Alabama Recruiting Report Card: Grading the Tide’s 2012 Class
By Tony Breland
Although Alabama is enjoying the most successful stint in recent memory on the recruiting trail, it doesn’t automatically translate to success on the field; just ask Texas and Florida State.
Texas has been right up there with Alabama on the recruiting front, but hasn’t produced the same results on the field. And as former Saban assistant Jimbo Fisher is finding out, landing top prospects doesn’t guarantee wins. Fisher and FSU have been major underachievers on the field despite the stellar recruiting classes, which makes what Saban has done at Alabama all the more impressive.
Alabama’s 2012 class sits atop the recruiting rankings and Nick Saban has once again put the rest of college football on notice. It’s one thing to have the ability to sign top classes, but when you can develop talent at an elite level it’s downright scary. The Tide staff has hit the recruiting mother lode with the 2012 signing class, and hopes to rival that of 2008, which produced two National Championships.
Linebackers A+
Breaking down the 2012 class reveals the direction in which Saban and his staff are headed, and it’s no surprise that dominant defense is a priority. The most impressive unit in the class is easily the linebacker unit.
Dillon Lee 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, already enrolled, can play in the middle or the outside, high football IQ, immediate impact player. Comparison- C.J. Moseley
Reggie Ragland 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, Big, fast, athletic, disruptive, natural middle linebacker, sideline to sideline player, big run stuffer, off the charts instincts, immediate impact player. Comparison-Donta Hightower
Ryan Anderson 6-foot-3, 250-pounds, Already enrolled, big, fast, very strong, relentless, intense and physically imposing, never stops coming at you, immediate impact player. Comparison- Courtney Upshaw
Denzell Devall 6-foot-2, 240-pounds, Physically mature, very fast, instinctual, big hitter, can play all four linebacker positions, great athlete for his size, immediate impact player. Comparison- Hightower/Rolando McClain
Tyler Hayes 6-foot 3-inches, 220-pounds, Great speed and instincts, good in coverage, very quick, ball hawk, always making big plays, needs to add a little weight. Possible special teams player as a freshman. Comparison- C.J. Moseley.
Defensive Backs A+
The 2012 season will have many new faces in the defensive backfield. The cornerback spots will be up for grabs and the Tide has signed some phenomenal players. We will see four or five new starters in the fold this coming season and the competition during spring practice will be intense.
Travelle Dixon 6-foot-2.5, 205 pounds, Physical, intimidating player, All-American JUCO corner, great ball skills, excels in man coverage, immediate impact player. Comparison- Dre Kirkpatrick
Deion Belue 6-foot, 180 pounds, Elite cover corner, great hips, great ball skills, return specialist, All-American JUCO corner, will challenge receivers, elite game speed and vision, immediate impact player. Comparison- DeQuan Menzie
Geno Smith 5-foot 11 inches, 180 pounds, Good ball skills, quick feet, good closing speed, deceptively physical, needs to add weight, may see time on special teams. Comparison- Kareem Jackson.
Landon Collins 6-foot, 210 pounds, elite speed, ball skills, instincts, great athlete, physical, well rounded and mature physically, immediate impact player. Comparison- HaSean Clinton-Dix
Defensive Line A-
The Defensive line was a huge concern this recruiting cycle, and all the way up until signing day it appeared the Tide may fall a little short in this department. With the addition of two great prospects on signing day, Alabama landed some great prospects. This unit isn’t as highly rated as others with scouting services, but every player has tremendous upside going forward.
Darren Lake 6-foot-4, 330 pounds, very strong, quick, agile, relentless, good use of hands and a ton of potential. Lake is raw but will compete for playing time at end and tackle. Comparison- Marcel Dareus
Dakota Ball 6-foot-2, 300 pounds, strong, overpowering, very determined and relentless. Ball has a non-stop motor and never gives up on a play. Dakota could benefit from red-shirt. Comparison- a bigger, Nick Gentry
Caleb Gulledge 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, smart, quick, uses his hands well, good feet and lateral movement. Needs to add bulk and will benefit from a red-shirt year. Comparison- Chris Bonds
Dalvin Tomlinson 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, great hands, foot movement, quickness, very explosive and relentless in pursuit. Dalvin will compete for playing time immediately and excel in the weight program. Comparison- Damien Square
Korren Kirven 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, explosive, smart player, good hands, strong lower boy, deceptively fast and a relentless player. Kirven is only 17 years old and will develop nicely. Comparison- Jeoffrey Pagan
Alphonse Taylor 6-foot-6, 360 pounds, huge kid, space eater at nose tackle, quick hands and feet for his size. Taylor needs to slim down some but is prototypical for the Tides3-4 scheme. Comparison- Terrence “Mount” Cody.
Offensive Line B
On the flip side, Alabama added some much needed depth along the offensive line. Bama returns four of five starters, but three will be seniors in 2012 and depth will be crucial in the development of that unit. Tide coaches would have liked to have added one more prospect to the fold, but have a couple defensive guys that can move to offense if the need arises.
Brandon Greene 6-foot-6, 300-pounds, quick feet, very strong, great run blocker, hard worker and he never take plays off. Brandon needs to improve pass protection but has all tools to be elite at the college level and beyond. Comparison- Cyrus Kouandjio
Brandon Hill 6-foot-6, 355 pounds, extremely strong, quick feet, intimidating and imposes his will in run blocking. Hill is still raw and learning the position but he has an NFL frame and potential. Comparison- D.J. Fluker.
Receivers A+
With Alabama losing three starting receivers and bringing in top talent at the position, the competition this spring will be extremely intense. Coach Saban said it was a focal point this year to add explosive offensive talent and it all starts at the receiver position. Tide coaches landed four of the very best prospects in the entire nation and what appears to be the best receiving class in Tide history.
Eddie Williams 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, elite athlete, ball skills, leaping ability and physical freak. Eddie is probably the best athlete in the entire class with a combination of size, speed, quickness and physicality that is rarely seen. He will be an immediate impact player. Comparison- Julio Jones
Amari Cooper 6-foot-1.5, 185 pounds, great hands, route runner, ball skills, leaping ability and as complete a receiver as can be found at the high school level. Cooper is deceptively fast, fluid and smooth in his movements. Amari is already enrolled and will compete for immediate playing time. Comparison- D.J. Hall
Cyrus Jones 5-foot-10 180 pounds, feisty player, great ball skills, versatile, fast, cat quick and an electrifying playmaker. He is very determined and driven to succeed. He can hold 15 more pounds comfortably and may get an early look at kick returns. Comparison- Tyrone Prothro/Javier Arenas.
Chris Black 5-foot-10, 175 pounds. Good hands, gamebreaker, can stretch the field and play the slot, jumps very well. Black is already enrolled and will compete to play early but needs to get bigger. Comparison- Kenny Bell
Kurt Frietag 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, blue collar, hard nosed tight end with good hands and a very physical style. Kurt will be on special teams immediately and has surprising athleticism. He is an old school type player who will excel in the Tides punishing offense. Comparison- Preston Dial/Colin Peek
Running Backs A
Alabama continued to reload at running back in this class with two of the best all-around backs in the nation. They both offer versatility rarely seen from running backs and that may propel them into the mix in 2012.
Kenyan Drake 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, elite speed, athleticism, surprisingly tough and a game changing player. Explosive best describes Drake and he is a humble, hard-working kid who is very determined to succeed. He is very coachable and is a threat as a receiver out of the backfield. He would benefit from adding weight and red-shirting but he is so athletic don’t be surprised if he finds the field as a freshman. Comparison- Bobby Humphrey
T.J. Yeldon 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, strong back with a quick burst, downhill runner, good hands, versatile, big play threat and comes to work everyday. He is similar in style to Drake and the two will make a phenomenal tandem in the future. Comparison- Glen Coffee
The Crimson Tide signed only one quarterback and specialist and both were homeruns.
Alec Morris 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, very strong arm, accurate, high football IQ, athletic and moves around in the backfield really well. Alec already has an NFL body and could easily be the Tide’s next quarterback when McCarron leaves. Comparison- Ben Roethlisberger
Adam Griffith 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, huge leg, very accurate, natural kicker, booms kickoffs and has long range that the Tide has been missing. Adam is an immediate impact player with rare talent and the most impressive kicking prospect I have ever seen.
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