Coach Saban's '07 signing class ...

[dWarriors88]

When Saban only had like 6 weeks on trail, how well did he do? Who did he get? This was the year before I started really getting Bama football.

Who were the stars of the class? Surprises? The ones that got away (I.E Massie, etc) ? Hidden gems? Busts?

 

[CrimsonSEC]

Re: Saban's 06 class

His first class was the 2007, class. He did as well as could be expected and probably better than Shula would have finished it.

 

[dWarriors88]

Re: Saban's 06 class

I thought his first class was the 06? no?

Irregardless, change the 06 to 07, and same question

 

[SouthHSV]

Re: Saban's 06 class

Rolando McClain and Kareem Jackson both made almost immediate impacts. Most are hoping that this will be the breakout year for Marquis Maze. Luther Davis has had some playing time also. Coach Saban garnered interest from top flight talent like Joe Mcknight and Eric Berry, but in reality there wasn't enough time to forge relationships with most. The past two recruiting classes have given Coach sufficient time to show us what he can do with a full year.

 

[CrimsonSEC]

Re: Saban's 06 class

I thought his first class was the 06? no?

Irregardless, change the 06 to 07, and same question

Saban was hired in Jan 07. If you look at my join date you'll see that it corresponds with that. That's not an accident, when I heard Saban was hired I started looking for a forum for information and found TideFans. This was the first Bama site I signed up to and as it turned out, it was the only one I needed to. I quickly found out there was none better.

In any event here's a list of the signers that year. Rolando jumps out as a significant recruit, but he commited to Shula
before the firing/hiring. Look for the commitments after the new year for Saban influenced decisions.

Scout.com: Football Recruiting

 

[gamersfuel]

Re: Saban's 06 class

i personally dont even acknowledge that as a Saban class. Most of those players were Shula's although Saban found a few others. The guys he got that worked out ok so far are Hanks, Maze, Davis, and Jackson. The others that signed post Saban were Bama leans already.

 

[Nolan]

Re: Saban's 06 class

Kareem Jackson was definitely a Saban sign pure and simple. He turned out to be one of the best players we got and showed that Coach knows talent and when he brings in guys he wants, he wins.

The '08 class was our first #1 ranked group but 2007 had a lot of quality guys that have now had two full years to grow and develop. I think we'll see them throughout the depth chart this season. Hanks and Maze are certainly poised to contribute.

Truthfully, looking at the youth of this team and the guys already brought in it's amazing the foundation that is put in place. This team is scary loaded - just gotta get trained up, a little tougher.

The goal ultimately is that we can reload each year rather than ever be in a rebuilding mode... We are nearly there. I love it. Thanks Coach and thanks Bama Nation for being so resilient and true.

 

[Nolan]

Re: Saban's 06 class

i personally dont even acknowledge that as a Saban class. Most of those players were Shula's although Saban found a few others. The guys he got that worked out ok so far are Hanks, Maze, Davis, and Jackson. The others that signed post Saban were Bama leans already.

I tend to agree with you. Coach closed it out well but a lot of those guys were already coming to Bama, no matter who the coach was. Rolando committed early on as I remember it and never wavered despite the unrest. And we are lucky he is that kinda guy. One of my favorite LB all-time, easy.

RTR

 

[chris]

Re: Saban's 06 class

I thought his first class was the 06? no?

Irregardless, change the 06 to 07, and same question

Is irregardless a word? :wink:

 

[JPT4Bama]

Re: Saban's 06 class

Is irregardless a word? :wink:

Yes, regardless of what you may have thought... :biggrin: :BigA:

 

[Tide & Titans]

Re: Saban's 06 class

My favorite move by Saban was getting Rolando. My second favorite move was letting Robert Marve go.

Thinking back to this class, has anyone heard anything about Brandon Gibson lately? I'm starting to think if he doesn't break into the WR rotation this year, he might never see the field.

 

[Tide_At_Work]

Re: Saban's 06 class

Robert Marve was committed to Bama?!??! I didn't follow recruiting during this time either, but does anyone know which guys were committed but decommitted when Shula was fired and signed with another team?

 

[GA_Tide]

Re: Saban's 06 class

Robert Marve was committed to Bama?!??! I didn't follow recruiting during this time either, but does anyone know which guys were committed but decommitted when Shula was fired and signed with another team?

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.

 

[Bhammer]

Re: Saban's 06 class

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]

Re: Saban's 06 class

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]

Re: Saban's 06 class

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]

Re: Saban's 06 class

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]

Re: Saban's 06 class

Is irregardless a word? :wink:

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... :rant:

 

[Bama323]

Re: Saban's 06 class

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

 

[Airborne Tider]

Re: Saban's 06 class

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.