Alabama Football: The Tide’s recruiting timeline is shifted

Alabama football relies on a different set of rules for recruiting

College football recruiting is a unique monster. With thousands of high-school players across the country and hundreds of teams looking to field a championship roster, the details of recruiting get hazy. Some players commit before their senior years, and some don’t have committable offers until National Signing Day. Even with all this chaos, Alabama football remains on top every cycle.

This gives the Crimson Tide the luxury of recruiting on a different timeline in a few ways. With more resources than any other program in the SEC, Alabama can scout everywhere in the country. They will find the talented players who are being overlooked, and they will know if the highly-touted stars are ready to play for the Tide. This has helped Alabama land plenty of recruits from Texas to Florida to California. They retain in-state talent, but they are always in contention with stars across the country.

Alabama football also has the ability to join the party late. Smaller schools have to work harder to earn trust for top-level talent. That means that they lay the groundwork for years before a player signs with a team. Due to their stature, Alabama can enter the mix late and still have a solid chance to land a recruit. All it takes is for a player to know that Saban wants him in order for him to gain interest.

Since Alabama mostly recruits superstars, their recruiting class also develops later than most. Five-star players have more options, and they take advantage of the entire process to make a smart decision. That’s why fans have seen other schools land plenty of recruits before Alabama, but the Tide still end the year with the top class. It’s a gamble few schools can take, but it always pays off for the Crimson Tide.

That’s why Alabama’s timeline is shifted. Alabama only has eight commits right now for the 2022 class, and teams like Boston College and Rutgers are ranked higher. By the end of the cycle, Alabama will be back near the top.

At the end of the day, those scholarship spots won’t remain unused. They will go to some of the top recruits in the country that remain uncommitted. Alabama football will once again have a dominant class. It just takes more time for that class to come to fruition.