Recruiting update

[Toxik76]

Ok so lots of stuff so I'm gonna go by position and kinda give a rundown but 1st let me preface the whole thing with a preface. What the staff has accomplished with this class has been beyond phenomenal this year especially addressing need and absolutely stockpiling the absolute best D talent in the country while still making sure to keep the in state talent we wanted, an absolutely phenomenal class......that is the only word I can describe it as.

QB - It should tell anyone who thinks Bama still isn't still involved in landing Winston that Saban felt it necessary to introduce the 2 new coaches to him particularly Coach Nuss. The biggest competition we have right now is the MLB draft and the most accurate draft projections have him no higher than the late 2nd rd, most mid 3rd, which likely wouldn't warrant enough money to lure him away. Having the back up and a great talent in his own right is also a good situation with Alec Morris. Both guys will be a part of this class I'm pretty confident, also a quick note on Gunner lol, no doubt that if he was ever allowed back in the fold at Bama, he would've done the exact same thing and bolted for ND, he was very interested after he decommited from Indiana and told the spots were full, and I know he is a 5* but is also considered a project by the staff at best, then add to this the fact that he is absolutely paranoid of any competition (picked Indiana after Winston showed up on campus for a suprise visit that weekend before his 1st announcement), needless to say the staff moved on and his personal shenanigans have cropped up again.

[2Stater]

Good stuff. Very interesting about Kiel. I'll be crossing my fingers for getting JW.

[Toxik76]

RB - When I say Yeldonis an absolute monster, haven't seen a back on campus as good as a freshman on film since Trent, and Lacy and Fowler are good, Yeldon is another level. He is a little bit unique as a strong physical back with the athleticism Julio had and remember that he played WR as well earlier in HS. Kenyan Drake is another very athletic guy with a nice power base, he is one that needs a yr in the S&C program. You guys have seen the media storm surrounding Taylor perpetrated by the AJC, we will see on NSD whether he decides to stay with Bama or bolt for Purdue, his knee was totally blown out and it is at least a yr give or take for recovery and that is the only reason Saban even asked him to greyshirt, it would be an unfair advantage to have him not coming in healthy.

[Toxik76]

WR - REALLY been doing some serious work with this position. Amari Cooper is the headliner and again staff saw him at camp and offered early and he rewarded with a commitment and has been pushed even by the hometown program and stuck with Bama, his position coach at Northwestern has coached a LOT of WRs, and coached Andre Johnson, and compares Amari very favorably and this yr and at the UA game he has really proven it, he will be a phenomenal playmaker. Chris Black is 1a, a little smaller but top end speed and physicality you don't usually see in a 6' WR. He will also have a shot to contribute early. Eddie Williams has the definite talent and athleticism to be a top flight WR, but he will need a little bit of coaching to get used to the position and he will be able to be a tall physical target and follow in the footsteps of Duron this yr. Casey Gladney OS a great talent as well very big and physical, but his grade situation looks bleak putting it mildly. The true X factor in this group is Cyrus Jones, if you've seen any of his film you would see how good of an athlete he truly is, if you haven't go find some and get excited about his potential on offense similar to Percy Harvin and he will be strictly WR and he is BLAZING fast really excited about him.

[Toxik76]

OL/TE - Only a few spots here due to depth already but the staff targeted the guys they really liked early, Brandon Hill is a guy already SEC OL size, he is a road grader and pretty physical, will learn a ton of technique he needs. Brandon Greene is another physical tall OT already great technique and great footwork but he is sort of the opposite of Hill, he needs SEC size and a S&C program. Caleb Gulledge is a hometown prospect and a great OG with a mean streak, seriously (and these are huge shoes to fill to say this, but he was a 3*, same size, played both lines, same mentality) but he reminds me of Barrett Jones, he could be that good. Kurt Frietag was the top H back hybrid position the staff targeted as a Smelley replacement. He has really great hands and already a pretty good blocker. Can be a serious contributor next year just like Smelley was able to come in and contribute right away at that same position.

[Toxik76]

DL - Still got the biggest target obviously in this class still right there on the board with Eddie Goldman and I'll say this, rumors are lately having him as an AU lead and they are completely false. A high profile prospect like him that has kept his recruitment close to vest is gonna have wild rumors closer we get to NSD, don't believe them, Bama is still in VERY good shape and his best friend is commited to Bama, Cyrus Jones. The headliner already commited is Darren Lake, he is a rare blend of strength and speed at his 330 lb weight and to me easily the most underrated prospect in this class, he has the potential as does Goldman to be a Dareus type impact on the DL, a lot of bad weight though so he needs a S&C bad, but he is a very fluid tackled and very agile for his size. Darius Philon was a one man wrecking crew at times for Vigor, a bull rush specialist with a nasty streak and a quick 1st step, a little light but man handled most inside OL he faced. He is up to about 285 now, will easily be a DE needs technique work Rumph will provide to become a more complete player. Dakota Ball is another DE, a little heavier but more speed than a bullrush guy, plenty of technique as a DL, still could use the help at the next level though. Alphonse Taylor is a guy I'm really excited about, not only for flipping but also for the prospect of being a NG and the 1st true NG since Cody, it should tell you all you need to know about his talent to know the staff had to choose between him and McCullers (the nations top DT and top JuCo D player) and because of him having the prospect of a longer career in Crimson and his talent level, chose him over McCullers. That says a lot that Rumph feels the 2 are interchangeable. A little story also on him, he originally came in as a Soph to camp playing DL and was one of the best at camp and earned an offer as a DL, but the next year Davidson HS needed a OL, so he switched and got offered by Trickett to FSU to be an OT, at the Miss/AL all star game he was allowed to play DL again and reminded him how much he loved the position so the next week Saban reminded him that he still had an offer to come play NG and he jumped at the chance, he had to beg his parents for a week (simply because of the relationship D Craig and Trickett had built with his parents) and they eventually allowed him to switch. He is perfect for the NG, expect him to contribute fairly early especially considering the loss of Chapman. Rumph has a great group in this class and hopefully it will be headlined by Goldman. I can tell you the staff feels confident, and if anything new comes to light I will inform you guys.

[Toxik76]

LB - Also serious work done in this group as well. There are 2 bellcows in this group to me, I will start at ILB, Reggie Ragland is an absolute STUD in the middle, a sideline to sideline guy with a nice blend of size, speed, and power, reminds me of the last complete guy we had on the inside, Rolando, that type of playmaker. I will preface my guesses on early impact 1st by saying other than Jack LB every other LB spot is stack with talent so no doubt in my mind Reggie could go to any other program in the SEC or others and start as a TF, he's that big already and that good, but not at Bama. Ryan Anderson at OLB is the bellcow for the OLB position, a phenomenal athlete and.a demon pass rusher, this year his HS coaches at Daphne did the absolute best thing and let him play the OLB some and DE some to hone his skills and they really helped him understand the position he will come in and contribute heavily at, no doubt already a film room junkie working with Kirby can tell that after a week, but he will be an instant impact guy. Another darn good ILB prospect in his own right Denzel Devall is another guy we believe will come in and okay ILB, very athletic, great tackle technique, also a little raw needs technique help but very instict driven right now more used to playing DE. Tyler Hayes is a phenomenal specimen at OLB, another speed demon sideline to sideline just needs S&C to add weight. Dillon Lee is also on campus already. Very instinct driven as well, needs technique work, great leader from what I've seen. Might not be done as well don't be surprised if another guy on the board or Taylor (RB) falls through, expect Kwon Alexander to get an offer and become a part of this class. I really like his film needs weight of course but an athletic pounder who grew up a HUGE Bama fan, hopefully there will be room

[Toxik76]

Ok guys its late lol got home WAAAY later than I thought I would to post but I will definitely finish up in the morning

[Marshal Dillon]

WR - REALLY been doing some serious work with this position. Amari Cooper is the headliner and again staff saw him at camp and offered early and he rewarded with a commitment and has been pushed even by the hometown program and stuck with Bama, his position coach at Northwestern has coached a LOT of WRs, and coached Andre Johnson, and compares Amari very favorably and this yr and at the UA game he has really proven it, he will be a phenomenal playmaker. Chris Black is 1a, a little smaller but top end speed and physicality you don't usually see in a 6' WR. He will also have a shot to contribute early. Eddie Williams has the definite talent and athleticism to be a top flight WR, but he will need a little bit of coaching to get used to the position and he will be able to be a tall physical target and follow in the footsteps of Duron this yr. Casey Gladney OS a great talent as well very big and physical, but his grade situation looks bleak putting it mildly. The true X factor in this group is Cyrus Jones, if you've seen any of his film you would see how good of an athlete he truly is, if you haven't go find some and get excited about his potential on offense similar to Percy Harvin and he will be strictly WR and he is BLAZING fast really excited about him.

This is an area I am glad to see as a possible major upgrade. Thanks for the info.

 

[Marshal Dillon]

DL - Still got the biggest target obviously in this class still right there on the board with Eddie Goldman and I'll say this, rumors are lately having him as an AU lead and they are completely false. A high profile prospect like him that has kept his recruitment close to vest is gonna have wild rumors closer we get to NSD, don't believe them, Bama is still in VERY good shape and his best friend is commited to Bama, Cyrus Jones. The headliner already commited is Darren Lake, he is a rare blend of strength and speed at his 330 lb weight and to me easily the most underrated prospect in this class, he has the potential as does Goldman to be a Dareus type impact on the DL, a lot of bad weight though so he needs a S&C bad, but he is a very fluid tackled and very agile for his size. Darius Philon was a one man wrecking crew at times for Vigor, a bull rush specialist with a nasty streak and a quick 1st step, a little light but man handled most inside OL he faced. He is up to about 285 now, will easily be a DE needs technique work Rumph will provide to become a more complete player. Dakota Ball is another DE, a little heavier but more speed than a bullrush guy, plenty of technique as a DL, still could use the help at the next level though. Alphonse Taylor is a guy I'm really excited about, not only for flipping but also for the prospect of being a NG and the 1st true NG since Cody, it should tell you all you need to know about his talent to know the staff had to choose between him and McCullers (the nations top DT and top JuCo D player) and because of him having the prospect of a longer career in Crimson and his talent level, chose him over McCullers. That says a lot that Rumph feels the 2 are interchangeable. A little story also on him, he originally came in as a Soph to camp playing DL and was one of the best at camp and earned an offer as a DL, but the next year Davidson HS needed a OL, so he switched and got offered by Trickett to FSU to be an OT, at the Miss/AL all star game he was allowed to play DL again and reminded him how much he loved the position so the next week Saban reminded him that he still had an offer to come play NG and he jumped at the chance, he had to beg his parents for a week (simply because of the relationship D Craig and Trickett had built with his parents) and they eventually allowed him to switch. He is perfect for the NG, expect him to contribute fairly early especially considering the loss of Chapman. Rumph has a great group in this class and hopefully it will be headlined by Goldman. I can tell you the staff feels confident, and if anything new comes to light I will inform you guys.

This is even more encouraging than the info on the wide receivers update. Outstanding info.


 

[Chechem]

 

Great to have you here, Tox.  Good stuff.

[2Stater]

Great info, Toxic. I know the coaching staff is drooling over bringing these recruits in. Sounds like it may even be Saban's best recruiting class ever. I, too, am very excited to hear about the potential of the wide receivers. I'm hoping that Winston is paying attention to this also, I imagine Nussmeier was in his ear first thing about this when he met with him. Just a hunch, but I bet AJ is probably pretty excited also.

  For the report.

[Catch Prothro]

Ok guys its late lol got home WAAAY later than I thought I would to post but I will definitely finish up in the morning

Thanks for the report!

[KoKoPuf]

Great report, Toxic! Keep it coming!

[SUPERCOACH]

Thanks Tox!  Good stuff.

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