Alabama Football Recruiting: Standard for 2012 Recruits Is the Class of 2008

The tsunami-sized wave—or shall I say tide—that has swarmed the college football universe just gained momentum after the events of National Signing Day. 

Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide followed up their BCS National Championship in January with a mythical recruiting title in February. 

The Tide’s class was rated as the nation’s best by the likes of ESPN, Rivals and 247 Sports—with only Scout having them at No. 2 behind Texas. 

Now the biggest question is: Will they be able to carry on the tradition of winning that has seen Alabama capture two national championships in the last three seasons? 

To find the answer, they will have to study how the class of 2008 became the foundation for the Tide’s return to college football’s mountain top. 

Saban’s second class—his first full cycle after taking over in Tuscaloosa—was rated third in the country by ESPN and ended up going 48-6 with a pair of crystal footballs to go in the trophy case.

Names like Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, Dont’a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw and Mark Barron would go on to carve their names deep into the lore of the Crimson Tide faithful.

Alabama’s subsequent recruiting classes from 2009-11 played a major role in the Tide’s success, but they did not bear the same responsibility in bringing the program back to a championship level. 

Before the newest batch of future stars put on their Crimson and White jerseys for the first time this fall, their duty is clear—to keep Alabama on top. 

With a 26-man class stocked to the brim with elite prospects at nearly every position, Alabama has set themselves up to reload for another title run in a hurry. 

Surely, the 2012 class will benefit from returning leaders like quarterback A.J. McCarron and a trio of players who were a part of the 2008 class—OT Barrett Jones, TE Michael Williams and S Robert Lester—helping to bridge the gap between old and new. 

It may not be fair to compare the two, but this is the standard that Saban’s newest class will be measured by and entrusted to maintain.

In the toughest conference in the land, the remaining heavyweights in the SEC will be gunning for the Tide—perhaps now with a glimmer of hope since a ton of star power is departing Tuscaloosa.

History has shown that it is hard to get to college football’s peak, and even harder to stay there. 

For the class of 2012, it is their job to rewrite history.

The 2008 class did just that.

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