Things aren’t looking great for Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama football team. Their biggest rivals, Auburn, are on fire and stealing the spotlight. These two in-state teams have been locking horns for years. 

Lately, however, Auburn has been winning as they’re playing out on the recruiting trail. Auburn just landed a huge win by grabbing four-star edge rusher Jared Smith. 

Now, Smith is a highly sought-after top-50 player in the 2025 class and the No. 2 recruit in Alabama. He chose Auburn over other top schools like USC and Georgia. This 6-foot-6 edge rusher proudly shared his commitment news, saying, “Home sweet home.” He’s also impressed by “the people, the culture, the atmosphere” of his hometown team.

However, it’s not just Smith. They have three other in-state players, including wide receiver Derick Smith, who ditched Alabama for Auburn. Plus, they got 4-star safeties Eric Winters and Anquon Fegans, too. Auburn’s “Big Cat Weekend” recruiting event seems to have worked like magic, and it is now scaring Alabama.

While Alabama is still the top dog in recruiting, Auburn is nipping at its heels for now. Bama is No. 1 in the 2025 SEC recruiting class, but Auburn’s gaining ground quickly. While DeBoer’s Alabama has just 14% of its 21 recruits coming from the home state, Auburn, under HC Hugh Freeze, boasts a whopping 50% in-state representation out of its 22 commits. This shows Auburn’s stronghold on homegrown talent. It’s not just about local players, though.

Overall, DeBoer seems to face challenges on the recruiting front.

Kalen DeBoer faces recruiting challenges in Alabama

Replacing Nick Saban is no easy task and Kalen DeBoer is trying his best. But the recruiting road has been quite challenging for him. The latest bump in the road is losing another top recruit to Auburn. The talented 4-star defensive lineman Antonio Coleman has been flip-flopping between the Alabama-based teams. He started with Crimson Tide, then went to Auburn, then back to Tide, and now he’s back at Auburn again. It’s like a never-ending game of tug-of-war between DeBoer and Freeze.

Now, Alabama is also losing players to other schools. Florida snagged linebackers Ty Jackson and Myles Johnson. Maryland, too, picked up running back Zymear Smith, who was previously committed to Alabama. 

Looking at this, CFB expert Brian Smith gives his honest take on the situation. “They’re fine, I mean no Alabama fan have tunnel vision. They’re not going to recruit like Saaban… so expecting top 3 classes every single year, I don’t think is realistic,” he says. While it may be challenging for DeBoer to attract top recruits as successfully as Saban did, the ultimate question is whether he can replicate Saban’s winning record.