Four-Star QB Jett Thomalla Praises Tide Coaching Staff

Last week, Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide landed their quarterback for the 2026 recruiting class, flipping four-star Omaha, Nebraska native Jett Thomalla from Iowa State. Thomalla visited the Crimson Tide and the Cyclones before deciding to change his pledge to the Crimson Tide.

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Thomalla, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback, is ranked as the No. 205 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class and attended the Elite 11 last week. Thomalla threw for 3,663 passing yards as a junior last season, completing 69.6% of his passes, tossing 47 touchdowns as he led Millard South High School to a 12-1 record, claiming the Class A Championship.

On Monday, Thomalla joined Ryan Fowler on Tide 100.9, where he discussed several topics, including the Crimson Tide's coaching staff and how quickly Thomalla's recruitment with Alabama moved.

The Crimson Tide moved quickly with Thomalla, offering him a scholarship on May 15. Thomalla said Alabama's coaching staff contacted him about wanting to see him throw, and the Tide's quarterback coach, Nick Sheridan, was out to see him quickly after the comments.

"Coach Sheridan followed me, got my number, said he wanted to come watch me throw. He actually came down pretty quickly after saying that, so that's when I kinda noticed the interest was real. Came to watch me throw, got some dinner after, and just talked about ball and the future with them, and when they're kinda gonna make a move. He took film on my throws and clips and all that stuff. They've already watched all the high school film, so they already know that I'm a good enough player for their level. They just wanted to see it with their own eyes. Then came to the little training facility that I go to watch me throw. Then, about seven days later, [Coach Sheridan], Coach DeBoer, and Coach Grubb watched it a couple of times, and then Grubb and Sheridan got on the phone and offered me. That was really exciting at that point."

"I got down there a week later for an unofficial [visit]. It could've been an official, but they wanted me to get down there twice before committing, which I didn't; I feel like I had a really good connection with them after that first visit, but it was a lot of fun. I talked about it with Coach Sheridan for a little while and Coach Grubb, too. It kinda just felt like home to me. It still was a really tough decision coming down to the wire with Iowa State and Alabama, but I feel really good about the decision I made."

The Tide moved quickly for Thomalla, and Tuscaloosa is 723 miles from his high school. From offer to commitment, Alabama's coaching staff only had a month to make an impression on the four-star quarterback.

"Everyone was kinda saying, 'Oh, Alabama's so big. It's such a bigger stage.' But I felt like Coach Sheridan made me feel confidence in myself in our talks when I was there and over the phone, that I could really play there, and he thinks that I can play there. It's gonna be a lot of hard work, but if I stay that path, he thinks that I can be a starting quarterback at Alabama. It's pretty crazy to think about, but I'm doing everything I can right now to prove myself."

Thomalla also discussed the excitement of playing for Kalen Deboer's scheme, paired with Ryan Grubb and Nick Sheridan.

"It's just a lot more support, having those three guys and also the assistant quarterback coach. All four of those guys are good resources that I can go to," Thomalla said. "Kinda just pick their brains about the offense or what I need to learn more of, and ask questions. They've all coached quarterbacks, and Coach Grubb, coming from the NFL, it's an NFL-level offense. It's really exciting because that's your end goal. You want to go to the NFL. I feel like being around Coach Grubb and that type of offense will really get me ready."

Two weeks ago, Ryan Grubb described his offense as "aggressive." For a quarterback who threw 47 touchdowns last season, it's music to his ears.

"Yeah, it's good to know your OC wants to be aggressive, throw the deep ball, do all the other stuff. So, sounds like a good plan to me."

Want to listen to Jett Thomalla's full interview with Ryan Fowler? Click here!

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.