Tomorrow’s All-American: Alabama Crimson Tide Recruiting

The Alabama Crimson Tide won its first Heisman trophy in 2009 when Michigan native Mark Ingram brought college football’s most coveted individual award to Tuscaloosa. Two years later, Alabama running back Trent Richardson has been invited to New York as the Tide’s second Heisman finalist in three years.

Richardson has been phenomenal in the 2011 season, amassing 1,976 total yards on the year. Richardson has seen significant time returning kicks, receiving out of the backfield and taking hand offs from his primary running back position. Trent also runs the Tide’s “wildcat” package, lining up at quarterback. Richardson has been Alabama’s best overall player and was voted MVP of the SEC.

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Richardson is a freak of an athlete who runs with the power of a 260-pound fullback and the speed of a 180-pound scat back. He is highly coveted by NFL scouts as a draft eligible junior, and is projected to be a top five overall draft selection. The word is not out yet as to whether Trent will declare for the draft this year, but all signs point to him taking that next step.

All Tide fans know about the stable of backs Alabama has in Eddie Lacy, Jalston Fowler and true freshmen Dee Hart and Brent Calloway. The SEC is a tough league to play any position, much less running back, and it takes a special kind of player to excel at the position. Before the 2011 season was underway, Dee Hart suffered a knee injury and Freshmen Corey Grant transferred to Auburn, raising concerns about depth at running back.

There is little doubt that Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting for 2012 needs to yield a premier running back, and many fans don’t see that as a possibility with 21 commits already and no big names left. In the words of ESPN College Gameday’s Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.”

In February Alabama received a commitment from Kenyan Drake, a running back from Hillgrove High School in Georgia. Drake was not very well known in Alabama at the time, and was listed as an Athlete by several scouting services. Even reading these scouting reports gave the impression Drake was being recruited as an Athlete who may wind up at receiver in college. After speaking to sources inside the Tide program and following Drake’s senior year, it’s clear this kid is not only a top flight running back, he is an elite playmaker.

Drake is listed at six-foot-one, 187 pounds and runs a 4.52 40-yard dash, which doesn’t scream SEC running back. Trent Richardson is five-foot eleven-inches, 225 pounds and Lacy is six feet tall, weighing around 220 pounds. But make no mistake, Kenyan Drake will carry the torch just fine.

Being a taller running back isn’t a bad thing if you have the right coaching and run with the right pad level. Drake knows he will have to get bigger, and as soon as his high school season was over he notified Tide coaches that he wouldn’t be running track this year and would begin his training regimen immediately. Alabama has one of the best running backs coaches in the entire country, and Coach Scott Cochran is an elite strength and conditioning coach. Kenyan is in very good hands.

Following Drake and getting to know more about this young man has been a pleasant experience. He certainly has a unique, outgoing personality and best of all, he can’t stand Auburn. He has been jawing back and forth all year with Auburn fans on Twitter since committing to the Tide, and is constantly pledging his allegiance to Alabama. Despite the trash talk, I wouldn’t categorize Kenyan as cocky, but he is very confident and feeds off people who doubt him. He has so much internal drive and determination that failing really isn’t an option for this young man, and he is going to be a great addition not only to the backfield, but to the team as a whole.

On the field Drake isn’t unlike Richardson in the way his coaches utilize his skills. He returns punts and kicks, lines up at running back, catches the ball out of the backfield and lines up in the slot as well. Drake ran for 1,511 yards and finished the season with around 1,960 total yards and 15 touchdowns before being named Gatorade Player of the Year in Georgia. Sound familiar?

He has excellent receiving skills, and with his length and speed he has a huge advantage coming out of the backfield as a receiver. He is elusive as a runner but does not shy away from contact. Kenyan will run through arm tackles and gets yards in huge chunks, averaging over ten yards per carry on the season. He had about 145 touches including returns, receptions and rushes totaling almost 2,000 yards, averaging over 13 yards per touch.

Simply put, the kid is a player, and you want the ball in his hands as much as possible. Once on campus, Drake’s personality and drive will make him an instant success with the other players and his willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed will make him a favorite of the staff. The coaches I have spoken to are very pleased at the production he’s shown in his final year, and can’t wait to tap into his potential. I have to agree with them, he’s a star in the making.  Roll Tide Kenyan, Welcome to the Crimson Nation.