At the rate Alabama is recruiting, Nick Saban might be able to field his own track team next fall.
The Crimson Tide’s recruiting class includes two 5-star cornerbacks who just so happen to be the nation’s top two prep track and field hurdle recruits.
Tony Brown, a 6-foot, 182-pounder from Beaumont, Texas, is already enrolled in school at Alabama and, despite some off-field trouble, is likely to contribute early for the Tide. He was ranked the 25th-best player in the country overall by Rivals.com and the No. 4 cornerback. On the track, however, Brown is as good as they come. His time of 13.38 in the 110-meter high hurdles run during his junior season was tied for the fastest mark in the country in that event. How fast is that? Well, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and current 110-meter high hurdle world record holder Aries Merritt had a best time of 13.92 in high school. Does that mean Brown is going to be better than Merritt at the high hurdles? No. But it does mean he has the potential to be a great one. It also shows that Brown had the speed (he also has a best of 10.53 in the 100 meters), coordination and athleticism to be an elite corner.
Securing Brown as a recruit would’ve been good enough, but Alabama also went out and claimed the commitment of in-state star Marlon Humphrey on Wednesday morning, too. If there’s any football player/track athlete more talented than Brown in this class, it might be Humphrey.
The 6-foot, 175-pounder from Hoover, Ala., is ranked the No. 9 player overall by Rivals.com and the No. 2 cornerback. He also tied Brown for the top 110-meter hurdles time in the country last track season, at the aforementioned 13.38 time. But Humphrey was also the nation’s best at both the 300 and 400-meter intermediate hurdles as well. His top 300-meter hurdle time of 35.60 is close to challenging the prep record set by NCAA champion Reggie Wyatt and his 50.25 time in the 400 hurdles is also outstanding. While Brown will be taking in spring ball for the Tide, Humphrey will have another go at breaking that mark when track season rolls around.
It’s extremely rare for two athletes of this caliber to exist in the same recruiting class, much less play the same position, much less sign with the same school. It doesn’t bode well for opposing quarterbacks in the next few seasons, nor for opposing track teams.