re: Class of 2016 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Waiting On Demetris Robertson Edition

quote:

---

@TomVH: Khalid Kareem's dad told me yesterday afternoon they thought it was Michigan then Khalid decided for Alabama last night

---

quote:

---

Andrew Bone ?@AndrewJBone New #Alabama commitment @khalid_kareem53 will enroll in January. @TideSports

---

quote:

---

Sabear

---

quote:

---

The summer is a time for optimism for college football fans. Every team is undefeated at this point, and renewed hope hits almost every fanbase.

That feeling carries over into recruiting too. More and more players are starting to choose their schools, which creates hot streaks and big moves up the recruiting rankings for some programs.

But with this article, let's check the optimism at the door.

Recruiting is a wild affair that has as much disappointment as delight. One flip can turn momentum in a cycle, and whiffing on a can't-miss prospect can sometimes change the direction of a program.

Here are the nightmare scenarios for each top 25 recruiting class in 247Sports' 2016 composite rankings. Outside of everybody decommitting and a completely empty fax machine on signing day, these are the worst realistic cases for each team for the rest of this cycle.

---

quote:

---

16. Auburn: Go 0-for-3 with the Alabama 5-stars

After a slow start to the cycle, Auburn has been a high-riser in recent weeks and will look to keep that momentum going with some more top commitments this summer.

The state of Alabama has three 5-star players in this class, and the Tigers can't afford to miss on all three of them. Outside linebackers Ben Davis and Lyndell Wilson are both expected to sign with Alabama, putting Auburn in an early hole for this trio.

That leaves the spotlight on defensive end Marlon Davidson, whose older brother—Kenneth Carter—played at Auburn. If the Tigers fail to sign Davidson and go 0-for-3 for the 5-stars, it will be a tough break for a program that desperately needs more impact players on defense.

---

quote:

---

5. Alabama: Fail to Sign Most of It's 5-star Defensive Targets

Alabama's not holding down the No. 1 spot in the recruiting rankings is a strange sight, and so is seeing a group of Crimson Tide commitments without a single 5-star player.

But Alabama is in the hunt for eight 5-star players, and all but one of them play either on the defensive line or at linebacker. As Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee wrote in February, Alabama needs to constantly reload that stifling front seven each cycle as it's essential to the program's on-field identity.

Of those seven 5-star players across the front seven, Alabama is said to be the runaway leader for only one of them: in-state offensive linebacker Ben Davis. If the Tide fail to sign more than one of these elite defensive recruits, this class will fall well short of the standard that has been created in Tuscaloosa.

---