabama got in early, and now everyone else is playing catch-up.
That early identification is a hallmark of what DeBoer and Morgan are building in Tuscaloosa. They’re betting on their ability to spot rising talent before the rest of the country catches on.
Take 2026 quarterback Jett Thomalla, for example. He was a three-star prospect committed to Iowa State when Alabama swooped in.
By the end of his senior season, he’d climbed the rankings and emerged as a five-star quarterback with offers to match. That’s the blueprint.
But spotting talent early is only half the battle. The other half? Keeping them committed when the spotlight-and the offers-start to grow.
That’s where things get tricky. Alabama’s strategy may avoid the steep upfront costs of the portal, but it doesn’t mean they’re not paying.
Retaining young players who’ve developed in the system gets expensive fast, especially when other programs come calling with promises of bigger roles and bigger checks. And when those players leave, the return on investment goes with them.
That’s the tightrope DeBoer is walking. Build through high school recruiting, develop from within, and resist the urge to throw money at the portal. But that approach only works if you can fend off programs like Miami when they come knocking-especially for players like Johnson, who may be three stars now but could easily rise through the ranks as the cycle unfolds.
This isn’t just about one cornerback. It’s a test case for Alabama’s entire roster-building philosophy.
The Tide are betting on culture, development, and early evaluations. But in today’s college football arms race, keeping your guys might be just as hard as finding them in the first place.