BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Of 23 remaining members of Alabama's touted 2008 recruiting class, 21 have played, and nine have started.
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After 17 games, the participation numbers are staggering. Alabama's 2008 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 by most analysts. Of 23 remaining members of Alabama's that class, 21 have since played. Nine have started, which means more than one-quarter of the 32 players who signed with the Crimson Tide cracked the starting lineup before the quarter-mark of their second season.
The Crimson Tide is also 15-2 since those players arrived on campus.
This rapid impact of Alabama's 2008 class was the topic of today's SEC Extra story in the Press-Register.
"It was similar to our first recruiting class at LSU," Tide coach Nick Saban said. "We had a lot of guys that played early on. There were two factors: They were a talented class. This is a talented class. But also we didnāt have a lot of depth, so there was a lot of opportunity for those guys."
Said Chris Low of ESPN.com: "We all get caught up in the hype of a recruiting class, where itās ranked, how many stars it has. But that class ā two years in ā is as good as advertised if not better."
So who has done what?
Here's a break down of what may prove to be the most influential class in program history ...
HAVE STARTED GAMES (9)
HAVE CONTRIBUTED IN GAMES THIS SEASON (10)
HAVE NOT PLAYED THIS SEASON BUT DID IN 2008 (2)
HAVE NOT PLAYED (2)
DID NOT MAKE IT TO ALABAMA INITIALLY (4)
ARE NOT LONGER WITH ALABAMA'S TEAM (5)
Read More Here...
After 17 games, the participation numbers are staggering. Alabama's 2008 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 by most analysts. Of 23 remaining members of Alabama's that class, 21 have since played. Nine have started, which means more than one-quarter of the 32 players who signed with the Crimson Tide cracked the starting lineup before the quarter-mark of their second season.
The Crimson Tide is also 15-2 since those players arrived on campus.
This rapid impact of Alabama's 2008 class was the topic of today's SEC Extra story in the Press-Register.
"It was similar to our first recruiting class at LSU," Tide coach Nick Saban said. "We had a lot of guys that played early on. There were two factors: They were a talented class. This is a talented class. But also we didnāt have a lot of depth, so there was a lot of opportunity for those guys."
Said Chris Low of ESPN.com: "We all get caught up in the hype of a recruiting class, where itās ranked, how many stars it has. But that class ā two years in ā is as good as advertised if not better."
So who has done what?
Here's a break down of what may prove to be the most influential class in program history ...
HAVE STARTED GAMES (9)
- Mark Barron, safety
- Terrence Cody, nose tackle
- Marcell Dareus, defensive end
- Robby Green, defensive back
- Dont'a Hightower, linebacker
- Mark Ingram, running back
- Barrett Jones, right guard
- Julio Jones, wide receiver
- Brad Smelley, tight end
HAVE CONTRIBUTED IN GAMES THIS SEASON (10)
- Undra Billingsley, tight end
- John Michael Boswell, offensive guard
- Star Jackson, quarterback
- Chris Jordan, linebacker
- Robert Lester, defensive back
- Tyler Love, offensive tackle
- Kerry Murphy, defensive lineman
- Damion Square, defensive lineman (Out with ACL tear)
- Courtney Upshaw, linebacker
- Michael Williams, tight end
HAVE NOT PLAYED THIS SEASON BUT DID IN 2008 (2)
- Jerrell Harris, linebacker (NCAA eligibility issues)
- BJ Scott, cornerback
HAVE NOT PLAYED (2)
- Glenn Harbin, defensive end/linebacker
- Wesley Neighbors, defensive back
DID NOT MAKE IT TO ALABAMA INITIALLY (4)
- Devonta Bolton, linebacker (junior college)
- Destin Hood, wide receiver (pro baseball)
- Brandon Lewis, defensive lineman (junior college)
- Melvin Ray, wide receiver (pro baseball)
ARE NOT LONGER WITH ALABAMA'S TEAM (5)
- Chris Jackson, wide receiver (transfer to Georgia Tech)
- Alonzo Lawrence, cornerback (transfer to Southern Miss)
- Ivan Matchett, running back (medical scholarship)
- Jermaine Preyear, running back (transfer to Alabama State)
- Corey Smith, kicker/punter (transfer to West Virginia)
