🏈 Nick Saban identifies area Alabama came up short in recruiting class

[Matt Zenitz |]

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That was a win for Smart and Georgia and played a role in the Tide signing less wide receivers than it wanted to in this year's recruiting class.

That was one of the only areas that Alabama even came close to coming up short in a recruiting class that was the consensus No. 1 ranked class nationally.

Alabama wanted at least three receivers, if not more. It only got two — four-star Trevon Diggs and three-star T.J. Simmons.

The Tide was in the mix for three four-star wide receivers entering Wednesday, but all three — A.J. Brown, Ahmmon Richards and Mykel Jones — decided to sign elsewhere.

"We would have liked to have added another receiver to this group," Saban said. "That was our goal. Sometimes you don't meet your goal in terms of numbers, but we were certainly pleased with the two players we were able to get at that position."

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[Max]

Who is floating around that's an athlete they may look at for a position change?

 

[bamafan9201]

Well right now we're hoping for the #1 WR who is supposedly taking an official either this weekend or next weekend. He was turned off from Georgia signing 4-WRS in this years class. If we pull him we'll move up officially to #1 in all the Recruiting rankings and it will add another option for BB or DC whomever takes over the offense this year. I have a feeling it would be an amazing addition to our team. He'd pull a lot of pressure away from Ridley and would basically make covering our WR/TEs impossible with Oj, Calvin, and Him on the field together.

 

[TerryP]

Well right now we're hoping for the #1 WR who is supposedly taking an official either this weekend or next weekend.

He talked with the staff Thursday morning and set up a visit for Monday. It's the fourth visit he's scheduled.

 

[footballer]

If we do sign another receiver, whether it is Robertson or some other, they better be able and willing to block. This may have been the main reason that Chris Black didn't see the field no more than he did.

 

[Tidestalker]

If Robertson doesn't commit... Which I think he likely will (or else he would have signed elsewhere), I'm sure Saban will go after a grad transfer. Heard some rumors about a kid from Bowling Green a while back... But I'm sure he wants to take a shot at the #1 WR first

 

[Che Boludo]

If Robertson doesn't commit... Which I think he likely will (or else he would have signed elsewhere)....

I hope we land him, but have read Stanford is his favorite. He needed about 100 more points on the SAT to gain admission to Stanford. His new score is supposed to be released on the 11th of Feb.

ND was also a favorite but supposedly told him he had to decide on NSD. Not certain if they saved a spot.

I didn't like how he missed all of his scheduled Bama visits, but schit happens, so maybe he has more interest than it appeared.

Seems like UGA is out and GT is a long shot.

I guess we'll see how it works out next week and/or potentially after he finally gets out to visit Standord. Hopefully, CNS's messaging for need at WR pans out and they can bring him home.

 

[T&B]

Weather did him no favors when it came to his cancelled visits. Just sayen. I would say the team that he had already once committed to should have a slight edge in this situation especially when that same team only signed 2 WR's.

 

[JoshB]

I dont think we land Robertson, I was wrong about several during NSD but I just dont see this one happening.

 

[planomateo]

Considering Stanford, tells me it's all about the education for him...but he can't take an official visit to Stanford until he can gain admission, thus the importance of the SAT score.

No idea what career he's trying to pursue, but it could pay huge dividends in the future to have a degree from Stanford if he were to get a job in the Bay Area, so you can engage the network. Living in SoCal - it's all about the southern schools USC/UCLA/USD.

 

[TerryP]

Weather did him no favors when it came to his cancelled visits.

One of the three visits he scheduled, and canceled, might be put under a "weather" difficulty: his second on the celebration weekend. Plenty of fans made it the same distance ... had visits that weekend from other prospects. But it wasn't the weather. I don't know where that started. (Mercole claimed weather, then went to UGA.)

If we had a Brian Butler in this whole ordeal we'd be pointing to the similarities with Bryce Brown.

 

[UAgrad93]

I think the weather cancellation was the same weekend as the celebration weekend. I'm not positve, but I think that was the case.

 

[TerryP]

I think the weather cancellation was the same weekend as the celebration weekend. I'm not positve, but I think that was the case.

That weekend was the one where he had a good reason not to visit. It was a testing weekend.
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We've talked about his recruitment for a few weeks now and this is just another chapter in a convoluted story. If he's taking the SAT on the weekend of a scheduled visit, why did they schedule the visit? IF we're to take the word of people that cover this industry, I assume we should take their word that there was an official visit set, right? On UA's side of things ... wouldn't you think they would know about SAT testing sites and dates?

In my Utopian world, I'm hoping he's just visiting schools with his SAT score being his primary focus. That makes this process he's taking somewhat educated, right? But, then again, what's there to learn now? What's changed outside of raw numbers (scholarshipped players?)

Last thought ...

I'm not a fan of the expression, "mark my words," but I'm going to use it. Mark my words, if you thought the 2016 class was crazy, wait until 2017. The way these kids are choosing the play this game is still evolving. Think about it for a second. Should it have come as a shock to see players having prerecorded, produced, announcement videos? After all, they were just getting into football when we were in the middle of the hat-switch era.

 

[Che Boludo]

He talked with the staff Thursday morning and set up a visit for Monday. It's the fourth visit he's scheduled.

I guess the weather was bad yesterday.

 

[EasyTider]

I guess the weather was bad yesterday.

Windy

 

[TerryP]

I guess the weather was bad yesterday.

Literally, he doesn't seem like he knows if he's coming or going.

For him, I don' think a visit (again) is that important. His mom? That makes sense to me.

Here's hoping the staff told him to wait, get your grades, and then let's move from there. Lord knows they could use a few days off.