News Article: Recruiting 2011: Upcoming class will be critical for maintaining Tide’s roll

[JessN]

Recruiting 2011: Upcoming class will be critical for maintaining Tide’s roll
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief
May 29, 2011

Unlike some recent years under Nick Saban, in which the Tide only lost a handful of key contributors, once the 2011 season is over, the 2011-2012 recruiting class will be a critical venture for Tide coaches.

Alabama loses 18 seniors from its two-deep alone, including all three projected starters at wide receiver. Alabama could also lose as many as five juniors to the NFL, and theoretically even a sophomore, OT D.J. Fluker.

For the full story, click here: http://www.tidefans.com/forums/tide...ss-will-critical-maintaining-tide-s-roll.html

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

Interesting, Jess, that despite the relentless recruiting successes of the last three years, we will have substantial needs to fill in the next few years. It again shows just how dynamic college football is compared to the pros. The teams are always changing, far faster than we sometimes notice.

 

[jps1983]

Good read. Hopefully Cyrus can aleviate the concern at OT, but we'll still need depth regardless. WR is my biggest concern. Our young guys have to really step up or we need to get another top flight recruit (DGB) who can contribute big-time immediately. S is a concern, but I trust CNS with DBs even though they'll be pretty green in 2012.

 

[mulletover]

Count me as one of those concerned about the WR development. Offensive Tackle is a must get for every class. My biggest concern is DT. Overall a great read Jess, thanks.

 

[jps1983]

Interesting, Jess, that despite the relentless recruiting successes of the last three years, we will have substantial needs to fill in the next few years. It again shows just how dynamic college football is compared to the pros. The teams are always changing, far faster than we sometimes notice.

The success creates a few problems (1) the conception that we're "loaded" everywhere and scares away some good players and (2) bringing in a lot of talent ends with a handful each year that go pro. The second one is a balancing act for coaches: you want the best players, but also understand the need for depth, so how to go after players is important i.e. we can't sign a class of Dre's or Julio's; we need projects like Ivory/Ely who have ability, but need a few years development. Very tough job to evaluate for issues like that.