Things haven’t been smooth sailing lately for Kalen DeBoer on the recruiting front. The shadow of legendary coach Nick Saban’s retirement still looms, and the Crimson Tide fans’ are sweating a little.

Landing top recruits has always been a point of pride for Alabama, but lately, some big fish are slipping through the net. Now, two recent losses sting particularly hard. First, the highly rated wide receiver Derek Meadows, a 6’5″ monster of a target, decided to take his talents to LSU instead. Talk about a potentially offensive weapon walking out the door! 

Hosts Jimmy Stein and Luke Robinson lamented the loss on the Locked On Bama podcast. Robinson called Meadows a “sort of a lab-created big dude” — exactly what Alabama’s offense craves. With his eight touchdowns and 15 catches in just 10 games, it’s no surprise he’s such a coveted 4-star prospect. And to make matters worse, LSU now boasts “the highest average per player rating” with the addition of Meadows.

Then comes defensive lineman Floyd Boucard, who initially included Alabama in his top choices. He even played his high school game in Mobile, Alabama, making him a potential hometown hero for the Crimson Tide. But alas, Boucard chose the Oklahoma Sooners on July 21. Noting this, Robinson says, “I think Alabama wanted him. I don’t think they wanted him as badly as Oklahoma wanted him.” Both these decommits are heading to teams Alabama will face this season, creating a competitive SEC conference!

However, DeBoer isn’t throwing his recruiting gears down. Whispers suggest he’s got his eye on another top prospect to fill the void left by these two losses. 

Kalen DeBoer shows interest in Kiffin’s Ole Miss recruit

Kalen DeBoer is throwing some shade at Lane Kiffin! He’s got his eye on a top prospect from Kiffin’s Ole Miss team — running back Akylin Dear. This 4-star player initially pledged to the Rebels but pulled a fast one on Friday night and de-committed. Now, Alabama looks like the frontrunner to land him, with offers from Texas and Georgia still in play.

“AK Dear would be the guy that we feel like is on to commit to Alabama and again a huge huge addition,” said host Jimmy Stein on Locked On Bama. Now, that’s some “huge addition” in the offensive as Dear racked up some serious stats as a junior — over 2,000 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns!

Even better news for DeBoer: Dear visited Alabama and Florida this spring. He wasn’t the only one on campus recently. The Crimson Tide hosted several other top recruits last week, including offensive tackles Jackson Llyod and Malachi Goodman, wide receiver Travis Smith, and edge rusher Justin Hill. Can DeBoer at least land a couple of them from this group? 

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!