Twenty-two months ago, Courtney Morgan was caught between two worlds: he was watching his own alma mater, Michigan, play with players he had scouted, and he was enjoying a national title run he had helped construct at Washington. A week later, he and Kalen DeBoer headed to Tuscaloosa in an attempt to stabilize a program that is still plagued by Nick Saban ‘s shadow.

At Washington, Morgan held a similar hybrid personnel/GM role and helped DeBoer flip a 4–8 program into a 25–3 monster with a Pac-12 title and CFP title-game trip in just two seasons. Before that, he ran roster building at Michigan and Fresno State, both of which made major jumps under his watch.

Now, Alabama’s 8-1 start feels more like the product of a GM who has perfected retention and portal strategy. The true twist behi

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