If youāve already shifted your thought process to the 2018 recruiting class, youāre definitely not alone, but there are some schools who have not yet shut the door on the 2017 class.
And the reason why is 4-star defensive end Jarez Parks.
A decision on National Signing Day that resulted in Parksā opting to take a grayshirt at Alabama instead of enrolling this upcoming fall at another institution was widely debated.
Other power programs tried to sway him away from that move on Feb. 1, and they have not given up the hope of flipping Parks from the Crimson Tide, according to 247Sports.
Parksā coach at Sebastian River High School acknowledged that those same programs are still blowing up the 4-star defensive endās phone, but the status quo remains the same.
āWhere we stand at today, weāre still Alabama,ā Ronald Freeman said. āWeāre still getting a lot of calls from LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Miami, those guys. Theyāre still trying to curve him, but you know heās very hard with Alabama. Thatās his thing, thatās what he wants to do.ā
A huge reason why Parks is set on sticking with the Crimson Tide is because of the vibe and the people in Tuscaloosa. It feels right to him.
While understandable, Alabamaās grayshirting practices are more complex than a playerās comfortability on campus. Many people, whether they cheer for Alabama or not, will acknowledge the positive atmosphere that exists in T-Town. Itās evident as soon as you walk on campus. The issue is that Nick Sabanās staff has been nearly depleted since its national championship loss to Clemson, and the Tide still make strong-arm moves like this one.
Take a look at the assistants who left Alabama in the past few months: Billy Napier, Mario Cristobal, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian. Granted, all of them left the offensive side of the ball, but linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi ā a.k.a. Alabamaās best recruiters ā nearly left for a job at Cal, too. The point is the Crimson Tide staff has never been as detachable as it is now, and it still finds a way to convince the No. 68 overall player in the country to turn down other offers and delay his college enrollment until January of 2018.
The power of the Alabama brand is incredible. The cunning of Saban and his assistants is baffling.
Parks could choose to stay in state and play close to home by signing with Florida State or Miami. And not only would he be able to enroll sooner, but heād also find the field earlier.
Georgia and LSU are both in need of hybrid edge rushers like Parks, yet heās intent on attending Alabama and risking becoming an erasable name on what has become yet another No. 1-ranked recruiting class for the Tide.
Thatās the magic of what Saban has built in Tuscaloosa. He can take a team with a true freshman quarterback, another former blue-chip tailback, another re-stocked defensive unit, lose in the national title game and still find a way to convince highly-touted recruits like Parks to grayshirt.
On top of that, the effect lingers. Even as other elite programs come sniffing around, the scent of the Crimson Tide wafts through the air, and they ā as well as the rest of college football ā can tell Alabama wonāt be fading away anytime soon.
Schools Working To Flip Alabama Grayshirt Commit Jarez Parks
And the reason why is 4-star defensive end Jarez Parks.
A decision on National Signing Day that resulted in Parksā opting to take a grayshirt at Alabama instead of enrolling this upcoming fall at another institution was widely debated.
Other power programs tried to sway him away from that move on Feb. 1, and they have not given up the hope of flipping Parks from the Crimson Tide, according to 247Sports.
Parksā coach at Sebastian River High School acknowledged that those same programs are still blowing up the 4-star defensive endās phone, but the status quo remains the same.
āWhere we stand at today, weāre still Alabama,ā Ronald Freeman said. āWeāre still getting a lot of calls from LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Miami, those guys. Theyāre still trying to curve him, but you know heās very hard with Alabama. Thatās his thing, thatās what he wants to do.ā
A huge reason why Parks is set on sticking with the Crimson Tide is because of the vibe and the people in Tuscaloosa. It feels right to him.
While understandable, Alabamaās grayshirting practices are more complex than a playerās comfortability on campus. Many people, whether they cheer for Alabama or not, will acknowledge the positive atmosphere that exists in T-Town. Itās evident as soon as you walk on campus. The issue is that Nick Sabanās staff has been nearly depleted since its national championship loss to Clemson, and the Tide still make strong-arm moves like this one.
Take a look at the assistants who left Alabama in the past few months: Billy Napier, Mario Cristobal, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian. Granted, all of them left the offensive side of the ball, but linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi ā a.k.a. Alabamaās best recruiters ā nearly left for a job at Cal, too. The point is the Crimson Tide staff has never been as detachable as it is now, and it still finds a way to convince the No. 68 overall player in the country to turn down other offers and delay his college enrollment until January of 2018.
The power of the Alabama brand is incredible. The cunning of Saban and his assistants is baffling.
Parks could choose to stay in state and play close to home by signing with Florida State or Miami. And not only would he be able to enroll sooner, but heād also find the field earlier.
Georgia and LSU are both in need of hybrid edge rushers like Parks, yet heās intent on attending Alabama and risking becoming an erasable name on what has become yet another No. 1-ranked recruiting class for the Tide.
Thatās the magic of what Saban has built in Tuscaloosa. He can take a team with a true freshman quarterback, another former blue-chip tailback, another re-stocked defensive unit, lose in the national title game and still find a way to convince highly-touted recruits like Parks to grayshirt.
On top of that, the effect lingers. Even as other elite programs come sniffing around, the scent of the Crimson Tide wafts through the air, and they ā as well as the rest of college football ā can tell Alabama wonāt be fading away anytime soon.
Schools Working To Flip Alabama Grayshirt Commit Jarez Parks
