<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ROLLER:
OK this will be short. Thomas is a running back and that is pretty evident. He won't convert to another position more than likely. Castille may play RB, but he can play safety, wr, or maybe even LB with his size.
Don't worry about WR with Brodie in town. Come on man if we can't recruit receivers after this season and next then Fran is awful at recruiting receivers. My point is we are not loaded at the RB position as some may think we are after next season. I think that safety and WR are the key spots to fill this recruiting season. But adding a top 5 RB is awesome for the one of the top running squads in America. But on the Wr side of recruiting I think Fran knows who we want and who is a strong lean. We still have Fulgham, Greer, AC, Givens(so), Fletcher, and Luke next season. Add McKnight(fr) and Ward(so), and possibly RS Freshman Robinson. We'll be alright.
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Castille is a RB - Period. Who in the WORLD told you that Castille would be a S or LB? There is no way, no how, ever ever ever, that Tim Castille does not play RB at Bama. Most teams play 3 RB's tops barring injuries but as many as 7 WR's. The top 1 or 2 RB's get most of the carries but WR's are running up and down the field every play and need to be rotated more frequently.
Tyson Thomas has 2 years left. During his 2 years we will have:
Beard (1 year), Shaud (1 year), Hudson (2), Darby (2), Castille (2), Packer (2), Luke (2).
During those same 2 years, we will have the following WR's:
Fletcher (1), Fulgham (1), T. Luke (1), AC Carter (1), Greer (1), Ward (2),T. Givens (2), M. McKnight (2).
I don't know about you, but considering that teams play more receivers and less backs, we have a Big Time stud QB, and NONE Of our current crop of WR's are true difference makers, but to me that means that we need receivers.
Now, again, we are not saying that Tyson Thomas will NOT be at Alabama. We ARE saying that he will be signed by Bama ONLY if many other possible recruits do not fall our way.
Another thing, it is much easier to play RB as a younger player than it is to play WR. Sure there are blocking schemes and routes for backs, but if a back can tote the rock, he can play a good bit without a vast knowledge of the offense. However, WR is a different story. You don't see many impact freshman WR's. The reason is that it is much more difficult to learn the receiver position.
That is why it is CRITICAL for Bama to sign many recievers this year. As great as Jackson, Swain, etc, are, they will still not be polished SEC receivers their first year. So waiting until next year (after we lose all of our competent receivers) to recruit more WR's would be a huge mistake IMO...
And, I have to say this again. There is NO WAY that T. Castille does not play RB at Bama....NO WAY!