Crimson Tide's 2010 Commitment List Is a Stout, Top-Five Class

Head Coach Nick Saban and his assistants have been extremely busy over the past two weeks. So busy that Nick overlooked one important date that a married man, young or old, should not ever forget.

No, it's not your wife's birthday, although that one certainly should make the list, as well. It was not the birthday of his first or second child. Saban was so focused on recruiting since the SEC championship game that he overlooked the date of his wedding anniversary.

A coach's wife for more than 35 years, I am sure it is not the first anniversary Terri Saban needed to apply a stern reminder to her driven soul mate. But by the look on his face as he recounted the wrath he absorbed on his return from the road trip, she is just as tough on him as he is on his players.

The question is, is it worth it? Are the long hours and extended out of town stays worth the hardships imposed on the personal life? For the Alabama head coach, he might say no in public, but you know the answer is not just yes, it's hell yes.

Saban came to Tuscaloosa in 2007. The first season nearly broke his spirit, despite the great welcome by the administration and the 92,000 fans that showed for the annual A-day scrimmage.

After a 6-2 start, the regular season ended with four consecutive loses, two of which were to Mississippi State and Louisiana Monroe. An extremely hard fought contest with the eventual national champion LSU Tigers took its toll on the coaching staff and the team.

The loss came in the fourth quarter after leading most of the way through the last frame. With a win in sight, Saban saw the Bengal Tigers snatch a victory from his weary team.

A blown coverage allowing a 30-yard score on fourth down, followed by a fumble on the next offensive possession deep in Alabama territory, sealed the fate of the Tide on that day. It was a dismal post game press conference and a deathblow to the team's confidence.

The following week, a 17-10 loss to Auburn in Tuscaloosa was even harder to accept. The arrogant in-state rival head coach stuck his thumb high in the air as he was approaching for the postgame handshake.

It was an in-your-face gesture that the Auburn Tigers were the dominant team in the state of Alabama. For six years, they had feasted on elephant hide and had acquired a taste for the meat. Saban swallowed his pride and shook the hand of Tommy Tuberville. The battle was won by Tubby; the war was just getting started.

Saban went to work right after the 2007 Iron Bowl and finished on his first full season of college recruiting since he left LSU. The result was the top ranked class in the country. In 2008, with the help of the stellar 2007 recruiting class, his team finished undefeated in the regular season, thrashing the in-state rival 36-0 at season's end.

It was Tuberville's last game as a head coach.

The overtime victory in "Death Valley" sent a message to all SEC rivals: The Alabama program had finally made a turn toward a championship caliber team, and winning the Western Division was just the beginning.

Tiger meat has quickly become a regularly served meal at the Capstone dining hall. A variety of species have garnished the table: The Clemson "Tiger", Baton Rouge "Mike", and "Auby, beast of the plains", have each been served on the silver platter in 2008 and 2009.

Those meals wouldn't be happening without the recruiting and coaching successes of the headmaster of the Alabama Football program. Nick Saban has stalked the southeast and picked a few cherries from other regions of the country in order to build his program, just as he would have it.

Some of the assistants, such as Lance Thompson, would like to take the credit for themselves. As good as he was at Alabama, Thompson hasn't been missed since he left for the hills of Tennessee in 2009.

In fact, Alabama's first commit for the 2010 class came out of Memphis one week after Kiffin and Thompson publicly stated that Saban was no longer welcome in their state. WR Keiwone Malone committed to the class on Feb. 6, 2009, and has stayed with that commitment despite attempts to lure him back to UT.

From the looks we're getting, early on into the recruiting process used by Kiffin and Co., who knows what Malone has turned down from UT to stay with the Tide. The NCAA is still looking into the Vols program for "irregularities" in the process.

This year is no different. Saban takes recruiting seriously. It is his job. He takes full responsibility for the results of the season-long effort of his staff. The 2010 class is shaping up as one of the best in the land.

As of Dec. 20th, the 2010 Alabama recruiting class ranks No. 2 on Rivals and No. 3 on Scout, trailing Texas in one ranking, and Texas and Oklahoma in the other.

Saban used the two weeks after the SECCG to sell his program to available five-star recruits in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. He intends to finish strong and fill the needs he projects as high priority in the coming years.

Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee are all closing in on top 10 recruiting classes, but Saban will not be happy unless he wins the war. He isn't necessarily focused on how high the class is ranked; he is more intent on filling the needs of his team with the highest quality student-athlete he can find.

He is searching through Alabama first, but the entire southeast is fair game, and he will scour the nation to find the player he needs to make his program the best in the nation.

Thus far, the 2010 class is loaded with quality talent and quality people. There are three five-star athletes in this class that include the most sought after athletes in the states of Alabama, Virginia, and North Carolina.

The 2009 Alabama team stands to lose three, potentially four defensive backs to graduation and to the NFL draft. Woodall, Arenas, and Johnson are lost to graduation, and Kareem Jackson is awaiting the NFL advisory board assessment. He has had private discussions with Coach Saban, as well.

Demarcus Milliner is the highest ranked high school player in the state of Alabama, and the highest ranked CB in the country. He is a tall cornerback, standing 6'1", 185 lbs. and runs a 4.35 40. Safety Keenan Allen is out of Greensboro, NC. He is 6'2" and weighs 194 lbs. He ranks No. 4 in the country at his position.

Saban has also recruited two four-star talents in the defensive backfield. Jarrick Williams and Nick Perry will sign, along with Deion Blue (three-star), as potential starters in the defensive secondary. Williams and Perry rank Nos. 11 and 15, respectively. Each of these players are 6'0" or taller.

The entire starting defensive line of the current team are seniors this year. Brandon Deaderick, Terrence Cody, and Lorenzo Washington may all have an opportunity to play on Sunday. The 2008 and 2009 recruiting classes were filled with talented defensive linemen. The 2010 class is heavy laden with defensive linemen, as well.

To run a 3-4 defense properly, you not only need height, speed, and weight, you need depth at each position. Alfy Hill (6-4/245/4.60), Adrian Hubbard (6-7/277/4.65), Brandon Lewis (6-3/280), and Wilson Love (6-4/270/4.70) fit the prototype Saban seeks to fill these positions.

His recruiting efforts have a mission and a purpose. His method is a blend of old-school hard work and dedication. Mix that with the new technologies of texting, cell phone accessibility, and now and then face time with an Internet connection, and there is no such thing as downtime unless you are asleep.

One of the first priorities this year was to fill the impending need for a kicker. Saban went to Texas and signed Cade Foster, a defensive star for perennial power Southlake Carroll. Foster is a middle linebacker who also happens to be an excellent kicker. In his senior year he has made more than 80 tackles as linebacker.

His kickoffs are the stuff of legends, rarely allowing a kick return. In one game, he had five kicks for touchback. He is the 10th ranked kicker nationally. He holds the Texas state record for PATs and is 5th in national history.

In late October, Foster was 36 of 45 in field goal attempts, his longest at 49 yards. Foster will enter the Capstone on full scholarship. A rare event for a kicker.

Jay Williams of Thomasville, Alabama has intent to sign as a punter for the 2010 class. His commitment date was Jun. 20, 2009, and is a solid verbal commit. He, too will arrive on full scholarship. Saban wastes no time when a position is a priority.

Offensively, Saban has acquired the No. 5 quarterback in the nation in the person of Phillip Sims. The five-star recruit is a sensational player, and built more like a linebacker than an SEC quarterback.

At 6'2", 225 lbs. as a high school senior, he is soft around the middle yet with wide shoulders and long arms. Strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran has just the formula for getting Sims' body adjusted and redistributed for the college game.

A little slow of foot, his 4.70 40-yard dash speed is not one of his better qualities, but will serve him well as a pocket passer in a pro-style offense. Sims has excellent arm strength and accuracy. His on-field quick decisions and finesse have allowed him to become Virginia's all time passing leader with 10,679 total career yards. He ranks first in career touchdowns (118), as well.

In his junior year, Sims set a state record with six touchdown passes in the championship game, and finished the year with 38 touchdowns against only four interceptions. He passed for 3,167 yards on his way to winning the Group AAA, Division 6 state championship.

His senior campaign with the Oscar Smith Tigers ended one game short of a chance to repeat as state champions. On way to the state semifinals, he completed 174 of 273 passes for 2,914 yards and 32 touchdowns. As a starter, Sims is 48-4, beginning his high school career as a freshman at the youthful age of 14 years.

Sims has broken nearly every state record for quarterbacks. In 2009, he was selected as the Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year.

Sims has been active in the Alabama recruiting process. He will enter the Capstone along with four-star wide receivers DeAndrew White and Keiwone Malone and three-star Ronald Carswell. In the backfield, RBs Jalston Fowler and Corey Grant, both Alabama high school stars, will sign with the 2010 class.

Other high profile athletes with intent to sign with Alabama in Feb. 2010 include four-star TE Brian Volger (6-7/227), TE Harrison Jones (6-4/230/4.8), and athlete Blake Sims (6-0/180/4.5).

Sims is the starting quarterback for the Gainesville, Georgia Red Elephants. He led the team to the state championship game in 2009. In addition to his role as QB, he is a special teams kick and punt returner.

In the semifinal game, Sims scored on a 96-yard punt return and completed the victory, coming from behind. Blake Sims connected with Tyson Smith for the game winning TD. The Gainesville High Red Elephants claimed the 29-21 victory with only 18 seconds remaining in the game.

The Red Elephants fell short of victory in the Class AAA state championship, losing to Peach County 13-12. As a senior, Blake Sims combined for 3,736 all-purpose yards and 49 touchdowns. As quarterback, he threw for 2,280 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for 872 yards and 13 touchdowns. He added three touchdowns on special teams. He also caught 4 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns.

He enters the Capstone committing as an athlete. He has confidence that Nick Saban will use his talents for the betterment of the team. He is an unselfish player and will be a leader in the 2010 class.

Rounding out the commitment list up to this point are offensive linemen Chad Lindsey and Austin Shephard. They will replace Drew Davis and Mike Johnson. The lone linebacker is a non-qualifier from the 2009 class, Devonta Bolton. Bolton will enter with all four years of eligibility.

So, Alabama fans, this is what your $4 million man and staff have been doing during his so-called downtime. He has been maintaining contact with those who have already committed and putting on the finishing touches to what will surely be a top five recruiting class.

Saban is intent on finishing his job. He leads by example, so he knows that others are watching and evaluating his own performance. There is no better critic than Nick Saban himself.

And that to him, my friends, is what makes it all worth it. To show his administration, his players, and the Alabama fans that he is doing his part to be a champion.

Terri Saban is his biggest fan. She has had a few letdowns, like any wife married to a driven, obsessed work-a-holic. But in the end, she knows it is what gives him personal satisfaction and it is essential that he get the support he needs to keep going at his own incredible pace.

She is a servant-helper, an unselfish, remarkable, and loving wife. He is blessed to have her, and he knows it. God bless them both. Roll Tide, Terri.