Recruiting jitters

S it back, take a deep breath and go watch the Super Bowl or something. That’s better than the gnashing of teeth some Alabama fans are engaged in during the closing hours of Recruiting 2007.

Sure reports from recruiting services saying Kerry Murphy is going to Miami and Sidell Corley is going to LSU are disappointing for some fans. But fans should have some perspective.

First, Saban has a few hours remaining to attempt a last-minute save. Will it happen? Probably not, but there is always the possibility when dealing with teenagers. And don’t forget there are a few other surprises still lingering.

Second, if Alabama were going to lose a recruit in this class, then losing a defensive line prospect is the best place. Alabama’s bright spot was the defensive line—the team has recruited several talented players including the best defensive lineman I’ve seen this year in Alfred McCullough. (You can go back in the archives and read how I’ve praised McCullough.) In summation, this class with or without Murphy will be very strong and talented on the defensive line. The class would be stronger with Murphy, but in a 3-4 you can only put so many linemen on the field. Perhaps that was part of Murphy’s thinking?

Third, this class is already better than the Shula recruits and Saban has only been on the job a month. That’s a strong start. He’s got great assistants (like Applewhite) that quickly paid dividends on the recruiting trail. Give it another year and see if Alabama isn’t a top five class.

Like I said, go watch television or something. There’s a history of American food including Hershey’s chocolate on the History Channel right now.