By T.J. Walls

Defensive End Craig Sanders of Ariton High School is the latest player to pull his commitment from the Crimson Tide. Sanders and Jawan James of Gwinnett, Georgia are 2 players from the 2010 class to decommit. It looks like Craig will be headed to “The Plains” to be playing college ball.

Sanders stepfather told Rivals.com, “I think Craig was looking at Alabama’s depth chart and figured they were pretty loaded there. It isn’t anything against Alabama at all. They handled Craig and everything about his recruitment first-class, but Auburn stayed on him and stayed on him and that just got him thinking about other options.”

In the past this would be a major blow for the Tide Program, but with the few remaining spots available, the staff is working hard on some very big impact recruits. Alabama has a legitimate shot at taking in their third consecutive mythical national recruiting title. Alabama has a plan for its remaining slots on the recruiting board.

In the next week I will go over the remaining uncommitted top prospects that The Tide will be battling other top programs for. Stay Tuned!

24 thoughts on “Recruiting: Sanders decommits”

  1. Quoting your article – ‘In the past this would be a major blow for the Tide Program, but with the few remaining spots available, the staff is working hard on some very big impact recruits. Alabama has a legitimate shot at taking in their third consecutive mythical national recruiting title. Alabama has a plan for its remaining slots on the recruiting board’

    I guess you feel you have to say this; however, even though the depth chart is strong, don’t you think keeping commitments is a huge deal? Let’s not sell these guys short they are good or Alabama and other SEC schools would not have being recruiting them, and you would not be writing about them. The lack of depth and the availability to play immediately were huge in getting Julio Jones and others to come to Alabama, in the past. I think it is careless to write that it is not a big deal; really good players will not stay 4 or 5 years in the college football scene and why should they, when they can go pro? They risk getting injured, and it affecting an opportunity to play on Sundays. Keeping recruits is huge, after all isn’t Alabama in it for the long haul not just a year or two? Wake up!

  2. I can’t speak for the author, but I can tell you keeping commitments is a big deal…only if you don’t have someone higher on your board that you are likely to get.

    Truth is, the signing limit of 28 is going to force schools to cull its list of signees every year. This is a negative for recruits because there will be fewer good recruits brought into the program. It doesn’t hurt top programs who have multiple options, but it reduces the people you will sign. Period.

    The scuttlebutt, and you have to take scuttlebutt for what it is and nothing more, indicates Alabama will likely land three or four additional players in this class and that are more highly regarded.

    Now, will that happen? We’ll have to see. However, I wouldn’t bet against Saban. He’ll finish no lower that Top 5 in this year’s class. That will be an unprecedented string of recruiting success.

  3. I for one have been concerned about Bama’s plethoria of extremely early commitments for months now. We were filling up the ranks with far too many 3 stars and would have no room for the high end 4 stars and the 5 stars who always wait until signing day in Feb. Personally I would like to see us hold open 8 or 10 spots until after the bowl games. On the other hand, losing two 4 stars can’t be considered a positive thing anyway you spin it. No doubt these 2 idiots will find more and easier playing time at the schools they are favoring (Tennessee and Auburn) since both schools are desperate for players at their positions; but they will also find a lot more crying time after the games those teams will lose, especially the arse whuppin’s Bama’s gonna put on ’em! I wonder what steps the Sabanator is taking to maintain Corey Grant’s commitment as the Barn is making a concerted effort to steal him? RTR!

  4. I find it puzzling why anyone would be concerned about recruiting when the best recruiter in college football is in Tuscaloosa.

    It is sort of like getting worried about a gameplan. Nick Saban is in charge and not Mike Shula. There is a plan for everything. Everything.

  5. Quote:’I find it puzzling why anyone would be concerned about recruiting when the best recruiter in college football is in Tuscaloosa.

    It is sort of like getting worried about a gameplan. Nick Saban is in charge and not Mike Shula. There is a plan for everything. Everything.’

    I find this troubling and maybe that is why your aritle is here. Nick Saban recruited well the first two years because recruits and their parents were told they would have playing time, and they did. Please don’t be blind we need to keep great recruits coming…I gues you never heard a coach say, “At some point it is not about the X’s and the O’s, it’s about the Jimmy’s and the Joes!”

    RTR- but keep it real

  6. Cap , your dead on. Nick will have a backup plan. He is the best recruiter in the sport.

    Bama will see some droppoff from the previous two years. Not because of wins or losses, or lack of effort in recruiting, but because of their roster being impossible for an underclassman to crack , unless hes some sort of phenom. Kids want to play….Cant blame em for that.

  7. Jessica.
    Shut up.
    You dont know what you are blabbing about. And it really shows.
    Next you will be saying that Saban has lost his edge.That the game has passed him by …yada yada yada.
    Stop … you are embarrassing yourself.

  8. I think the BEST player in this class that Alabama didn’t get is the Springville receiver.

    That is the only one that I’d really like to get in-state that isn’t on Alabama’s commitment list. I’m probably higher on him than the recruiting services. But that’s my opinion.

  9. You are right Jessica. Nick Saban can’t recruit. He can’t coach.

    Alabama should just give up now because Lane Kiffin is going to rule the conference.

  10. Quote: ‘Jessica.
    Shut up.
    You dont know what you are blabbing about. And it really shows.
    Next you will be saying that Saban has lost his edge.That the game has passed him by …yada yada yada.
    Stop … you are embarrassing yourself.’

    You are sooo smooth, but so wrong! I would not say he has lost his edge at all, I would say totally the opposite, but I also think keeping recruits as priority should be high….maybe not this particular recruit, per se, but definately in general…. so please, you don’t know me and don’t quit your day job because you think you can read minds.

  11. Quote: ‘You are right Jessica. Nick Saban can’t recruit. He can’t coach.

    Alabama should just give up now because Lane Kiffin is going to rule the conference’

    I have no idea who you are talking to but it is not me, nothing sucks like the Big Orange…except Auburn!
    I never said one thing bad about Saban’s recruiting and I have never said anything bad about his coaching, if you are going to quote me at least do it accurately. I was commenting about the article saying it didn’t matter about losing recruits, and it does, maybe not this one but I would not want it to be a habbit…Please actually read a post before you attack me and say I wrote something I did not write.

  12. It doesn’t matter about losing commitments if you aren’t actively recruiting the commitment.

    Now, is that true or not? That is the story making the rounds, and was making the rounds prior to the decommit.

    My post is directed at that segment of Alabama fans who moan and groan about everything. I remember on signing day, when Alabama didn’t get 2 commitments fans thought the Tide should land, there was a meltdown.

    And of course, Alabama ended up with the top class anyway, and I haven’t heard anything since. But it was comedic how upset fans were for about 90 minutes on signing day.

  13. I have no problem with anything you just wrote and I totally agree, I could actually careless about this particular recruit, my comment was about the attitude in general, and again for the record I said nothing about bad Alabama, or Nick Saban, I personally can’t think of anything thing bad to say about either one. Being an Alabama alum, I want to look back at a history of total dommination not a few years.

  14. well, I’ll apologize for lumping you in with fans that overreact. I always cringe when people start crying over spilled milk….usually, I don’t say anything but today I jumped the shark. 🙂

  15. One of the major problems I see for BAMA’S De-Commits will be in their Junior or Senior years.

    There’s a very good possibility Gene Chizik or Lane Kiffin or both will be fired in the next three to four years.
    They can’t compete with Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Les Miles, or even Mark Richt.

    That’s what the De-Commits are not evaluating carefully. They will have to adjust to a whole NEW coaching staff and schemes in the next three to four years.

    ROLL TIDE CRIMSON BROTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

    21 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

  16. “2 words: Alfy Hill.

    Sanders would’ve been a second-string jack at best.”

    You don’t know that. Auburn has a “2 star” true freshman starting at safety that no one noticed that would gladly beg to differ on what you ‘know’ about the potential of any recruit. Way to belittle the same KID you fell head over heals for in May. Future potential recruits can take notes. The comments are still there for all to see.

    http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/05/craig_sanders_is_alabamas_12th.html

    Auburn can use that same excuse about Grant when Dyer commits in a week or so. Would he rather go to Bama and play or would he rather go to Auburn and have to POSSIBLY (unlike you Bubbas, there’s no arrogant assumptions that he wouldn’t play) stand behind the bedlam of McCalebb, Smith, Fannin, Dyer, Aycock (more of a wildcat/wildcard tool), and potential addition of Seastrunk/Lattimore. I’m guessing if Grant switched his choice to Auburn and Alabama got a commitment from, say, Storm Johnson or someone similar that the excuses would flow much in the same fashion. But the shoe is never on the other foot. Bama fans are all wearing their brand new sneakers and everyone else in the college football world are barefooted pawns suffering from severe cases of athlete’s foot. That may get you through hard times, but I feel bad that you can’t enjoy your success while it lasts.

  17. you really shouldn’t insult Timmay from South Park by spewing all that delusional stuff.

    Nick Saban will finish with another top 5 recruiting class and likely a top 3 class. Deal with it.

  18. And nobody I know fell in love with the recruit back then. I think everyone laughed at how pathetic Big Cat Weekend was that even an Auburn lean would see it for the desperation that it was.

    BTW, heard from the NCAA yet about all that? We know the NCAA and SEC had a report filed about it since even the Auburn fans in the media reported the school was going to self-report the violations.

  19. Nick Saban will help a lot more players go PRO than Gene Chizik or Lane Kiffin COMBINED !!!

    ROLL TIDE CRIMSON BROTHERS !!!!!!!!!!

    21 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

  20. First place Timmay you won’t be getting Seastrunk or Lattimore. Dyers probably. But Dyers and all the RB’s at the Barn right now put together couldn’t wipe the sweat off Richardsons balls and you haven’t even seen Lacy yet. As for your 2 star starting at DB, are you bragging or whining? Considering the joke you have for a defense, you might want to consider that having a 2 star at a defensive skill position against all these spread offenses just might be part of your problem. RTR!

  21. So what do we get from this?
    Really….? Nothing.
    If Mr. richardson wants to follow his dreams of playing early, he can try it at Auburn.
    Nick Saban did not promise him anything except that if he put the work in and played at the right level he would get to play on the field.
    The same could be said for a lot of Alabama players who have started as freshman.
    Sanders was an auburn man before he commited to Bama.
    I wish him well.
    I know some sportswriters will say that this changes the dynamic of recruiting in this state, but it hasnt.
    Sanders will not be missed by Bama. There are far too many playeers on roster and waiting in line that can just as easily do the job.

  22. You don’t know that. Auburn has a “2 star” true freshman starting at safety that no one noticed that would gladly beg to differ on what you ‘know’ about the potential of any recruit.
    —————————————

    …but that “2 star” true freshman is playing like a “2 star” safety. Auburn has possibly the SEC’s worst defense. All of them are playing like “2 stars”

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