Alabama football recruiting under Kalen DeBoer: 2025 updates, rankings, players to watch from top SEC insiders

Thanks to the success of Nick Saban, the Alabama Crimson Tide have been the most dominant college football program in the country for well over a decade. However, Saban retired in January after Alabama’s exit from the College Football Playoff and former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer now takes on the challenge of replacing a generational coaching talent. DeBoer just led the Huskies to the College Football Championship national championship game and is 37-9 over four seasons as a Division-I head coach at Fresno State and Washington.

How successful DeBoer can be in Tuscaloosa largely depends on his success in Alabama football recruiting, and between filling out his staff (offensive coordinator candidate Ryan Grubb recently chose to take the same role with the Seattle Seahawks), college football recruiting and the transfer portal, he’s been a busy man over his first month at the helm. So which Alabama recruiting targets is DeBoer in on and what high-profile transfers can Alabama land to plug holes in the roster created by Saban’s departure? If you want to see the latest Alabama recruiting and coaching news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Bama247, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Alabama.

The team of insiders at Bama247 are providing on-the-ground updates on every development in the football coaching search, including insights from Matt Zenitz, John Talty and Mike Rodak, who have more than 25 years of experience covering the Crimson Tide. The trio has deep-rooted ties inside and around the Alabama community, and Talty wrote The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban, a Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller. 

The team at Bama247 already has extensive coverage of Alabama’s recruiting efforts under Kalen DeBoer, including a list of 2025 recruits that the staff has targeted with limited time before the Dead Period. Head to Bama247 now to see them all. Check out the site’s groundbreaking message board for the latest Alabama football recruiting news.

Kalen DeBoer Alabama recruiting updates

One player from the 2025 class that DeBoer’s staff is interested in is Folsom (Calif.) defensive lineman Josiah Sharma. A three-star prospect, Sharma was once committed to Washington but ultimately decided to open his recruitment back up late last month and then was offered by DeBoer and Alabama the next day.

However, he’s also added offers from Ole Miss, Texas and Oregon in the weeks since his decommitment and his recruitment looks pretty wide open once again. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound interior defender is currently ranked as the No. 66 prospect in California in the Class of 2025 but his stock is clearly on the rise with the offers he’s added. He visited Alabama the first weekend of February and is expected to visit Texas after the dead period.Sharma spoke to Bama247 about his trip to Tuscaloosa, which you can read about here. 

Another player that DeBoer’s staff is interested in for 2025 is Philadelphia St. Joseph’s Top247 four-star linebacker Anthony Sacca. He has been in contact with Alabama since DeBoer was hired, and assistant coach Colin Hitschler took a visit to see him last month. Sacca took his first visit to Alabama earlier this month after visiting Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State in the spring and winter, among others. The four-star linebacker has 25 offers, including Florida State and Georgia. He is the No. 25 linebacker in his class and the No. 6 player in the state of Pennsylvania. He had plenty to say about his visit to Tuscaloosa, so be sure to check out Bama247 for more on his plans.

DeBoer is also targeting linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who is the No. 1 prospect in Washington. Rainey-Sale was committed to DeBoer and Washington but chose to open up his recruitment when DeBoer left the Huskies for the Crimson Tide. DeBoer’s staff extended an Alabama offer to Rainey-Sale just days later and now he’s expected to choose between Washington and Alabama at some point.

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Rainey-Sale is ranked as the No. 80 overall prospect nationally in the Class of 2025 and he could wind up being a building block for Alabama in that cycle. The Crimson Tide only have two commitments for 2025 and currently rank 30th in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings for 2025. Rainey-Sale is expected to take official visits in the spring and this battle could come down to Bama vs. Washington later this year. Bama247 learned more about his decision and his updated recruiting timeline, which you can see here. 

Meanwhile, Alabama’s staff could look different if Grubb heads to the NFL. He is being considered for the Seahawks offensive coordinator job, which was confirmed by 247Sports’ John Talty. Alabama has not officially announced Grubb’s hire, but he has been on the road recruiting for the Crimson Tide. The 48-year-old does not have any NFL coaching experience, but he engineered a high-powered Washington offense. Grubb was hoping to be offered the Washington job before winding up following DeBoer to Alabama. 

How to get Alabama 247Sports updates 

Alabama is also going after the No. 1 player in Kansas for the 2025 cycle, who already has a strong relationship with the staff. See what his interest level is at Bama247.

Who are the top players for 2025 that Alabama’s new coaching staff is targeting right now and which players have they done a good job with? Go to Bama247 to see all the latest Alabama recruiting news, all from a team of reporters with decades of experience covering the Crimson Tide, and find out.