Alabama Football: For NSD, recruiting numbers do and don’t matter

Alabama football has two number limits it must follow in recruiting. Each year’s signing class number varies but the 85-roster limit does not matter next week.

Alabama football will over sign in its 2020 class. Not in the way it was done several years ago when Ole Miss signed 38 players. The NCAA quickly closed that loophole. Teams can still sign more than 25 in a class, based on adjustments for scholarships not used in previous classes. That is why the 2020 Alabama football class can be 27 or 28 players.

No one outside the program knows for sure the exact scholarship assignments in the 2020 roster. We can provide a number that will be close, but not exact. There is some doubt among Alabama football insiders that Paul Tyson and Will Reichard were initially given athletic scholarships. During the season, they may have been given athletic scholarships, just as was  Giles Amos. Amos may or may not have a scholarship for 2020. Tyson and Reichard probably do but they may not either.

For estimating purposes, we will count Tyson and Reichard, but not Amos as scholarship players. Using that premise, the Crimson Tide returns 67 scholarship players. Add to that the 23 new players signed in the 2020 class. Included in the 23 number is Damieon George, who numerous Alabama football insiders and recruiting experts say quietly signed in December.

The number of 67, plus 23, needs another addition with the announcement of Carl Tucker transferring from North Carolina to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tucker will not enroll until summer. He will count against the 2020 class and after he enrolls, in the 85-scholarship limit.

So going into Signing Day, the Crimson Tide has a scholarship roster number of 91. Among Jamil Burroughs, Javon Baker, McKinnley Jackson, Alfred Collins and Ennis Rakestraw, Alabama football will add 2-4 more players. Most recruiting insiders believe Collins will choose Texas.

Could the 2020 class number reach 29? Nothing we have seen indicates it can go that high. It has been rumored Caden Clark’s knee injury will prevent him from playing next season. Even if true, it does not necessarily mean his scholarship could be used for another player.

So based on our 91 count, adding 2-4 more on Signing Day means the total scholarship count will be 93-95. The final 2020 scholarship roster will have to be trimmed by 8-10 players. Nick Saban has time to sort out that final number. It does not matter on Signing Day and the sorting out process will mostly take care of itself through the transfer portal. Most of the exits will likely occur after spring practice when the realities of playing time have become more clear.

For any close follower of Alabama football recruiting who is wondering – the numbers estimated in this post do not include Jayson jones. Most recruiting experts think he will choose Oregon.