Alabama Recruiting 2012: Eddie Goldman Could Make a Major Instant Impact

Alabama’s defensive line may have been the weakest unit of the Tide’s historically dominant defense this past season, but that’s only because the linebacker corps and secondary were so superb. 

Calling a defensive line that featured players such as Josh Chapman, Jesse Williams, Quinton Dial, Damion Square, Nick Gentry and Ed Stinson a weak spot would simply be unjust.

Now, though, after experiencing some major defections from the likes of linebackers Courtney Upshaw, Dont’a Hightower and Jerrell Harris, along with defensive backs such as Dre Kirkpatrick, Mark Barron and DeQuan Menzie, it looks like Alabama’s three-man front could actually be the strong point of the defense in 2012.

The only two considerable losses will be Chapman and Gentry, as Williams, Dial, Square, Stinson and Undra Billingsley will all return to form one of the deepest and most talented defensive line rotations in the country.

Plus, Nick Saban has also reeled in commitments from four of the top defensive line prospects of the 2012 recruiting class: Darius Philon (Vigor HS, Alabama), Dakota Ball (Pepperell HS, Georgia), Alphonse Taylor (Davidson HS, Alabama) and Darren Lake (Sumter County HS, Alabama).

Still, there’s one more defensive line recruit out there that Saban would love to get his hands on, and that’s DT Eddie Goldman.

Goldman, who played for Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington D.C., is one of the top prospects still left on the market. The highly-touted 5-star defensive tackle is considered one of the top overall recruits in the country by every major recruiting service, and he’s going to make whichever school he ends up signing with very happy.

The 6’4’’, 310’’ monstrous middle-man possesses a rare combination of sheer size, raw power and devastating quickness that you only see in truly elite defensive tackle recruits.

Goldman reminds me a lot of former Alabama great Marcell Dareus, and I think he would be able to play a similar versatile role as the type of lineman who can either move inside or outside along Alabama's three-man line given the situation.

According to an interview with his high school coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim in the Washington Post, Goldman has reportedly narrowed his choices down to three schools: Alabama, Auburn and Florida State.

We'll have to wait until National Signing Day on Feb. 1 to hear his decision, but if Goldman does choose Alabama, he's the type of instant impact player who would warrant immediate playing time.

The Tide has churned out plenty of coveted defensive pro prospects during the Nick Saban era, and if Goldman comes to Tuscaloosa, he definitely has the potential to be the next great Alabama defensive star.