Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting target just proved GM Courtney Morgan right when it comes to NIL and offers in Tuscaloosa
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The Alabama Crimson Tide has a strict policy when it comes to negotiating NIL and handing out offers to high school recruits, and one of the Tide’s targets just proved that Alabama is true to its word.
The Alabama Crimson Tide has a certain process when it comes to recruiting high school players, and we are seeing it play out right in front of our eyes with the 2027 class. Alabama’s main priority is quality, but number two on the list of nonnegotiables is being bought into the program.
Not players that are bought into what Alabama can do for them, or what they can give them, but rather players who want to be a part of Alabama. Players who would put on the crimson and white for nothing more than a scholarship, the way it used to be. Well, we have a recent example of the opposite case, and it proves that Alabama is being true to its word.
Alabama 2027 recruiting class
- QB Elijah Haven (5-star)
- QB Trent Seaborn (4-star)
- RB Nigel Newkirk (4-star)
- DL Avrian “AJ” Pauley (3-star)
- TE Michael Nnabuife (3-star)
- TE Oakley Keegan (3-star)
- Kicker Luke Cody
- RB Tai Phillips (3-star)
Alabama is not getting into bidding wars for players
“They said they couldn’t compete with the numbers my other schools are offering, so they just pulled out of the race,” a recruit told Justin Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
If you’re not aware, around a month ago, Alabama Crimson Tide General Manager Courtney Morgan went on the record, and he put it plainly when it comes to NIL and pay for play at Alabama.
“If we can’t come to an agreement, you just don’t bring them for an OV – we’ll cancel the kid’s visit,” Morgan told ESPN back in May. “There was a big-time player last year, top of his position, we just told him don’t come because we couldn’t meet on the terms he wanted.”
Why Alabama’s strategy is smart in the long term
It may feel like Alabama is getting left behind when you see quotes like that from recruits and your general manager, but it’s a long play for the University. It’s not a coincidence that after Nick Saban told everyone we were heading down a bad path, you have the reigning national champions’ head coach, Curt Cignetti, saying that this current model is unsustainable.
Paying 17 and 18-year-olds millions before they ever step into a college weight room, well, that’s a recipe for disaster. Because for every Ryan Coleman-Williams and Jeremiah Smith, 10 5-stars simply won’t pan out.
So Alabama is going to be picky. It is going to attack the portal and make sure they love a recruit before pulling the trigger, and that will be better in both the short and long term.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting target just proved GM Courtney Morgan right when it comes to NIL and offers in Tuscaloosa
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