Recruiting Update 11/15 A Glimpse Into the Future
As you probably know, I think recruiting is extremely important for the long-term success of a program. Sure, you can have average recruiting classes, and occasionally things will come together and you can have one good year (see our 2005 season), but for consistent success, you have to have elite recruiting classes. It still doesn’t guarantee success (see our 2000 season), but in general, the schools that have the best recruiting classes have the best teams; it’s that simple.
So how are we doing? Actually, we’re doing very well. Depending on the recruiting service that you choose to use as a gauge, we’re anywhere from Number 7 to Number 3 nationally. Rivals.com gives approximately 30 players their 5 star rating, and we have commitments from two of them, Tyler Love (OL) and Burton Scott. I am particularly excited about Scott, who I expect to see playing safety for the Tide, though he has the ability to be an outstanding WR. We have commitments from several excellent WRs (Destin Hood, Melvin Ray, and Devonta Boldin), and we are a finalist (and favorite) for the nation’s top player, Julio Jones, a WR out of Foley. Keep in mind that we’re losing three senior WRs this year, so we’ll need a major contribution from this group.
On defense, we have commitments from several excellent defensive linemen, though most of them are DEs, including Courtney Upshaw, Michael Williams, Brandon Lewis, and Undra Billingsley. Kerry Murphy is an excellent DT prospect if he can make his grades, but I’m hearing strong rumors that he might actually play OT at Alabama (again, if he makes it grade-wise). Damian Square is an interesting prospect. He is listed as a linebacker by one service, but another has him as a DT. We can use either, so regardless, I’m glad we got him.
Speaking of linebackers, we just got a commitment from an excellent LB from Tennessee named Don’ta Hightower. I’ve seen film of this kid, and I think he might be one of those underrated kids that makes a huge impact (like Demeco Ryans). Hightower is rated as a 4 star player, so he is highly regarded, but again, I think he might be something special. Jerrell Harris is an outstanding LB prospect out of Gadsden. From the beginning, Harris has been considered an Auburn lean. However, we have been able to make a strong push recently, and I now think we have a good chance with him. Harris and Hightower would make an excellent 1-2 punch at the linebacker position, so keep your fingers crossed.
Our only QB commitment is a dual-threat QB from Florida named Star Jackson. Jackson is very highly regarded. Scout has him as the nation’s eighth rated QB prospect, and Rivals lists him as the nation’s second rated dual-threat QB. We have two running back prospects, Ivan Matchett and Jermaine Preyear, both from the state of Alabama. These guys committed very early, and haven’t gotten as much publicity as some of the other guys, but they are both fairly highly regarded.
If I have a concern, it’s the lack of true cornerbacks. We still have a chance at three guys, TJ Bryant, Charles Whitlock, and Robby Green, but I think we’re on the outside looking in for all three of them. Saban is a master coach when it comes to the secondary, so I expect the guys that we have to improve a great deal, but I would feel better if we could land a top-notch cornerback to help out Kareem Jackson in the upcoming years.
Our offensive line should be getting a much-needed shot in the arm. We have commitments from 3 excellent prospects, including John Michael Boswell, Tyler Love, and most recently, Barrett Jones. Jones is considered the top prospect in the state of Tennessee, and I’ve seen film of this guy, and he is quite a prospect! I’m sure he’ll play on the OL for us, but from what I’ve seen, he could be a tremendous DL (think Patrick Kearney).
I haven’t talked about all of our commitments or prospects, so I hope I don’t offend anyone by leaving them out. I only wanted to touch on the highlights, and point out that we’re doing very well. It looks like we’re filling every need (though again I still have concerns at CB). My understanding is that we still have room for approximately five more commitments. There are several names out there besides the ones I’ve listed. If you hear that we have commitments from any of the following, William Green, Glenn Harbin, Chris Jordan, DeAndre Brown, and Antoine McClain, be happy, because these are all excellent players that can help immediately.
And one more note before I close, we also have our first commitment for the Class of 2009, DJ Fluker, and top-tier DT from Biloxi, MS. I want to mention him, because it’s possible that he will be the biggest player in college football history. According to reports, he might reach 7’ and 400 pounds by the time he reached Bama. Think he might clog up the middle in our 3-4 defense?
So there you have it. Saban is really upgrading the talent at Alabama, which is an absolute necessity in the SEC these days. Hopefully days like last week’s MSU game are soon to be in the past, and we can once again go back to Alabama football.
Until next time, feel free to send me any questions or comments.
Kenny
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