Alabama built the best recruiting class in the country and then added more to it.
With 25 players already signed on Wednesday’s national signing day, Crimson Tide received two more letters of intent: from the five-star running back Camar Wheaton, who had already committed, and from the four-star safety Terrion Arnold, who had not if previously committed.
The result was the best rated class in modern history, according to the 247 Sports ranking.
“For the most part, we were able to achieve what we wanted with this recruiting class,” said Nick Saban.
Time will tell if the class is the best in Saban. Performance in the field is all that matters right now, and the school group’s credentials in 2017 will be difficult to overcome.
But with 14 class members already enrolled and another 13 arriving in the summer, what can we take out of the total of 27 players that make up the 2021 autograph class?
1. The rich get richer: Is Alabama’s historically dominant recruitment class a problem for college football as a whole? This is a complicated issue, in which a person’s opinion depends largely on whether he is a fan of the school or not. But from a macro perspective, the years-long debate over whether Alabama’s sustained success is good for the sport is sure to be fueled after the signing day on Wednesday.
The subject was in the spotlight for a month when, outside of the games themselves, much of the national conversation around the Football Playoff College was about the redundancy of competing schools and the centralization of power at the top. The television audience for the Alabama national championship victory over Ohio was the smallest of the playoff era, leading to more commentary on “Alabama fatigue” and the dominance of some schools.
The incredible amount of recruitment by Tide can only intensify questions about how, or if, the playing field can be leveled in college football to avoid a lack of interest among fans outside some regions.
During an interview on Wednesday with Rivals.com, Saban was asked about a USA Today story last month exploring the Alabama monopoly break. Presented with the proposed idea of him retiring, Saban smiled, shook his head and chuckled before answering the question if winning became “too easy” for him.
“It is not easy,” replied Saban. “It is never easy.”
Saban also insisted that building the country’s best rated recruiting class is also not as simple as asking players to come. “We don’t choose guys. There is a lot of competition in recruiting people we recruit against – be it USC, Texas, Georgia, Florida, LSU, great programs in our league and across the country – they all have a lot to offer as well. “
LSU’s success in 2019 can be used as proof that the system is not broken. Tigers went undefeated, defeated Alabama and won a national championship with a quarterback, Joe Burrow, who was ranked 280th in his recruiting class. Alabama won a title with 399 ranked player Mac Jones in its class. Having a class full of five-star talent is no guarantee of success, and every year different programs are capable of winning.
However, the turnaround in another Alabama gold-plated recruiting class will persist, and it is in the sport’s interest that this does not turn into fan apathy.
2. Immediate impact on the recipient: Saban made it clear after the day of the early signing that Alabama needed to refuel at the wide receiver after losing its top four players to the NFL in last year’s and this year’s draft. The Tide reached its mark by signing three of the top six and four of the top ten recipients evaluated by 247 Sports. These four alternate players – Jacorey Brooks, Agiye Hall, JoJo Earle and Christian Leary – could have a chance to play freshmen, which Saban seemed to emphasize on Wednesday.
“I use the example many times when we were playing against Georgia in the national championship game,” he said. “[DeVonta Smith] took the touchdown pass; he was a freshman. [Henry] Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy were both there. [Alex] Leatherwood was playing the left tackle, Najee [Harris] was playing tail and Yours [Tagovailoa] was playing as a defender. So, there will be many opportunities in various positions, but especially in the wide receiver for these guys to make a contribution ”.
3. The quarterback must not be forgotten: All eyes this spring and summer will be on second year quarterback Bryce Young, a five-star recruit from last year’s class. But Jalen Milroe, one of the first four-star registered freshmen, is more than just a launch for the 2021 class. “We had Jalen at camp in the past and we really liked his skill set,” said Saban. “He is very athletic. He’s really accurate as a passer. He has a strong arm. He has a very good disposition about himself as a leader and a great personality that I think people can follow. And we’re excited to have you here. He was one of the best in the country, in our opinion, and we are very happy to have him here ”.
As you might expect, Saban made reference to the competition as a defender and, although Young is the favorite to start in 2021, Milroe is also able to see the field. Having Tagovailoa and Jones emerge as big picks for the 2017 NFL draft is a reminder of that.
4. Basketball aspirations for two: One of the side stories to watch with the 2021 class will be two of its players, Ga’Quincy McKinstry from Pinson Valley and newly hired Tallahassee, Florida’s safety Terrion Arnold, who also want to play basketball. McKinstry, one of the first entrants, has already joined the basketball team to train and stayed on the bench during games, although it was not uniform. Coach Nate Oats discussed some of the benefits of potentially playing next season, as well as the challenges of his time because of football. Saban also addressed the issue on Wednesday.
“I told the players that they can play other sports,” he said. “We kind of determine what they should do in football when they are freshmen to learn the basics. We’ve had guys running around here, lots of guys. We have no problems with guys who play other sports. [Keith] Holcombe played baseball. And I had several guys in Michigan who played basketball, tried to play basketball, tried to do both.
“I’m happy with these guys, and Coach Oats and I have a good understanding of how we try to do that. It is a little more difficult to play basketball because the seasons happen a little more together, but if the boys can contribute to our basketball program here, I am totally in favor. And we will do everything to help them develop as football players, and when they have no football responsibilities, they can certainly play basketball. If they can contribute to our team, I will be happy for them and happy for our basketball program. “
Oats sounded on Arnold on Wednesday night.
“He’s tough. [Assistant] Coach [Bryan] Hodgson is recruiting him a lot, ”said Oats after a victory over LSU. “He and Kool-Aid [McKinstry] are two guys who can play both [sports]. We partnered with football to recruit him. He is a type of strong and courageous point guard who can get into the ball. We like him. Shoot, I FaceTimed with him this afternoon. I am excited to bring you. “
5. Any weaknesses in the class? Alabama added two offensive five-star strikers in this class along with a five-star running back, an edge rusher, a defensive striker, a cornerback and a wide receiver. She won many other places with four-star players among the best rated in the country in their positions. But the only position in which the program has delved into the talent pool in recent cycles was the tight end.
Alabama signed Robbie Ouzts, the 31st tight end ranked by 247 Sports, in this class. Last year’s class included a tight end, Caden Clark, who was ranked 20th in his position. Clark wore the gray shirt because of an injury and will join the team this year. The pair of three-star contenders may exceed expectations, but the position has the potential to be a narrower group outside of promising Jahleel Billingsley.
Part of the problem in recruiting some of the best high school tight end in the country is presumably that Alabama’s attack has evolved to focus heavily on the wide receivers that eat the targets in the passing game. Statistical production in the position has declined since the days of Irv Smith and OJ Howard, the latter being a five-star recruit in 2013.
Alabama dived into the transfer portal last year and added Carl Tucker in an effort to boost the tight end position, but he was not a factor last season. Instead, Tide used striker Kendall Randolph in the tight end to provide a blocking presence while leaning on Billingsley and the now removed Miller Forristall in the passing game.
When Alabama’s new offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien, last held that position in 2011 for the New England Patriots, his second and third top recipients during a Super Bowl race were tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. This season, O’Brien imagines leaning more on a wide receiver room filled with some of the best college talent in the country.
Mike Rodak is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.