Alabama has real intrigue on National Signing Day

For the first time in a few years, drama surrounds National Signing Day not only for fans of the University of Alabama football program but also in the offices at the Mal Moore Athletic Facility.

By and large, coaches have an idea where recruits are headed Wednesday, but there exists real mystery around a few key targets. Add to that the fact that two of the top three rated players in the state haven’t announced a decision and this National Signing Day brings something the last few haven’t: intrigue.

The last several years Alabama had the top-rated recruiting class nearly locked up heading into NSD. This year, on the eve of recruiting’s high day, UA ranks eighth with 18 commitments and the possibility of adding seven to nine more student-athletes.

Mike Farrell, national recruiting director for Rivals.com, said he thinks Alabama will still land the top spot, but regardless of where it ends up, the Crimson Tide will close strong.

What’s different about this year? It’s a fair question, but recruiting is so fluid, involving the decisions and whims of 17- to 18-year-old high school students and their families, there really is no normal.

What’s perhaps more remarkable is that Alabama was so consistent in locking down their prospects before NSD in previous years. That kind of congruity is rare.

Alabama’s extended season into recruiting season from the SEC Championship Game to the Cotton Bowl semifinal to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game meant coaches spent more time game planning when their competition focused solely on recruiting.

Conversely, that also meant that the Crimson Tide was plastered across all media platforms for more than a month due to their excellence on the field, something top-tier recruits pay attention to.

It also came down to just individual preference.

“The majority of their top targets just wanted to wait until signing day,” TideSports.com recruiting analyst Andrew Bone said. “We kind of thought we would see guys like Mack Wilson and Ben Davis announce a decision before National Signing Day. They certainly decided to wait all the way up until the end.

“Alabama had a couple of weeks where they weren’t on the road recruiting mainly because they were trying to prepare for an SEC Championship Game and a national championship. They were backed up a little bit. They started getting back into the lead or at least the top two with of a lot of these guys once they hit the road again.

“It’s been a different year this year. We haven’t really seen a lot of players wait all the way until signing day in previous years. A lot of top players saw coaches leaving a lot of their favorite schools. They wanted to re-evaluate after coaches left, take all visits and make sure they were making the right decision.”

Alabama’s class the way it is currently constituted breaks down into two five-star recruits, eight four stars and eight three stars. Two of the best players in the state — Gordo High School’s Ben Davis and Carver-Montgomery’s Mack Wilson — both rank as five stars and are more than real possibilities for the Crimson Tide’s 2016 class.

It would be considered an upset if both don’t roll with the Tide today.

“I think the strength of the class is going to end up at the linebacker position, as long as they sign the ones they really want,” TideSpors.com recruiting analyst Andrew Bone said. “As long as they sign Ben Davis and Mack Wilson, if they can get Terrell Hall (defensive lineman/outside linebacker) out of Washington, D.C., those are three five-star linebackers who are really heavily coveted. They’ll make the class look extremely well.”

Mique Juarez, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound five-star inside linebacker from California, is also in play.

Two five-star offensive tackles (Jonah Williams and Charles Baldwin) are already on campus, part of eight early enrollees of the 2016 class.

“They’ve met some needs,” Bone said. “I think a really big need is at offensive tackle next year, replacing Dominick Jackson. They got Charles Baldwin, the No. 1 junior college offensive lineman in the country. I think he’ll come in and compete right away.

“The offensive line class is outstanding, especially at tackle.”

Another key spot is running back, where depth was a concern heading into the 2015 season. Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris both completed their true freshmen seasons and are now the most experienced running backs on the team with the departure of Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake.

The top-rated running back in the country, B.J. Emmons, is committed and the coaching staff may add one more to the class.

“Running back was certainly a big position of need this year,” Bone said. “They have the No. 1 running back in the country in B.J. Emmons. They also want another running back in this class.

“Right now, I think the best shot is with Joshua Jacobs out of Tulsa. He was recently offered. I think they have a good chance to end up with him. Alabama has also offered a few other running backs, but I think Jacobs is the best bet right now.”

Wednesday will come fast and furious and at the end of the day a familiar name may reside at the top of the rankings.

“They have plenty of room to add at least (seven) more players,” Bone said. “I think they’ll certainly hit the 25 number. They’ll likely miss on a few, but I think they’re going to close extremely strong and push for that No. 1 overall ranking,” Bone said.

Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0229.