re: 2013 Alabama Football Recruiting Thread - DH Decommited from UGA

We've been nervous as a fanbase recently

Maybe it's because the waving wheat can sure smell sweet?

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We've been nervous as a fanbase recently

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And then tomorrow he announces he's going to tOsu...


































I kneed

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And then tomorrow he announces he's going to tOsu...

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I think Bateman's commitment will be a chain for McNeil and maybe Robert Foster. Getting a QB like Bateman should get some receivers' attention.

If Urban Liar got him I'd be supremely POd... Much rather you have him

Josh McNeil is my guess.

I'm late again, but I'll dance by myself if I have to.

BOL caught up with 247Sports National Recruiting Director JC Shurburtt and National Analyst Gerry Hamilton to get the inside scoop on Alabama’s latest commitment, Salt Lake City (Utah) quarterback Cooper Bateman.

Bateman was named 247Sports' MVP of the Dallas Elite11 regional.
How does Bateman stack up with the top quarterback prospects in the nation?
Shurburtt: “When you talk about quarterbacks that will work in today’s modern offenses and against modern defenses, you look for three things. You look for the arm, the size, and then feet, footwork, and mobility- not necessarily the ability to run the ball, but to escape pressure since I think defenses can get pressure if they want to and you have to make them pay.
“We’re ranking guys based off long term potential and there are a lot of 6-foot quarterbacks out there that are better high school players than a lot of 6’5 quarterbacks. But when you get a guy that can actually play, has size, feet, and an arm- that runs the gamut of what you look for in a quarterback prospect.
“There are probably at the most five guys like that every year in recruiting when you’re talking about pro-style quarterbacks. Everybody is flawed in some way at the position, so the five or six guys aren’t necessarily perfect, but everything checks out. That’s Cooper Bateman. I don’t know that Alabama could have done much better as far as a quarterback in this class.”
After seeing Bateman throw at the Dallas Elite 11 regional, what were your initial thoughts?
Hamilton: “The first thing that stood out was that I thought he had better feet and was a better overall athlete than he’s maybe given credit for. I thought he had a fast arm and rotated well through the ball. A lot of guys get tight in that setting and he was tight at times like so many other guys, but when he loosened up and just threw the football, I thought he was probably the best passer there. That includes guys like Shane Morris, Tyrone Swoopes, J.T. Barrett, and a bunch of other guys. I think he might’ve been the best passer of the bunch.
“He showed the ability to make all the throws that any college program is going to ask. He showed a lot of zip and spun the ball well in the intermediate game. In several drills that were set up for play action rolls, he showed the ability to get square and throw accurately on the move going right or left. That’s one of the things that stood out to me.”
How did he look from a height/weight standpoint?
Hamilton:”He’s a legit 6’3. He has a body type where he’ll probably end up weighing 215 or 220 pounds. I’m guessing he was around 200 pounds when I saw him.”
What are a few things he needs to continue to work on moving forward?
Hamilton: “I would say his adjustment to the speed of the game is going to be a big one. Coming from the state of Utah down to what is by far the fastest college football conference in the country, it’s going to test his accuracy and come down to timing and the speed of the game. It’s going to make sure he’s always on top of his footwork from drop to step and release.
“Learning to take the snap under center is another thing. Like so many kids nowadays that are taking 90% of their snaps from the gun, learning to take 3, 5, and 7 step drops under center and doing it while learning the speed of the game can be somewhat of a process for these guys. Getting that depth on the first step out from under center is something that these kids that play in the gun have to go back and relearn or learn for the first time. They’re almost learning to play the position again in some ways. Now you’re having to do it with bigger offensive linemen in front of you and moving around.”
How do you see him fitting in Alabama’s offensive scheme?
Hamilton: “I don’t think he’d have a 90 MPH fastball in high school like A.J. McCarron, but I think he’s similar. I think he could do everything they ask McCarron to do. I think he can make all the throws and his ball placement is really good and his strength is really going to be in the intermediate game.”
What does the addition of Bateman say about talk that Alabama struggles to attract top quarterback prospects?
Shurburtt: “When you look at the quarterbacks that have had success there, I think that stigma is a little unfounded. You have Greg McElroy who was there when Nick Saban got there and then you have A.J. McCarron who was certainly highly touted. That’s just one of those things that’s overstated a little bit. Phillip Sims was highly touted, as was Star Jackson.”