Alabama 2012 Football Recruiting: The Top In-State Recruits Who Can't Slip Away

Nick Saban came to Tuscaloosa and turned the Crimson Tide into a recruiting juggernaut almost overnight. He has a couple No. 1 ranked classes under his belt for Alabama and will look to keep the goodwill going in the 2012 run.

Already off to an excellent start, the Crimson Tide have nine commitments already secured for this year's class. They have become a national recruiting program, yet still realize their bread and butter comes from the south. The Tide is not afraid to go to battle with Auburn for in-state recruits and this year has some elite prospects who play high school ball in Alabama.

Here are the top in-state players that the Tide must not let slip away from their long reach.

Trae Elston, DB

Saban specializes in defensive backs, which is how he made his mark and rose within the coaching profession. He always looks to sign a few defensive backs per class, and with the widespread use of the spread offense and multiple receiver sets, he knows that a team can never run out of good back end defenders.

Elston is one of the top defensive backs in the state. He's a 6'0", 180-pound safety with 4.4 speed. He's a 90-plus tackle guy over the past two seasons and flashes a clean and quick break on balls. Elston can track the run in the box as an extra defender, but also has the awareness to factor as a zone defender against the pass.

His play speed and athleticism will allow a defensive coordinator to use him as a bully on quick slot receivers in man coverage as well.

Alabama has offered, and so has Auburn, Florida State, LSU, UCLA, Arkansas, Florida and Clemson, among others

Caleb Peterson, OL

Alabama does a very solid job of securing depth among its offensive front, by stockpiling linemen year after year. The Tide run a run-first, ball control offense and rely on their rushing attack to keep the offense on schedule every Saturday.

Caleb Peterson would be a perfect big ugly to sign this year to add depth to the front and get a player with All-SEC potential. At 6'4", 295 pounds, Peterson has the tools to become a solid right tackle. He's strong at the point, drives his feet to move targets off their marks and is as gritty and tough in trenches as they come.

He works on every snap and shows solid strength to sit and anchor vs. power rushers. Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, UAB and Duke have offered.

TJ Yeldon, RB

Alabama is starting to develop a solid running back lineage as we move forward. Mark Ingram won a Heisman Trophy two seasons ago and will be a first round pick in a few months, Trent Richardson is one of the best running backs in the country heading into 2011 and Dee Hart is now on campus in Tuscaloosa.

Signing multiple running backs is always a custom in recruiting, as the position is flexible and can sometimes see a player move to another spot when he gets to campus. Already with one solid back secured in 2012, the Tide are still hot after TJ Yeldon, a 6'2", 205-pound rock-toter with 4.43 speed.

Yeldon is a natural runner with a big frame that combines breakaway speed, strength and good power. He can break tackles and break ankles. Yeldon flashes solid vision and a downhill style to attack the line of scrimmage out of his stance. He can take runs to the house as well as fight for extra yardage in crowds.

Alabama, Florida State, Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, UAB and Illinois have offered.

Jameis Winston, QB

Winston is perhaps the top dual-threat QB prospect in the country, and it is not because he's a run-first signal caller.

At 6'4", 200 pounds, Winston just can do it all from the QB spot. He has great foot quickness to get to his spot in his drops, can adjust his feet and shoulders quickly and he fires the ball with velocity. Yet, he's still more than athletic enough to get out of traffic jams in the pocket, and attack the edges to make throws on the run.

If Winston doesn't like what he sees downfield, he can take matters into his own hands—or legs rather—and get upfield with dazzling runs.

Just about the entire SEC, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Stanford, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, Clemson and Florida State have offered Winston.

Kwon Alexander, OLB

Alexander may be the top player in the state and top linebacker in the country. The 6'2", 210-pounder gets by on outstanding play speed, quickness, instincts and athleticism.

He has probably the most range for any defensive player in the country and his film routinely shows him going sideline to sideline chasing ball carriers down. He can cover well in the passing game and his speed will allow him to handle tight ends and running backs with ease.

He's quick off the ball as a blitzer, flashes some pass rush ability and has a burst to finish on QBs.

Alexander has offers from the entire SEC, Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma, UCLA, Nebraska, Clemson and Texas Tech.