With NIL rapidly changing the college football landscape, programs have the option of offering lucrative deals to land a coveted prospect. Alabama’s quarterback commit, Elijah Haven, saw fierce competition between schools over him, but NIL was never his top priority. 

“Honestly, it's never about the money. But about the place I want to develop the best at,” the five-star passer said in a July 7 interview with Youth Inc. “Those conversations didn't come till pretty much I had my top two, you know, it was Alabama and Georgia.” 

In On3’s high school NIL valuations, Haven ranks No. 16 overall, the eighth among 24 quarterbacks. He shared what his driving force in this period was and when NIL came into the picture. 

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound prospect is the No. 1 quarterback nationally who has had over 15 offers, per ESPN.

Big Ten programs like the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions, and SEC schools like the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs were vying for him. Haven started a recruitment battle between these programs.

According to Sports Illustrated, the Crimson Tide led with an overwhelming majority in January, second to Florida. Ultimately, the Baton Rouge native announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide on April 25 at a youth camp in Louisiana. 

“So, we definitely took longer in our process before we started talking NIL and money. Because we really only had the opportunity to do that with my top two (schools),” he told Greg Olsen, host of the Youth Inc. show. 

According to Rivals, his NIL valuation is $1 million. Haven is a top recruit in the 2027 class and attracts considerable media attention. It is not a surprise that he was offered high-profile NIL deals before recruitment even began. 

In 2025, he signed an NIL deal with Matt Bowers Auto Group. The company called it a “first-of-its-kind” while Haven was still a sophomore last year. According to ESPN, he was a three-year starter at The Dunham School.

He was Louisiana’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year in fall 2025 for leading his school to the state finals since 2004. He recorded 3,931 yards on 72.3% passing in his junior year and set a state record with 62 passing touchdowns. 

Despite the high monetary prospects so early on, Haven remained committed to choosing growth. 

Elijah Haven reveals why he chose Alabama Crimson Tide

The quarterback has maintained that development matters the most to him, and that is possible only with good coaches. 

“I think for us personally, we felt like we had better relationships with the coaches there,” he said during his appearance on the Youth Inc. show. “We’re so thankful to…Coach Smart for recruiting me. Just being able feel home, and that ultimately led to my decision.”

Haven thanked Kirby Smart, the Alabama Crimson Tide’s head coach, for landing him. He was recruited by Nick Sheridan, per On3. Now, as an Alabama commit, Haven faces enormous expectations.

Do you think he’ll fare with them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments. 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar