Former Alabama football players Dallas Turner and Jordan Battle are actively recruiting Penn State transfer King Mack to Tuscaloosa. They are doing so despite the major change in coaching staff.
It is a rather unique dichotomy that the Crimson Tide has not faced since Nick Saban was hired in 2007.
King Mack, a former four-star recruit in 2023, is leaving the Nittany Lions after one season. He is from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and played at St. Thomas Aquinas. Turner and Battle also attended the high school football powerhouse. They are trying to leverage their local connection to get the 5-foot-10 safety to their former school!
Turner, who was drafted No. 17 overall by the Vikings, made his pitch on Instagram.
As did Battle, who was drafted in the third round by the Bengals.
On the surface, this could not be less of a big deal. Former (and current) college football players often make their pitch to transfer on social media. This is not uncommon.
The coaching element is what makes it interesting!
Saban is gone. Kalen DeBoer is in.
In the past, Crimson Tide players in the NFL were recruiting younger athletes to a program they knew. They knew that Saban was going to lead his team as he always did. They knew that their successors would play for an Alabama that looked exactly the same as it did when they were there.
That is no longer the case!
Battle and Turner have no idea what the Crimson Tide will look like in 2024 and beyond. A program that was the face of stability and consistency is in the middle of major change. DeBoer is going to do things differently than what Turner and Battle experienced with Saban.
And yet, they continue to recruit for their (quasi) alma mater!