Coach Saban's '07 signing class ... - Page 2

Bhammer · June 30th, 2009, 10:06 AM

	Quote:	GA_Tide
	Yep, Robert Marve was committed. We basically swapped QB commits with Miami. I can't remember that kid's name though. Somebody please help me out. Anyway he is no longer with the team.

That would be Nick Fanuzzi.

BigEasyTider · June 30th, 2009, 10:08 AM

	Quote:	GA_Tide
	Yep, Robert Marve was committed. We basically swapped QB commits with Miami. I can't remember that kid's name though. Somebody please help me out. Anyway he is no longer with the team.

Nick Fanuzzi.

And in the end it was all much ado about nothing. Fanuzzi transferred to Rice before ever playing at UA, and Marve transferred to Purdue after playing poorly and getting beaten out by a three-star true freshman.

BigEasyTider · June 30th, 2009, 10:18 AM

As some mentioned earlier, it's really not even fair to call the 2007 class a "Saban" class.

He basically did as well as he could with what he had, and he actually added some very good players down the stretch. At the very least, we picked up Kareem Jackson, Josh Chapman, Darius Hanks, Luther Davis, Marquis Maze, and Jeramie Griffin, and I can assure you that we would not have gotten a single one of those players had Shula stuck around. For that, i.e. making the best of a bad situation, he deserves a lot of credit.

Again, though, on the whole it's just not that good of a class, period. Chris Lett and Jamar Taylor were gone before they really started, and Nick Fanuzzi and Tarence Farmer quickly transferred. Jeremy Elder was arrested and kicked off the team, and both Patrick Crump and Jennings Hester went on medical scholarship. Beyond that, many other members of the class look to face long odds right now in terms of making a meaningful impact in the next couple of years.

We'll get some good players out of this class, no doubt about it, but the quality depth just isn't there, and at the end of the day it will pale in comparison to the classes from 2008 and beyond.

GreatDanish · June 30th, 2009, 10:50 AM

Let's not forget "losing" Jermaine McKenzie (switched commitment to Miami, and since transferred to Memphis) and Sherod Murdock (who, I think, was kind of left out in the dark, and switched commitment to Pitt - I don't see his name on Pitt's roster).

BET, to add to your list of players Saban added to the fold that year were Demetrius Goode and Chris Underwood. Neither one has amounted to a star yet, or anything, but Underwood was taken as a project - I don't think anyone expected him to come in and play right away. With Peek's departure after this year, Underwood will have a shot at earning some PT.
Goode has been hampered by injuries, as well as our backfield talent increasing since he came on board. Had he been healthy his freshman year, I think he would have gotten some decent playing time toward the end of the year when Grant and Upchurch were playing injured, and Coffee was suspended.

bamachile · June 30th, 2009, 10:56 AM

	Quote:	chris
	Is irregardless a word?

It's much like "proactive"--there's an extra syllable up front for no apparent reason. "Active" was always the opposite of "reactive" until some clown wrote a psychobabbling book about the emperor's new clothes to suck a gazillion dollars from the pockets of self-absorbed lemmings. But I digress...

Bama323 · June 30th, 2009, 11:25 AM

If I remember correctly, Maze was favoring Michigan or Tennessee before CNS was hired.

Airborne Tider · June 30th, 2009, 11:44 AM

	Quote:	Bama323
	If I remember correctly, Maze was favoring Michigan or Tennessee before CNS was hired.

Maze was poised to sign with Michigan before CNS came in and secured his signature.

BigEasyTider · June 30th, 2009, 01:23 PM

	Quote:	GreatDanish
	Let's not forget "losing" Jermaine McKenzie (switched commitment to Miami, and since transferred to Memphis) and Sherod Murdock (who, I think, was kind of left out in the dark, and switched commitment to Pitt - I don't see his name on Pitt's roster). BET, to add to your list of players Saban added to the fold that year were Demetrius Goode and Chris Underwood. Neither one has amounted to a star yet, or anything, but Underwood was taken as a project - I don't think anyone expected him to come in and play right away. With Peek's departure after this year, Underwood will have a shot at earning some PT. Goode has been hampered by injuries, as well as our backfield talent increasing since he came on board. Had he been healthy his freshman year, I think he would have gotten some decent playing time toward the end of the year when Grant and Upchurch were playing injured, and Coffee was suspended.

That's right, I failed to mention McKenzie and Murdock. Either way, though, "losing" them only hurt us in the recruiting rankings, and not on the field. McKenzie was a total bust at Miami, and Murdock was sent packing from Pitt after being arrested. Truth be told, we should have all been applauding when we "lost" on these two and Marve.

Anyway, you mention Underwood, and I'm actually pretty bullish on him. I think he'll be a pleasant surprise, and he should see some time this year.

Still, though, there are a lot of kids in that class right now that just look to be facing long odds. Guys like Nick Gentry, Alex Watkins, and a few more are all really going to have to start turning it on soon if they expect to see a lot of meaningful playing time.

BigEasyTider · June 30th, 2009, 01:25 PM

	Quote:	Airborne Tider
	Maze was poised to sign with Michigan before CNS came in and secured his signature.

That's about right.

Maze committed to Michigan after taking an unofficial visit there earlier in the year, and most 'Bama fans hadn't even heard of him before Saban arrived. However, once Nick landed, he went hard after him, Maze de-committed from Michigan, and ultimately picked the Tide on NSD over Miami and Tennessee.

BamaFanatJSU · June 30th, 2009, 01:28 PM

	Quote:	Airborne Tider
	Maze was poised to sign with Michigan before CNS came in and secured his signature.

So basically, the only solid pre-Saban pickup by Shula was Rolando McClain, and the only other decent contributors have been Alfred McCullough and William Vlachos? And for those last two, they may be getting their chance this year, but they still have alot to prove.

Thus, Shula had secured one star in the making and two decent roll players by the time he was ousted in December? Compare that to what Saban has accomplished this year before the summer is even over and it will make your head spin.

BigEasyTider · June 30th, 2009, 01:42 PM

	Quote:	BamaFanatJSU
	So basically, the only solid pre-Saban pickup by Shula was Rolando McClain, and the only other decent contributors have been Alfred McCullough and William Vlachos? And for those last two, they may be getting their chance this year, but they still have alot to prove. Thus, Shula had secured one star in the making and two decent roll players by the time he was ousted in December? Compare that to what Saban has accomplished this year before the summer is even over and it will make your head spin.

Yeah, you pretty much nailed it there.

Of what Shula did in the 2007 class, McClain has really been about the only big-time player to date, and in all fairness he was one of those guys who would have committed to Alabama regardless of the situation.

He got a lot of good publicity for landing so many Florida recruits early on the process, but of course that all never panned out. Marve, McKenzie, and Murdock were a bust, a bust, and a convict, respectively, while Lett and Taylor never played at UA. Alex Watkins out of Tennessee, too, got a lot of positive publicity with his commitment, but he too has been a bust to this point.

And since you mentioned Vlachos, Shula almost botched that one too. He committed to Shula, but Shula and company played him slow with only a greyshirt offer. Many thought he was going to flip to Florida State -- who gave him a full offer -- before Saban arrived and upgraded his offer to a full offer as well.

I'm not trying to bash Shula because we have plenty of that as is, but the truth is that if you look at his contributions to the 2007 class, it isn't pretty.

kausman · June 30th, 2009, 02:28 PM

	Quote:	BigEasyTider
	As some mentioned earlier, it's really not even fair to call the 2007 class a "Saban" class. He basically did as well as he could with what he had, and he actually added some very good players down the stretch. At the very least, we picked up Kareem Jackson, Josh Chapman, Darius Hanks, Luther Davis, Marquis Maze, and Jeramie Griffin, and I can assure you that we would not have gotten a single one of those players had Shula stuck around. For that, i.e. making the best of a bad situation, he deserves a lot of credit.

I'm pretty sure Chapman would have ended up at Bama no matter the coach...

This is largely attributable to the Hoover High school "climate" at the time...

OCtide · June 30th, 2009, 03:00 PM

	Quote:	kausman
	I'm pretty sure Chapman would have ended up at Bama no matter the coach... This is largely attributable to the Hoover High school "climate" at the time...

Quite the opposite actually. Chapman was committed to Auburn because Shula wasn't recruiting him. Chapman switched his committment to Bama on signing day based on Saban recruiting him and Kerry Murphy very hard. Chapman would definitely be at Auburn if it weren't for the coaching switch.