02/16 Post Signing Day Update
It’s been over a week since National Signing Day, and as you all read in my previous blog, Alabama did phenomenally well. That blog was dedicated to what I considered to be the top ten signees in this year’s class, but there were a few other items that I thought would be interesting. In some cases, I just didn’t have the room to cover those items in that blog, but there have also been some interesting developments since signing day.
First, I have been catching a lot of heat for saying that LSU’s class was better than ours, so I wanted to address that. Let me be clear that I would not trade classes with them. I’m thrilled with the class we signed, and the fact that this class is so solid in the areas of need for us coupled with the fact that these are the players that Saban wanted means that I wouldn’t trade them for anybody. As for LSU’s class, it really was excellent. The thing about it is that there are several headline players (including Craig Loston, who really could be the best player coming out of high school this year at any position), but a few of their “second-tier” players are really underrated. Take Sam Montgomery for example. He is ranked as a four star player, but this guy is five-star all the way. In my opinion, he is a five-star among five-stars – he’s that good. Also, you guys know how important I think defensive tackles are, and their DT class was ridiculously good, and those guys are going to be stalwarts on the interior of their defensive line for years to come. So again, I love our class, and I won’t argue that it’s not the best in the nation. All I’m saying is that LSU also has an argument. We have some fun matchups with those guys coming up in the near future!
Also, I made reference to three players that we thought we had flipping on us at the last minute. Those three players were Greg Reid (CB from GA), Bobby Massie (prep school OT), and Pat Patterson (WR from Mississippi). In fairness, I’m not sure Patterson could be considered a flip, but Reid and Massie definitely were. Reid was someone we definitely needed at CB. He privately committed to us the day before signing day, but at his press conference, he surprised everybody from the Bama nation by putting on the FSU cap. I am hearing that it was a family issue that swayed him at the last minute. I hope everything was above board, because Greg actually seems like a good guy. He should do very well at FSU, and I wish him well. As for Massie, I was very disappointed when he flipped to Ole Miss. I (and the Bama coaches) were expecting him and DJ Fluker to anchor our offensive line for the next four years. You never know how guys are going to progress (except for Nico Johnson - he’s going to rock!), but I think we’re going to miss Reid and Massie. Personally, I was more disappointed that we lost out on Reid. I think he is a true lockdown corner, and coupled with Dre Kirkpatrick, we could have had the nation’s best cornerback combo.
I wanted to briefly mention some other school’s of interest. As Bama fans, we’re always interested in what’s happening in Auburn and Knoxville, so how did they do with their new coaching staffs? First, a lot of people are piling on Auburn after their surprise hiring of Gene Chizik. Actually, I thought they did pretty well all things considered. If their QB signee out of Texas, Tyrik Rollison, qualifies, he could be something special. In addition, I think a few of their “sleeper” signees are actually quite underrated. Terrance Coleman is undersized for a DT, but he is extremely athletic, and if he bulks up by about 40 pounds, he could be a beast on the interior. Also, Jamar Travis is much better than his ranking would indicate. In addition, they got a signing day surprise in DeAngelo Benton, and if can get his grades in order, I think he’ll be an outstanding WR. However, their best addition was to their coaching staff, where Chizik hired Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator. This guy is a brilliant offensive mind, and we’ll see his influence immediately, and if Rollison qualifies, they may really have something.
As for Tennessee, that’s just a mess. Their recruiting class was good, not better than their typical class, but still, pretty good. However, I have no confidence whatsoever that coaching staff can actually manage a football team. Lane Kiffin has been sticking his foot in his mouth on a regular basis ever since he was hired, and besides the hiring of his dad as defensive coordinator (which is incidentally a violation of UT rules), his staff choices have been ridiculously bad. Yes, they are stocked with recruiters, but I don’t think the players are going to develop at all under that staff. We’ll see, but this has “DuBose Era – the Tennessee Edition” written all over it.
Georgia and Florida had phenomenal classes. Just like I wouldn’t trade our class for anybody, I’m sure they feel the same way. Those programs are clicking on all cylinders, and they will be forces in the SEC for the foreseeable future. Florida only signed 16 players (we signed 27), but the quality of those players is outstanding. Georgia’s class had both quantity and quality, and that QB signee, Aaron Murray, is unbelievable. Again, you never know how players are going to progress, but these classes are almost certainly loaded with All-SEC and All-American talent.
So you can see that the SEC is not getting any easier, but the good news is that we finally have the right person in place to put us among the SEC elite. Under Shula, our only hope was that the other programs were going to come down to our level, and frankly, that wasn’t going to happen. Now that we’re playing with the big boys, it’s fun again!
Keep checking back as spring practice and the A-Day game approach. Until then, as always, feel free to send me any questions or comments.
Roll Tide!
Kenny
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