While Kalen DeBoer's first season at Alabama didn't meet the Crimson Tide's standards a few things have shined under his tenure to the point they're comparable to Nick Saban. The area where DeBoer may be outperforming Nick Saban in a small sample size is when it comes to recruiting quarterbacks. In his first recruiting cycle in Tuscaloosa, Kalen DeBoer flipped quarterback Keelon Russell from SMU before he'd go on to finish the cycle as a 5-star recruit.
The Crimson Tide now have a second quarterback on board in DeBoer's second recruiting cycle as Alabama flipped Iowa State commit Jett Thomalla earlier this week.
BREAKING: Four-Star QB Jett Thomalla has Flipped his Commitment from Iowa State to Alabama, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 17, 2025
The 6’4 210 QB from Omaha, NE had been Committed to the Cyclones since April
“All glory to God, Roll tide!!🐘🐘”https://t.co/17geYc1Njw pic.twitter.com/yotlbw14kT
Jett Thomalla's recruiting ranking doesn't jump out as exceptional as On3's Industry Recruiting Rankings rank Thomalla as the 205th ranked player in the Country, the 13th ranked quarterback in the class, and the top player out of Nebraska. It didn't take long for Alabama fans to get a glimpse at just how impressive their potential quarterback of the future could be.
This week, 20 of the Nation's top quarterback recruits are gathered in Los Angeles competing in the Elite 11 finals. Past MVP's of the event include Cade Klubnik, Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud, Justin Fields, and Tua Tagovailoa which speaks to the level of players at the event.
On Wednesday Night, the quarterbacks went through a NFL Pro Day style event with each quarterback throwing 20 different passes to receivers on air. Thomalla showcased his accuracy, completing 18 of his 20 attempts which was tied for the most completions by any quarterback.
The highlight of Thomalla's workout came when Thomalla perfectly placed a ball down the sideline giving the receiver just enough room to get his feet in bounds.
Alabama 4-star QB commit Jett Thomalla drops it in the bucket🐘
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 19, 2025
Live Updates: https://t.co/eXmlMYHHL8 pic.twitter.com/elf4qScRn0
As Kalen DeBoer looks to start building a legacy in Tuscaloosa, his job will be fairly easy if he continues to land top quarterbacks at the rate he has. After signing an Elite 11 MVP in Keelon Russell last season, the Crimson Tide appear to have a clear top quarterback once again which only helps in recruiting talent around them.