re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition

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Alabama put a bow on its 2018 recruiting class on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide didn’t sign the nation’s top class, and it’s the lowest-rated signing class since 2007, according to 247Sports’ team rankings. But, at the end of the day, it should still be considered a success. Let’s give out some grades.

Grading Alabama’s 2018 offensive signing class

Alabama didn’t sign a quarterback in the 2018 class. There were points throughout the recruiting cycle that the Crimson Tide led or were close to landing one. In early October, Miami signee Jarren Williams was close to flipping from Kentucky, which is where he was committed to, to Alabama. The team decided to push for Florida signee Emory Jones instead, who was committed to Ohio State, but there was a small chance he was actually going to sign with the Buckeyes. Jones told SEC Country that he was leaning toward Alabama after taking an official visit to Tuscaloosa for the Tennessee game. Then Dan Mullen, a coach Jones had a relationship with, was hired at Florida. Jones took an official visit there late in the process and the rest is history. Alabama then tried to get Princeton commit Brevin White to change his mind, and he didn’t. The Tide didn’t strongly pursue Brock Purdy or James Foster. It was going to be tough to sign a quarterback when you consider Alabama had the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year in Jalen Hurts and the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat prospect in Tua Tagovailoa.

Running back was going to be another hard position for the Tide to land an elite-caliber player with the players who are currently in Tuscaloosa. Alabama tried to get 5-star prospect Zamir White. The Tide were close, but early playing time is easier in Athens than it is in Tuscaloosa. The team then shifted focus to Asa Martin. Martin signed with Auburn. The Tigers drilled the message into his head that he’d play early at Auburn. Alabama ended up signing 3-star prospect Jerome Ford, who, in my opinion, is underrated. He has track speed, runs a low 4.4 40-yard dash and can catch the ball out of the backfield. He may not play right away, but I think he’ll end up being a good player.

Alabama did well at wide receiver. It landed 4-star prospects Xavier Williams and Jaylen Waddle plus 3-star prospect Slade Bolden. The Tide missed on 4-star prospects Justyn Ross (Clemson) and Jacob Copeland (Florida) on National Signing Day. It was a surprise Ross ended up choosing Clemson. According to sources, he had told Alabama he was signing with the Tide. But, that’s recruiting for you. Still, Waddle is one of the most electrifying prospects in the 2018 class. Even with the wide receiver room being young, expect him to make an immediate impact next year. He’s Christian Kirk 2.0. He’s that explosive.

At tight end, Michael Parker is overlooked. He is someone who was all in with Alabama. Parker was willing to take a greyshirt or blueshirt in order for Alabama to fill its needs on Wednesday if it was getting close to being a full class. You want players like Parker in your locker room. But the tight end position is definitely a position that Alabama fans should second guess. The team decided to strongly pursue Dominick Wood-Anderson, the nation’s No. 1 junior college tight end, who was arguably the flakiest recruit in the 2018 class. He silently committed to at least 4 schools, told Nick Saban on two separate occasions that he was going to choose Alabama only for him to choose Texas and then sign with Tennessee. Meanwhile, Luke Ford, who signed with Georgia, had Alabama as his leader, but the Tide didn’t pursue aggressively.

Alabama was planning on signing 3 offensive linemen. It only landed 2 players in tackle Tommy Brown and Emil Ekiyor. It missed on 5-star tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere (Ohio State) and Penei Sewell (Oregon). That’s fine. The Tide are absolutely loaded on the offensive line.

While this group definitely had it’s fair share of misses, it’s also highlighted by lots of talented players who will make an impact in Tuscaloosa.

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