2011 National Signing Day: Is Malcolm Brown a Bust and Is Dee Hart The Real Deal?

You don't judge a man by his accomplishments if you don't judge who he accomplished those achievements against.

In the U.S. Army All-American Game, Malcom Brown, who some thought might be one of the nation's best running backs, rushed four times for seven yards for less than two yards a carry. He never broke one tackle, never broke one run and looked like a nerdy band member trying to play running back.

But lesser-known Dee Hart ran for 101 yards and averaged over 12.5 yards per carry in breaking the All-American Game record. That was something not even Adrian Peterson, Marcus Lattimore or C.J. Spiller had ever done.

Both had considered Alabama, both initially chose other schools. But Hart had a change of heart after Michigan spiraled downward and chose Alabama.

Brown stayed with his choice of Texas, despite them spiraling even further than Michigan.

It looks like Alabama got the best of the two. But then, Alabama is quickly becoming known as Running Back U.

Glenn Coffee left early for the NFL and now his backup, Mark Ingram, who also won a Heisman, leaves early for the NFL as well. Ingram's backup is Trent Richardson, and he too may leave early after next season.

That will leave the future wide open for more running backs to have their turn in the spotlight.

It appears Hart will have his day and if Nick Saban has his way, so will Isaiah Crowell, another top running back from Georgia who has yet to decide between Alabama and Georgia.

These are heady days for the Crimson Tide as they start the new season as one of the front runners for yet another national championship and look to cement another top recruiting class.

With players like Hart signing on, the future does appear quite bright.