While many of the Alabama football players are enjoying a few weeks off after final exams before getting ready for the upcoming season, head coach Nick Saban and his staff have been hot on the recruiting trail and have recently gotten commitments from a few big names.
Between May 16 and May 21, the Tide received commitments from quarterback Cooper Bateman, defensive end Darius Paige and defensive end Jonathan Allen, bringing Alabama’s total number of pledges to 14 for the class of 2013. Scout.com lists the Tide’s class as the seventh-best nationally so far, but 247 Sports has Alabama at number two, trailing only Michigan.
“The 2013 class, these guys have watched Alabama on the TV a lot. They’ve seen them play in the national championship,” said Aaron Suttles, senior recruiting analyst for TideSports.com, part of the Rivals network. “Alabama right now is really hot for a lot of different reasons…they’re putting guys in the League, and they’re proving it, and that’s really important to a lot of these kids.”
Among the three who recently pledged, Bateman’s commitment may have been the biggest. The recent transfer of quarterback Phillip Sims left Alabama thin at the game’s most important position, but the Tide was able to land a big-time prospect, according to most recruiting services.
“Huge. It can’t be overstated how big it was,” Suttles said. “It really fills a need for their team and also, from a perception standpoint, future classes, it says, ‘Hey, Alabama can develop my talents too.’ And this kid’s showing some faith in that in doing it from Utah.”
The 6-foot-3 Salt Lake City, Utah native is listed as a four-star prospect by 247 Sports, Rivals, and Scout.com. Suttles said he is a pro-style quarterback who will fit right into Alabama’s offense.
“Alabama always wants someone that knows when to get them into the right play, knows how to command an offense and the huddle,” he said. “That’s what Cooper can do.”
Jonathan Allen is the highest-rated prospect of the three. Scout and Rivals both rank him as a four-star prospect, while 247 Sports has him at five stars.
Allen will most likely fit in at the jack linebacker spot in the Crimson Tide’s 3-4 defense. The jack linebacker’s main responsibility is rushing the passer – a role Courtney Upshaw thrived in for four years in Tuscaloosa.
“I think he’ll be, from a pass-rushing standpoint, just phenomenal. He’ll have to get bigger, but that’s never been a problem at Alabama,” Suttles said about Allen. “He’s got an explosive first step. He’s going to be a monster off the edge in rushing, and he’ll fill that Courtney Upshaw jack linebacker spot perfectly.”
Darius Paige, a 6-foot-4 defensive end from Pensacola, Fla., did not make the splash that Allen or Bateman made – 247 Sports and Scout list him as a three-star, while Rivals does not have him ranked at all – but he still has a chance to make an impact.
Suttles compared Paige to Marcel Dareus, a former Alabama defensive end who was only rated as a three-star prospect coming out of high school but played an important role in Alabama’s 2009 national championship team and was selected number three overall in the NFL Draft.
“Sometimes, Alabama just sees something that fits their system better,” Suttles said.
With fourteen commitments, Alabama still has a few spots left to fill to complete the 2013 class. Suttles said cornerback, safety and offensive tackle are still positions Alabama will target. He also believes Alabama will try to add a few more defensive linemen, as well as another quarterback.
“Two positions that they will always take every year, regardless of the depth chart, is defensive line and offensive line,” he said.
Robert Nkimdeche, a defensive end from Loganville, Ga., is regarded as the consensus top prospect for the class of 2013 and remains uncommitted. But Alabama is making a strong push for Nkimdeche, who Suttles believes could play outside linebacker.
