Alabama coaches evaluating more than just 'priority' targets
The Alabama assistants hit the recruiting trail two weeks ago. The spring is a little different as you try to see as many players as possible- top targets, potential recruits who can earn an offer, visits to see underclassmen and also building relationships with high school coaches, trainers, people in the community, etc.. You want to get a feel for the environment these guys grow up in, what makes them tick, speak with guidance counselors, teachers, administrators, etc., to see what kind of student/person you have interest in.
This is all about 'evaluating' the player, person and student. You are then making decisions on if you will continue to recruit X-player whether that means he is a definite take or one you want to bring in for camp next month. You are also evaluating these kids (all aspects) compared to others at their position. You are always trying to recruit the best, most talented players you can find, but you also want to make sure you are targeting the right type of kids- Can they handle the pressure of playing at Alabama? Are they a team first or a me first kid? How important is NIL in their recruitment?
Alabama has made some mistakes in the past as far as taking some kids who had a red flag or two. Coach Saban will give the benefit of the doubt in a lot of circumstances. Some he probably regrets and some who have turned into model citizens and first round draft picks. It's hard to judge a 17-18 year old. You try to make sure you are making the best decisions from your program, but maybe getting a kid out of bad situation is something a coach wants to do rather than just saying, 'no, thanks'
I thought Alabama did a really good job of that in the 2022 class. Alabama signed a lot of really good kid from an off-the-field standpoint. There were some top guys in 2022 who the staff decided to pass on after months of recruiting them for character issues. I am sure there were some who they continued to recruit, but we know Alabama stopped recruiting a few including a defensive lineman and at least one receiver who was considered a heavy lean.
Alabama coaches have hit so many schools throughout the country and continue to do so this week. The coaches try to schedule it where they can go see kids during a high school practice. A lot of schools are just starting spring practice this week including most in Alabama. For instance- Rivals100 DL Kelby Collins will see Alabama for the first time today. Peter Woods and Tony Mitchell have yet to see an Alabama coach stop by (They can visit twice during the spring).
One thing is for sure- Alabama is grinding this spring. We can pull up the list of players Alabama has 'offered', but they are seeing as many kids as they possible can. It doesn't matter if they are in the Rivals100 or committed to Tulane. The coaches are evaluating and making sure they have seen any potential target prior to summer camp.
Recruits scheduling official visits
One thing that we are starting to see a lot to jumpstart May is top targets setting up official visits. Many want to make decisions before the start of their senior season. We'll see some take officials in June, but will wait until December to decide. It can be from a number of different reasons. We should see a lot of decisions happen between June-August as a great majority have been able to enjoy game day visits last fall, Junior Days, spring games/practices, etc... Visits in June won't be the first time meeting (for the majority of recruits) coaches in-person like it was last summer.
You will see several more recruits announce official visits dates in the coming weeks as they start to plan their summer schedule. I imagine there are many who have locked-in their visit plans, but have yet to announce the dates just yet. We will see a lot of recruits schedule visits who we aren't even talking about yet. So get ready- June is gonna be a very crazy month. I remember last summer once camps started it was non-stop content from about 8 am until midnight. Expect more of the same next month.
Here are some of the names who have confirmed they will take an official visit to Alabama next month.
June 3-5: Brandon Inniss, Riley Williams
June 10-12: Anthony Hill, Kadyn Proctor, Olaus Alinen, Wilkin Formby
June 17-19: Caleb Downs, Justice Haynes
Who adds/eliminates Alabama from competition?
We will see plenty of recruits schedule official visits to Alabama, but we will also see the Crimson Tide fall out of the race for some. A few notable targets who did not include Alabama as finalists include Cedric Baxter and Johntay Cook. Alabama has heavily recruited both players and continue to show a tremendous amount of interest. We shall see if anything changes. How many times have we seen recruits announce a top five, then decide to visit Tuscaloosa and suddenly Alabama is back in the race? It happens a lot. I don't know if it will happen with Baxter and Cook, but there is a long way to go in the recruiting process.
I've seen some top 10, top 8 lists drop in the last few weeks with certain recruits. Alabama is a top contender for a lot of those guys including Austin Siereveld who is scheduled to announce his decision on Wednesday between the Crimson Tide, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Alabama is in the top three, but as I've said (and he is aware) Nick Saban needs to see him in camp before giving a green light to commit. So does Alabama still get him in for camp? We'll see...
Expect more recruits to announce top lists/finalists during the next few weeks as they narrow things down and visit the schools they are interested in this summer. We are also keeping an eye on the transfer portal. All-American and 2021 Biletnikoff award winner Jordan Addison entered the portal on Tuesday. Alabama has interest, but it doesn't mean he will visit. All signs point to USC. Alabama will continue to keep its eyes on the portal for any potential players who can make a difference.
Will Alabama gain or lose any commitments prior to June?
We are in a similar position as the previous two recruiting classes at this point in the cycle with a low number of commitments (3). Alabama might be sitting with less than three before camps begin next month. There has been a lot of talk about Jahlil Hurley flipping to Auburn. He has gone silent since visiting the Tigers a few weekends ago. We have also heard he was back on the Plains this past weekend. Not 100-percent confirmed.
I don't know what has transpired in the last month or so with Hurley's sudden high interest in Auburn, but it is something we are monitoring very closely. There was also talk about Elliott Washington flipping to Michigan State. I think the chances have improved with Washington sticking with Alabama. I probably feel better about him sticking than Hurley right now, u
A lot of NIL deals are being promised to recruits throughout the country by various programs. We saw it last cycle, but it's being openly discussed even more in this class (Ex: Nico Iamaleava). How far as some willing to go to land a big name recruit? How many kids see the money Iamaleava is going to get in Knoxville and say- you give me the same thing and I''ll come to your school. Or in some cases- steal one from Alabama or Georgia or Ohio State?
Perception has always been a big part of recruiting especially when you can use the media. "Five-star flips from Alabama to South Carolina". "Five-star flips from Ohio State to Maryland". Schools like Alabama are going to continue to recruit and sign elite recruits each year, but other programs are now able to land those guys away from top programs because of NIL. They may not get those kids any other way. Alabama has an NIL Collective, but how many kids are being promised multi-million dollar deals?
Alabama has been the standard, but I don't know if you are going to see deals like Iamaleava in Tuscaloosa. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the NCAA steps in or it will only get worse. Power 5 programs who have success in the past, but not so much in the last decade, will bring out the heavy hitters who will try to create as much of a piggybank as possible to provide recruits who they believe can re-ignite their school.
From Ross Dellenger of SI.com
SCOTTSDALE Ariz.—College leaders are gearing up to issue a warning to hundreds of wealthy boosters who are using name, image and likeness (NIL) ventures to involve themselves in recruiting.
University administrators, part of a task force to review NIL, are finalizing additional guidelines that are expected to clarify that boosters and booster-led collectives are prohibited from involvement in recruiting, multiple sources tell Sports Illustrated. The guidelines will provide more guidance to member schools on what many administrators say are NIL-disguised “pay for play” deals orchestrated by donors to induce prospects, recruit players off other college teams and retain their own athletes.
The donor who has drawn the most scrutiny is John Ruiz, a lawyer in Miami whose payroll includes more than 100 Hurricanes athletes across a variety of sports. He expects to spend $10 million this year to have South Florida players endorse his two companies, LifeWallet, a healthcare application, and the Cigarette (boat) Racing Team. About 10 days ago, Ruiz used his own Twitter account to announce that Miami received a commitment from Kansas State transfer guard Nijel Pack and that he, Ruiz, signed the hoops star to a two-year deal for $400,000 a year. Ruiz tells SI he communicates with player agents to arrange deals, but he is in compliance with state law.
Continue reading...
Will the NCAA really crack down on booster-led NIL Collectives? You know some schools who are getting their first taste of real success on the recruiting front are going to stop at nothing to continue bringing in top end recruits based off nothing more than NIL deals.
As far as any additional commitments for the Alabama before June.....
I don't really expect any news to drop. Most are currently in spring practice mode. They know they can take official visits before the start of their senior season and enjoy the process. Most Alabama targets aren't in any rush to make a decision. That's a good thing. It buys Alabama plenty of time to evaluate players and decide who to push for when the time comes for decisions. A lot of relationships are established. You lose guys if you start pressing them to make a decision.
I expect we will see 15+ additions to the Alabama class by the time the season is underway. I don't think anyone, including fans, are concerned about the lack of commitments. It's been the exact same the last two recruiting classes. Alabama finished No. 1 in 2021 and No. 2 in 2022. Bama is going to make its run.
Who moves up the recruiting board/who moves down?
This is going to be more about who shows up and shows out during camp next month, but coaches will see plenty of players this month to have a good idea of who is an Alabama caliber player and who isn't. Coaches didn't go on the road the last two years. So you aren't putting your eyes on a recruit for the very first time when he comes in for camp or an official visit.
There were players who needed to camp last summer to get a green light to commit. Some earned a committable offer based on their performance like Shawn Murphy. We saw Amari Niblack, Kobe Prentice, Shazz Preston and Kendrick Law shoot up the Tide's recruiting board after they were evaluated. We saw several move down based on their performance and some who never received a green light to commit because they didn't want to participate in camp (only tour the campus and watch).
A lot of offers have been extended this spring and we will continue to see more leading up to camps. The majority of offers are contingent on camp performance in front of Coach Saban. A five-star on every recruiting site doesn't translate to what Alabama's recruiting board looks like. It changes almost every day especially as coaches visit/evaluate.
The Alabama assistants hit the recruiting trail two weeks ago. The spring is a little different as you try to see as many players as possible- top targets, potential recruits who can earn an offer, visits to see underclassmen and also building relationships with high school coaches, trainers, people in the community, etc.. You want to get a feel for the environment these guys grow up in, what makes them tick, speak with guidance counselors, teachers, administrators, etc., to see what kind of student/person you have interest in.
This is all about 'evaluating' the player, person and student. You are then making decisions on if you will continue to recruit X-player whether that means he is a definite take or one you want to bring in for camp next month. You are also evaluating these kids (all aspects) compared to others at their position. You are always trying to recruit the best, most talented players you can find, but you also want to make sure you are targeting the right type of kids- Can they handle the pressure of playing at Alabama? Are they a team first or a me first kid? How important is NIL in their recruitment?
Alabama has made some mistakes in the past as far as taking some kids who had a red flag or two. Coach Saban will give the benefit of the doubt in a lot of circumstances. Some he probably regrets and some who have turned into model citizens and first round draft picks. It's hard to judge a 17-18 year old. You try to make sure you are making the best decisions from your program, but maybe getting a kid out of bad situation is something a coach wants to do rather than just saying, 'no, thanks'
I thought Alabama did a really good job of that in the 2022 class. Alabama signed a lot of really good kid from an off-the-field standpoint. There were some top guys in 2022 who the staff decided to pass on after months of recruiting them for character issues. I am sure there were some who they continued to recruit, but we know Alabama stopped recruiting a few including a defensive lineman and at least one receiver who was considered a heavy lean.
Alabama coaches have hit so many schools throughout the country and continue to do so this week. The coaches try to schedule it where they can go see kids during a high school practice. A lot of schools are just starting spring practice this week including most in Alabama. For instance- Rivals100 DL Kelby Collins will see Alabama for the first time today. Peter Woods and Tony Mitchell have yet to see an Alabama coach stop by (They can visit twice during the spring).
One thing is for sure- Alabama is grinding this spring. We can pull up the list of players Alabama has 'offered', but they are seeing as many kids as they possible can. It doesn't matter if they are in the Rivals100 or committed to Tulane. The coaches are evaluating and making sure they have seen any potential target prior to summer camp.
Recruits scheduling official visits
One thing that we are starting to see a lot to jumpstart May is top targets setting up official visits. Many want to make decisions before the start of their senior season. We'll see some take officials in June, but will wait until December to decide. It can be from a number of different reasons. We should see a lot of decisions happen between June-August as a great majority have been able to enjoy game day visits last fall, Junior Days, spring games/practices, etc... Visits in June won't be the first time meeting (for the majority of recruits) coaches in-person like it was last summer.
You will see several more recruits announce official visits dates in the coming weeks as they start to plan their summer schedule. I imagine there are many who have locked-in their visit plans, but have yet to announce the dates just yet. We will see a lot of recruits schedule visits who we aren't even talking about yet. So get ready- June is gonna be a very crazy month. I remember last summer once camps started it was non-stop content from about 8 am until midnight. Expect more of the same next month.
Here are some of the names who have confirmed they will take an official visit to Alabama next month.
June 3-5: Brandon Inniss, Riley Williams
June 10-12: Anthony Hill, Kadyn Proctor, Olaus Alinen, Wilkin Formby
June 17-19: Caleb Downs, Justice Haynes
Who adds/eliminates Alabama from competition?
We will see plenty of recruits schedule official visits to Alabama, but we will also see the Crimson Tide fall out of the race for some. A few notable targets who did not include Alabama as finalists include Cedric Baxter and Johntay Cook. Alabama has heavily recruited both players and continue to show a tremendous amount of interest. We shall see if anything changes. How many times have we seen recruits announce a top five, then decide to visit Tuscaloosa and suddenly Alabama is back in the race? It happens a lot. I don't know if it will happen with Baxter and Cook, but there is a long way to go in the recruiting process.
I've seen some top 10, top 8 lists drop in the last few weeks with certain recruits. Alabama is a top contender for a lot of those guys including Austin Siereveld who is scheduled to announce his decision on Wednesday between the Crimson Tide, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Alabama is in the top three, but as I've said (and he is aware) Nick Saban needs to see him in camp before giving a green light to commit. So does Alabama still get him in for camp? We'll see...
Expect more recruits to announce top lists/finalists during the next few weeks as they narrow things down and visit the schools they are interested in this summer. We are also keeping an eye on the transfer portal. All-American and 2021 Biletnikoff award winner Jordan Addison entered the portal on Tuesday. Alabama has interest, but it doesn't mean he will visit. All signs point to USC. Alabama will continue to keep its eyes on the portal for any potential players who can make a difference.
Will Alabama gain or lose any commitments prior to June?
We are in a similar position as the previous two recruiting classes at this point in the cycle with a low number of commitments (3). Alabama might be sitting with less than three before camps begin next month. There has been a lot of talk about Jahlil Hurley flipping to Auburn. He has gone silent since visiting the Tigers a few weekends ago. We have also heard he was back on the Plains this past weekend. Not 100-percent confirmed.
I don't know what has transpired in the last month or so with Hurley's sudden high interest in Auburn, but it is something we are monitoring very closely. There was also talk about Elliott Washington flipping to Michigan State. I think the chances have improved with Washington sticking with Alabama. I probably feel better about him sticking than Hurley right now, u
A lot of NIL deals are being promised to recruits throughout the country by various programs. We saw it last cycle, but it's being openly discussed even more in this class (Ex: Nico Iamaleava). How far as some willing to go to land a big name recruit? How many kids see the money Iamaleava is going to get in Knoxville and say- you give me the same thing and I''ll come to your school. Or in some cases- steal one from Alabama or Georgia or Ohio State?
Perception has always been a big part of recruiting especially when you can use the media. "Five-star flips from Alabama to South Carolina". "Five-star flips from Ohio State to Maryland". Schools like Alabama are going to continue to recruit and sign elite recruits each year, but other programs are now able to land those guys away from top programs because of NIL. They may not get those kids any other way. Alabama has an NIL Collective, but how many kids are being promised multi-million dollar deals?
Alabama has been the standard, but I don't know if you are going to see deals like Iamaleava in Tuscaloosa. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the NCAA steps in or it will only get worse. Power 5 programs who have success in the past, but not so much in the last decade, will bring out the heavy hitters who will try to create as much of a piggybank as possible to provide recruits who they believe can re-ignite their school.
From Ross Dellenger of SI.com
Task Force To Big-Money Boosters: NIL Sanctions Could Be Coming
SCOTTSDALE Ariz.—College leaders are gearing up to issue a warning to hundreds of wealthy boosters who are using name, image and likeness (NIL) ventures to involve themselves in recruiting.
University administrators, part of a task force to review NIL, are finalizing additional guidelines that are expected to clarify that boosters and booster-led collectives are prohibited from involvement in recruiting, multiple sources tell Sports Illustrated. The guidelines will provide more guidance to member schools on what many administrators say are NIL-disguised “pay for play” deals orchestrated by donors to induce prospects, recruit players off other college teams and retain their own athletes.
The donor who has drawn the most scrutiny is John Ruiz, a lawyer in Miami whose payroll includes more than 100 Hurricanes athletes across a variety of sports. He expects to spend $10 million this year to have South Florida players endorse his two companies, LifeWallet, a healthcare application, and the Cigarette (boat) Racing Team. About 10 days ago, Ruiz used his own Twitter account to announce that Miami received a commitment from Kansas State transfer guard Nijel Pack and that he, Ruiz, signed the hoops star to a two-year deal for $400,000 a year. Ruiz tells SI he communicates with player agents to arrange deals, but he is in compliance with state law.
Continue reading...
Will the NCAA really crack down on booster-led NIL Collectives? You know some schools who are getting their first taste of real success on the recruiting front are going to stop at nothing to continue bringing in top end recruits based off nothing more than NIL deals.
As far as any additional commitments for the Alabama before June.....
I don't really expect any news to drop. Most are currently in spring practice mode. They know they can take official visits before the start of their senior season and enjoy the process. Most Alabama targets aren't in any rush to make a decision. That's a good thing. It buys Alabama plenty of time to evaluate players and decide who to push for when the time comes for decisions. A lot of relationships are established. You lose guys if you start pressing them to make a decision.
I expect we will see 15+ additions to the Alabama class by the time the season is underway. I don't think anyone, including fans, are concerned about the lack of commitments. It's been the exact same the last two recruiting classes. Alabama finished No. 1 in 2021 and No. 2 in 2022. Bama is going to make its run.
Who moves up the recruiting board/who moves down?
This is going to be more about who shows up and shows out during camp next month, but coaches will see plenty of players this month to have a good idea of who is an Alabama caliber player and who isn't. Coaches didn't go on the road the last two years. So you aren't putting your eyes on a recruit for the very first time when he comes in for camp or an official visit.
There were players who needed to camp last summer to get a green light to commit. Some earned a committable offer based on their performance like Shawn Murphy. We saw Amari Niblack, Kobe Prentice, Shazz Preston and Kendrick Law shoot up the Tide's recruiting board after they were evaluated. We saw several move down based on their performance and some who never received a green light to commit because they didn't want to participate in camp (only tour the campus and watch).
A lot of offers have been extended this spring and we will continue to see more leading up to camps. The majority of offers are contingent on camp performance in front of Coach Saban. A five-star on every recruiting site doesn't translate to what Alabama's recruiting board looks like. It changes almost every day especially as coaches visit/evaluate.
