Alabama Football: No More Converting 2 Star Players, Team Full of Saban Recruits

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) I talked to William Vlachos after the Capital One Bowl Game and we talked about him being the last Shula recruit on the team. Later while watching that interview for another story, it came to me.

Nick Saban came to Alabama and took a bunch of walk ons, like Rashad Johnson, and 1- and 2-star players and turned them into national champions. Saban embodied what the other great Alabama coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant used to say, "It's not always who you get, but what you do with the ones you got."

What Saban and company did was employ the "Process", and after weeding out the ones who wouldn't take part in it, made them a team that is always included in the national title talk.

So if Saban accomplished this with what was a hodge podge of recruits from walk-ons to 4-stars, what will he do with a whole team of 3-, 4- and 5-star athletes?

In 2009, Saban had nothing below a 3-star recruit and he landed four of the very hard to get 5-star recruits.

In 2010, there was a 2-star kicker, Jay Williams, (punters rarely get high stars) but the rest of the team was solid, including 5-star starter this year, DeMarcus Milliner.

The 2011 year saw Alabama return to the top of the recruiting world with yet another No. 1 class. There were no 2-stars, only four 3-stars, an amazing 14 4-star athletes and three more valued 5-star recruits.

The question is not if Saban will win another national championship, but how many he will win with these recruiting classes he's bringing in year after year.

For the rest of the coaches in the SEC and across the nation, Saban has raised the bar and it's going to be difficult for the others to catch up.