Tomorrow’s All-American: T.J. Yeldon and Alphonse Taylor

Alabama stands on the cusp of another championship, and all the glory that surrounds it. Winning another BCS title would have little affect on recruiting this year, however. The 2012 class is just about full, with only a few spots to be filled. The Under Armour All-American game is Thursday night, and the Tide should pick up another commitment or two during that game.

Recruiting is a process that never comes to an end, and coaches always must be looking forward. The 2013 recruiting class will be affected by the BCS title game much more than the 2012 class. There are already a number of top prospects around the country holding offers from Alabama, and they will all be tuned in January 9. Imagine yourself with an offer to play for the team involved in the two biggest games of the 2011 season. Now imagine that team will be losing a lot of players to graduation and the NFL draft, and it is easy to see how this game affects recruiting.

This week’s recruiting spotlight focuses on the Tide’s most recent commitments, both of whom were committed to different schools just weeks ago. There is little doubt the Tide’s success on the field this season played a role in their decisions.

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Auburn picked up a commitment from Alabama’s top in-state running back in June, and six months later the Crimson Tide convinced him to roll with the good guys. Daphne running back T.J. Yeldon has been through a long recruiting process that will be talked about for quite some time.

Listed at 6-foot 1, and around 200 pounds, and clocking a 4.55 forty-yard dash, Yeldon is the second player the Tide flipped in the 2012 recruiting class after future star quarterback Alec Morris decided to join Alabama instead of Wake Forest. Yeldon is a tall, lean kid that runs with great balance, and has a great pair of hands as a receiver out of the backfield. Yeldon will have to transform his running style at Alabama, and put on some bulk to help him between the tackles. He breaks plenty of tackles for being under 200 pounds, but his frame will easily hold 20 more pounds without compromising his agility.

Yeldon has determination and competitiveness, and plays the game with high intensity. Those qualities are what coaches love about this young man and they will serve him very well in Nick Saban’s system.

Strengths: Balance, Vision, Toughness, Determination, Big play ability, Good frame to hold extra bulk

Weaknesses: Runs upright at times, high pad level, Needs to add bulk to be effective in the SEC as go-to back.

Alphonse Taylor from Davidson High in Alabama is the third player to flip from another school to the Tide in this recruiting cycle, and he is a huge recruit – literally.

Taylor stands 6-foot 5-inches tall and weighs in at a monstrous 330 pounds. He was recruited last year as an offensive lineman for Alabama and that’s what initially turned him off about playing for the in-state school. Alphonse made his intentions to attend FSU known back in the Spring, and opened up his recruitment just a few weeks ago.

Taylor consequently fits the Tide defense perfectly at the nose guard spot, due to his enormous frame and strength. The Tide coaches let him know immediately about their interest in him as a nose guard after he de-committed from FSU, and it took him only a week to get on board.

Alphonse played both offensive tackle and defensive tackle in high school, but will be concentrating his efforts on plugging the middle of the Tide defensive line. He is a big kid with a lot of upside in Nick Saban’s defense and will certainly make his presence felt on the field when he gets his shot.

Taylor holds many similarities to former Tide standout and current Baltimore Raven Terrence “Mount’ Cody. He is a big guy that will be hard to move out of the middle of the Alabama 3-4 defense. He will need to transform his body slowly as he develops his skill set, but he has a good base to work with. Taylor isn’t a top-heavy kid and displays a lot of lower body power and push. When he anchors the defensive line he will need to learn to use his hands more, to shed blockers and aid in the run defense. Nose Tackles at Alabama don’t need to be fast, but initial quickness is important and will be another area Taylor will need to focus on moving forward.

Alphonse has shown surprising quickness in his foot movement off the snap to pivot his body without getting off balance. Taylor will need to work on being more consistent, but he has been known to play with a nasty streak. Saban and Coach Smart like their defensive linemen to be aggressive and dominant, and Alphonse shows those qualities regularly.

Strengths: Big Frame, Lower body strength, Good foot movement, Plays with intensity.

Weaknesses: Initial quickness, Hand technique, consistency, Needs to develop better endurance.

Both Yeldon and Taylor are already finished with high school are and preparing to enroll this month in Tuscaloosa. While Saban doesn’t encourage players to enroll early, history proves that kids who come in early have an advantage getting acclimated to the system and surroundings.

Both of these young men were almost an afterthought for much of the recruiting year until their future teams began to underwhelm on the field. FSU and Auburn had down years and neither lived up to national expectations, while Alabama has continually been at the top of college football. This undoubtedly played a part in their decisions to change schools, and the Tide continues to roll on the recruiting trail.

We will be continuously updating the final weeks of the 2012 recruiting cycle as things begin to shape up and give the latest on all the upcoming commitments