Next up: Miami Beach Bowl-cbs

Fornelli: The inaugural Miami Beach Bowl has the stage to itself Monday. Christian Stewart and BYU will try to do some damage to Tank Jakes and Memphis.

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My son lives in Boca..no plans to attend.

Boca Raton Bowl Preview and Prediction: Marshall vs. Northern Illinois-athlon

Alabama leading the way when it comes to 5-star recruits-sds

Note: All references to recruiting rankings are to 247sports’ industry composite rankings.
While most schools have to scrap and claw with their rivals for the best recruits, Alabama stands above the fray. The Crimson Tide have dominated the recruiting circuit for the past half decade, dating back to 2009.
From 2009-2014, Alabama has had at least a top-two class in the SEC and been in the national top five. In that span, they’ve had more five-star recruits than any school in the SEC.
With 23 five-star recruits in the last six recruiting classes, Alabama is one of just two SEC schools to pull in a five-star recruit in each season of that span. They’re in position to expand their lead in recent five-stars with a 2015 class that currently has three five-star commits, again the most in the SEC.
Their lead over their next closest competitor is fairly wide, with six more five-star recruits than Florida’s 17 since 2009. Many of them were in the final two year’s of Urban Meyer’s tenure with the Gators, but Will Muschamp brought in two five-star recruits in each of his four recruiting classes at Florida.
How have Alabama’s five-star recruits turned out over the course of their careers with the Crimson Tide?

2009

National recruiting class rank: 2
SEC recruiting rank: 2
Five-stars: 4
Players: Trent Richardson, RB; Dre Kirkpatrick, CB; Nico Johnson, LB; D.J. Fluker, OG
All four of these players panned out for the Crimson Tide as part of a core that won a national title in 2011. Richardson, Kirkpatrick and Fluker all left after the 2011 season, while Johnson came back as a starter for his senior year. Richardson was a Heisman finalist for the Tide in 2011 and worked himself to being a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Kirkpatrick and Fluker became first round picks as well, and both continue to play significant roles for their NFL teams. Johnson was never a star, but eventually became a fourth-round NFL draft pick.

2010

National recruiting class rank: 5
SEC recruiting rank: 2
Five-stars: 2
Players: Dee Milliner, CB; Phillip Sims, QB
The 2010 group of five-stars was more hit-or-miss for Saban. Milliner shined immediately and was named a Freshman All-American. He played behind Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie as a sophomore before taking over in his junior year, when he was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Nagurski and Thorpe Awards in 2012, leaving for the NFL after the year. Sims, on the other hand, did not work out for the Tide. He was unable to beat out AJ McCarron and left the team in 2011, transferring to Virginia and then to Winston-Salem State after being dismissed from UVA.

2011

National recruiting class rank: 1
SEC recruiting rank: 1
Five-stars: 3
Players: Cyrus Kouandjio, OL; HaHa Clinton-Dix, S; Trey DePriest, LB
Similar to 2009, the 2011 class worked out swimmingly. Kouandjio and Clinton-Dix were both standouts for their three years in Tuscaloosa, both leaving for the NFL draft after their junior years. DePriest stayed all four years for the Crimson Tide and was a solid contributor throughout. He was never a dominant player, but was one of the most reliable linebackers on this year’s team.

2012

National recruiting class rank: 1
SEC recruiting rank: 1
Five-stars: 3
Players: Landon Collins, S; T.J. Yeldon, RB; Eddie Williams, ATH
Collins worked out about as well as a recruit can. He was perhaps the best safety in the country as a junior and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award, and he’ll almost certainly be a top-10 pick in the NFL draft this spring. Yeldon has been excellent as well, although his junior year was a bit underwhelming. He’s been the Crimson Tide’s leading rusher for the last two years and with a solid bowl season will go over 1,000 yards for the third straight season. Williams’ career at Alabama was the opposite of his five-star classmates, as he was dismissed from the team after being arrested for second-degree robbery and a gun charge.

2013

National recruiting class rank: 1
SEC recruiting rank: 1
Five-stars: 6
Players: Reuben Foster, LB; Derrick Henry, RB; Jonathan Allen, LB; O.J. Howard, TE; Robert Foster, WR; A’Shawn Robinson, DT
Henry, Allen and Robinson have all carved out big roles for themselves in their sophomore year, with Allen starting 11 games, Robinson starting in 12 and Henry handling many of Alabama’s late-game carries. Howard was expected to break out this year, but never found himself a major part of the game plans. Neither Foster played much, with Reuben making some plays on special teams and Robert catching just six passes all year.

2014

National recruiting class rank: 1
SEC recruiting rank: 1
Five-stars: 6
Players: Cam Robinson, OT; Da’Shawn Hand, DE; Tony Brown, CB; Marlon Humphrey, CB; Rashaan Evans, LB; Christian Miller, LB
It’s too early to measure the returns of this year’s freshman class, but it already looks like Robinson is going to be a star at left tackle after starting all year. Brown played solidly at cornerback, starting a few games for the Tide. The other four did not find themselves on the field much, mostly playing at positions loaded with depth and experience.

Alabama near apex of annual academic Top 25 rankings-sds

The University of Alabama football team already led the nation in active players earning their master’s degrees, and was tied for having the most graduates on the roster this bowl season, but over the weekend was highly ranked in a new way. The Crimson Tide was third in the annual academic rankings of the top 25 college football teams by New America, a Washington D.C. think-tank.
To compile its rankings, New America uses each team’s football graduation success rate (GSR), but penalizes schools for graduating players at different rates than the overall male student body.
Of the four playoff teams — Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Oregon — the Crimson Tide was the only one to finish in the top five, while the reigning champion Seminoles were last by a wide margin thanks in part to a 65 percent GSR.
“It’s super troubling,” Alexander Holt, policy analyst at New America, told Time, as it first put the rankings on its website. “Florida State is a very good football school. But what’s going on here with the other 35% of the players?”
This year’s academic rankings:
Ranking, Team, Record, Playoff ranking
1. TCU 11-1 6
2. UCLA 9-3 14
3. Alabama 12-1 1
4. Clemson 9-3 17
5. Arizona State 9-3 15
6. Ohio State 12-1 4
7. Georgia 9-3 13
8. Utah 8-4 22
9. Arizona 10-3 10
10. Kansas State 9-3 11
11. Auburn 8-4 19
12. Louisville 9-3 21
13. Mississippi State 10-2 7
14. Oregon 12-1 2
15. Missouri 10-3 16
16. Baylor 11-1 5
17. Georgia Tech 10-3 12
18. LSU 8-4 23
19. Michigan State 10-2 8
20. Wisconsin 10-3 18
21. Minnesota 8-4 25
22. Florida State 13-0 3
23. Boise State 11-2 20
24. Ole Miss 9-3 9
25. Southern California 8-4 24

Top 50 stories of 2014: No. 7-sds

SDS is counting down the top 50 stories of 2014. As we move through the top 10, we get to a record-breaking performer.

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