In an effort to improve the mood of Crimson Tide supporters worldwide ahead of the 2026 college football season, Kalen DeBoer and his Alabama football recruiting staff have recently flipped the script and brought in an impressive haul of talent following a somewhat slow start to the offseason and some early misses in the Transfer Portal.
This comeback comes after a large portion of the Tide fan base was depressed and started to doubt DeBoer’s recruiting skills after witnessing Hollywood Smothers, a former NC State commit, reject Alabama and Cam Coleman, the two top portal prospects, choose Austin over Tuscaloosa.
Kalen DeBoer and Alabama rebounded in a major way in the portal
When DeBoer and company began to address the team’s most obvious needs—rebuilding Alabama’s offensive and defensive lines as well as the special teams corps—this song started to shift. Underappreciated acquisitions like former Mississippi State defensive lineman Kedrick Bigley-Jones and Washington transfer defensive lineman Caleb Smith provide depth at the beginning of the restoration process. Then, Alabama added former Marshall kicker Lorcan Quinn, continuing their upward trajectory.
Soon after, DeBoer and Tide general manager Courtney Morgan maintained their momentum by acquiring former Michigan 4-star lineman Ty Haywood to bolster their offensive line up front. They then returned to the Carolinas to acquire former NC State wide out Noah Rodgers. Along with former Texas tackle Nick Brooks and former Ole Miss guard Ethan Fields, Alabama added former Poly Cal center Racin Delgatty, a two-time All-Sky standout, to their stable to keep the momentum going.
Alabama supporters were reassured by these additions, and DeBoer went one step further on Saturday by acquiring Terrance Green, an ex-Oregon signee and the No. 4 overall defensive lineman in the portal, whom many would consider to be their best addition. In addition to giving the Tide a complete 180-degree turnaround in their off-season, these signings gave a glimpse of DeBoer’s capacity to turn things around, as he did multiple times throughout the 2025 regular season in his second year as head coach in Tuscaloosa.
Naturally, these actions won’t make up for the humiliation Alabama experienced at the beginning of the season when the Tide’s brief CFP run came to an abrupt end after being crushed by Indiana in Pasaden at the Rose Bowl almost three weeks ago on New Year’s Day. However, I believe that this recruiting cycle should serve as a highlighted example of DeBoer and his staff’s ability to be resilient and weather the storm in this era of college football. More significantly, I believe that this time should serve as a constant reminder to Tide supporters that patience is essential and that anything worthwhile actually takes time.
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