I did a search and could not find anything on this. It seems everybody was after this kid, why not us? I know we were going after Andre but that was a year later, if I am not mistaken.
Why did BAMA not recruit Michael Oher?
- Thread starter TIDE24
- Start date
Most schools recruited Oher. Considering that his adopted father played b-ball at Ole Miss, his adopted mother was a cheerleader at UM I believe, and his tutor was an Ole Miss grad. I am not too surprised that he ended up there. Great story
So was Demeco Ryans...and others. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then. Shula got the recruiting classes up higher in the rankings towards the end of his time at Bama, but what was his best - 10th? He continually lost recruits in the Mobile area to Tubby, CNS and even Phat Phil (I think).
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We were barred by NCAA from recruiting Memphis for a while. don't know if oher's recruitment was during that time frame.
So if an Alabama booster adopts a five-star recruit, do we get put on probation if the kid signs with Bama? I think maybe 25 families need to step to the plate! :conf2:
So if an Alabama booster adopts a five-star recruit, do we get put on probation if the kid signs with Bama? I think maybe 25 families need to step to the plate! :conf2:
Before we go acting like Mike Shula was a great recruiter...
IIRC, we had two #1 ranked O-line classes, including Andre Smith, under Shula...
Lets not forget that the University of Alabama recruits for itself to some extent.
Facilities, tradition, atmosphere, girls...all these things CNS nor CMS can't bring to the table...Alabama does it for itself.
And with these things, comes great recruits...
As I said, he got our recruiting rankings up at the end of his time, but we were never higher than 10th overall, I believe (correct me if I am wrong)....but he lost out on a lot of quality players.
IIRC, we had two #1 ranked O-line classes, including Andre Smith, under Shula...
The episode with Tebow was a prime example...even though everyone on the planet knew Tebow was going to UF, MS spent the whole of signing day at the guy's house only to be dropped like a bad habit. To his credit, Tebow did say that MS was the classiest guy he ever met, but he just couldn't get enough BC's to sign, and ultimately that is recruiting.
Heck, even GMAC is his recruit...but where would our team be this year without a few young players that CNS signed (even on defense)?
Demeco signed with Coach Fran in 2002. When he came out of Bessemer, Shula was coaching Jay Fieldler with the Dolphins.
Our 2006 offensive line class was regarded by almost everyone as the top offensive line class in the country. Unfortunately, while Andre turned out to be the superstar we expected, the rest never produced. Alex Stadler transferred after a year, and David Ross, Taylor Pharr, and Bryan Motley have yet to be anything more than depth chart fodder.
IIRC, we had two #1 ranked O-line classes, including Andre Smith, under Shula...
Hopefully it will change with a few of those latter guys, but unfortunately we sit here four years later and that supposedly incredible class has produced all of one starter. It certainly hasn't lived up to the hype so far.
No one said he was great, but when you have limited humbers to sign with, you're not going to be a top5 recruiter.
To act as if Oher didn't end up at Bama because of Shula is stunningly short-sighted considering the people who helped him / he lived with were both OM alumni.
And for the record we did recruit Oher, but he really never showed a lot of interest in us.
Keep in mind our situation at the time... we were coming off a 6-6 season, still on probation, with Shula as our head coach, and not a lot of guaranteed positives moving forward. He ended up staying with the hometown team, but if he were really going to leave the area he would have went somewhere like LSU or Tennessee. He wasn't going to 'Bama one way or the other.
And besides, it's pointless to turn this one into a "Bash Shula's recruiting" thread. Think about it... Saban couldn't get Oher to LSU when they were defending national champions and he was the first coach to enter the fray. No one, Shula or anyone else, could have gotten him to Alabama with that set of circumstances. He was going to go to Ole Miss regardless.
Keep in mind our situation at the time... we were coming off a 6-6 season, still on probation, with Shula as our head coach, and not a lot of guaranteed positives moving forward. He ended up staying with the hometown team, but if he were really going to leave the area he would have went somewhere like LSU or Tennessee. He wasn't going to 'Bama one way or the other.
And besides, it's pointless to turn this one into a "Bash Shula's recruiting" thread. Think about it... Saban couldn't get Oher to LSU when they were defending national champions and he was the first coach to enter the fray. No one, Shula or anyone else, could have gotten him to Alabama with that set of circumstances. He was going to go to Ole Miss regardless.
Correct you are, sir...and Joe Kines was sure glad he did...I stand corrected. In that vein, just how many of MS's recruits have made it in the pro's?
His defensive recruits?
Eh, none really, not yet anyway. I mean there are a few guys out there like Greenwood and Simeon Castille kicking around on NFL rosters, but those guys are really more of practice squad players who may occasionally get the call-up. I'm not really sure I'd dub them "NFL players" in the normal usage of the term.
Now, he does have some guys who will probably be there next year, guys like Washington and Arenas. Of course, though, it's hard to say exactly how much credit he deserves there. Those players developed after he was fired, and he was so offensive-minded at any rate it's hard to give him much credit.
I'm not writing that dissent...
That just shows you how far off those rankings are. Go back and look at the players in those two #1 OL classes. How many O linemen can you find that dominated during their tenure at Alabama ?
IIRC, we had two #1 ranked O-line classes, including Andre Smith, under Shula...
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That really wasnt working out for us towards the end of the Stallings era or from the end of Dubose through probation. We got a few good recruits and god bless em they kept Alabama competitive but look at all those sub par seasons between Stallings and Saban. 7 seasons with records 7-5 or below. That is not Alabama football and 1 ten win season by Dubose, Franchione and Shula doesn't make it all better it just makes it amazing.
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