Not Nick Saban, but Courtney Morgan is Kalen DeBoer’s secret tool for getting new players.

Nick Saban’s visit to Tuscaloosa during Alabama’s last official visit weekend of the summer and his recent string of promises have made fans of rival programs think that Saban is still the key to Alabama’s success.

They don’t seem to care that Saban’s recent trip to the Capstone was the first official visit weekend he had been on campus since he quit coaching the Tide. There’s also the fact that DeBoer and most of the coaching team were able to sneak out that Saturday to go to Mississippi for Keelon Russell’s sister’s funeral. Others don’t seem to care about this.

They want to think that Saban is the sole reason Alabama can be Alabama. They hoped that the rule of the Crimson Tide was finished. They persuaded themselves that DeBoer, an outsider from the South, couldn’t possibly recruit with the SEC’s elite in the South. because it is more difficult to accept the truth. Furthermore, hardly one wants to acknowledge their mistakes. In actuality, prior to Saban, Alabama was Alabama. It could have been argued that Tuscaloosa had the greatest college football program ever when he arrived, but he elevated the program to a new level. And the fact is that, despite the 9–4 record from the previous season, Alabama will continue to be Alabama after Saban. Last year, DeBoer brought in a top-five recruiting class, demonstrating his ability to recruit.

With a strong run in late June that sent the Crimson Tide into the Top 10 with plenty of meat left on the bone, he is demonstrating it once more this year. In this class, Alabama has three five-star commits and could have three more. However, rival fans do have one thing correct. When it comes to recruiting, DeBoer does have a secret weapon. The person isn’t Nick Saban. Courtney Morgan is the general manager. Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan make a formidable recruiting team.

A former Michigan player who is now among the top recruiting, scouting, and relationship-building minds in college sports, Courtney Morgan was the most significant person DeBoer brought from Washington to Alabama a year ago when he accepted this position. Both Michigan and Washington’s College Football Playoff teams were built thanks in large part to Morgan. His fingerprints are all over Alabama’s roster, and he is currently the Crimson Tide’s general manager.

Morgan has done a fantastic job of establishing connections right away in the south. Morgan has helped Alabama go from failing to get any of the state’s top 10 recruits in the 2025 cycle to having a chance to sign the top three in 2026 in just one year. Morgan and DeBoer make a strong team. Even now, Saban remains devoted to the University of Alabama. However, his help is infrequent and typically unnecessary. Naturally, why wouldn’t you make the most of having the best coach and recruiter in the sport’s history at your disposal?