Kalen DeBoer’s next task is nearly done. After navigating a recruiting storm, the newest Alabama head football coach has yet to finalize his first-year staff. Yet, nearly all of his hires have publically confirmed they’ll be heading, or in some cases staying, in Tuscaloosa. On Sunday, another key piece was reportedly added.

According to multiple reports, DeBoer will task Jatavis Sanders as his Director of Recruiting Strategy. Sanders comes from North Carolina State where he was named director of scouting in February 2022. Sanders was previously a backup quarterback in 1999 and 2000 for the Wolfpack. Per Sanders’ LinkedIn, he’s worked as a “recruiting specialist” for hundreds of athletes since 2009.

Sanders had stops at multiple Georgia high schools, including Norcross High in Gwinnett County. Sanders’ relationship-building paid off at NC State, where he helped assemble the 28th-ranked class nationally — NCSU’s second-best group since 2008.

It was previously speculated that DeBoer would attempt to bring Washington’s director of scouting Jerret McElwain back to Alabama, yet it seems as if DeBoer will have other familiar faces with him in Tuscaloosa, including offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and general manager Courtney Morgan, among others. 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz was the first to report Sanders’ hire.

“It’s certainly a special place and coach Saban’s made it that way,” DeBoer said last week on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “And I think that piece of it was intriguing and exciting to me when going through this process of looking to be the head coach and he’s made it an amazing job as have others who have come before him too. The legacy he leaves, you can’t help but notice it and carrying on that tradition, that’s my goal.”

Meanwhile, the staffers on Nick Saban’s final team continued to find new jobs themselves. Tight ends coach Joe Cox will take the same role at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin. Eric Wolford was also announced as offensive line coach at Kentucky, the school he left two years ago before joining Saban.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].