Recruiting update: Alabama looks for strong finish

[JessN]

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Recruiting update: Alabama looks for strong finish
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans Editor-in-Chief
Dec. 9, 2007

Among the many things Nick Saban changed when he took the head coaching job at Alabama was the way Alabama would approach recruiting.

Beginning in 2001, when Dennis Franchione took over for Mike DuBose, the recruiting season had been, in a word, subdued. Alabama got its share of top-level talent – Brodie Croyle, D.J. Hall, Andre Smith and others – but the Crimson Tide also found itself taking on a significant number of players that could be considered projects. Due to frequent coaching changes and NCAA probation, with the exception of perhaps the 2003-2004 or 2004-2005 classes under Mike Shula, recruiting for Alabama fans became less of a spectacle.

Nick Saban changed all that.

For the full story, click here.

[Crimsonfan]

Thanks Jess... very good read.

[CrimsonEyeshade]

And a happy Sunday morning to you, Jess. Now get some sleep.

What surprises me, and happily so, is how names keep cropping up on this board. That speaks to the relentlessness of Nick Saban's recruiting philosophy. It seems very dynamic, instead of simply offering a set number of players, then hoping to land 25 of them on Signing Day. I like that the critiques keep changing, that the coaches, indeed, have their own rating system.

One observation: The big kid out of Birmingham looks like he could outrun any of our present defensive lineman. Where has he been all our lives? And why hasn't he gotten more attention here and elsewhere before now? Bad grades alone wouldn't seem likely to muffle talk about such a talent.

And, when you wake up later this morning, would you hazard a guess at who'll fill the remaining spots?

[crimsonaudio]

Hey Jess, thanks for the great write up. At one point you say:

	Quote:
	One “rumor nugget” making the rounds is that Alabama plans to drop the 3-1-3 Jack alignment and go with a standard 4-3 alignment in the spring.

I've thought we were heading in this direction based one who we were going after for a while now. The question is, how does this fit into Saban's defensive philosophy as he has historically run it? IIRC, he's virtually always run a base 3-1-3 defense...

[marcusroby]

I hope that the defence does move to a base 4-3. With the amount of run first minded teams in this league, you got to win the LOS.

[crimsonaudio]

	Quote:	marcusroby
	I hope that the defence does move to a base 4-3. With the amount of run first minded teams in this league, you got to win the LOS.

I dunno, Saban had a pretty sick defense at LSU (using the 3-1-3)...

[rolltide8755]

good work as always.

[Mongo4Bama]

JessN thanx for the article very well done per usual.

i like that we are going to the 4-3 defense this way we have more D/lineman on roster and fewer LB's this plays to our strength

[drjamesm]

Great write up as usual,but it seems less than positive on many of our key recruits!

[JessN]

	Quote:	drjamesm
	Great write up as usual,but it seems less than positive on many of our key recruits!

It's not that I'm not positive, it's just that I don't choose to involve myself in wild speculation and hype-building the way some sites and services do. The truth of the matter is that no one knows anything beyond the prospects and coaching staffs themselves, yet some writers/analysts use phrases like "a lock to sign with Alabama" when they're just guessing, or trying to build excitement and drive web traffic. Makes for good theatre, I suppose, but it's all sound and fury.

The point of my article is there are anywhere from 8 to 13 slots available and currently about 25 names that could fill them. Just about anyone mentioned in that article would get me excited if they picked Alabama, and there are probably some names out there right now we haven't heard yet. Alex Ford, for instance, has been a UA prospect for about a week, tops.

[lynyrd skynyrd]

	Quote:	JessN
	It's not that I'm not positive, it's just that I don't choose to involve myself in wild speculation and hype-building the way some sites and services do. The truth of the matter is that no one knows anything beyond the prospects and coaching staffs themselves, yet some writers/analysts use phrases like "a lock to sign with Alabama" when they're just guessing, or trying to build excitement and drive web traffic. Makes for good theatre, I suppose, but it's all sound and fury. The point of my article is there are anywhere from 8 to 13 slots available and currently about 25 names that could fill them. Just about anyone mentioned in that article would get me excited if they picked Alabama, and there are probably some names out there right now we haven't heard yet. Alex Ford, for instance, has been a UA prospect for about a week, tops.

In the words of Jerry, "I Remember '55"

Thanks...

[Vinny]

Great read.