From 2017-2020, the WR cupboards in Tuscaloosa were so jammed full of talent that it was hard for even future 1st and 2nd round picks to find playing time.
The "Ryde Outs" era featured Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs, and Jaylen Waddle on the same team. That's not to mention John Metchie, who was WR5 in 2019 and a future second-round pick in his own right, stuck behind four future first-rounders.
But after that era, Alabama's WR room took a bit of a dive, particularly when you look at just high school recruiting. Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams had tremendous success in his one season with the Crimson Tide, but Alabama struggled to hit on any homegrown receivers.
There were quite a few recruiting misses along the way. The biggest one wasn't known about until this week.
Speaking at SEC Media Days, Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith, the best WR in college football from the moment he set foot on a college campus, revealed on Wednesday that Alabama was once his "dream school."
“Growing up my dream school was Alabama when Nick Saban was there. But they wasn’t recruiting me," Smith said, via Stephen Means of Cleveland.com.
Ohio State superstar WR Jeremiah Smith reveals Alabama was once his 'dream school'
Smith was a class of 2024 prospect who committed to Ohio State pretty early in the process, but it's mind-blowing to think that Nick Saban seemingly whiffed on a kid who called the Crimson Tide his dream school.
Now, there's no telling if Alabama had recruited Smith heavily and landed him, whether he would have stuck it out once Saban retired following the 2023 season. He would have been able to freely enter the Transfer Portal as so many did, including his current QB in Columbus, former Alabama signee Julian Sayin.
But it's hard not to daydream about Smith pairing with Ryan Coleman-Williams in Tuscaloosa. They were the two most electrifying young wide receivers in college football during the 2024 season, and they would have been a dynamic duo for the Crimson Tide's offense.
Saban has previously stated publicly that the biggest recruiting mistake of his career was not recruiting TE Mason Taylor harder, who ultimately ended up at LSU and scored the game-winning two-point conversion for the Tigers to beat the Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge in 2022. But that pales in comparison to this story.
Perhaps Saban never knew Smith considered Alabama his "dream school." He'll know it now, and if he's asked about his biggest recruiting miss again, he'll probably have a different answer.
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