Alabama still loaded with talent
I know Alabama lost quite a few great players to the draft this year however they still have so much high quality depth it's ridiculous. Dr. Saturday (Matt Hinton) has an article going over the recruiting classes of Alabama since 2008.
Here's a few interesting quotes:
For the second year in a row, they went into Arizona for one of the nation's top juco players, cornerback Travell Dixon. Not only was no position neglected: With the surprise addition of Lynchburg, Va., defensive tackle Korren Kirven, there are at least two four or five-star players at every position except quarterback and tight end. (And yes, there's a kicker.)
By Rivals' count, it's 'Bama's fourth No. 1 class in five years under Saban, a spree that's now stacked the roster with an incredible 99 four- or five-star prospects since 2008 — 54 of whom, including the incoming class, remain on the prospective 2012 roster.
February 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
Do you think I'm scared of 4 number 1 classes? This year ALONE, we have the number 6 class. Everybody knows that 6 is bigger than 4. I'm feeling a lot more confident now...
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^
Spartan logic
February 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
Soooo, it'll be even sweeter when we beat them?
February 2nd, 2012 at 11:57 AM ^
Victory will be that much sweeter........Denard's always had a thing for the first game of the season haha. *Steps outside of maize and blue bubble* *look at Bamas roster, step back into maize and blue bubble*
February 2nd, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^
Ohh and I doubt this is even slightly OT, them being an oppenent next year and all.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:02 PM ^
This just in: water is wet!
I kid and all, but yea everyone saying "BUT THEY HAVE TO REPLACE ELEVENTY STARTERS NEXT YEAR" is delusional. They're replacing their eleventy starters with eleventy four and five star players. We have a shot to beat them...but it certainly won't be easy. They'll be ranked top 5 next preseason.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:06 PM ^
Talented players, no doubt, but talented players that haven't played yet. It'll be interesting to see if experience trumps talent. Also, our players aren't too terrible either.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
I hope they're ranked 1st.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^
Should I get a refund on my ticket now?
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^
Yeah, don't go, I'll buy that ticket off you though in case they don't refund it.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:08 PM ^
Blue skies are blue.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:11 PM ^
the time for star gazing is over.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:15 PM ^
Yes, I'm sure no shady tactics or illicit dealings were at all involved in obtaining those 99 players. No no, Nick Saban is totally above-board, a real player's coach, almost Hoke-esque you could say. Not a football factory down there in Alabama, no, not at all. I mean, who doesn't want to live in the cultural hotbed that is Tuscaloosa, Alabama for four years? And get their degree from such a top flight educational institution? No wonder it's become the new "It" school. Makes all the sense in the world. Am I right? Guys? Guys...
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:43 PM ^
So many jobs for so many girlfriends.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
How many do we have? It's not like our classes have been chump change.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:32 PM ^
That's what I came up with doing a rough count and using Rivals rankings (may differ with another service).
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:17 PM ^
We have talent at certain positions that can match up with theirs, the problem is that they have elite talent EVERYWHERE. It's going to be extremely hard to hang with them for 60 minutes.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:17 PM ^
No doubt Alabama is talented. We are going to have to outsmart them and take advantage of the fact they have a new offensive coordinator and new players in the game playing defense.
You look at the top 10 recruiting classes (on all services) - Alabama, Ohio State & Notre Dame are all there. That's a daunting schedule but it works out very well if you take a look.
Date | Opponent |
Sept. 1 | vs. Alabama (Arlington, Texas) |
Sept. 8 | AIR FORCE |
Sept. 15 | MASSACHUSETTS |
Sept. 22 | at Notre Dame |
Sept. 29 | Bye Week |
Oct. 6 | at Purdue* |
Oct. 13 | ILLINOIS* (HC) |
Oct. 20 | MICHIGAN STATE* |
Oct. 27 | at Nebraska* |
Nov. 3 | at Minnesota* |
Nov. 10 | NORTHWESTERN* |
Nov. 17 | IOWA* |
Nov. 24 | at Ohio State* |
Dec. 1 | Big Ten Championship Game |
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:18 PM ^
Saban's like a kid playing NCAA '12 Dynasty with recruiting set to Easy. My 3rd string QB had a 93 rating once.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:19 PM ^
And how has Alabama faired in it's first 'big' game of the year the last few years?
W 27-11 on 9/10/2011 @ #23 Penn State
W 27-11 on 9/11/2010 vs #18 Penn State
W 34-24 on 9/5/2009 @ #7 Va Tech
W 34-10 on 8/30/2008 vs #9 Clemson
Alabama reloads, plays a lot of players in its rotation, and Saban does a good job of preparing over long layoffs.
Howeva, Hoke and Co has proven (with limited sample size) that it prepares well for big games. We shall see.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:51 PM ^
Two thoughts:
1) You have to give them credit for not dodging anyone, like Florida and most of the SEC does.
2) They will score either 27 points or 34 points.
February 2nd, 2012 at 3:06 PM ^
They could be accused of dodging this year, but they did beat a really good Arkansas and LSU of course.
I had a ton of respect for LSU this year because of their schedule. It was murderous.
February 2nd, 2012 at 3:11 PM ^
Clearly they are going to score 20 in each of the next two season openers against big opponents. That is how he sequence works. Now we just have to score more than that.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:23 PM ^
I don't feel too good about this matchup. This is the kind of team that Denard struggles terribly against.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:44 PM ^
And what kind of team is that?
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:06 PM ^
freaky athletic defenses
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:23 PM ^
a team with a defense
February 2nd, 2012 at 5:24 PM ^
so it's the kind of team EVERYONE struggles against.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:26 PM ^
In 5 years Saban has signed 99 4* + players. Wow! He only signed 1 player who wasn't a 4 star! see, because the NCAA has a limit of 25 players per year. And, beyond that, he has to stay below 85 scholarship athletes... wait, what?
Of course he has great classes. He cheats kids out of their education and cuts them like it's MLB spring training. What will be interesting is his NEXT 5 years, how many kids are still on the roster, etc. He should do well, they just won a MNC-SEC West Title Game. But to overlook the numbers is just stupid.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:38 PM ^
And yet we have to sweat out the results of Devon's medical redshirt application for yet another year. Whatever forms they are submitting we ought to get a copy or two and use them. Seems like they know how to beat the system pretty consistently.
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:01 PM ^
We're trying to get Devin a medical hardship for an extra year of eligibility. Saban uses medical scholarships to kick kids off the team. They are legit (see Antonio Bass) for players who suffer career ending injuries. It means the AD can keep them on scholarship, and not cost the football team any roster spots. But while most programs averaged 1 career-ending injury in the graph above, Saban gave 12 kids the "you're off the team, but can still keep a scholarship because you've suffered a 'career ending injury'" treatment. It's a way to cut kids but keep them from talking.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:31 PM ^
If Alabama was allowed to put 95 guys on the field at one time we wouldn't have a chance. Lucky for us both teams are only allowed 11 players at a time, that should allow us to put up a good fight.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:39 PM ^
Denard is going to have to have a career day against them for us to even have a chance, and our defense needs to get some turnovers. The d-line needs to play like last year's did, which is improbable because of all the new starters. We'll have an improved back 7, so we should be alright back there considering Bama's offense shouldn't be anything spectacular. I'm really worried about our O-line without Molk, and our recieving core is unproven. Let's hope our guys are working their asses off this offseason.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:47 PM ^
Alabama's whole offense is built around a dominant O-line that keys a power rushing game. The back 7 aren't going to be much help if our D-line is getting destroyed every play.
As for Denard against their defense, well I think we can all imagine how that's going to go.
While I'd love to see Michigan win, I'm not sure how people are predicting anything but a double digit rout in favor of Alabama.
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:36 PM ^
of a conflict. Show some faith in your team for once.
February 4th, 2012 at 8:23 PM ^
Because that's been working SO well the last 4 (6, 8, etc.) years.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:41 PM ^
"There are at least two four or five star palyers at every position except quarterback and TIGHT END"
So we've discovered Bama's achilles heel, or chink in their armor! We've got this game in the bag.
/s
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:49 PM ^
This is concerning to me. I was previously under the impression that Alabama would have no talent and that only 2* players would be in the two deep. I am TOTALLY SHOCKED by all of this!
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:55 PM ^
I guess I'll go check the Alabama blogs for Michigan updates...
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:02 PM ^
My issue with Alabama has always been that when someone says they have 99 4* and 5* kids (or whatever the number is), it ignores the fact that 5-10 lower-rated kids get cut a year to make room for them. I know it sounds like a broken record, but Alabama historically recruited well until Saban arrived, but they (and really, most of the SEC) didn't do nearly as well as they have the past decade or so in their history. You can point to population changes, demographic shifts, financial incentives, etc., but when you get 5 recruits for every 4 your opposition signs, that's a major advantage.
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:33 PM ^
54 out of 99 four and five star players are still on the roster. While that is telling as far as the level of talent Saban is bringing in to Bama, it is also VERY telling as far as the numbers of players he cuts due to some reason or another if they haven't panned out. And yes, I understand that some of that 45 player difference is due to players only there four years(the 99 was counted since 2008), and yes, I understand that some of that 45 player difference is due to guys like Richardson who leave for the pros early. However, my guess is that the bulk of that 45 player difference cannot be attributed to four-year only players or players leaving early for the draft. It would be interesting to see a complete breakdown of those 45 players and where they are now, including how they got there.
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:38 PM ^
we should stop playing football and coach our players to play T-ball instead.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:57 PM ^
You never heard? Yeah we're going to lose this game badly, and then Urban Meyer is going to one-up Tressel and go 11-0 against Michigan and dominate the Big Ten
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:01 PM ^
I saw this thread and I instantly thought, no shit sherlock, does a bear shit in the woods?
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:18 PM ^
That is like saying Water is Wet, or Alabama Oversigns !
February 2nd, 2012 at 4:07 PM ^
Alabama can only play 11 at a time.
February 2nd, 2012 at 6:07 PM ^
Yes, but they can be a really frickin talented 11. Such as how better teams beat worse teams.
February 2nd, 2012 at 6:11 PM ^
but and its a big but they dont have a guy named Denard so I think he could be a factor in this game. Plus being 100 percent healthy DENARD IS UNSTOPABLE
February 4th, 2012 at 10:15 PM ^
Alabama lost several players to (the first round of) the NFL draft after they demolished MSU and look where they finished this year. Just saying.
I don't know how anyone stops that kind of machine.