Recruiting can be considered the basis of college football. If a school doesn’t recruit effectively, it would have to focus solely on development, which some programs are better at than others. But with the addition of the transfer portal, there are more recruiting opportunities than ever before.

Some schools have had to rely on the transfer portal, and others can rely on strictly their brand and even loyalty to their home state. Alabama is one of the schools where the brand and home-state push build the program to what it is.

When it comes to recruiting in Alabama, the Crimson Tide has it on lockdown. In addition, Alabama recruits in Louisiana better than LSU recruits in Alabama. 

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Here is a comparison* of Alabama’s recruiting against LSU’s from the Class of 2020 to 2023:

*Offer and visit listings are courtesy of 247sports

*Official visit statistics excludes the Class of 2021 because COVID-19 prohibited official visits

*Players who transferred after signing are included in the statistics because of initial signing out of high school

• Alabama signees with an LSU offer: 76/105 signees (72.4%)
• Alabama signees with an LSU offer who are from Alabama: 20/76 signees (26.3%)
• Alabama signees with an LSU offer that took an official visit to LSU: 7/76 signees (9.2%)
• Alabama signees with an LSU offer that took an official visit to LSU who are from Alabama: 1/76 (1.3%)
• Alabama signees from Louisiana: 7/105 signees (6.67%)

• LSU signees with an Alabama offer: 37/87 signees (42.5%)
• LSU signees with an Alabama offer who are from Louisiana: 17/37 signees (45.9%)
• LSU signees with an Alabama offer that took an official visit to Alabama: 6/37 signees (16.2%)
• LSU signees with an Alabama offer that took an official visit to Alabama who are from Louisiana: 4/37 signees (10.8%)
• LSU signees from Alabama: 2/105 (1.9%)

This may look like a lot, so let’s explain.

First, LSU offered more players who are also being recruited by Alabama over the past four recruiting classes. The Tigers offered almost as many Alabama signees as recruits they’ve landed themselves, regardless of state.

Notable current Alabama players who held an LSU offer are Jase McClellan, Dallas Turner and J.C. Latham. 

Next, Alabama offered a greater percentage of players from Louisiana than LSU offered players from Alabama. This shows that Alabama sees Louisiana as more of an effective recruiting ground than LSU sees Alabama. 

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Notable LSU players from Louisiana who held an Alabama offer are Brian Thomas Jr., Maason Smith and Will Campbell.

Alabama has also hosted more LSU signees for official visits than LSU has hosted Alabama signees. However, in the 2022 class, no LSU signee took an official visit to Alabama.

But Alabama has hosted more LSU signees from Louisiana than LSU has hosted Alabama signees from Alabama. 

Kayshon Boutte and Jacobian Guillory, members of the 2020 class, each took official visits to Alabama. Kaleb Jackson took one as well. Demouy Kennedy, also a member of the 2020 class, was the only Alabama signee from Alabama to take an official visit to LSU. He now plays at Colorado.

Many players were recruited by both Alabama and LSU, and for the majority of them, they stayed in their home state rather than going to the opposing state. However, the times where this wasn’t the case is what sets one apart from the other.

From the 2020 class to the 2023 class, Alabama signed seven players from Louisiana; Kendrick Law, Eli Holstein and Shazz Preston to name a few. LSU, however, signed just two players from Alabama, and only one, Armoni Goodwin, remains on the team. The other, Eric Taylor, now plays at Mississippi State.

When it comes to recruiting more effectively, many think the concept of winning more football games is the solution.

Can this be true? Yes, but where the talent is located also plays a role.

In the class of 2024, the current high school senior class, Alabama holds seven players ranked within the top 100 and 12 within the top 200, according to the 247sports composite rankings. Not to mention, Alabama competes with Auburn to keep in-state recruits home; LSU is the only Power Five school in Louisiana.

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Louisiana, on the other hand, holds two players inside the Top 100, one of which is committed to LSU, Trey’Dez Green, and five within the Top 200. Three of those five recruits are committed to LSU.

LSU still recruits Louisiana very well, as 15 of its 26 commitments are in-state recruits (57.7%). Alabama, on the other hand, holds nine in-state pledges out of its 20 commitments (45.0%). But Auburn, the Crimson Tide’s counterpart, currently holds 10 commitments from Alabama in its class of 2024.

However, according to 247sports, Alabama’s 2024 recruiting class is ranked No. 5 in the country, as opposed to LSU’s No. 9 rank. While LSU holds more commitments, the phrase “quality over quantity” can be used.

Alabama has shown it can be picky about who it recruits, hence less offers given out compared to LSU. But Alabama’s brand and in-state loyalty has shown to carry more weight than LSU’s.

LSU recruiting in-state well is a step in the right direction. There are currently no recruits from Louisiana committed to Alabama. But when it comes to recruiting where the talent is located, Alabama has had the edge.