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Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:15 am to TideSaint
I haven't removed Durante from the commitment list just yet. I think he will swing back soon and I don't feel like going through the trouble.
Come at me bro.
Come at me bro.
This post was edited on 4/21/14 at 9:17 am
Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:17 am to TideSaint
Christian Bell will be choosing between us and Mississippi State very soon.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:27 am to BuccWildBammer
quote:
Anybody who followed both Auburn and Alabama's spring games on Saturday probably thought that the Tigers had the better day. The Crimson Tide's offense looked sluggish, while Nick Marshall and Co. picked up right where they left off from last season's SEC Championship.
But Nick Saban and the Tide won the much bigger battle on Saturday, and that's the recruiting battle.
“Between #Auburn and #Alabama A-Day visitors, 1/3 of the #Rivals100 are scheduled to be in the state of Alabama on Saturday.
— Justin Hokanson (@JHokanson) April 18, 2014”
Four prospects committed to Alabama on Saturday, one 5-star and three 4-stars. Meanwhile, Auburn was relegated to just two commitments, one 4-star and one 3-star.
quote:
Alabama 2015 Commitments on April 19
Name Position High School Star Rating Composite Ranking Position Ranking
Leo Lewis LB Brookhaven (MS) 4 68 5
Calvin Ridley WR Monarch (FL) 4 41 3
Minkah Fitzpatrick CB St. Peters Prep (NJ) 5 30 4
Shawn Burgess-Becker ATH Monarch (FL) 4 88 9
Auburn 2015 Commitments on April 19
Name Position High School Star Rating Composite Ranking Position Ranking
Ben Edwards S Trinity Christian Academy (FL) 4 282 18
Bailey Sharp OT Sprayberry (GA) 3 349 42
quote:
Two of the commits for Alabama—Fitzpatrick and Burgess-Becker—are secondary players. After losing Deion Belue and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Saban was in need of some talent in that area.
Fitzpatrick is the highest-rated commit of the day for the Tide. A 5-star cornerback out of New Jersey, Fitzpatrick stands at 6'0", 185 pounds and runs a 4.45 40-yard dash, per 247Sports.
Auburn's biggest commit of the day was 4-star safety Ben Edwards out of Florida. Edwards, a 6'0" safety, flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Auburn, per Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com.
“Four-star safety Ben Edwards flips his commitment from Ohio State to Auburn LINK
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) April 19, 2014”
Rivals recruiting reporter Andrew Bone tweeted that all four Tide commits were recruited by Mario Cristobal, the offensive line coach at Alabama. So certainly it was not a bad day for Cristobal and one that could set the stage for him to move up in the coaching ranks in the near future.
“All five commitments from #Alabama today were recruited by Mario Cristobal. Not a bad haul for him- 2 five-stars, 3 four-stars.
— Andrew Bone (@AndrewJBone) April 19, 2014”
Cristobal is in just his second season at Alabama, after joining the team in 2013. He was the head coach at FIU from 2007-12 before being fired after a 3-9 season in 2012.
What Saturday's overhaul ultimately proved, though, is that, when rubber hits the road, more kids want to play for Saban and Alabama than they do Gus Malzahn and Auburn, despite the Tigers being just one year removed from an SEC title and a national championship appearance.
While Auburn is fresh off a 2013 campaign that saw them win the SEC title, it was Alabama that had won three of the last four national championships prior to 2013. And had it not been for that one missed field goal that Chris Davis took back in the Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide could've made it four national titles in five years.
Alabama also sends plenty more players to the NFL. According to ESPN, the Crimson Tide have 37 of their alumni in the NFL, while Auburn has 20.
The Tide now rank No. 1 in the country for the 2015 class with 14 commits, with 12 being either 4-star- or 5-star-caliber. Meanwhile, Auburn ranks 10th in the nation with just eight total commitments to its 2015 class. That load includes three 3-stars.
The Crimson Tide also ranked No. 1 in all its recruiting classes dating back to 2011. Auburn's highest ranking in that time frame was fifth in 2011. The Tigers also ranked sixth in 2014 and 2010.
quote:
Fitzpatrick told Rivals (subscription required) that it was the aura and reputation of Alabama that enticed him to commit.
“I really liked the environment. People say it's an extremely serious environment, but you get to have time to relax and hang out with everybody. The football experience is one of a kind, there's nothing really like it in the country.
It's one of the best universities ever, one of the best coaches ever to coach the game and I feel like I can learn from him and become one of the best players in the country and the best player I can be.
”For Alabama to have made such a statement on the recruiting trail Saturday is huge. Auburn walked away with just two commitments, while Alabama landed four huge pieces that will set the stage for them for years to come.
And Saturday proved that, while Auburn had the better year on the field in 2013, the Crimson Tide are still top dog in the Southland.
The table layout sucks, but the gist of it is that we stacked, they fricked.
This post was edited on 4/21/14 at 9:31 am
Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:31 am to TideSaint
quote:
Aside from national signing day, programs aren’t supposed to have days like this. Even Alabama.
And actually, even on national signing day–the majority of the nation’s top programs don’t experience days like this.
On Saturday, Alabama put on a clinic in how to put a recruiting class together. With its spring game going on, big-time recruits in town and a buzz around the program, the Crimson Tide hauled in four new commitments. All four are rated top 100. Think about it, in a matter of hours … Alabama added 4% of the nation’s top 100.
Some top national programs wait years for a Top 100 recruit. Alabama got four in a matter of hours.
Two of the four were players from south Florida who have the ability to play wide receiver. Just call it the Mario Cristobal effect. The former Miami player and assistant and Florida International head coach knows that talent-rich area like few do, and that contact base allowed the ‘Tide to mine two stud athletes from Broward County. WR Calvin Ridley and WR/DB Shawn Burgess-Becker pledged to Alabama, sticking one more dagger into the heart of the University of Miami–who obviously wanted both. Also, rumors swirled that Jovon Durante–a Miami native who also was in Tuscaloosa–had flipped his commitment from West Virginia to Alabama. Durante denied those reports later in the day, but the top 150 national prospect does hold an Alabama offer and is being recruited by Cristobal.
The other two pickups were hardly slouch additions. How about this–Alabama landed its top recruit of the year in New Jersey five-star CB Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is the top player in his home state. Then the Tide also broke hearts of SEC fans in Mississippi by robbing the Rebels and Bulldogs of their No. 3 in-state player when LB Leo Lewis committed, too.
An incredible day, as the ‘Tide again reclaimed the nation’s No. 1 spot in the team rankings. After watching Penn State perched at No. 1 for a few days, Alabama apparently felt like it was time to reclaim the position it has held for much of the past five years. The Crimson Tide now lead the nation with 14 commitments, too.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:34 am to TideSaint
quote:
Most schools are happy to add just one blue-chip recruit during a 24-hour period. On Saturday, Alabama landed five.
Calvin Ridley, a 4-star receiver, and Shawn Burgess-Becker, a 4-star receiver/safety, both tweeted out that they had committed to the Crimson Tide:
“I am now committing to the university of Alabama ???????????? pic.twitter.com/mgrhK7qnX3
— c.o.r boyz (@ridley_calvin) April 19, 2014”
“I'm committed to Alabama! ???????
— shawn Burgess (@_SBB2) April 19, 2014”
Then came 5-star cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, per Rivals' Adam Friedman:
“BREAKING: Minkah Fitzpatrick commits to #Alabama. Story on the way @AndrewJBone
— Adam Friedman (@RivalsFriedman) April 19, 2014”
Four-star linebacker Leo Lewis was No. 4, per Alabama Commit Alert:
“2015 4-star linebacker Leo Lewis (Brookhaven, MS) has committed to the University of Alabama. LINK
— AlabamaCommitAlert (@Commit_Alert) April 19, 2014”
Jovon Durante was the fifth recruit and second 4-star wideout to announce that he was headed to Tuscaloosa, per TideSports.com's Andrew Bone:
“Commitment No.5 of the day for the Crimson Tide comes from four-star WR Jovon Durante. Was committed to #WestVirginia.
— Andrew Bone (@AndrewJBone) April 19, 2014”
Bone has since reported that Durante hasn't "officially" committed to Alabama, but his arrival is imminent:
“Just received word that Jovon Durante has not made his commitment to #Alabama "official" yet. Expect to happen within a few days.
— Andrew Bone (@AndrewJBone) April 20, 2014”
Many will look at Alabama head coach Nick Saban as the biggest reason for so many high-profile signings. However, offensive line coach Mario Cristobal, who recruited Burgess-Becker, Fitzpatrick and Ridley, deserves some serious credit:
“Minkah Fitzpatrick, Calvin Ridley and Shawn Burgess-Becker were all recruited by #Alabama OL coach Mario Cristobal.
— Andrew Bone (@AndrewJBone) April 19, 2014”
Fitzpatrick is the cream of the crop. He ranks 30th overall and is the fourth-best cornerback in 247Sports' composite rankings. The product of St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey can be the next great corner at Alabama, following in the footsteps of stars like Dre Kirkpatrick, Javier Arenas and Dee Milliner.
That's to say nothing of his four future teammates, all of whom rank in the top 150 on 247Sports.
It should come as no surprise that on Saturday, Alabama supplanted Penn State atop the Class of 2015 rankings.
The way that the Crimson Tide continue to reload each and every year is astounding. Their success on the recruiting trail is a testament to Saban and his coaching staff's ability.
So many college football fans wonder when the Tide's dominance will cease. Every college football dynasty reaches its end sooner or later.
With Alabama, it's hard to fathom that time will come, as Saban is once again ensuring that his team's future is in good hands.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:34 am to TideSaint
I'm starting to like Gentry as our project QB in this class. Very raw, but the potential is there. Worst case scenario he's a bench body that gives the defense interesting looks on scout team.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:35 am to AllBamaDoesIsWin
quote:
A big day of recruiting for Alabama got even bigger on Saturday afternoon, when Calvin Ridley announced his commitment to head to Tuscaloosa and join the Crimson Tide.
Ridley tweeted a picture of himself in an Alabama jersey to make his announcement:
“I am now committing to the university of Alabama ???????????? pic.twitter.com/mgrhK7qnX3
— c.o.r boyz (@ridley_calvin) April 19, 2014”
The 6'2", 170-pound prospect is one of the top wideouts in this year's class. He ranks as the No. 41 prospect in the class nationally, per the 247Sports composite.
Those rankings also have him as the third-best receiver in the nation and the 10th-best prospect in Florida.
Ridley joined Monarch High School (Pompano Beach, Fla.) teammate Shawn Burgess-Becker on the Tuscaloosa train Saturday, per AL.com's Wesley Sinor. Both committed within an hour of each other, shortly after Alabama's A-Day concluded.
Both Alabama and Miami lauded Monarch's duo of stud receivers—Ridley and Burgess-Becker—above anyone else. In fact, the Tide seemed to have ground to make up with the 247Sports Crystal Ball predicting both Ridley and Burgess-Becker to go to Miami with more than 60 percent chances, and each had more than 20 writers chipping in.
But Alabama was able to make a big statement in the 2015 cycle on Saturday by landing both—even with a geographic disadvantage as compared to Miami.
These two Monarch High School standouts haven't been the only ones being talked about by Crimson Tide fans on Saturday.
At the time of Ridley's announcement, Alabama had already landed five commits on Saturday alone, per Sinor's reporting. Five-star cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, 4-star linebacker Leo Lewis and 4-star wide receiver Jovon Durante all announced their commitments to the Tide.
247Sports' Marc Torrence summed it up best:
“The rich are getting a lot richer today.
— Marc Torrence (@marctorrence) April 19, 2014”
It's far from surprising at this point, considering Alabama's recent success, that it has been able to maintain such domination over the recruiting cycle. But even as it becomes more and more normal, it's nonetheless impressive.
The Tide ended the season on a poor note by losing their last two games—the last-second Iron Bowl loss to Auburn and the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma.
But with every commitment, it becomes more and more apparent that the Tide's days on top are far from over.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 9:36 am to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama continues to rack up topflight 2015 recruits as 4-star linebacker prospect Leo Lewis has committed to the SEC powerhouse, according to 247 Sports.
Lewis joins a sizable list of top-tier recruits who announced their commitment to Alabama on Saturday, as pointed out by Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel:
“Alabama landed four top 100 LINK recruits ... today. And today isn't over.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) April 19, 2014”
The 6'3", 225-pound defender is a junior at Brookhaven High School in Brookhaven, Miss., and he's rated as the third-best 2015 recruit from the state of Mississippi and the fifth-best linebacker in the class, according to 247 Sports' composite rankings.
According to his 247Sports profile, Lewis had received a handful of offers from other top programs, including Ole Miss, Florida, Georgia and LSU, among others.
Lewis paid a visit to Tuscaloosa back in February and had only positive things to say about the trip. Via AL.com's Wesley Sinor, Lewis said, "It was fun. They showed me a great time. I built a great relationship with coach Kirby Smart. The facilities were great. They showed me an all-around great time."
Smart, Alabama's defensive coordinator, will be thrilled with Lewis' announcement. The instinctive defender has very few weaknesses in his game and boasts the physical tools to come in and play right away.
He'll obviously have to adjust to the college game before he can be relied on down after down, but the potential is certainly there, as noted by ESPN Insider (subscription required):
“Lewis is a fast pursuing, run and hit linebacker without many physical flaws and we still see upside. Should develop into three-down linebacker early in his college career and add a playmaking dimension. Could get recruited to play inside or out.
”Like with the rest of Alabama's coveted 2015 recruits, the Crimson Tide faithful will have to be patient. But there's no doubt the future is bright in Tuscaloosa as one of the sport's most brilliant defensive minds, Nick Saban has ensured the Tide will remain stout on that side of the ball for years to come.
And if Lewis can add to his skill set and make an impact at Alabama, he'll have a great chance to achieve the ultimate dream of competing in the NFL someday.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 10:49 am to TideSaint
Hey guys just wanted to stop by after not keeping up with recruiting at all this weekend. Reading the recruit board a second ago brought near tears of joy. We are stupid good at this recruiting shite.
However. Do we keep all of them? If no who do we lose? Who's the most solid, who's the least?
However. Do we keep all of them? If no who do we lose? Who's the most solid, who's the least?
Posted on 4/21/14 at 11:08 am to Patton
Here are my thoughts. I'm sure there are some differing opinions on grouping.
No way they flip unless the NCAA shuts down the program:
Lester Cotton
Richie Pettitbon
Desherrius Flowers
Feel pretty confident in keeping:
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Montrell Custis
Anfernee Jennings
Daylon Charlot
Mekhi Brown
Buckle up:
Deionte Thompson
Shawn Burgess-Becker
Calvin Ridley
Dallas Warmack
Leo Lewis (more to do with him being a MS recruit than any of his actions)
He gone:
Jonathan Ledbetter
No way they flip unless the NCAA shuts down the program:
Lester Cotton
Richie Pettitbon
Desherrius Flowers
Feel pretty confident in keeping:
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Montrell Custis
Anfernee Jennings
Daylon Charlot
Mekhi Brown
Buckle up:
Deionte Thompson
Shawn Burgess-Becker
Calvin Ridley
Dallas Warmack
Leo Lewis (more to do with him being a MS recruit than any of his actions)
He gone:
Jonathan Ledbetter
Posted on 4/21/14 at 11:48 am to chattabama
Agree on all fronts
Posted on 4/21/14 at 12:45 pm to chattabama
thanks matePosted on 4/21/14 at 1:12 pm to BamaPanic
Got off work early. I'm gonna go home and watch film for a couple hours and make my list 
Posted on 4/21/14 at 1:40 pm to chattabama
quote:
No way they flip unless the NCAA shuts down the program:
Lester Cotton
Richie Pettitbon
Desherrius Flowers
Feel pretty confident in keeping:
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Montrell Custis
Anfernee Jennings
Daylon Charlot
Mekhi Brown
Buckle up:
Deionte Thompson
Shawn Burgess-Becker
Calvin Ridley
Dallas Warmack
Leo Lewis (more to do with him being a MS recruit than any of his actions)
He gone:
Jonathan Ledbetter
Agreed on everyone except Fitzpatrick, he's in that top group, no way he's flipping.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 1:46 pm to BuccWildBammer
A rival SEC assistant told @jeremycrabtree: "The recruiting race (for 2015) is over. Alabama has already wrapped up No. 1."
I love the smell of concessions.
I love the smell of concessions.
This post was edited on 4/21/14 at 1:47 pm
Posted on 4/21/14 at 2:28 pm to Alahunter
That's cool and all but it's also ridiculous. I remember USC, UTx, and Michigan all being declared uncatchable in April only to be surpassed later. Of course, none of them has the best closer in the biz
Posted on 4/21/14 at 5:02 pm to sarc
Of the current top five recruiters, per 247Sports, four are on Alabama's staff.
Posted on 4/21/14 at 5:57 pm to TideSaint
quote:
TideSaint
Is this good to go forward with?
Posted on 4/21/14 at 6:45 pm to MrTide33
Holy shite that is badass!!! The only other thing I ask is my name sublimated on there somewhere. Not in the design itself but in there. Maybe in that old English type font?
You're awesome.
You're awesome.
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