It seems as though Alabama never needs to rebuild. When you can recruit the way Nick Saban does, rebuilding is never going to be acceptable. The rich got richer on Wednesday when quarterback Blake Barnett gave his solid verbal to the Crimson Tide, already owners of the top-ranked recruiting class in 2015.
Alabama, for whatever reason, never seems to be able to get a stud quarterback recruit, but perhaps this could end up being a different story down the line. Though nobody will challenge the results seen with guys like Greg McElroy or AJ McCarron (SEC and BCS championships tend to speak volumes) but the hopes will be high for Barnett, a four-star quarterback according to Rivals.com. Barnett also brings a little more versatility to the Alabama offense as a dual-threat quarterback. Saban looking to utilize a dual-threat quarterback? Now that could be something to witness.
Or will it? According to AL.com, Barnett has already been working with a quarterback coach to prepare him to fit into Alabama’s pro-style offense. That would seem to fit the Saban model, but a coach as smart as Saban knows the best chance to win is to utilize the abilities of his players to their fullest. It would make sense Barnett is preparing to lead a traditional, pro-style offense, but it would be silly not to let him use his legs to his advantage when needed in a division that has shown the benefits of a mobile option under center in recent years.
Barnett was previously thought to be heading to Notre Dame, but he backed away from the Irish recently. That put Alabama in the driver’s seat with a challenge from Oregon. He is expected to enroll early at Alabama, joining the program in January after graduating this December.
Photo credit: Rivals.com