| RECRUIT ⭐️Alabama 2025 Recruiting Class Updates ⭐️: Four-Star DL Vodney Cleveland (2026) has Committed to Alabama

I've often wondered if the paid content industry goes wherever the wind blows. In other words, I've wondered if recruits get rating bumps if they are expected to be interested in programs whose fans are signing up for paid content. Now obviously, in many cases the best recruits naturally want to commit to the best programs, but I could also imagine the chicken coming before the egg too, whereby a school finishes surprisingly high because content producers want to capitalize on attracting additional subscriptions from that aroused fan base. Does this make sense?
 
I've often wondered if the paid content industry goes wherever the wind blows. In other words, I've wondered if recruits get rating bumps if they are expected to be interested in programs whose fans are signing up for paid content. Now obviously, in many cases the best recruits naturally want to commit to the best programs, but I could also imagine the chicken coming before the egg too, whereby a school finishes surprisingly high because content producers want to capitalize on attracting additional subscriptions from that aroused fan base. Does this make sense?

They get ratings boosts for all sorts of non-football things. Some of it is quid pro quo type stuff... Also works the other way... guys lose points/stars for not doing certain things. And there are assistant coaches who try to get players they recruited, boosted on the services. While there is some good in it, IMO, the system is pretty ridiculous and the average fan puts way too much stock into it.
 
the average fan puts way too much stock into it.
Well despite all the mischief, wouldn't you say that the teams finishing in the top 5 of recruiting every year also happen to be more often than not the best programs on the field? Maybe this is more a byproduct of the superiority of these coaching staffs than the actual recruiting classes???
 
Well despite all the mischief, wouldn't you say that the teams finishing in the top 5 of recruiting every year also happen to be more often than not the best programs on the field? Maybe this is more a byproduct of the superiority of these coaching staffs than the actual recruiting classes???

I think there's certainly a correlation there, for the teams that can do it consistently anyway... UA, UGA, Ohio State, etc... You've gotta have good players to go with good coaching. But, a lot of fans just put way too much emphasis on where the class is raked (or the individual player). A class rank of #2 vs. #6? Is this guy a 4 star or a 3? And this day in time, it's even more silly. Years ago, a staff worked hard to get a commitment. Then it evolved into you had to work and get them all to actually sign on NSD. Now, it's you have to re-recruit most of them every year and try to hold on to the ones you want/need while also still trying to secure and sign the new group of HS kids. What difference does it make if you have the #1 class, when 2 years later, a third or half of them are no longer on the roster?

And back to the evaluations... some of them are really easy to hit. But a lot of these kids play against weak competition and it makes them appear better on tape than they actually are. Others haven't been well coached, or have maybe been slower to physically develop in some cases, and appear to have reached their ceiling even though their potential is much higher. It's one reason why camps are so important to coaches like Saban, who can get a better evaluation up close and personal in a controlled environment. And while the exercise of rating and ranking that many prospects is certainly a difficult task for anyone... I'd love to see a controlled experiment where these Rivals, ESPN, 247, etc. evaluators ranked 500 HS prospects based off the exact same film and info given to some college head coaches, then they both put out their list independent of each other. Chances are the top 10-15% and bottom 10-15% would look pretty similar, but the rest of it, not so much.
 
The Carroll verbal is bigger than some are seeing.
Projected at T or G? We need both but especially at G.

I like our LB commit numbers so far, but we need more ready-to-contribute DL! It wouldn't surprise me if we lose our whole 2 deep in our front 6. And that's not including 4 out of 5 starters in our secondary. I've said it before, but this '25 class will be crucial for our program's momentum.
 
I'd go find the horse I've been beating to death, but it's Saturday. I'm not sure I'm going to do anything today.

I keep hearing about the attitude in the building. I continue to see things that back up those stories. I know some don't like this "generation" and its approach ... but you can see these guys having fun.

 
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