Why Alabama Is Smart to Aggressively Recruit 2014 4-Star QB Brandon Dawkins

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Nick Saban are apparently recruiting 2014 4-star quarterback Brandon Dawkins very aggressively, which is bad news for the likes of Notre Dame, Utah and Tennessee. Conversely, it's a brilliant recruiting move by Alabama.

These are all schools that are on Dawkins' radar, according to 247sports—Notre Dame and Utah are the only two to offer so far—but it's Alabama that may be recruiting Dawkins the strongest, according to Justin Hopkins of 247sports:

Oregon, Alabama and LSU have recently stepped up their interest level.

"Oregon is really sending me a lot of mail now, a lot. Alabama is probably sending me the most mail of anyone, probably around 12-15 pieces of mail per week at least. I don't want to name early favorites, I'm trying to give everyone a fair shot."

Let's put this into perspective here. I'm not a 4-star quarterback prospect by any stretch of the imagination, but I barely get 12 to 15 pieces of mail addressed to me a month, let alone a week from one single location.

Saban and the Crimson Tide are obviously very intent on making their intentions known to Dawkins very early, though—a smart move by the nation's most prolific recruiter.

Honestly, though, should you expect any less from him?

At 6'3'', 190 pounds as a junior, Dawkins looks like he has what it takes to be the real deal at the college level. He'll have plenty of time to bulk up and get bigger, and there really is no rush at Alabama.

Saban targets recruits based on what they can bring to his program as juniors and seniors, not necessarily as freshmen, so there's a lot to like in Dawkins.

He's got a very strong arm and throws an almost effortless deep ball. He's got good accuracy and touch, and he's also athletic enough to make plays with his feet.

If Saban can spend a few years molding him and getting him used to running Alabama's offense from under center, the sky could be the limit for Dawkins once it's his turn to take over. He could be much more than a game manager for the Crimson Tide, so Saban is smart to be aggressive in his recruitment this early.

With schools like Notre Dame and Utah already offering, and Oregon, Tennessee and even LSU taking notice, Dawkins is going to very quickly start attracting a ton of attention from more major programs. He's going to be a must-see prospect his senior year, so any advantage Saban can get in recruiting him would go a long way.

If sending 12 to 15 pieces of mail to him a week in his junior year gives Saban an advantage, so be it.

Why not send 15 to 20?

He's a player who will be well worth it, so Alabama is very smart to be so aggressive in their recruitment of the 2014 quarterback.