Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have been a thorn in the side of College Football for too long. Many have attempted to dethrone the king, and many have failed. At the helm is a man whose rigid structure can only be broken by missing a recruit. The Alabama Football dynasty has churned high-rated prospects into pros for over a decade, but has it run its course?
The Tide’s Recruiting Woes
The Crimson Tide have been known for their recruiting and replacing talent, but replacing four first-round wide receivers over the course of two years, two first-round quarterbacks, and a likely first-round running back is no easy task. If only Saban had been stockpiling top recruiting classes to account for this massive loss of talent. It’s such a shame that Saban ONLY signed 40 percent of the nation’s top ten wide receivers out of last year’s class and that he ONLY signed the greatest offensive line recruiting class ever. If ONLY Saban could have signed nine five-star guys instead of seven.
We haven’t even begun to talk about the defense. Replacing Patrick Surtain II will be a tough task. If ONLY Alabama had recruited the number one corner in the nation coming out of high school, or even nab a five-star safety to go along with that number one corner.
But the Alabama Football Coaching Losses!
Okay, so maybe the Alabama Crimson Tide are incredibly loaded with talented players both old and new. Maybe Alabama signing the greatest recruiting class in history will be a good thing. Maybe replacing quarterback Mac Jones with Bryce Yount, the highest-rated quarterback Alabama has ever recruited, will work out. What about the coaches Pawwwlll?
Well, if you were banking on them to hit a snag there, you may be disappointed. The Crimson Tide lost a ton of coaching talent, none bigger than Steve Sarkisian. I wish Sark all the best in his pursuit of turning Texas around, but Bama didn’t just hire nobodies. In fact on the recruiting trail, Doug Marrone may be picking up more steam than most other coaches in the nation. Top OL who didn’t previously have Alabama in their top lists now have Alabama among the favorites.
It turns out, surprisingly, that building a staff full of NFL coaches would excite kids with dreams of getting to the NFL. CRAZY, right? Alabama has been incredibly strategic in its hiring of coaches. Whether it be hiring an Analyst who is an alumnus of North Shore (Bama’s top CB prospect currently plays there) or hiring people with deeper ties to states they want to dominate, Saban is ready.
Return of the GOAT
Yeah, Alabama isn’t going anywhere. The Tide are going to field an incredibly talented team that will contend with anyone in College Football this year. Heck, if the offense starts clicking, this unit could look at another playoff run. If the defense plays up to its potential, then the Alabama Crimson Tide could find themselves back in the National Championship. The continuation of Alabama Football as we know it.
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