There has been a great deal of hand-wringing over Alabama Football recruiting as of late. The truth is, you can’t trust the recruiting rankings any more.
Covering crootin’ became a career path in the early 1990s when college football scouting pioneer Forrest Davis put out a publication called the Forrest Davis Southern Football Recruiting Annual. He was thought to be the very first analysts to evaluate high school players using a star-rating system that we all know now. Later on, he had a TV show in called Countdown to Signing Day that frequently ran on SportSouth and TBS. From there, an industry was born.
Soon after, Rivals.com was birthed onto the world by Shannon Terry and became a phenomenon in college football (and later basketball) circles. Terry would sell Rivals.com and create 247sports.com. Then he sold that and created On3.com. ESPN also joined in the fun but have always been strangely inadequate in follow through. Even with ESPN’s less efficient recruiting coverage, there were four major outlets with hungry young sports reporters willing to travel around their region of the country to personally scout players at practice, in games and playing other sports. Some of them learned to build personal relationships with players and coaches and built a following for having their “insider” information. All of that changed in 2020 when the world went insane.
Jan. 11, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes fans look dejected as they watch the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the fourth quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The biggest impact of the Captain Trips hysteria was the government stay-at-home orders. When these regulations were put in place, it was a huge challenge for coaching staffs to evaluate players. The crootin’ experts struggled as well. Both of these groups relied largely on game film for a awhile.
That brings us to Hudl.com which was founded in 2006 as a outlet for high school recruits to upload their game film in hopes of catching the eyes of coaching staffs. It was during the pandemic that Hudl really got big. The problem is, they show highlights. They don’t show the missed blocks or the dropped passes. [Not to mention the AI altered videos.] It was (and still is) a risky gamble to evaluate talent based solely on Hudl video.
When all the craziness started to die down and restrictions were lifted, coaches were able to back to the regular routine. Crootin’ experts were allowed to go back to their regular routines as well but… they didn’t. Many of these guys found it was much easier to stay at home and scout remotely. Some guys still go out on the road, but it’s not like it used to be. The days of the “Road Warriors” hitting five states in one trip, sleeping in cheap hotels, eating fast food meals are gone.
Video is not the only way that the current crootniks process a prosect. Many companies such as Nike, Under Armour, and Rivals hold camps. IMG Academy has camps as well. There are The Opening, the Elite 11, 7-on-7 tournaments, the Manning camp – all great places to see talent. There are even a couple of different kicking and long snapping camps. This is the new in-person scouting. But none of these gatherings can compare to observing players in actual games that count. Too little of that happens anymore within the recruiting reporting services.
Alabama has always had top-notch recruiting evaluators. Tim Watts and Andrew Bone of On3 are near the apex in this category. Watts first built his reputation in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before video streaming platforms like Hudl existed. He spent nearly every weekend driving across the state of Alabama and the broader Southeast, sitting in high school gymnasiums and standing on football sidelines to identify raw talent. Bone has been humping it since he was a young man in the early 2000s and has written a highly-entertaining book about some of the wildest stories he has been a part of. They both have a knack for developing relationships with recruits.
But they are getting a little older, a little grayer in the hair. Bone has a kid now, plus a real estate side gig. They don’t hit the road like they used to. They are part of a dying breed because the younger generation does not travel either. They rely more on hudl, social media, and other technology-based sources. The combination of these things means evaluations may not be as accurate as they once were. Watts and Bone don’t set the player ratings for On3, but their opinions are part of it.
So, I went a long way just to say that recruiting rankings aren’t what they used to be. Let’s look at Kalen DeBoer first class at Alabama for example.
Up top you have the 5-stars Keelon Russell, Michael Carroll, and Dijon Lee, followed by highly ranked guys like Jackson Lloyd, Ivan Taylor, Chuck McDonald, and Derek Meadows. I think it is safe to say those guys will work out. Then there are some lower 4-stars like Kaleb Edwards. But let’s scan down to the suddenly-scorned 3 stars. There are a few guys who are still developing, but then there are guys like Lotzeir Brooks who some folks thought was too small. London Simmons had a breakout freshman campaign. Marshall Pritchett is looking like a strong No. 2 tight end behind fellow rising sophomore Edwards. And Luke Metz is in the mix at middle linebacker.
From previous recruiting classes, we have William Sanders, QB Reese, Cayden Jones and a former Southern Miss baseball commit name Bray Hubbard who were all 3-stars as football recruits. In the fall, they look like they may all be starters.
The point is, the recruiting rankings are not always right. Additionally, they are less accurate than in years past. But it’s a moot point. These guys who Bama is looking at for the class of 2027 have not even played their senior seasons of high school ball yet. Like most FBS Power coaches, DeBoer does not click onto On3 or 247 sports for their ideas. For some prospects of who they are unsure of, they get them onto campus and work them out before deciding whether to tender an offer.
Another things to remember is that scholarship limits have been pushed from 85 to 105. And then there is always the transfer portal to mine. Even if a guy does not become the next Tyler Booker, there is value in depth.
So for now, ignore the “star” rankings and trust the process.
EDGE Tyler Younger (6-4/232) Norcross, GA 3-stars
Younger started his high school career on the other side of the ball as a receiver. He moved to linebacker where he got most of his snaps this past season. His inexperience as an edge rusher is probably what placed him at 3-stars. The Bama staff has been on him for awhile and brought him in for a work-out and were convinced. Expect him to pick up a fourth star before December rolls around.
OL Stafford Willis (6-5/290) Arab, AL 3-stars
The Tide staff has been on this guy for awhile. After working him out they liked what they saw and offered. Willis plays left tackle for Arab, but will likely be moved to the interior at the Capstone. As for his rankings, they will probably move up after more eyes gaze upon his talent. Even so, Alabama has had plenty of starting OL who had 3 stars as a recruit.
EDGE Jeremiah Beverly (6-1.5/233) Hillcrest/Tuscaloosa, AL 3-stars
Here again, we have a guy who attended a Tuscaloosa camp and went through a workout. This prospect might be more of a developmental guy, but again that is nothing new.
WR Osani Gayles (5-10.5/185) Tracy, CA 4-stars
You want flash? Here is your flash. Gayles is one of the top 7 or 8 receivers and one of the top 30 or 40 overall. He is committing on Saturday, June 27 and Alabama is the favorite. He has transferred to IMG which will help him improve his game even more.
WR Kyren Caldwell (6-1/175) Lake City, FL 3 stars
What do coaching staffs know that the crootin’ experts don’t? Caldwell has offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Auburn, South Carolina, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Colorado and many others. He is expected to announce his pledge on the July 4 with most picks leaning towards the Crimson Tide.
