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re: Class of 2026 Football Recruiting
Posted on 7/15/25 at 10:52 am to RelentlessTide
Posted on 7/15/25 at 10:52 am to RelentlessTide
Is the consensus that the On3 / Rivals Industry player and team rankings are the “best” rankings out there today?
I was just looking at the Rivals Industry team rankings and it shows us at #5 now vs. #3 overall prior to the recent player rankings update they did. Prior to the update, we were behind USC and UGA, who have 31 and 29 commits, respectively, compared to our 19. After the update, Notre Dame (26 commits) and A&M (25 commits) have jumped us.
Based on some of the info from this board and Bama podcasts I’ve listened to recently, it sounds like we will take 20-22 kids in this 2026 cycle. This is the first times I’ve looked at the Team Rankings in a long time, but I would have thought that our current class plus Tank Jones would have us up there pushing for #1 overall. I love our class and have no complaints whatsoever, it’s just perplexing that we are sitting at #5 given the amount of high quality talent we have on board already. I know these ranking don’t really mean jack shite, but to see ND and A&M ahead of us was a very WTF moment - I wouldn’t even consider for a single second of trading our class for the USC, ND or A&M. I will admit, UGA has a helluva class after looking into it.
Is there anyone out there in the 2026 class besides Tank who we are heavily/actively pursuing?
I was just looking at the Rivals Industry team rankings and it shows us at #5 now vs. #3 overall prior to the recent player rankings update they did. Prior to the update, we were behind USC and UGA, who have 31 and 29 commits, respectively, compared to our 19. After the update, Notre Dame (26 commits) and A&M (25 commits) have jumped us.
Based on some of the info from this board and Bama podcasts I’ve listened to recently, it sounds like we will take 20-22 kids in this 2026 cycle. This is the first times I’ve looked at the Team Rankings in a long time, but I would have thought that our current class plus Tank Jones would have us up there pushing for #1 overall. I love our class and have no complaints whatsoever, it’s just perplexing that we are sitting at #5 given the amount of high quality talent we have on board already. I know these ranking don’t really mean jack shite, but to see ND and A&M ahead of us was a very WTF moment - I wouldn’t even consider for a single second of trading our class for the USC, ND or A&M. I will admit, UGA has a helluva class after looking into it.
Is there anyone out there in the 2026 class besides Tank who we are heavily/actively pursuing?
2
Posted on 7/15/25 at 10:59 am to Hawaiian Punch
Posted on 7/15/25 at 11:13 am to Hawaiian Punch
I honestly just look at average recruit score on the rivals composite. Each service has their biases. I used to follow 247/On3 pretty exclusively but all they do is try to project first round picks which leads to them ranking a bunch of Qb’s, OT’s and Edge players highly because of the scarcity. No doubt there is a correlation to recruiting well and having success, but I take it with a grain of salt due to business. Tank seems to be the only highly rated one right now but that will change.
This post was edited on 7/15/25 at 11:14 am
Posted on 7/15/25 at 11:33 am to Vidic
Thanks - didn’t realize they place so much emphasis on player rankings reflecting the NFL draft, but that does seem to check out when looking at the current rankings.
This was my understanding as well. We go “all-in” for Tank with maybe some surprises / flips during the season and/or closer to signing day.
Would love to flip / add another high caliber interior DL and maybe some OTs if possible. Maybe some other teams imploding during the season will open up some doors for us there. I recall we were recruiting interior DL Elijah Golden pretty hard a few months ago but haven’t heard much of anything on that front since his OV.
quote:
Tank seems to be the only highly rated one right now but that will change
This was my understanding as well. We go “all-in” for Tank with maybe some surprises / flips during the season and/or closer to signing day.
Would love to flip / add another high caliber interior DL and maybe some OTs if possible. Maybe some other teams imploding during the season will open up some doors for us there. I recall we were recruiting interior DL Elijah Golden pretty hard a few months ago but haven’t heard much of anything on that front since his OV.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 11:52 am to Hawaiian Punch
quote:
interior DL Elijah Golden pretty hard a few months ago but haven’t heard much of anything on that front since his OV.
Notre Dame
Posted on 7/15/25 at 12:01 pm to Hawaiian Punch
We are also heavily pursuing the QB out of Utah.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 12:34 pm to TideSaint
Just saw Thomalla. 6'4" and can make all the throws. If his leadership is what I expect it to be, he is going to be elite under CKD and the Grubster. 
This post was edited on 7/15/25 at 12:35 pm
Posted on 7/15/25 at 12:59 pm to Sl0thstronautEsq
Auburn Posted on 7/15/25 at 1:51 pm to 1BamaRTR
Not recruiting related, but since we've discussed the House settlement here I figured I would put this here.
Shemar Stewart might blow up the entire NFL draft
Oh boy.
Shemar Stewart might blow up the entire NFL draft
quote:
On the Cover 3 Podcast, CBS Sports’ Bud Elliot reported that 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart has been participating in team workouts with his former college program, the Texas A&M Aggies. According to Elliot, Stewart believes there’s a path for him to return to the college level even after being selected by the Cincinnati Bengals.
quote:
On paper, it’s the perfect storm for a first-round pick to test his case at retaining his college eligibility, despite having already signed with an NFL agent. Whether or not he’ll be able to win his case is unknown, but the NCAA has been taking many losses in court over the last decade — including a recent ruling that seasons spent in junior college do not count against a player’s NCAA eligibility, as the NCAA does not oversee the sport at that level.
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here. Oh boy.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 1:57 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 7/15/25 at 2:44 pm to TideSaint
As it pertains to the JUCO ruling, I think it is still an injunction for this season only. They will have to make a final ruling at some point.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 3:22 pm to TideSaint
If they allow a player to enter the draft, hire an agent, go through the entire pre-draft process, actually get drafted, and spend months negotiating with the team that drafted him before opting to come back to college I think I might actually be done done. Like I've dialed how much I care way back, but that might be what makes me just stop keeping up with college sports in general.
Posted on 7/15/25 at 3:26 pm to Robot Santa
Are you ready for Alabama to have someone like AJ McCarron just elect to play college football a dozen years because their NFL ceiling is backup but they can lead elite offenses at the college level?
Posted on 7/15/25 at 8:33 pm to Diego Ricardo
Posted on 7/15/25 at 10:57 pm to TideSaint
Was he ever expected?
Posted on 7/16/25 at 7:38 am to Diego Ricardo
Nope. One of the things I value about CFB is the fact that it is literally impossible for the equivalent of Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes to exist. If you build a dynasty it's with a lot of different guys.
I would support a middle ground though where draft declarations are like basketball and there's time to get feedback, do interviews, but still come back.
I would support a middle ground though where draft declarations are like basketball and there's time to get feedback, do interviews, but still come back.
This post was edited on 7/16/25 at 7:39 am
Posted on 7/16/25 at 7:52 am to rtr12
quote:
Was he ever expected?
No, but having a dude on the team nicknamed "Jesus In Cleats" would've been freaking awesome.
I'd never even heard of the kid until yesterday.
This post was edited on 7/16/25 at 7:53 am
Posted on 7/16/25 at 9:31 am to TideSaint
Posted on 7/16/25 at 12:22 pm to Sl0thstronautEsq
Maybe, Bama can get a commitment from a player named "hell on wheels"
Posted on 7/16/25 at 7:07 pm to Goforit
I watched film of DT Viliami Moami (recent de-commit from Oregon and will be attending Thompson HS this year). Holy cow, this kid is massively underrated. He’s 6’3”, 340 lbs and freakishly quick off the ball. This kid would a great pickup for Bama.
The one thing kind of raises eyebrows is Thompson will be his 4th HS in four years. I don’t know if that’s necessarily bad but it is curious.
Honestly, if Bama could land that kid and the Ruffin kid out of Bessemer, that’d be the maraschino cherry on this recruiting class.
The one thing kind of raises eyebrows is Thompson will be his 4th HS in four years. I don’t know if that’s necessarily bad but it is curious.
Honestly, if Bama could land that kid and the Ruffin kid out of Bessemer, that’d be the maraschino cherry on this recruiting class.
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