Tide Tidbits – February 7, 2010

Saban lists process problems
It starts earlier, moves faster and is getting uglier. The world of college football is evolving as the increasingly expedited process changes the landscape of the sport’s second most important season that is becoming big business. And not everyone likes it. Rules that are more restrictive and trash-talking rivals were among the issues Alabama coach Nick Saban listed as problems with the never-ending recruiting process. It’s not all negative, though. The trendy decision of enrolling in classes early makes for more prepared true freshmen ready to contribute right away. With 11 newcomers of the incoming class of 26 already in Tuscaloosa, Saban’s not complaining about having that record-high number for the program. The shifted calendar used in the recruiting process has many roots. Players are getting attention earlier and earlier from college coaches eager to get a leg up on the competition. [More]

Early SEC look looks the same
The juniors have declared their departure for the NFL draft, and recruiting is all done. It’s an appropriate time for an early peek at the next SEC football season. You won’t have to look long to conclude that it won’t look all that different from the last season. That’s a testament to the staying power of Alabama and Florida. National champion Alabama lost all but three starters from a defense that routinely overwhelmed its opposition. Florida lost five juniors to the NFL. But both will be favored to meet for the third consecutive time in the SEC championship game. That tells you something about the consistently top-flight recruiting of Alabama’s Nick Saban and Florida’s Urban Meyer. It also tells you something about the rest of the conference. [More]

BIZARRE: It is Alabama, no wait Auburn!
Will the recruiting news stop for one day so fans could enjoy basketball? Or at least not think about college football for one Saturday and maybe think about the Super Bowl? I guess that is an impossible dream in a state that is always obsessed with football. And Saturday was a bizarre day in the recruiting ranks as Spencer Region told everyone he was an Alabama fan and was going to commit to the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, during an announcement ceremony in Cullman that changed. Will the recruiting news stop for one day so fans could enjoy basketball? Or at least not think about college football for one Saturday and maybe think about the Super Bowl? I guess that is an impossible dream in a state that is always obsessed with football. And Saturday was a bizarre day in the recruiting ranks as Spencer Region told everyone he was an Alabama fan and was going to commit to the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, during an announcement ceremony in Cullman that changed. [More]

Recruiting Review: A Look Back at Alabama’s 2007 Class
Alabama’s 2007 recruiting class was signed shortly after Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa. While this class was not on par with the Tide’s classes the next two seasons, it provided a foundation for building the Alabama national championship season with players like Rolando McClain. Q: Nick Saban was hired in the middle of the 2007 recruiting season. Was he able to hang onto most of the class set up by Mike Shula? Did he grab any big names late? A: Saban held on to his fair share of the Shula recruits, but there was a significant amount of turnover. Saban and company pledged to honor the commitment of any current commitment so long as they did not look around, and while several prospects agreed to do that, many others simply went their own way. When all was said and done, about one-half of the class would not have signed with Alabama had the Shula regime remained in place. [More]

Roll Tide!

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