Tomorrow’s All-American: Crimson Tide Recruiting
Coach Nick Saban has taken the Crimson Tide from rags to riches in just five years and shows no signs of slowing down. The heart and soul of any elite program is recruiting, and Saban knows this better than anyone in the business.
When building a championship program, you can’t simply recruit the best players and plug them into your system. Saban evaluates everything about a potential recruit, and scores them according to the model he has in place. A highly-ranked prospect isn’t necessarily the best fit for Alabama. That player has to be the kind of person you want at your school, and must fit into your system.
This week we’re doing a double dip by discussing a pair of athletes heading to the Capstone. After the jump we’ll start with a young man that may be the answer one of Alabama’s weak spots.
Adam Griffith
On a team loaded with quality athletes, one area of concern this season has been special teams. The inability to kick the ball deep into the end zone has been frustrating. This week’s spotlight recruit is the very person that could fix that problem.
Adam Griffith is a senior kicker from Calhoun, Georgia. Adam was offered a scholarship and committed during Junior Day back in January. There’s usually not much to can say about a kicker, but Adam is certainly unique.
Born in Poland, Adam was living in an orphanage up until he met his adoptive parents when he was 13 years old. He came to the United States having known nothing about American football or the natural talent he possesses. He has a gift for kicking a football that just can’t be taught, and Alabama was quick to offer him a spot on the team after just one workout.
Adam attended a few national kicking camps over the summer, where he was named MVP. I had a conversation with one of the Alabama coaches, who described Griffith as “the best kicking prospect I have ever seen.”
He isn’t very big (5’11”, 170 pounds), but the ball comes off his foot like it’s been shot out of a cannon. Adam’s first workout inside Bama’s practice facility had to be moved outside, because the ball kept hitting the lighting fixtures on the ceiling.
He averages 80 percent touchbacks on kickoffs; meaning of every ten kicks he makes, eight cannot be returned. He regularly hits 50-plus-yard field goals and with the Crimson Tide’s recent kicking woes, he can’t get on campus fast enough. Adam is having a phenomenal senior year and is expected to have an immediate impact on the Alabama kicking game.
Eddie Williams
When Julio Jones ended his career with the Crimson Tide and blew up the NFL scouting combine, fans wondered whether he was the best athlete to ever come through Alabama. With his unrivaled toughness and physical style of play, many fans also wondered how Julio would have fared had he played on the defensive side of the ball. The first verbal commitment of the 2012 class will no doubt provide us with the answer to that question.
Eddie Williams is an athlete from Arnold High School in Panama City Beach, Florida. Williams is a five star player and the most highly-touted prospect in Bama’s 2012 recruiting class. On August 24, 2010 Eddie committed to the Crimson Tide and hasn’t looked back. From the day he made his decision he has never waivered nor entertained the thought of going to another school.
At 6’4″, 205 pounds, Williams is a freak of an athlete. His coach describes him as the best player he has ever coached and an exceptional young man as well. Eddie was recruited to play safety for Coach Saban, but plays multiple positions in high school. During one game last year, Eddie actually threw one touchdown pass, ran in another, caught a TD pass, returned a punt for a TD, returned a kickoff for a TD and returned an interception for a TD!
There just isn’t much at all this kid can’t do on a football field. With Mark Barron and Robert Lester leaving after the season, he will be in line to make an immediate contribution at safety. He has blazing speed and athleticism for a guy his size, and when he reaches the ball carrier he delivers a devastating blow.
There aren’t many freshmen who can come into a program as stacked with talent as Alabama and make it onto the field the first year, but he should fit right in. Eddie is one of a kind, and has no equal in this class according to some experts. The upside and talent level for this young man are endless.
Williams is a nice, respectful young man who doesn’t have that “superstar” mentality we sometimes see from top prospects. He has everything Coach Saban looks for in a recruit on and off the field. Eddie is easily the best safety prospect I have ever seen. He has a rare combination of size and speed, and shows leadership qualities often absent in young players.
We have included two highlight videos , see if you can count how many kicks go all the way out of the back of the end zone in Adam’s video and how many times Williams knocks another players helmet off. These guys are both the best at their respective positions and I can’t wait to see them in action.