Getty Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer
From a recruiting standpoint, at least, Kalen DeBoer has picked right up where his predecessor, Nick Saban, left off at Alabama football. Even with the departure of Saban after last year’s run to the college playoffs, the Crimson Tide has what rates as the No. 2 recruiting bunch in the nation. And on Saturday, DeBoer added another top-flight prospect: Class of 2025 wide receiver Caleb Cunningham, a five-star recruit from Choctaw High School in Ackerman, Mississippi.
Cunningham raised eyebrows last year as a late-blooming receiver prospect who had a stellar junior year. He set a school record with 48 catches and 1,138 yards and 14 touchdowns. But his accomplishments do not stop there.
In March, he was awarded the All-Area Player of the Year award by the Starkville Daily News—in basketball. According to 24.7 sports, he has averaged 18.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in three seasons with the Chargers. Cunningham was also a state qualifier in the long jump and triple jump.
Basketball was Cunningham’s first love, but football is his future. At 6-foot-3, Cunningham already has the makings of a future NFL draft pick.
Alabama Football Uses Kalen DeBoer’s WR Reputation
There is a lot to be excited about with Cunningham, who chose Alabama over Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi and Mississippi State. He is ranked as the No. 2 wide receiver in the class, and he’s the No. 13 overall player nationally, according to the 24/7 Sports’ combined rankings.
While there was much anticipation about where Cunningham would choose to go to play at the next level, he did tip his hand on his preference for Alabama last month, in an interview with the TV station WBCI.
The combination of Alabama’s reputation as a program and DeBoer’s reputation as a maker of receivers—see Rome Odunze (first round to the Bears), Ja’Lynn Polk (second round to the Patriots) and Jalen McMillan (third round to the Bucs) representing the Washington Huskies in the 2024 draft—helped move the needle for Cunningham.
“Why not Bama though? Why wouldn’t you want to be built by Bama? They’ve got everything that you need,” Cunningham said. “For my position, they can get me to the league. They’ve got a lot of great receivers to the league.”
Caleb Cunningham an All-Around Athlete
It’s a big win for DeBoer, who did well attracting top talent to the Pacific Northwest but now much contend with the knifefights of recruiting in SEC country. That was seen as a big question around DeBoer when he took over for Alabama football, but Cunningham now marks the fourth five-star recruit he has landed in the Class of 2025, along with linebacker Darrell Johnson, quarterback Keelon Russell and cornerback Dijon Lee.
Cunningham can be a game-changer for DeBoer’s group. As his On3 scouting report reads:
“Bouncy outside receiver with the upside to become a skilled ball-winner. Listed at an unverified 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. Moves well at that size. Shows the ability to come down with catches in contested situations. Naturally coordinated and can locate the football at its highest point. Also shows some ability to make defenders miss after the catch. …
“Has considerable natural ability but will need to hone his technical skill at the position over the final few years of high school football. Could stand to be more productive.”
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