Landon Collins and Cyrus Jones Give Alabama's 2012 Recruiting Class a Big Boost

Landon Collins may not have made his mother, a big unabashed LSU fan, very happy with his decision to pick Alabama over the Tigers on national television, but he sure pleased a whole bunch of Tide Fans who already had plenty to celebrate during last night’s Under Armour All-American game, which brought together some of the finest high school football talent in the country. 

Alabama entered the night having already received commitments from some of the top prospects in the 2012 class, and master recruiter Nick Saban managed to pick up two more huge pledges from Collins and Cyrus Jones, one of the top wide receivers in the country.

Some expected Collins to choose LSU, because of how close Baton Rouge is to where he plays at Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La., but Collins said he felt most comfortable at Alabama, and to the chagrin of some of his family and friends, he let out a Roll Tide call live during the ESPN telecast last night.

The 6’0’’, 210-pound high school senior is widely regarded as the top safety prospect in the country and he’s rated as a 5-star recruit by Rivals, Scout and ESPN recruiting services.

Collins is the type of super-talented defensive back that Nick Saban can potentially mold into a star, and he’s got the type of talent to step in and make an immediate impact, especially with the starting safety duo of Mark Barron and possibly Robert Lester both moving on to the NFL after the BCS championship game.

Cyrus Jones, who plays for the Gillman School in Baltimore, is another Alabama commit from the game who could step in and make his presence felt as a freshman next season.

Jones has the speed and the playmaking ability to be a valuable weapon for the Alabama offense in 2012, and he should be able to find a spot in what is shaping up to be a talented, but also very inexperienced receiving corps next season.

In the end, picking up two recruits with the potential of Collins and Jones is huge for Alabama coach Nick Saban, as wide receiver and safety are going to be two positions of need next year.

Saban has shown time and time again that he’s one of the top recruiters in college football, and with the addition of Landon Collins and Cyrus Jones, Alabama's 2012 class is now shaping up to be possibly the best class in the entire nation.