Because the number of scholarships expected to go to defensive backs in somewhat limited, the look at Alabama’s defensive back targets will be combined with a rundown of linebacker targets in a single story.

When Nick Saban got to Alabama, there was perhaps no greater difference present in the type of player Saban prefers versus the type of player he had onhand than at linebacker. Alabama’s previous staff recruited for speed, even (and often) at the expense of bulk. The difference...

I've been to New Orleans about 20 times in my life. My parents started taking me when I was 4, which according to some pastors I've had in my life, constitutes child abuse.

Only once have I ever seen trouble in New Orleans, and it didn't come from locals, but from a collection of kids in town for what appeared to be some kind of punk rock convention a couple of decades ago.

The trip to New Orleans to watch Alabama play Utah in the Sugar Bowl was my first post-Katrina...

Didn’t see an article on this site breaking down the bowl matchups like we do each week with games involving SEC teams? That’s because we didn’t write one.

Bowl week is a bowl of mixed nuts every year. dWhen teams have this much time off, and this much time for distraction – see Andre Smith, Alabama – it gets hard to know who’s going to show up and who isn’t.

The only game of the bunch that even feels like a normal game is Florida-Oklahoma, because the stakes are clear...

With a look at the offense finished, we now move to the defensive side of the ball, which has quickly been built into a strength by head coach Nick Saban.

The defensive line has overachieved for two years now, and many fans are hungrily looking at the 2009 season as the point at which the line steps up its game, particularly against the pass. Alabama is in the market for several ends and tackles. Here’s a breakdown:

---

Defensive ends
Committed:...

Last week, we profiled some of the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers that Alabama is targeting in recruiting in 2008-2009. But what really makes Alabama’s clock tick are the offensive linemen and tight ends, around which Alabama’s power offense of 2008 was designed.

Here’s a breakdown of those two positions, plus the fullback/H-back position:

---

Tight ends
Committed: None

Recruiting: Philip Lutzenkirchen, 6-4 240 4.7...