We begin with a requisite nod to Nick Saban. Fresh off his second BCS championship in three years, Saban claimed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for the fourth time in six years at Alabama. The beast is self-sustaining now.
Lose Trent Richardson, Dont’a Hightower, Dre Kirkpatrick and Mark Barron to the NFL? No worries. In come the reinforcements. While lofty recruiting rankings don’t guarantee future success, they’re a pretty good indicator when it comes to Saban’s teams. All four aforementioned Alabama players were four- or five-star prospects in Saban’s top-rated 2008 and ’09 classes. So, too, were 2011 NFL rookies Julio Jones and Mark Ingram, and returning stalwarts Barrett Jones and Robert Lester.
So sit back and watch over the next two to three years as several of Saban’s 2012 crown jewels — defensive back Landon Collins, running back T.J. Yeldon, athlete Eddie Williams and others — work their way into the rotation, gain the necessary experience and eventually become the cornerstones of another title contender, just like their predecessors. Detractors can’t even break out the oversigning complaint this year because new SEC rules reigned in Saban. More here.
