The Alabama Crimson Tide fanbase doesn't have much hope of landing 4-star Thompson Warriors safety Junior Tu'upo. Bama Hammer's John Mitchell believes Alabama's roster construction makes Tu'upo more of a need for the Auburn Tigers, since there are rising players who are working through the system waiting to step up for their chance. Still, Mitchell stressed that losing an in-state blue-chip recruit to the Tide's Iron Bowl rival is bad optics.
Per Mitchell, "It's not a banner year for in-state recruits. There are no 5-stars in this cycle so far, and the highest-ranked player in the state from the composite rankings is No. 73 overall (Miami commit Ai'King Hall). But you always want to have a presence in your state, no matter what. As of right now, Alabama only has six total commitments in the 2027 class, and only two of them hail from the state of Alabama. Neither of which is among the Top 10 prospects. Auburn also only has two commitments from in-state products, but both are ranked inside the Top 5 of the state rankings (Isaac McNeil and Donivan Moore)...Safety is not really a need for Alabama in the 2027 class, but for the sake of optics, a head-to-head win over Auburn for a coveted in-state defensive back would be preferable."
While it is true that Kalen DeBoer, Jason Jones, and Co. have minimal worries at the position, it's also true that the team is riding off a Nick Saban recruit (Bray Hubbard) and is seemingly living on a prayer with the other (Keon Sabb) after almost losing him to the NFL. Jireh Edwards, Rihyael Kelley, and Ivan Taylor are the next guys up, but the Alabama of old didn't stop at its two-deep. Stacking classes used to be the norm. It used to be, dare I say, the standard.
The "Bama Standard" isn't about stacking blue-chips at every position anymore. There's not enough money in Tuscaloosa to make it happen. And with that, something that was sacred under Saban is no longer operating the same under DeBoer.
The Thompson-to-Alabama pipeline is fading away
Credit to 2027 QB wunderkind Trent Seaborn for keeping the Thompson-to-Tide pipeline alive. It appears that in the NIL/rev-share era, pipelines from anywhere are becoming increasingly uncommon.
What need is there for an established pipeline anyway? All of these players are chasing paychecks, as they should, so there isn't the same incentive to remain with your high school teammates at the next level.
Players will always prefer to stay in-state, but with rich national NIL/rev-share powerhouses like the Oregon Ducks, Miami Hurricanes, and the oil-rich Lone Star State programs offering more money, fewer and fewer student-athletes are going to give out hometown discounts.
Hometown discounts are the only way Alabama can compete anymore. DeBoer isn't even looking in-state as much as his predecessor, having come from a West Coast background with the Washington Huskies and Fresno State Bulldogs.
Change can sometimes be a good thing. In this case, the decline of Alabama's Thompson pipeline will open up more opportunities for one from Alabaster to Auburn.
Add us as a preferred source on Google