re: Alabama Class of 2014 Recruiting MEGATHREAD (Goodnight sweet Prince)

Coker story from Bleacher Report:

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Earlier in January, we broke down the potential heirs to AJ McCarron's throne as Alabama's starting quarterback.

On Tuesday, another contender emerged from a school 300 miles southeast of Tuscaloosa.

Jacob Coker—a 6'5", 230-pound rising redshirt junior for the Florida State Seminoles—has been granted his release and reportedly received an in-home visit from Alabama head coach Nick Saban, according to Ben Thomas of AL.com.


Coker is on schedule to graduate in May and would be immediately eligible wherever he transfers. The SEC instituted a policy in 2011 that banned one-year graduate transfers, but since Coker has two years of eligibility remaining, that rule doesn't apply to him.

So what does this mean for Alabama's quarterback race if Coker—a Mobile, Ala., native who tore his meniscus in November—transfers to Tuscaloosa?

It means it's going to be more crowded, that's for sure. Blake Sims, Alec Morris, Parker McLeod, Cooper Bateman and David Cornwell are all in-house and expected to take shots that the job. Redshirt freshman Bateman and true freshman Cornwell are the front-runners.


Alabama's 2014 QB Race Player Year Height Weight Career Passing Yards
Blake Sims RS Senior 6'0" 202 244
Jacob Coker* RS Junior 6'5" 230 295
Alec Morris RS Sophomore 6'3" 230 0
Parker McLeod RS Freshman 6'3" 193 0
Cooper Bateman RS Freshman 6'3" 208 0
David Cornwell True Freshman 6'5" 241 0

* - Potential transfer from FSU

That would change from the moment Coker steps foot on campus.

Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin wouldn't bring Coker in unless they felt he had a chance to be the guy from Day 1.

He certainly developed quite a cult following in Tallahassee but not from the fans. From the players.

Equipped with a big arm and precision accuracy, Coker pushed eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston all the way to the final week of practice before losing the battle according to CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman.

"He's definitely a big quarterback," wide receiver Rashad Greene said at media day for the BCS National Championship Game, according to CollegePressBox.com (subscription required). "He has a strong arm. He can run, he can use his legs and he's a smart guy. He has a pinpoint ball. He's a great quarterback."

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Good enough to receive attention from Saban and good enough to vault Coker into front-runner status in the Crimson Tide quarterback race.

But he'll still have to actually win the job.


Despite having a solid reputation as a difference-maker at quarterback, he's still only thrown for 295 yards, one touchdown and one interception during his first two seasons of eligibility with Florida State. That would make him the most accomplished piece of Alabama's quarterback puzzle but still far from a sure thing until the coaching staff sees him practice.

The biggest thing Coker would do to the race is that he'd make it really difficult for some of the underdogs to make an impression. Bateman enrolled early last year and was a 4-star prospect in the Class of 2013. He was the fourth-best pro-style quarterback in his class.


He was "the next big thing" last year but lost that title to Cornwell this January.

Cornwell enrolled this month and is the fourth-best pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2014. He's recovering from knee surgery that ended his senior year in high school early and is rehabbing for spring practice. He's got a big arm that can stretch the field, which Alabama does often off of play action.

There are only so many practice snaps to go around. Bateman and Cornwell are the favorites, but if Coker enrolls, the rest of the pack will struggle to earn meaningful looks in spring practice.

Coker has the talent and will have the opportunity to start right away if he transfers to Alabama. His presence will also make it harder for any of the other quarterbacks to spring the depth chart upset.

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UCLA is.

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This. And Auburn is in the best position to sway him. It'd be nice to land him, but we're on the outside looking in right now.

jatebe got a response from Herbstreit..

Kirk Herbstreit ?@KirkHerbstreit 3m
“@jatebe: @PeterScovill Alabama has not acquired Coker yet. He won't graduate from FSU until May.” Once it's official, game-set-match


Jate ?@jatebe 13m
@KirkHerbstreit @PeterScovill Alabama has not acquired Coker yet. He won't graduate from FSU until May.

Nick Bosa ?@nbsmallerbear 8m
Roll tide! Alabama offer!

Nick Bosa
Weak-Side Defensive End
Fort Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 215
CLASS OF 2016

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jatebe got a response from Herbstreit..

Kirk Herbstreit ?@KirkHerbstreit 3m
“@jatebe: @PeterScovill Alabama has not acquired Coker yet. He won't graduate from FSU until May.” Once it's official, game-set-match


Jate ?@jatebe 13m
@KirkHerbstreit @PeterScovill Alabama has not acquired Coker yet. He won't graduate from FSU until May.

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Sports Illustrated ?@SInow 1h
National Signing Day is rapidly approaching. Presenting the 2014 Rivals100: LINK pic.twitter.com/RNRHNJFy8P

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Surely that kid isn't that stupid.

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Surely that kid isn't that stupid.

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do you even onion, bro?

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Spook ?@W_Gragg7 5m
RT @RTRnews: @W_Gragg7 BAMA coach Napier is expected to be in Ark. Today checking in on TE Will Gragg. ESPN Ranking: #2 TE

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Any relation to the Arkansas TE from a year or so ago - Chris Gragg?

That's what I figured. He was a beast at Arkansas when he wasn't hurt.