Alabama Football, Nick Saban the Standard in Recruiting Yet Again After 2022 Early Signing Day
Stop me if you've heard this before, but Alabama football and Nick Saban are winners yet again on the recruiting trail.
Deion Sanders and rising-FCS powerhouse Jackson State might have shocked the country and stole some shine and headlines with the signing and flipping of the top overall prospect, Travis Hunter, from Florida State but it was the Crimson Tide who came away with arguably the best overall class, and possibly even more to come.
A top-tier signal caller with tremendous upside in Tennessee product Ty Simpson? Check. Securing your own state's premier talent like Jeremiah Alexander, Emmanuel Henderson, Trequon Fegans and more? Check. Adding depth in the trenches with a 6-foot-4, 370-pound mammoth like Jahiem Oatis? Check. How about replacing high-end, electrifying playmakers with more of the same in Shazz Preston, Kobe Prentice, Aaron Anderson, Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack? Check.
The 2022 Early Signing Day proved to be another day at the office for the Crimson Tide, which landed the top class for a second straight season according to Sports Illustrated All-American.
Of Alabama's 22 signees, 12 of them rank inside the SI99, a ranking of the top 99 prospects in the nation. Tight end Jaleel Skinner is expected to sign with the Crimson Tide on Friday to give Saban and company 13 top-99 players. Texas A&M is neck and neck with Alabama after the Aggies hauled in 12 SI99 members.
“We’re very pleased to welcome this group of early signees," Saban said on Wednesday evening. "I think this is the fifth year we’ve had an early signing date, and it’s kind of become the signing date for a good number of players. But we were able to add 22 players to this class with the possibility of maybe another guy or two before it’s over. Seven of those players are from the state of Alabama."
As for drama, there wasn't much as Alabama was able to sign 19 of its 21 verbal commitments heading into Wednesday, only losing linebacker Robert Woodyard to in-state foe Auburn, which didn't come as a shock to many given that the Mobile product didn't visit Tuscaloosa once during the 2021 regular season.
However, the Crimson Tide picked up three new commitments on the day in former Clemson pledge, edge rusher Jihaad Campbell, cornerback Earl Little Jr. and in-state defensive lineman Khurrtis Perry.
Perry, Campbell, Alexander, Oatis and Canada's top prospect Isaiah Hastings make up Alabama's signees on the defensive line, a group that Saban highlighted. It was also a huge need coming into the 2022 recruiting cycle given the pending departures after the team's run in the College Football Playoff.
"You know, Khurtiss [Perry] is really a good player," Saban said. "He's got great initial quickness. He's a good pass rusher. The guy is very, very productive. He's very instinctive. He runs well. So you know, we're excited, you know, to get him and we wanted to get some guys like that that are athletic and Jaheim is a big guy that’s hard to block. And I think we still need to get some guys like that for certain situations. And Isaiah Hastings has a lot of upside and abilities. Only played one year of American football this year, but we were really impressed with his ability and his upside and when he can become.”
Depending on John Metchie III's rehab from a torn ACL, both him and Jameson Williams will have NFL decisions to make soon, which would allow players like Bond, Anderson, Niblack, Preston and Prentice to step into a less-experienced wide receiver room in 2022.
“I think that's one of the groups I was referring to (in terms of speed)," Saban said. "We've had some really good receivers here. I think four first-round draft picks and the potential of the guys that we have this year having opportunities at the next level. We want to continue to be able to track guys like that — or difference makers — people that can actually put points on the board and make explosive plays have been something that’s really been a significant part of our offensive production.
"Obviously you need to have a good quarterback to do that. Bryce [Young] did a great job of allowing those guys to be able to feature their talents and I feel good about this group of guys. But again, it all comes back to how do they develop? How do they stay focused on what they need to do to be complete players at their position so they can play fast and play with confidence, but I think physical ability-wise, this is a very good group.”
As for one of the crown jewels of the class, Simpson, will join Alabama on Thursday for its preparations for the Cotton Bowl against Cincinnati on Dec. 31.
“It's every player's opportunity if they're mid-year, if they graduate and want to come in and try to contribute in bowl practice, and he's indicated he may be interested in doing that," Saban said. "Obviously it will help his development and it'll help us by having another hand at that position, which is always important, whether it's scout team or taking reps with the first and second team in terms of his development.
“Ty is really a ... They won the state championship. He won the player of the year in Tennessee. The guy's got a really good arm. He's very accurate. He's smart. He's kind of one of those guys that loves football, is always asking football questions, wants to learn as much as he can. I think sometimes those guys get referred to as football junkies, but that's a good thing and certainly a good thing at the quarterback position. I think he's bright. He's smart, he's a good decision maker. He's very instinctive as a player...
"I just think in every way he was the guy we targeted in this class as being the guy we wanted and we felt very fortunate that we were able to get him."
Unlike the 2021 recruiting class for Alabama, which endured the brunt of COVID-19 protocols and visit limitations, the Crimson Tide's 2022 bunch was able to experience a semi-normal recruitment that led to Saban and company nearing the top yet again.
"I always think it’s helpful when players develop relationships with other players that are going to be in their class or be on their team, whether it’s players that are already here or players that are committed to coming here," Saban said. "I do think that we had a good core group of guys that, when they committed early, they stayed in touch with each other and developed a bit of a bond, which probably was helpful in keeping the class together.”
