Alabama football’s outstanding success in 2019 recruiting is being diminished by some dubious claims. No matter, Nick Saban rose above it all.
Who better than Nick Saban to have a back against the wall, fight back and prevail? Certainly no one else in college football. Some may find it hard to think of Nick ever having his back against any wall. But in December 2018, and for the weeks leading up to Signing Day, Saban had to battle significant adversity.
Nick Saban re-tooled his Alabama football staff after a disappointing 2018 signing class. The turnover was large, including having to name new coordinators. Some younger assistants were brought in, more for their recruiting talents than their coaching acumen.
Throughout the spring, summer and much of the fall, Saban’s changes appeared to be strokes of genius. Nick Saban knew better. As he said, the flashy exterior of a sports car may hide problems under the hood.
While the Alabama Crimson Tide was reeling off a string of victories, Nick Saban could tell the defensive engine was “leaking oil.” The Tide’s best recruiter, (other than Nick) Tosh Lupoi was struggling as defensive coordinator. In October, the Tide won big over Arkansas, but the Hogs had 405 yards of offense. Arkansas’ marginally talented QB, Ty Storey passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns against the Tide defense.
In January, John Talty reporting for al.com said, Saban acted in mid-season to turn over play-calling to Pete Golding.
"Lupoi seemed overwhelmed during practices and didn’t totally grasp situational play-calling. While he was still heavily involved in the defensive game-planning, there was no question Golding taking over play-calling represented a demotion of sorts for Lupoi barely into the start of his defensive coordinator stint"
News of the change only seeped out on message boards. Slowly Alabama football insiders learned of Lupoi’s demotion and became concerned about the impact on recruiting. There were enough rumors for opposing coaches to recruit against the Tide with 2019 prospects.
Given the success Nick Saban had in the Early Signing Period, there appeared to be no damage from the situation with Lupoi. But appearances may have been deceiving. By early December, there were also rumors of more future Tide staff changes. Along with Lupoi, defensive line coach, Craig Kuligowski was predicted to leave.
Nick Saban considered 5-Star linebacker Nakobe Dean a key component of the 2019 class. Kuligowski and Lupoi were the lead recruiters for Dean. In December, the prized recruit chose Georgia.
By National Signing Day (NSD), an exit by Kuligowski was widely expected. Tosh Lupoi was already a Cleveland Browns coach. Prized Alabama football commit, Khris Bogle did not take the loss of Lupoi well.
Henry To’oto’o, from Lupoi’s old high school in California, was a high priority on NSD. After missing on Dean, To’oto’o was sorely needed to bolster a thin inside linebacker roster.
Almost all national experts predicted To’oto’o to sign with the Crimson Tide. A couple of days before NSD, those predictions changed. The Tennessee Vols became a major factor. In some ways, it must have been an easy sell for Jeremy Pruitt.
All Pruitt had to do was show To’oto’o video of the Tide defense when he was the defensive coordinator – and then compare videos of the Tide’s last three games in the 2018 season. In those games, the Tide defense gave up 454, 471 and 484 yards.
To’oto’o chose Tennessee and Bogle flipped to Florida. Alabama football still earned the No. 1 class ranking for 2019 as measured by the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Network was not as impressed. Rivals rated the Tide 2019 class as No. 2. The site went even further, calling Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide one of the NSD losers, saying,
"having several players slip away on signing day isn’t the Nick Saban way."
247Sports rates former Tide coaches Tosh Lupoi and Brent Key as No. 3 and No. 5 for top assistant coach recruiters with the 2019 class. If a similar ranking was applied to head coaches, Nick Saban would have deserved being No. 1. Nick faced coaching staff deficiencies and responded with boldness. The fluid coaching situation may have been a negative factor in the Tide’s performance against Clemson. Losing the championship, along with what turned out to be massive coaching changes, could have severely damaged 2019 recruiting.
But it did not stop Saban from orchestrating a tremendous 2019 class. Very few programs (probably not any) could miss on a Nakobe Dean, Kris Bogle and Henry To’oto’o and finish with the No. 1 class. Alabama did. In no small part due to Saban’s mentality that challenge brings out the best in competitors. One of the best coaching competitors is Nick Saban.
For Tide fans not following the 2020 class yet, Alabama football has 10 verbal commits. The Crimson Tide is currently rated as having the No. 1 class.
For the record, Tosh Lupoi should be remembered for much hard work and good results as a member of the Crimson Tide staff. Bama Hammer wishes him nothing but the best.