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

One of the top defensive backs in the state of Florida is Northwestern's Artie Burns. The 6'1 DB is also a stand-out on the track where he is one of the nations best hurdlers. Here is an inside look at Burns.

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Artie Burns

High School: Northwestern (Miami)

Ht/Wt: 6'1, 180

Position: Defensive Back

Top 5: Miami, FSU, Louisville, USC, and LSU

Recent D-1s at MNW: WR Amari Cooper (Alabama-2012), DT Imarjaye Albury (WVU-2012), LB Eric Kinsey (WVU-2012), QB E.J. Hilliard (FIU-2012), QB Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville-2011), WR Eli Rogers (Louisville-2011)

Analysis: Northwestern has been a steady producer of talent for the past 30 years. Many Bull's have signed with local school Miami, including eight prospects who did just that in the 2008 class (after back to back undefeated state titles). Louisville has done well at the school recently and in general it is a wide open school to recruit. A year ago Cooper started the process under the radar after an injury his junior season and may have ended the process as the top wide-out in the country.

Burns made a commitment to Alabama, but quickly opened things back up. As a prospect there is a ton to like here. He is a good-sized DB with blazing speed and the versatility to line up at either corner or safety. Burns is also one of the elite hurdlers in the country and will run track at his future destination.

One of the big questions with Burns is if he will line up at corner or safety. He has played both in high school and there is really a case for either position. His length, hips, and speed might be too enticing for his future defensive coordinator to take him off the corner....he is a player that can match up with the size that is put out there at wide receiver.

Despite the athletic intangibles Burns will likely need a little time in a college program to adjust to the college game. He has some work to do on his technique and simply needs a bunch of reps to get up to speed.

Scout.com national analyst Chad Simmons broke down Burns game: "Burns is an elite athlete with national track speed. He is over six feet tall, he has long arms, and he has very quick feet. He has a lot of things going for him athletically, but he still needs to improve his technique at cornerback. He needs to work on being more consistent and becoming more a shut-down guy. He has the skills and the raw ability along with the size to be a top guy."

Recruiting: Burns on recruiting. “My top five would be Miami, FSU, USC, Louisville, and LSU,” Burns said. “Alabama is still up there too. I doubt I will visit any schools except for camps this summer. I want to camp at FSU, LSU and Alabama. As far as other visits I will wait and make my official visits this fall. Right now the plan is to wait until National Signing Day.”

“I play safety but just about everyone wants me at corner,” Burns said. “I have very good speed and an eye for the ball. I am a bigger guy and a sure tackler that’s always around the ball.

“Of course I want to play both sports in college. That’s important to me. But I am just looking for a place where I can be comfortable. All the schools I like have a very strong tradition of defensive backs. I am not worried about playing time because that will take care of itself once I get to school and start working.”

Summary: It is a new coaching staff at Northwestern and Burns pretty much has his choice of schools at this time. Miami is the hometown team and traditionally they have landed who they want from Northwestern, however in the last few years that has changed. Burns recently camped at FSU and has made that trip a few times to Tallahassee. He has four former teammates at Louisville and that could ultimately be a factor as well. This could be one of the recruitment's we're are talking about right up until signing day.

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I know Burns pissed off a lot of people with the way he handled his decommittment, but I would love to get him back on board.

It will but he will PWN book it

word is it's between UT and tOSU

So did Jonathan Cook's offer go to Marquez White?

I fricking hope not.

It looks that way. I can't see both having an offer. White was offered yesterday.

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word is it's between UT and tOSU

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Texas? Tennessee will always be Tenn in my mind only university of texas is UT just like so ca is usc and south carolina is USCe

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Robert Foster says he's "extremely comfortable about Ohio State"

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Ill be surprised if he ends up at Bama. Just a feeling nothing else. OSU and eiher penn st or pitt is my bet. I forget which one of the two instate schools he favors.

Why the avatar pic of an Auburn player?

Alabama is preparing to get every opponent's best game in 2012, as that's what you get for winning the national title the year before. The Tide's three toughest games (Michigan, Arkansas and LSU) are on the road, and they'll face both of the SEC's newbies in Missouri and Texas A&M. It will be a winding road back to the BCS title game, but it is doable.

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With less than 75 days until Alabama’s first game against Michigan, now seems as good a time as any to get everyone’s football juices flowing with a look at the 2012 schedule.

As always, the SEC is going to be a challenge to wade through and Alabama has one of the toughest roads—literally—as the Crimson Tide’s most difficult games are all on the road: Michigan (in Dallas), Arkansas and LSU.

Bama returns 13 starters, seven on offense, including quarterback A.J. McCarron and last year’s Outland Trophy winner, center Barrett Jones. Many argue that the secondary will be the weakest link, having lost Dre Kirkpatrick and Mark Barron.

Despite its perennial success, Alabama will have an even larger target on its back this season being reigning national champions. Everyone is going to want a piece of them, even FCS opponent Western Carolina (Nov. 17).

After winning the national championship in 2009, Alabama went 10-3 the following season, with the losses coming to three ranked SEC opponents.

To avoid any sort of national championship hangover this year, Nick Saban has already had some words with his returning squad.

He recently told SECSports.com that just two days after the national championship game in January, he had a meeting with next year’s team and told them, “You guys are not national champions, you haven’t done anything…that team that won is gone and you will be a target for every team we play and you need to get ready to know that you are going to get everyone’s best game…”

Here’s what the path looks like for Alabama to get the chance to defend its national title in Miami on Jan. 7:

Toughest tests:

Sept. 1: vs. Michigan in Dallas (Cowboys Stadium)—Last season Michigan went 11-2 and beat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. The Wolverines have one of the most blazing offenses in the country, led by slippery quarterback Denard Robinson and speedy running back Fitzgerald Toussaint. The two storied programs will kickoff primetime (7 p.m. CT) on ABC. Keep in mind this is a first game of the season, so who knows what type of game we’re going to get. It will be exciting nonetheless.

Sept. 15: at Arkansas—The Razorbacks finished last season 11-2 and return 13 starters and two Heisman contenders in running back Knile Davis and quarterback Tyler Wilson. Last year the Tide annihilated a then-No. 5 Arkansas team, 38-14. But this year, with the game in Fayetteville, being the teams’ first SEC matchup and Davis and Wilson leading what’s probably a pre-season Top 10 crew, this game will likely have season-long implications in the SEC and nationally.

Nov. 3: at LSU—Does it even need to be said? This is the biggest game of the 2012 season…unless one of these teams loses before the matchup, which in all honesty, could happen (Alabama at Arkansas? LSU at Florida?). The game is at Tiger Stadium. At night. And LSU is hungry for revenge. New starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger, a JUCO transfer who watched from the sideline last year as Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson took the snaps, has the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Tigers also have a loaded defense, led by Tyran Matthieu. Of note, the Tide has lost four of their last six at Tiger Stadium.

Trap game:

Oct. 13: at Missouri—The Tigers might have done better than 8-5 last year if tailback Henry Josey hadn’t gone down with a nasty season-ending knee injury. It’s unknown if he’ll play in 2012 (he was recovering from a torn patellar tendon and meniscus before tearing his ACL in 2011). But even without him, Mizzou has under-the-radar quarterback James Franklin, senior wideout T.J. Moe, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2012 class in receiver Dorial Green-Beckham and 11 returning starters, all of whom are upper classmen.

Game of intrigue:

Nov. 10: vs. Texas A&M—The Aggies can talk the talk and leave the Big 12 behind, but can they walk the walk now that they’re in the SEC? Texas A&M has a brand new coaching staff (head coach is Kevin Sumlin from Houston) and quarterback (good-bye to Ryan Tannehill, hello Jameill Showers), but return veteran offensive and defensive lines. It will be interesting to see what kind of fight A&M can put up in Tuscaloosa. Before facing Bama toward the end of the year, the Aggies will have played Florida, Arkansas, LSU and Auburn, so they could be fairly ragged and ripe for the Tide’s picking.

Snooze fests:

Sept. 8: vs. Western Kentucky, Sept. 22 vs. Florida Atlantic, Nov. 17 vs. Western Carolina—While Alabama was off winning its second national championship in three years last season, these three teams combined to go 9-26. These non-conference opponents are nothing to scoff at though—remember when Georgia Southern gave Alabama a bit of a scare with their triple option last November?—but even so, cushy games provide decent recovery for the Tide.

Overall analysis:

The schedule could have been worse, liking having to play Florida and South Carolina instead of Missouri and Tennessee in the SEC East. Alabama only faces three 10-win teams from 2011, but all three (Michigan, Arkansas and LSU) are on the road. The Tide must win the games they’re supposed to win and leave no room for error. Different betting sites have Alabama beating Michigan, but that first game is no breeze.

Two weeks later, the Tide must travel to Arkansas, but they don’t have that long of lunch break afterward—in between the trip to Fayetteville and Baton Rouge, Bama will face Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi State, with road trips to Columbia and Knoxville.

It will be interesting to see how SEC newbies Missouri and Texas A&M fare against the reigning national champs. Those two definitely come into the nation’s best football conference as underdogs, but even so, they’re not to be overlooked. That said, Alabama has a tough road schedule and a winnable home one. It will be a hearty test to see if the Tide can make it 8-0 when Nov. 3 comes along.

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