02/02 - A Look Back at the 2008 Recruiting Class
Signing Day 2009 is only 2 days away, so I thought it might be fun to revisit last year’s recruiting class. If you recall, we signed what was generally regarded as the nation’s top class last year, and in my recap, I listed what I considered to be the top ten signees from that class. Let’s take a look at those ten and see how they (and I) did.
10. Don’ta Hightower (DE/LB) – I said last year that not many people would list Don’ta in their top ten, but I’m glad I did. Don’ta started every game for us as a true freshman, and I think he is on his way to being an All-American at the inside linebacker position.
9. Devonta Bolton (LB) – Unfortunately, Devonta failed to qualify, and wound up going to JUCO. However, all indications are that he’s doing very well there. Furthermore, I hear that he is planning on taking a redshirt this year, which means that he’ll have three years of eligibility left when he enters the Capstone in 2010.
8. Marcel Dareus (DT) – I said last year that if I thought Marcel was going to qualify, I would have ranked him higher. He did qualify, and even though he didn’t get meaningful playing time until later in the year, I thought he was very impressive. If I had to re-rank last year’s class, I would move Marcel all the way up to the second spot. He will be dominant for us in the years to come.
7. Alonzo Lawrence (CB) – Alonzo’s season was very surprising to me, because he redshirted, and I thought for sure that he would get a lot of playing time. Cornerback is definitely a position of need for us, and I hope he develops into the player that I thought he would be coming out of high school. I do hear that he is coming along, so I think he’ll help solidify our secondary starting next year.
6. Barrett Jones (OL) – Barrett got some playing time early in the season, but injuries stopped him from getting into any more games. We will petition to get him a medical redshirt, and if successful, he’ll still have 4 years of eligibility. It’s hard to gauge his performance and potential at this point, but I have to grudgingly admit that I’m not as high on him as I was at this time last year.
5. Tyler Love (OL) – Actually, everything I said for Barrett Jones is also true for Tyler Love. I was a little more impressed with Love’s play than Jones’s, but it’s really too early to tell at this point.
4. Mark Barron (Ath) – Mark got a significant amount of playing time on special teams, and did get some time at safety also. Overall, I thought his play was pretty good for a freshman, but he’s going to have to step it up next year, because with the departure of Rashad Johnson, Barron needs to be a real playmaker in our defensive backfield. I think he will be; he has too much talent to be just an average player.
3. Jerrell Harris (LB) – Harris didn’t make the splash that I expected, especially since we had such a need at outside linebacker. However, he did get playing time both at linebacker and on special teams. He should see the field more next year, and with his combination of speed and power, I think he’ll fit in nicely with Saban’s blitzing schemes. Of course, with the group of linebackers we’re signing this year (more on that in a few days), he’d better step up his game fast!
2. Burton “BJ” Scott (Ath) – Scott played this year, but not nearly as much or nearly as well as I expected. Honestly, I don’t know what happened here. I thought he looked pretty good during the very limited time that he played, but he was just never really worked into the game plan. There could be a number of contributing factors here. First, maybe we had to keep the playbook fairly simple since it was a new system. Also, maybe he just didn’t produce on the limited chances he had, and they never went back to him. However, most likely, there was something lacking in his development. Maybe his blocking wasn’t sufficient, maybe he couldn’t quite pick up the playbook, who knows? Still, he has three more years, and this guy will excel. Count on it. Of course, I’m hearing that he might be a cornerback next year, but he has the talent to be great at any skill position. He will still be great.
1. Julio Jones (WR) – What can I say about his guy? He was our whole passing game last year, and he was one of the best freshmen WRs I’ve ever seen. Can you imagine what he would have done if he played for a team that could pass? We have him for two more years, and he will be absolutely dominant in those two years. We’re very lucky to have him at Alabama.
Looking back on last year’s class, it strikes me that I stand by this top ten, but there were several other players that I really should have discussed more. Clearly, Mark Ingram made a huge impact. Courtney Upshaw was a special teams wrecking ball, and I really think that his nose for the ball will make him a terror at outside linebacker and defensive end. Brad Smelley came out of nowhere and became a solid tight end. Also, John Michael Boswell appears to the best of the three offensive linemen that we signed (though all three still have a lot of time to progress). And I haven’t even mentioned Star Jackson, who I am hearing is doing exceptionally well and might be our starting QB next year.
The point is, we signed a tremendous class last year, and that class played a huge role in the tremendous regular season that we had. We’re finally catching up with the talent level at other SEC schools, and as our young talent develops under Saban’s guidance, we are going to be force in the SEC. Florida is going to be tough to catch, and Georgia and LSU are always going to be powerhouses. But we’re finally getting there, and this year’s recruiting class will do even more to elevate our talent level. Be sure to check in at the end of this week as I recap the 2009 signing class. It’s not quite going to measure up to the 2008 class (what class could?), but it’s still excellent, and you’ll definitely want to see who will be carrying the torch for the Alabama Crimson Tide for the next 4 years.
As always, feel free to send me any questions or comments. Until next time, Roll Tide!
Kenny
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