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Alabama Football: Meet The Tide’s 2016 Recruiting Class

By Josh Boutwell

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Sep 26, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide mascot Big Al waves the flag after a score at Bryant-Denny Stadium against the UL Monroe Warhawks. The Tide defeated the Warhawks 34-0. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide mascot Big Al waves the flag after a score at Bryant-Denny Stadium against the UL Monroe Warhawks. The Tide defeated the Warhawks 34-0. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

-Joshua Jacobs – RB – Tulsa, OK (***)

5’10”, 200 lbs.

Jacobs may be the biggest mystery of any player in the 2016 recruiting cycle. Less than a month before signing day Jacobs had scholarship offers from only two FBS schools. After his coaches went on a social media campaign to get teams interested in the shifty Jacobs, attention from other schools finally happened as his game film began circulating to power 5 schools. Suddenly Jacobs received offers from Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Purdue among others. Jacobs possesses good size for a back but is unbelievably shifty and quick. He fell off the radar of many schools some as a senior as he was forced to play quarterback for much of the season due to injuries on his high school team. Despite playing quarterback for much of the year, Jacobs still ran for 2,704 yards and 31 rushing touchdowns on just 179 carries for an astounding 15 yards per carry. Jacobs possesses Kenyan Drake like skills and his ability as a kick returner could result in him seeing the field much earlier than most freshmen.

-Jamar King – DE – Ukiah, CA (***)

6’5”, 285 lbs.

King like Williams will play defensive end in Alabama’s 3-4 who is very physical and contains a ton of power. He needs to polish his hands and technique in several areas but could be a solid player across the line with the Tide.

-Irvin Smith – TE – New Orleans, LA (***)

6’4”, 230 lbs.

Smith is a big tight end that has the frame to add on even more weight which will lead to more playing time for him. He is another solid receiver at tight end while not as good as a blocker. He is better than Forristall at this point but still needs a lot of work to become the type of effective blocker Saban wants at the position. He caught 31 passes for 558 yards and four touchdowns as a senior.

-Aaron Robinson – CB – Deerfield Beach, FL (***)

6’1”, 178 lbs.

Robinson is a long, lanky corner that will look to pack on some more size to help with his physicality as he seemed to shy away from contact at times in high school. He has great ball skills and can make plays with the ball in his hands as well. He is good in zone coverage and with some more weight and getting more physical he could develop as a solid corner. He played both receiver and corner in high school and settling in at corner will likely lead to him developing quicker at one position.

-Christian Bell – DE – Birmingham AL (****)

6’4”, 245 lbs.

Bell is actually a “back counter” from last year’s class having grey shirted in 2015. He spent the 2015 season working on getting bigger going from barely over 220 pounds to over 240 now. After bulking up, it looks as if Bell will transition from end to JACK linebacker this season where his natural pass rushing ability along with strength and run-stuffing ability combining to make him an elite prospect at the position for Alabama.

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The 2016 class may be the most impressive class Alabama has ever signed in terms of linemen (offense and defense) and linebackers. There wasn’t a ton of elite skill players signed in this class but the players that were signed could all be contributors. Alabama is very thin at running back and ended up with two solid players at the position but with Emmons possibly not qualifying due to grades Saban has made it clear he is looking out for a potential graduate transfer to bring into the 2016 team.

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