How Guys We Tried to Recruit are Faring at Other Schools

[Hometown Barron]

thanks just needed to clear that up i was thinking of Mike Ford. because i remember the day he committed and signed. i was just not sure if he enrolled. thanks again

 

[Harmost]

Creer was rather hailed by some UT fans I know (respectable ypc #'s, and didn't have the fumbling problems of scapegoat, Foster), although they changed their tune when he transferred.

Besides the big ones (Tebow, Spikes, etc.), not much to miss as has been said. If Peanut had remained in good health, we'd likely be missing him, but...

 

[TIDE-HSV]

It may be a quibble, and prospects are generally referred to as "recruits" these days, but, until you sign them, they're just prospects. They become recruits when the recruiting succeeds...

 

[JDCrimson]

I saw Oliver Vernon playing for Miami against FSU the other night I thought to myself isnt this someone we recruited for a while.

 

[BigAL413]

Who was the kid who came in with Percy Harvin but transferred after a year or two. He was built in the same mold as Harvin and I remember Alabama was after both.



I found the answer: Jarred Fayson. What happened to that guy?

 

[Harmost]

Who was the kid who came in with Percy Harvin but transferred after a year or two. He was built in the same mold as Harvin and I remember Alabama was after both.



I found the answer: Jarred Fayson. What happened to that guy?

Transferred to Illinois. He starts for them, and isn't necessarily doing badly, but nothing worth much notice either (but then, their offense in general has been in a slump). He could breakout, I know they like his athleticism.

 

[Airborne Tider]

I saw Oliver Vernon playing for Miami against FSU the other night I thought to myself isnt this someone we recruited for a while.

Yep, Olivier Vernon. We recruited him for a bit when he was waivering from Miami. Talented kid. We recruited him as a Jack but everyone pretty much expected him to end up at Miami anyway and most felt Ed Stinson was higher on our board.

Who was the kid who came in with Percy Harvin but transferred after a year or two. He was built in the same mold as Harvin and I remember Alabama was after both.



I found the answer: Jarred Fayson. What happened to that guy?

Jarred Fayson transferred to Illinois.

 

[BAMARICH]

Oh no doubt about it. A lot of these guys are just outright busts, and that's putting it nicely. All were highly touted, but that doesn't mean anything. We've missed on some legitimate top end players -- Tebow, Brandon Spikes, etc. -- but most of these perceived big misses haven't hurt one bit, and thankfully we should have all breathed a major sigh of relief when a lot of these guys signed elsewhere.

Think about it... Recardo Wright, Mike Ford, Lennon Creer, Fred Rouse, John Brown, Peanut Whitehead, Derrick Odom, Tommy Trott, Bart Eddins, Aundre Dean, Derek Farmer... we never missed a thing on those kids. Every single one of them were four and five-star players, and none of them ever even came within a country mile of living up to the hype, and frankly had we had many of those guys on our roster now, they would be complete and total liabilities.

It just goes to show you that even with highly-touted players with great offer lists, i.e. the supposed "can't miss" prospects, you still see a ton of busts.

Don't forget about Jamar Hornsby... kid from Florida. He and Fayson showed some interest in Bama.

 

[RTR91]

Someone else that has not been mention (or at least I haven't seen him) is Blaine Gabbert. For those that don't know, he is a QB that chose Mizzou over Bama. He took over for Chase Daniels this year. In his first game, he did fairly well: 25-33 (76%) for 319 yards and 3 TD's along with 10 rushes for 39 yards and 1 TD. In his second game, he was about the same: 20-33 (61%) for 172 yards and 2 TD's and 10 rushes for 12 yards. In week one, he was up for the "Player of the Week" done by ESPN/ABC.

 

[LCN]

Creer graduated high school in May of 2007 and was in Knoxville later that summer. He played two years at Tennessee, and over the course of those two years he got about 100 carries total.

Either way, he didn't do anything special in those two years, and it was clear moving to year three that he was going to be buried on the depth chart behind Hardesty, Brown, and Oku. Even without the transfer, he was still headed towards being a bust in Knoxville, which truth be told is probably why he transferred in the first place.

LOL . I'm still mixing Dean & Creer even though they were a year apart .

400 yards out of a 3-4 string guy ain't too shabby though . JMO and not to split hairs but I lean more towards "washing out" over being a bust . To me , a bust either never plays or if they do it's only during garbage time , homecoming or something of the like .

That said , I'm thinking of a pretty "unique" bust . I mean a total 180 and one you'll probably recall as well . There was a very high profile AA type RB signee @ the barn during the early 80's (think 82 or 83) out of Enterprise whose name is escaping me at the moment - want to say Alan Evans . Anyhow , Dye was new and scraping for any sort of headline which might help him with recruiting and speeding up the process of building a roster (notice it wasn't RE-building) so Dye would start him as a way of showing youngsters that they could come in and not only play as true freshmen but possibly even start . There was very little to zero action for him as games progressed so he ended up actually being the only "bust-starter" I've ever known of . Funny and strange but true .

 

[Displaced Bama Fan]

What happened to Aundre Dean from Katy, TX who went to UCLA?

 

[Displaced Bama Fan]

Nevermind...I see where he transferred to TCU. I think his old HS QB is at TCU as well...Andy Dalton.

 

[dWarriors88]

What about a big ole boy, sposed to come in with DJ Fluker, Bobby Massie... I was so excited to get him.

and Pat Patterson as well, I don't need to know about him, since he was already mentioned, but I really would have liked to have him. IMO We missed out on three this class, Massie, PP, and Greg Reid...

How's Rueben Randle lookin for them bayou kitties??

 

[GreatDanish]

TJ Bryant is doing well at USC. Looks to start next year as a true junior.

Jermaine McKenzie transferred to Memphis. Sitting out this year per transfer rules.

Robert Marve at Purdue, and is injured.

We competed with Florida for several guys in 2006. Fayson was already mentioned, but we were also in the final group with Brandon Spikes and AJ Jones. Could you imagine our LB corps of Hightower, McClain, Spikes, and AJ Jones?

Sherod Murdock - committed to Bama, but changed to Pitt when Saban took over. Last I heard he was suspended indefinitely from the Pitt team, but no idea what has become of him.

Another former commitment, LaMarcus Williams, has seen some quality time at MSU, but is not starting. In fact, I think he is even fighting to be with the twos.

Patrick Hanrahan, though not sure he was a "recruit", but he is also at MSU, vying for time at running back.

Of course, Kentrell Lockett is doing well at Ole Miss.

 

[BigEasyTider]

Another former commitment, LaMarcus Williams, has seen some quality time at MSU, but is not starting. In fact, I think he is even fighting to be with the twos.

Now that guy had a crazy recruiting process.

He came out of Bastrop, and when LSU didn't want him, he committed to Shula and 'Bama. He stayed committed through the coaching turnover, and re-affirmed his commitment to Coach Saban. Then, he decided to take a visit to Ole Miss, and about a week before NSD he committed to Ole Miss. Then, completely out of nowhere, he got up on the morning on NSD and signed with Mississippi State. Just crazy.

Anyway, he's not doing anything in Starkville, and we're lucky he went elsewhere. He's playing inside at tackle, and he's not in the two-deep rotation. He's currently in a three-man battle with two other players for who gets the #5 spot at DT, and MSU defensive line coach David Turner recently said that Josh Jackson would probably get the nod in that role now. So, in other words, he's at best the #6 DT on an MSU team with a terrible defensive line, so be glad we "missed" on this one too.

 

[CapstoneGrad06]

Then, completely out of nowhere, he got up on the morning on NSD and signed with Mississippi State. Just crazy.

I remember that one. I thought he might have confused the two when I saw who he signed with.

 

[BigEasyTider]

Sherod Murdock - committed to Bama, but changed to Pitt when Saban took over. Last I heard he was suspended indefinitely from the Pitt team, but no idea what has become of him.

If I remember correctly, he was arrested for something at Pitt and was kicked off the team for it.

And, actually, he was somewhat in the news lately. His two youth counselors from high school -- who he was very close to -- were arrested in East Tampa for trafficking cocaine. The two counselors claimed they were selling drugs to help raise funds for a program for disadvantaged kids in East Tampa. Seriously.

Apparently those two were the counselors for quite a few Division 1-A products the past few years, including Alabama's Javier Arenas. Scary stuff. All the more reason to be suspicious of people who attach themselves to these recruits like leaches.

 

[BigEasyTider]

TJ Bryant is doing well at USC. Looks to start next year as a true junior.

No surprise, I really wanted him. His stock dropped a lot during his senior year, but you had to know he was still a pure stud when USC and Alabama fought so hard over him. It just goes to show you how fickle the recruiting rankings can be at times.

It's a shame we got Alonzo Lawrence instead of him.

 

[glasscutter256]

Jeremy Beale could have been a stud in CNS's defense early on IMO. A couple of kids are at Ole Miss who have done decently well (Walker, Eason, Lockett, Tillman).

Is Bobbie Massie playing? I thought he would battle for our left tackle position also.

 

[LCN]

A guy xcms wanted badly in '06 is doing alright . Ugo Chinasa was a DE from over in Texas who shot up the charts as a HS senior but the 'horns no longer had room for him . He was pretty interested in Bama , as was shula in him , but signed with Okie St and is now a starter . Nothing spectacular but starting nonetheless .