When Kalen DeBoer was picked as the successor to Nick Saban, changes were obviously on the horizon for the Alabama Football team. As the team moved from a defensive mastermind in Nick Saban to an offensive guru in Kalen DeBoer, the team's identity was going to make a shift. In his first season, Kalen DeBoer had to make this shift mostly with the pieces that Nick Saban left behind rather than his own personnel.
After his first season at the helm, it became an interesting storyline to follow as Kalen DeBoer looks to build Alabama to fit who he is as a Head Coach. When building a roster, it's harder than any other position as you can typically only sign one quarterback a cycle which means they need to pan out otherwise it'll set the program back.
While more often than not, you can only sign one quarterback, Kalen DeBoer appears to be in a better position than most coaches. As things currently stand, Alabama has one quarterback on board in 4-star Jett Thomalla which would be better than most programs. Heading into this week, Alabama is now the favorite to land another highly touted quarterback.
Alabama gains prediction to land 4-star quarterback Tayden Kaawa
On Sunday Night, On3's Steve Wiltfong predicted that Alabama would beat out Boise State and BYU for 4-star Quarterback Tayden Kaawa.
NEW: On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged expert prediction for Alabama to land On3 4-star QB Tayden Kaawa🐘
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 30, 2025
Read: https://t.co/XS6hqk5zPW pic.twitter.com/BMc88nez0u
According to On3's Recruiting Rankings, Tayden Kaawa is the 167th ranked player in the Country, the 12th ranked quarterback in the class, and the 3rd ranked player out of Utah. If he commits to Alabama, Kaawa would join Jett Thomalla who's ranked as the 122nd ranked player in the Country and the 10th ranked quarterback in the class.
If Kalen DeBoer is able to sign a pair of quarterbacks in the 2026 recruiting class, it would go a long way toward locking in the future of the quarterback room. During the 2025 recruiting cycle, Alabama was able to sign one of the best quarterbacks in the Country, Keelon Russell. After signing a 5-star quarterback, adding another pair of highly touted quarterbacks would be a massive win for the Crimson Tide and would give them plenty of competition if Ty Simpson leaves after this season.
On paper, heading into 2026, Alabama could have Austin Mack, Keelon Russell, Jett Thomalla, and Kayden Taawa all vying for the job as the starter if Ty Simpson declares for the NFL Draft. Nailing the quarterback position is the most important part of building a roster and moving forward, Kalen DeBoer and his staff are set up perfectly for the years to come.