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re: Class of 2015 Recruiting MEGATHREAD - Twilight Edition
Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:43 am to chattabama
Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:43 am to chattabama
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he loss was nothing short of stunning, especially considering the opponent.
The University of Alabama defense had limited Auburn to season lows in total offense and rushing yards, only to be left watching as the Tigers celebrated the remarkable comeback win.
"We didn't finish the game," Alabama coach Nick Saban said during his postgame press conference. "When you play good teams you've got to play for 60 minutes. Those kinds of teams don't go away. There's a lot of lessons to be learned out there about finishing games and continuing to do things correctly.”
Yet this wasn’t last year’s epic finish at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where Chris Davis’ 100-plus yard touchdown return off a missed field goal as time expired resulted in an epic 34-28 finish.
This was the 2010 game. Due to a torn pectoral muscle, safety Mark Barron couldn’t lift his arm to intercept or deflect a pass that resulted in a 70-yard touchdown, running back Mark Ingram had just his second lost fumble in 613 touches and Alabama blew a 24-0 lead.
The Crimson Tide subsequently responded by winning the rematch 42-14 and the next two national championships only to learn the same tough lesson all over again.
The question now is can Alabama bounce back in similar fashion?
There’s no way of knowing until the season plays out and the rivals meet again Nov. 29 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but history tells us that the Crimson Tide should be more than ready.
Dave Martin/Associated Press
Les Miles won the 2011 regular-season battle, but Nick Saban won the war with LSU.
Since 2008 only eight opposing coaches have managed to pull out a victory against Saban, while just one, Les Miles, has defeated him twice in a row. Previously the last coach to defeat him in consecutive games was Steve Spurrier when Florida was flying high under his direction. It pounded LSU 41-9 in 2000, and 44-15 in 2001.
Before losing to LSU during the 2011 season Saban had won 12 straight rematches.
In those 14 initial defeats Saban’s team lost by an average of 14.4 points. In the rematches he won by an average of 14.7 points.
Of course, no rematch was bigger than LSU in 2011, when the Crimson Tide lost the regular-season meeting in overtime, 9-6, only to play again for the national title. Despite LSU being in its back yard of New Orleans, Alabama recorded the only shutout in Bowl Championship Series history, 21-0.
It’s part of a familiar pattern.
Dave Martin/Associated Press
Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow beat Saban once in the SEC Championship Game, but not twice.
After losing to Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer in the 2008 SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, Alabama spent a lot of the following offseason working on the Gators. It returned to the Georgia Dome and won.
Last year it did the same to Johnny Manziel and Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M. After the Aggies pulled off a 29-24 win in 2012, when Alabama was facing its third ranked team in as many weeks, the Crimson Tide went to Kyle Field and notched a 49-42 victory.
Consequently, there’s a reason why no SEC opponent has a winning record against the Crimson Tide under Saban.
Overall, there are just nine programs that have an edge on Saban over his 18 years as a collegiate head coach. Florida State, Navy, Stanford, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Utah and Washington are all 1-0, while Nebraska is 2-0. From his Big Ten days at Michigan State (1995-99), Wisconsin is 2-1 while Purdue is 3-1-1 thanks largely to quarterback Drew Brees.
Michigan was one of the few opposing programs with an overall winning record against Saban before he arrived at Alabama. The Crimson Tide opened the 2012 season with an impressive 41-14 neutral-site win in Dallas.
That’s the same venue where it will open the 2015 season against Wisconsin, where Saban will once again try to show that he doesn’t just get mad about losing, he gets even
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Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:44 am to chattabama
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Quarterback Blake Barnett has committed to Alabama.
Barnett, a 4-star from Corona, Calif., announced his commitment on Bleacher Report.
#RollTide ??
-- Blake Barnett (@BlakeBarnett_8) June 18, 2014
"When I went down there, I absolutely fell in love with the coaches, with the school itself. I think Alabama's the place for me. I think it's the place that's going to develop me as a person and as an athlete," Barnett told Bleacher Report.
Barnett visited Alabama late last week with his family. He was scheduled to visit Oregon later this week, but that may not happen with his commitment to Alabama.
RELATED: High school coach says Barnett will make smooth transition from spread offense to Alabama's scheme
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Barnett, who stars at Santiago High School, is rated as a 4-star on the 247Sports composite. He gives Alabama its 19th commitment of the 2015 class. He was recruited to Alabama primarily by Lane Kiffin.
"What people don't see is the mental part of the game, with his leadership and high character," Santiago High School head coach Jeff Steinberg told AL.com. "He's working on his speed development and his quarterback skills, but he's not out there telling everyone about it."
Steinberg said Barnett would be a December graduate and enroll at Alabama in the spring of 2015.
On the 247Sports composite, Barnett is ranked as the No. 65 overall prospect and No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country. Alabama runs a pro-style offense, but can use someone with Barnett's mobility.
"No matter what, in this day in age, you need to be able to extend plays," Steinberg said. "The more stuff you can do, the better. He's done work in the shotgun and under center.
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Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:45 am to chattabama
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New Alabama quarterback commit Blake Barnett will fit in despite spread background, says coach
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Blake Barnett runs a spread, no-huddle offense at Santiago High School in Corona, Calif., but he's well-prepared for Alabama's pro-style attack.
Barnett committed to Alabama on Wednesday over several national programs, including his No. 2 choice of Oregon. The sky is the limit for the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Barnett, his high school head coach said.
"When you look at some of the athletes that have transitioned from one to the other, from the passing game I think he's ahead of a lot of other guys," Santiago High School head coach Jeff Steinberg told AL.com shortly after Barnett committed to Alabama. "You've got to have an understanding of what he's seeing in front of him in terms of fronts and coverages. I think he's a little ahead in terms of understanding defenses, which would help any kid no matter what kind of offense they came from."
Steinberg pointed at former Hoover quarterback John Parker Wilson, who made the transition from a similar type of offense and became a three-year starter for Alabama.
"I think he made a pretty good transition," Steinberg said of Wilson. "The other thing is, when you're a good athlete, it's never going to hurt you. Here's a kid that runs the ball well and he's not going to be asked make the same runs, but he's going to be asked to extend plays. The offense he plays on now will help him prepare for that."
Barnett has worked with a quarterback coach in the offseason on fitting in a pro-style offense.
"Here's a kid, off the field, he's working on five, seven-step drops," Steinberg said. "He's working on playaction mechanics under center. It's not like he's never been exposed to that. When he's working with his quarterback coach on the side, he's doing that stuff. He's been prepped, so that's why the ceiling is so high for him."
Barnett wasn't a starter as a sophomore, but rose near the top of national quarterback rankings because of his work ethic, Steinberg said. Barnett is rated as the No. 65 prospect nationally on the 247Sports composite and the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback.
"When you look at the top athletes in the SEC, everybody was a great high school athlete and the guys that take their game a step further are the guys that are wired a little different," Steinberg said. "They love to work. They love to get into the weight room. They love to watch film. They love to improve on their game and Blake is one of those guys."
Barnett visited Alabama last week with his family. The visit set Alabama apart from the rest. Steinberg mentioned Nick Saban's plan and process, as well as what Barnett would have for him in terms of development off the field, including nutrionists and psychologists.
"Facilities are great and all big schools have them," Steinberg said. "That's something that will initially allow a kid to be interested, but you need more than that. The big thing was that Coach Saban has a plan and a process in how he works with a student-athlete and that was huge.
"There didn't need to be any promises of, 'You get a chance to compete and be the guy.' I think what Blake was looking for was, 'What's the plan for me to develop and leave here a man?' That was huge."
Barnett, who was recruited by Lane Kiffin, will graduate in December and enroll at Alabama in January of 2015.
"He'll be there for spring ball and all that, which will be awesome," Steinberg said.
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This post was edited on 6/19/14 at 12:46 am
Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:47 am to chattabama
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Who's up and who's down? ESPN shakes up rankings of top in-state recruits
Kerryon Johnson is the top-rated Alabama prospect in the latest ESPN rankings.
The Madison Academy running back, who is committed to Auburn, checks in at No. 23 in the ESPN 300. Johnson also happens to be the highest-rated Auburn commit.
ESPN is the only one out of the four major recruiting services to rank Johnson as the state's top player; all the others have Shades Valley defensive lineman Daron Payne at No. 1. AL.com broke down all of the recruiting rankings in a post here.
Payne, who is primarily considering Auburn and Alabama, was the second highest-rated Alabama recruit. ESPN ranked Payne as the nation's 36th best player.
Charles Henderson linebacker Richard McBryde is the third Alabama recruit to make the list. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker is the third Alabama recruit to make the top 50 at No. 48. McBryde recently told AL.com that Auburn is the favorite to land his commitment.
ESPN clearly valued Alabama's crop of offensive linemen this year. Four Alabama offensive linemen made the ESPN 300, led by Central-Tuscaloosa's Lester Cotton at No. 80. Wetumpka center Brandon Kennedy continued his ascension up the rankings to No. 102, followed by Bessemer City's Darryl Williams at No. 237 and Southside-Gadsden's Tyler Carr at No. 286.
Other Alabama prospects to make the list:
No. 119) DeSherrius Flowers, RB, Vigor (committed to Alabama)
No. 183) Traveon Samuel, ATH., Central-Phenix City
No. 214) Christian Bell, DL, Hoover (committed to Alabama)
No. 252) Bradrick Shaw, RB, Hoover
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Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:49 am to chattabama
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - When Blake Barnett took a trip to the University of Alabama last week, he never could have imagined that he'd commit to the school less than a week later.
But the visit had so much of an impact on the 4-star quarterback from Corona, Calif., that he committed to play for the Crimson Tide on Wednesday. Barnett is listed as a dual-threat quarterback and plays in a hurry-up, no-huddle offense for Santiago High School, but his coach feels he'll make a smooth transition.
"It was a great time," Barnett said of his visit. "I got to spend a lot of time with Coach (Nick) Saban and Coach (Lane) Kiffin as well. What they do down there and with their program and how they prepare their players for football after college and for life after college, it spoke greatly."
Barnett was officially offered by Alabama in February, not long after he committed to Notre Dame. He said the Alabama coaches were respectful of his decision to commit to Notre Dame, but the two sides got in contact again after he decommitted from Notre Dame on June 4.
"The rest is history," Barnett said.
Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, the former head coach at USC, recruited Barnett to Alabama.
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Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:51 am to chattabama
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Why Blake Barnett could be a game-changer for Lane Kiffin and the Alabama offense
Lane Kiffin and new Alabama quarterback commit Blake Barnett could change the face of the Crimson Tide offense in the coming years. (Photo courtesy of 247Sports)
When Alabama landed a verbal commitment from Corona, Calif., quarterback Blake Barnett on Wednesday, the Crimson Tide didn't just land its highest-rated quarterback commitment of the Nick Saban era. In Barnett, Alabama will also get a prospect that stands out from any other quarterback prospect Saban has brought to Tuscaloosa thanks to the athleticism and speed that has led some recruiting services to rank him among the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.
Alabama's reputation as a program built around pro-style quarterbacks has led many to scratch their heads each time Saban has spent valuable time and effort recruiting some of the country's top dual-threat signal-callers. Why bring in a quarterback built for a spread-style offense if the Crimson Tide intends on continuing its pro-style attack under Lane Kiffin?
As Saban has pointed out numerous times in recent years, having a quarterback who can make plays with his feet is useful in any style of offense and it's clear that bringing in a more athletic player under center is an idea that has been on Saban's mind for several years. In fact, Saban talked about the appeal of dual-threat quarterbacks during the spring.
"I think if you have a guy like that, it does create a lot of problems for the defense," Saban said in March during an interview with ESPN. "I think that as we go forward in the future, that we'd like to have that kind of quarterback as well. But we're still a pro-style type of offense.
"We really don't want to go into the spread and have a running quarterback because the downside of that is when you lose that guy, because of the exposure he has, do you have enough guys that can go in there and play at the same level he can play?"
As a junior starter for Santiago High School, Barnett rushed for nearly 700 yards and 13 touchdowns. He did so operating out of a spread offense with plenty of designed runs for the quarterback, something Barnett won't likely do much of at Alabama, but it's clear from his highlight reel that designed runs didn't account for all of that success.
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Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:52 am to Garfield
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It may be correct, you just never hear it, similar to "Auburn College."
I'd LOVE to use that as my sig quote......but I'm terrified that the first post I made on the SECr or Rec Board would get RA'd into oblivion because of it and a PM saying my sig privileges are gone, but man was that a damn good one Garfield
Posted on 6/19/14 at 12:55 am to chattabama
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How much of the handler rumors were BS if tOSU is recruiting him again? Or does Urban Meyer not give a frick about the NCAA?
I believe after what all we know now about some of the players he coached and mentored into men at UF, it's safe to say he pretty much doesn't care about anything but winning
Posted on 6/19/14 at 1:41 am to BuccWildBammer
"To be a winner you have to first quit, and if that doesn't work then quit again" - Coach Urban Meyer 2011.
This post was edited on 6/19/14 at 1:43 am
Posted on 6/19/14 at 9:01 am to BlackPawnMartyr
Some clown CB'd Drew Richmond to Memphis.
Posted on 6/19/14 at 9:02 am to TideSaint
I saw that 
Posted on 6/19/14 at 9:26 am to chattabama
Those of you who had Travis Waller in your wish list for recruits might wanna make a new one. Everyone's wish list to finish should be Payne, Lockhart, Damien Harris, Jamal peters, Richmond, javon Durante (especially if Charlot goes sour)
Posted on 6/19/14 at 9:37 am to Recruitingjunkie
We're not getting Peters, but we have great chances with the rest.
This post was edited on 6/19/14 at 9:38 am
Posted on 6/19/14 at 9:49 am to Recruitingjunkie
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Those of you who had Travis Waller in your wish list for recruits might wanna make a new one. Everyone's wish list to finish should be Payne, Lockhart, Damien Harris, Jamal peters, Richmond, javon Durante (especially if Charlot goes sour)
I went with Harris as my replacement.
Posted on 6/19/14 at 10:03 am to Rizzy
We're not getting Harris either
Posted on 6/19/14 at 10:24 am to TreyAnastasio
It's a wish list, I know we are Alabama and wish lists aren't very far from reality but live a little. Don't call it a wish list
If it's what you think we have locked up lol
If it's what you think we have locked up lol
Posted on 6/19/14 at 10:24 am to Recruitingjunkie
Sort of like Christmas. You usually get some of the things you asked for but on the rest your parents were like you're not getting all of that.
Posted on 6/19/14 at 10:28 am to Recruitingjunkie
Honest question. Would you rather have Thompson and burgess-Becker for our safeties or 1 of them and Jamal peters? They are all kind of 3 different safeties. And I don't think SBB will play WR. I think he will play star, Hootie SS, And Thompson FS
Posted on 6/19/14 at 10:31 am to Recruitingjunkie
3 days ago I believe 35 of 35 CBs for Barnett were to Oregon.
CNS doesn't care about odds or favorites or anything like that. We always have a shot.
Example: No. 1 recruit Da'Shawn Hand stuns experts, picks Alabama over Michigan
CNS doesn't care about odds or favorites or anything like that. We always have a shot.
Example: No. 1 recruit Da'Shawn Hand stuns experts, picks Alabama over Michigan
Posted on 6/19/14 at 1:11 pm to auisssa
It looks low for Harris right now. Hopefully he decides he wants to play for a championship team in the south.
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