Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer visits No. 1 QB of the 2026 recruiting class following his announcement of final six schools

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has paid a visit to five-star quarterback prospect Jared Curtis. DeBoer was in Nashville, Tennessee, with his offensive coordinator, Nick Sheridan, on Monday in furtherance of their efforts to land the top 2026 standout from Nashville Christian High School.

Curtis, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 225 pounds, is the On3 No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class. The high school junior recently announced his final six schools. His list includes Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina. He also announced official visits to Oregon, Georgia and South Carolina, scheduled to take place in June.

However, before then, he’ll be making a trip to Tuscaloosa on Feb. 1 for the Crimson Tide’s junior day. The event will be another opportunity for the program to present its pitch to the elite prospect. Kalen DeBoer and his staff will hope to convince him before he sets out for his summer visits.

Curtis was previously committed to the Georgia Bulldogs. However, he withdrew his commitment from Kirby Smart’s program in October, opening the race to sign the coveted recruit to other top programs, including Alabama.

How Kalen DeBoer is doing on the recruitment trail

Kalen DeBoer took over a storied Alabama program from the legendary Nick Saban ahead of the 2024 season, following the latter’s retirement. Despite his underwhelming start to life in charge of the team, finishing the season with a 9-4 record, many have hailed him for starting strong.

Jared Curtis shares this opinion, as he expressed in an interview with On3:

“Coach Sheridan and Coach DeBoer, I feel like they showed what they can do their first year. They keep getting top-five recruiting classes, and they have the guys around.”

Curtis’ assessment is credible. Kalen DeBoer’s 2025 class is ranked No. 2 nationally by On3 and includes top 2025 quarterback Keelon Russell, who is now enrolled at Tuscaloosa. Other five-star signees in Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class are offensive lineman Michael Carroll, cornerback Dijon Lee and offensive tackle Jackson Lloyd.

Furthermore, 86% of the class are blue-chip prospects, with 10% of them sourced in-state. Naturally, DeBoer and his staff will be keen on keeping up the impressive recruiting record, with a view to making the team’s performance reflect that.

Former coach Saban left big shoes for the former Washington coach. However, the first big step to filling them would be getting his recruitment right, something he appears to be doing well so far.