The Tide is About to Change in the SEC
Since 2007, members of the SEC have been waiting for the king to abdicate the throne.
Unfortunately for the trophy cases of the other 13 schools, King Saban is still in Tuscaloosa waiting for his subjects to present him with another ring.
NICK SABAN
Crimson Tide Photos
But, much like the late 1700s and early 1800s, there's a feeling of impending revolution in the air and the center of the revolt appears to be in College Station.
It might be hard to see from the center of current SEC football world in the Georgia/Alabama area. However, 800 miles from Atlanta, in the farthest western reaches of the kingdom, Jimbo Fisher is assembling an army that looks fit to launch a massive assault for supremacy of the Southeastern Conference, much to the chagrin of Arkansas fans.
JIMBO FISHER
Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Images
Following a 9-4 season, Hog fans were hopeful the Razorbacks might have a perfectly timed build to be in peak position to make a run in the SEC West should Saban step down in the next couple of years, but A&M appears poised to assume the throne going forward regardless of when Saban finally steps away.
With the addition of 5-star Harold Perkins at the Under Armour All-American game today, the Aggies are adding an embarrassment of riches to a 2022 recruiting class that has already surpassed Alabama for the top spot.
A&M now has three of the Top 5 recruits in the country, including No. 1 overall recruit, defensive tackle Walter Nolen. As of this writing, the Aggies appear to have the lead for the No. 3 player in the class, Shemar Stewart, a defensive end from Miami, Florida.
If Stewart commits, not only will Fisher have landed four of the Top 5 recruits in the country, but five 5-star recruits and 16 of the Top 110 players in the country with Ponchatoula, Louisiana's Jacoby Mathews, the No. 2 safety in the country and No. 47 player overall, still split between LSU and A&M.
If you're going by the 24/7 player rankings, The Aggies are expected to sign seven 5-stars, plus the first two players outside the 5-star rankings.
To put things in perspective, Alabama is the only other team with more than one 5-star in the ESPN rankings at three. They also have 13 of the Top 110 players.
LSU is the only other SEC West team to sign any Top 110 players with three, none of which are 5-star recruits.
This class will team up with the No. 3 2019 class and the No. 6 2020 class to get things rolling in College Station.
With NIL beginning to influence recruiting, the dominance shown with the 2022 class will most likely become the norm.
Politics and finance are dominated in Texas by two juggernauts – Texas A&M and the University of Texas. While the Aggies were made to feel like the little brother to UT while members of the Big 12 from an athletic standpoint, the two have always been equal titans in the real world.
When it comes to NIL, A&M has all the advantages of Texas without the booster baggage that is recognized everywhere but Austin, which gives the Aggies full control of the nation's most fertile recruiting ground.
Fisher is a solid coach, but he is no Nick Saban. When it comes to world of college football, no one is.
However, and this will be especially true once Saban retires, if Fisher is in a tank and everyone else is holding sticks, coming up slightly short in strategy isn't going to matter.
Championships are coming to College Station and there's little anyone can do about it.
We'll be bowing down to King Fisher sooner than we know.
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