Fall Recruiting News: How will Alabama finish? Offense.

By Jason Argo

Although Alabama is only halfway into the 2008 football season, the Tide is nearly three-quarters of the way finished with the 2009 recruiting class.  What remains to be seen is how strong Bama will finish this season and the 2009 recruiting class.

I’ll go ahead and tell you that I have the same answer for both questions.

Strong.

In the same way I see Bama with a top five finish this season, I again see Saban and the coaching staff pulling in another top five recruiting class.

We may lose a game or a big time prospect we really want, but the end results will speak for themselves… in only two years, we are laying the foundation of the team that Saban envsioned when he first arrived in Tuscaloosa.

A team that nobody wants to play.

We are making that name for ourselves the old fashioned way… in the trenches.

That’s right—no gimmick offense or trick plays. 

We line up and smash the other team in the mouth. Knowing that the only way to accomplish this feat is having some “big nasties in the trenches” leads us to our first outlook in the 2009 recruiting class. The offensive line.

Offensive Line

Remember the name Tyler Love? How about Barret Jones or John Michael Boswell?

In case those names don’t ring a bell, they are three of the highly regarded offensive lineman that signed with Alabama earlier this year. Saban and his staff are again loading up on the offensive line with five verbals from offensive line prospects.

D.J. Fluker was the first commitment for the 2009 class and early on was considered a DT prospect. Fluker is a massive guy standing 6′7 and weighing in at 325 pounds and after his move to offensive tackle for Foley High School his stock has shot through the roof in regards to the best offensive lineman for the 2009 recruiting classes.

While Saban and the staff haven’t made a decision yet on which side of the ball Fluker will play, but my opinion is that D.J. will make an outstanding Offensive Tackle for Alabama and will likely start at that position first.

The latest commitment on the Offensive Line for Bama is Anthony Steen. Steen is a 6′5 300 pound guard that has plenty of size and muscle to open holes at the next level.

Saban also blitzed the state of Georgia earlier in the summer securing verbals from Darius McKeller, Chance Warmack and Kellen Williams.

How will we finish?

In a recent interview with a South Carolina newspaper, Johnny Farms, a 6′2, 290 pound Offensive Guard out of Perry, Georgia, gave us a good understanding on how many more Offensive Line openings we had available for this class.

Farms stated that he tried to commit to Alabama but was told that we were already full for this class. However, our RollTideBama.com staff feel we may be saving a spot for one more tackle.

The prospect to watch for is a Bobby Massie who is currently enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy. The 6′8, 334 pound Offensive Tackle will likely have a scholarship available for him if he decides Bama is where he wants to play college ball.

If he decides to play elsewhere, don’t expect to see another Offensive Lineman taken in this class.

Quarterback

It was once speculated that Bama would take two quarterbacks in the 2009 class. Since receiving a verbal commitment from the state’s top gunslinger, A.J. McCarron, there hasn’t been much talk about taking another Quarterback.

McCarron is the former teammate of Mark Barron and Ivan Matchett who are currently on scholarship at Alabama. While A.J. has a cannon for an arm and good running ability, right now he lacks the size to play SEC football.

A redshirt year is likely for McCarron at Alabama and that isn’t always a bad thing.

How will we finish?

With Alabama signing Star Jackson last year and already having a verbal commitment from A.J. McCarron this year, don’t look for Bama to take another Quarterback.

Running Backs

One of Alabama’s strongest positions this year has been their backfield. With no current senior running backs on scholarship, the Tide is absolutely stacked with Glen Coffee, Roy Upchurch and the emergence of freshman sensation Mark Ingram.

Add in the fact that Bama’s leading rusher from last season, Terry Grant, is currently fourth string tells you exactly how the running back position looks for Bama. With six running backs already on scholarship, the Tide really didn’t need a running back in this class unless the recruit was an absolute phenom.

With that said, Coach Lance Thompson was able to storm Florida’s panhandle and get a commitment from the states’ top High School player, Trent Richardson.

Richardson is an absolute beast of a running back weighing in at 220 pounds while standing 5′11″. Trent, considered a punishing running back, is a home run threat on every play.

He’s recognized for his incredible speed and agility, especially for a player his size. Through four games this season, Richardson has rushed for 806 yards on 80 carries and has scored 13 touchdowns. If he can stay healthy the entire season, many believe Richardson will be the top running back in the nation for 2009 class.

How will we finish?

As previously stated, Alabama doesn’t have a need for running backs in this class so look for Richardson to be the lone signee. Many will point to Ohio’s Mike Marrow, but I feel he will play his entire time at Bama on the defensive side of the ball (I list him as a Linebacker which will be covered in the next segment of Fall Recruiting News).

Wide Receivers

One of the most intriguing recruiting positions to watch this year has been the receiver spot. After Bama signed a huge receiver class last year, it looked in March as though we wouldn’t have any room for receivers in the 2009 class.

Then came time for the MLB draft which claimed two of our signees in St Paul’s standout Destin Hood and North Florida Christian’s Melvin Ray.

Now, Bama is definately looking to take a few in this class and has recently secured it’s first verbal in Ridgeland’s standout, Michael Bowman.

Bowman was once considered a heavy Georgia lean but finally decided to give his verbal commitment to Coach Kirby Smart and Alabama. Part of the reason for Bowman’s decision was the fact that UGA hadn’t offered him a football scholarship.

Many Georgia fans believe that Bowman will consider UGA if offered, but Michael has gone on record saying he is solid commitment to Bama and loves the opportunities he will have in Tuscaloosa.

Bowman is a tall prospect standing 6′4″ tall and weighing 206 pounds. With 4.51 speed, he is considered one of the best deep threats in the Southeast this year.

How will we finish?

Alabama still has a few wideout prospects at the top of the recruiting board in Gadsden City’s Kendall Kelly, Tupelo’s Chad Bumphis, and Bastrop LA standout Rueban Randle. While Randle will be a longer shot than Kelly or Bumphis, Bama is still in good shape at this point. Our RTB recruiting staff feels very good about Kendall Kelly at this point and considers Bumphis a more likely candidate than Randle.

The name that is on everyone’s lips right now is 6′3″, 180 pound Kevin Norwood.  Kevin was in Tuscaloosa this past weekend and plans to return to Alabama in the next few weeks so his parents can meet the coaching staff and take a tour of the campus. 

Alabama is in strong shape for Norwood’s verbal commitment and after his visit this past weekend it is assumed they should receive his commitment in the next few weeks.

Tight End

Although Bama will lose two Tight Ends this year with Nick Walker and Travis McCall graduating, it isn’t likely Bama will sign anyone for this position. With Preston Dial, Chris Underwood, Colin Peek, and Brad Smelley on scholarship, Bama looks to have bigger needs for the ‘09 class.

Fullback

A position rarely used this fall has been the fullback spot. Again, Mike Marrow could see time at the FB spot early in his career at Alabama, but it’s more likely that he will play linebacker. As of right now Baron Huber and Jeremie Griffin are considered fullbacks in this offense and both will be back next fall.

How will we finish?

Don’t look for Alabama to sign any players for the Fullback or Tight End spot this fall.

Coming up next:  A look at the 2009 Defensive Class.