Quick Turf Time for 6 at BAMA

 

Six BAMA Recruits expected to contribute this year

The 2014 recruiting class could be the best in Coach Saban’s tenure at The Capstone, with verbal commitments from five 5-Star recruits and thirteen 4-Star.  Alabama should finish number one in recruiting for the fourth consecutive year finishing in the top five nationally every year since Saban’s first Bama class, 2008.  I’ve referred to this class on Twitter calling it Christmas with St. Nick delivering the presents in the form of top recruits to Alabama.  We’re all excited to see what the new guys can do, but how long will we have to wait?

Will any of The Capstone’s 2014 recruiting class contribute to this upcoming football season?

In recent years Coach Saban has expressed frustration with players who expect to play their first year.  Saban said that he asks the recruits, “Are you better now than you were in your first year in high school?  Because you will be better in your upper classmen years than in your first year at Alabama.”  It’s only natural that all of them want to play right away.  The major frustration for the coaches recruiting them comes in the form of students who insist on or even demand that they play right away.

If you watched the Under Armour All-American Game played Jan 2, in St. Petersburg, FL, you were treated to many SEC-bounded high school football players displaying their talents for a national audience on ESPN.  It’s a fun show, because they take time outs for the players to run to the sideline, join their families and announce where they are, “Taking their talents,” as most of them say it.  Several (not all) made their announcements this year on the show.  When asked why they selected the college they did, almost every young man gave as the main reason, “To play right away.”  But Tony Brown a CB from TX who committed to Alabama, did not  – smart guy.

Who could contribute their first year?

Junior College recruits are often more likely expected to contribute to the team their first year.  After all, they are older, more mature and more physically developed.  They’ve had more years to develop their athletic skills and unless they played for Hoover High, have bigger game-day experiences than most high school players.  Marching to Alabama this year are Four-Star D.J. Pettway, DE, and Three-Star Jarran Reed, DT, both from Mississippi Community College and both likely to see playing time when things rock ‘n’ roll in the fall.

Seems like every year we see a couple college quarterbacks transfer from one major program to another.  We saw this with Russell Wilson’s move from NC State to Wisconsin in 2011, giving the Badgers a single great season.  This year there are a couple we will mention, Florida’s QB Tyler Murphy transferred to Boston College with one year eligibility remaining and Jake Coker who is going from backing up Jameis Winston at FL State to trying to replace AJ McCarron at Alabama.  Coker brings with him tremendous talent at QB and two years eligibility.  (Both men graduated prior to transferring.)

Two large men both exceeding 300 pounds on the Offensive Line may impact the season in their freshman season, 4-star Dominick Jackson from San Mateo, CA, and 5-star Cameron Robinson, from West Monroe LA, who could play at Left or Right Tackle.

On the other side of the ball we should see in the DB rotation, Tony Brown, 5-star DB from Beaumont, TX, arguably the best high school recruit out of TX.  Brown is also an elite Track and Field Athlete who is already winning meets for The Tide.

Another player who will likely see turf-time right away, but which stadium near you is yet to be determined is the number one player in the nation, Rashaan Evans who met with UCLA Coach Ulbrich, Kirby Smart and Coach Malzahn and that was just this week.  It’s highly likely that he will have an immediate impact on whichever school he attends.

I’m as excited as Christmas morning opening large boxes containing 300 pound football players.  I watch the videos on Youtube thinking about these high school athletes who have been playing like men among boys and finally have their time to prove themselves in the big league for the Crimson Tide.

But if Coach Saban has his way it will be an A-Day Game debut and back in the box for another year or so from now when their skills are fully developed and they are truly ready to become Champions.

Of course there could be some flippin and floppin in these final days before National Signing Day, like Dirty Santa.

Do you think freshmen should play their first year?  Who do you think might do it?