Alabama Football: Recruiting is only a piece of the puzzle

A win for Alabama football today is only a start

The Early Signing Period is practically a holiday for college football fans, and Alabama football is usually at the forefront of every discussion. Will the Tide land the best players in the class? How will they reload the roster?

This year, Alabama will once again bring in one of the best classes in the country. They might lose the top spot to Georgia or Texas A&M, but the Tide are still landing elite talent at key positions. The class will fill out in 2022, but everything is pointing towards another great group for Alabama football.

However, this is the first step for the Tide. Recruiting great players isn’t the only thing that wins championships. If that were the case, we could hand out awards now. You still have to develop the players on the roster.

Take Tennessee for example. Under Jeremy Pruitt, the Vols landed plenty of quality recruiting classes. However, it never amounted to an SEC East championship. Georgia has also dominated recruiting, but the lack of development at key positions has kept them from winning a national championship over Alabama.

With NIL and the Transfer Portal, there are new pieces to the puzzle. You also have to retain your talent. Quality players are leaving for other opportunities. You have to keep your players invested. Even if they don’t play in the early years of their careers, their presence will be crucial as you build a program. Losing players to the Transfer Portal can ruin a team, so having them sign today is just a piece of the pie.

You also have to win the Transfer Portal itself. While you can’t lose your players, you also need to add talent from other teams. Alabama football did this with Jameson Williams and Henry To’o To’o last year. They may do the same in 2022.

All this shows that recruiting is just a drop in the bucket. You have to do more if you want to win. Alabama football is capable of that, but not every school is.