| FTBL Your thoughts on recruiting the state of Florida

  • Thread starter imported_porkchop
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Your take on recruiting kids from the Sunshine state

  • We don't need no stinking Florida kids

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A few here and there to suppliment our home grown talent is sufficient

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • We've done just fine recruiting primarily in Alabama and Mississippi. No need to change now.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other (explain)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    177
I

imported_porkchop

It seems like we've been tapping the Sunshine state for talent a lot more in the last couple of years than we have in the past. Historically we've always relied on home grown talent to form the core of our teams and supplimented that with Mississippi kids for the most part. Occasionally we'd sign an occasional player from Florida, Georgia or Tennessee but we never made the inroads on Florida like it seems we have the past couple or three years.

Personally I can't think of a better way to get your program on track than to start raiding the state that arguably has the most talented players in the country. And not only Florida, but Shula seems to be making inroads in Texas as well, which right along with Florida, might be the most talent-rich area in the nation.

But what are your thoughts? Do we NEED kids from Florida? Some people don't think so. What do you think?
 
I think we are doing great with our recruiting in Florida. I still think we have primarily a core of homegrown Alabama kids with some key skill players from Florida and other states. Keith Brown, DJ Hall, Roy Upchurch, Glen Coffee are just a few of the sunshine state stars we have. I like the way we recruit now.
 
I don't want us to primarily depend on FL guys, but there is a lot of talent there. I think it is a good idea to use it to supplement our home grown recruiting. Especially since the panhandle is more like an extension of Alabama than it is FL.
 
I want players who want to play for the University of Alabama for all it stands for & to make their positive mark in BAMA's nationally acclaimed program. Now, traditionally, those players that'd give their left arm to play was from the instate but if that discipleship is dwindling then drop them like a bad habit & go where the desire is. Also, some in state players can almost fall in love w/ being a BAMA FB player & be satisfied w/ being in the program but not push themselves to be the NC caliber team. To those I say get out & quit wasting scholarships & reputation of a storied program.

I honestly feel like anyone who doesn't want to go outside the state needs to ask themselves if they feel the same way about Bryant (from AR), Namath (from PA), & Alexander (from KY). Those three are about the biggest marquee playes of BAMA. But they all wanted to be there, get a education, & give their all to the FB program.

The flipside is that some of the marquee recruits out there must understand being at BAMA is about the progam/instution of BAMA FB not about the individual player. Those guys can go to UT & play w/ themselves since they are so in love w/ themselves. However, I'm thrilled to see a coaching staff that thinks strongly about the BAMA heritage AND the program they run that they will go anywhere to find a player who wants to contribute as well as have a confidence that they can land the recruit. It gives a powerfull positive energy to the recruit, the staff & the team that everyone is committing towards excellence. AND that nobodies position is gauranteed (even the coaches), so they try to raise the bar w/ everyone.

Sometimes I get going & cannot stop...GEEZZ :roll:
 
I think it depends more on the individual and how they fit pur system more than anything, but it is true that a lot of those individuals can be found in Florida and Texas for that matter.

I think our focus still has to be on the home state kids for obvious reasons though. Everybody recruits in places like Florida and Texas whereas most programs don't come to Alabama unless there is a superstar available, but even then Bama and Auburn get an inside edge.
 
Florida is to HS football talent as Walmart is to Mexicans and white trash. Year in and year out, there is simply not enough talent in Alabama to sustain 2 major in-state football teams. Texas and California are loaded with prospects as well, but obviously Florida is a more beneficial recruiting target for a number of reasons. There are years when we can get a good portion of our kids from our state, but there are also years when there will be slim pickings. Florida never has a problem with the latter. CMS and is staff have worked their tails off to establish inroads in Florida, especially the Tampa, Tallahassee, and panhandle areas. Those are where the 'Texas crude oil' of recruits are 'produced'. For BAMA to be successful, the Tide is going to have to stay very active in recruiting the Sunshine state to supplement the in-state kids that they sign.
 
Lock up the state and worry about Florida later. :wink: JK!

I do feel strongly about re-claiming the state, but I want the best athlete 9 times out of 10 whether he is from Alabama or not. That tenth time I want the guy with average ability but huge heart and desire. :)
 
Florida is one of the 4-5 most populous states in the nation and they're really into football. It's a state right next door overflowing with talent, so we should definately be down there.
 
I think Florida factors heavily into Shula's long term strategy. It's probably a primary reason he sought out the 2007 game versus Florida State. It will be a great recruiting showcase. Both this year (September 30 vs. the Gators) and the next, Alabama football will be on full display within the state of Florida.
 
I agree on making a presence down there as well. The pan-handle is pretty much the state of Alabama's. (for both schools) We have managed to pull some good talent out of there and we need to continue to do so. I think it is harder to pull from Texas, but is possible. I would like to see us be able to try and lock down the state and then go after some big recruits like we did with Tebow this year.

There are several lines of thought on landing the kid, but bottom line is we were in the running. Hopefully we can start pulling a few big dog's here and there.
 
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