Times may be a-changin’ in Tuscaloosa

By Marc Hudgens  |   Sunday, July 08, 2007  |  Comments( 12 )

Alabama Crimson Tide
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Alabama hasn't won an SEC title since 1999, which was also the last time it even played for one. It's been very dry for almost a decade in Tuscaloosa.

But those times may be changing very soon for the Crimson Tide.

Heads and shoulders above all other aspects that will pave the way for a rebirth is the hiring of Nick Saban as head coach. It's nothing short of a huge breakthrough for the program. Saban's resume speaks for itself: He took over a below-average LSU program (51-58-1 regular-season record during the '90s) and achieved a 30-10 regular-season record in five years, capping that with two SEC titles and a National championship. After a two-year stint as a fish out of water with the Miami Dolphins, he came back to the SEC, taking Alabama vacancy.

Not only does Saban have prior SEC experience, then, he also proved he can win big in arguably the toughest conference in all of college football.

Alabama's hiring of Saban was nothing short of a coup, somewhat similar to Arizona State when it hired another college legend, Dennis Erickson. Unlike ASU, 'Bama has an elite history. The Crimson Tide has won 21 conference titles and 12 National championships; and because of that, there have always been extremely high expectations in Tuscaloosa, and understandably so.

However, recent history hasn't reached its potential. So the pressure's on.

After the official announcement of Saban as the new Tide coach, the impact was almost immediate. Within mere weeks, many top high school players committed to Alabama for the 2007 season.

A few months after, the impact was felt again when 92,000-plus fans showed up to the annual "A-Day" spring scrimmage, which set the record for the largest crowd in Tide history to attend a spring game, with some believing it to be the largest in NCAA history.

But Saban doesn't come to Tuscaloosa without baggage. He has a reputation of jumping from program to program, and he was ripped by the media after he left Miami just weeks after saying he was staying in South Florida. On the contrary, Alabama was apparently very happy to land Saban, which is evident in his eight-year, $32 million deal.

Going into Saban's first season, the schedule is very much in 'Bama's favor. All but one major conference opponent (Auburn) come to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU have to face the Saban-led team surrounded by 92,000 berserk Crimsonites. That said, Alabama has two out-of-conference opponents that could be trap games -- Florida State and defending Conference-USA champion Houston. And they're back-to-back.

Although the conference schedule is daunting enough, and 'Bama must focus on that first and foremost, those two games are must-wins for out-of-conference respectability purposes.

In terms of the SEC schedule, LSU still grinds an ax over Saban dumping it for the NFL. Therefore, this will be 'Bama's second-biggest game (Auburn always comes first). LSU definitely wants some payback, but the Alabama gets a week off after the Tennessee game, so it has plenty of time to prepare for the Tigers' wrath.

Taking the field with Saban are nine returning starters on offense, five on defense, and an A-list coaching staff that's led by offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Major Applewhite -- who did very well as an assistant at Rice -- and defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Kevin Steele.

Offensively, record-setting junior quarterback John Parker Wilson returns, as does most of the offensive line. The receiving corps will be stout with seniors D.J. Hall (probably the main go-to wideout) and Keith Brown, who showed flashes of greatness last year but will have to become more consistent. If Brown steps up, he'll form a great dual threat in the passing game with Hall. Two big-time receivers with Wilson slinging it their way will keep linebackers and secondaries more than honest, which should help open up the running lanes.

Defensively, 'Bama has one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC (senior Simeon Castille) and a bone-cruncher of a hitter in junior safety Rashad Johnson. Fans may see Johnson utilized more in the blitz given his enormous hitting impact. The LB corps should be improved with sophomore Prince Hall returning and, hopefully for Alabama, improved. And he should be even better in 2008.

But it's not as if there aren't on-field issues, and they lie mostly with the defense.

The running game may suffer now that Kenneth Darby is off to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So there will be a battle for the RB spot between Jimmy Johns, Glen Coffee, Roy Upchurch, Terry Grant and Demetrius Goode. Johns appears to be the most talented of the bunch, but he will have to get his off-field issues in check.

There are only five returning starters on defense. That's iffy at best. But Saban is a defensive-oriented coach, so expect a major improvement inside two seasons, possibly during this one. The defensive ends are solid at the moment with senior Wallace Gilberry returning. But with the departures of Jeremy Clark, Dominic Le and J.P. Adams, the tackle position has a void, with Lorenzo Washington, ex-center Brian Motley, Byron Walton, Josh Chapman and Alfred McCullough all gunning for starter honors.

As stated earlier, the Tide got a boost with Saban's hiring in the 2007 recruiting class. The 2008 class is also shaping up nicely so far, and it's nowhere close to '07's kickoff. 'Bama already has 10 commitments, including five four-star ballers, a trio of three-stars and a pair of two-stars. At the moment, Alabama's '08 class is ranked 14th overall (second in the SEC) by Rivals and 18th overall (third in the SEC) by Scout. This attraction of quality prep talent is largely thanks to Saban's name, and it will only serve to benefit Alabama.

If Alabama can squeak out eight or nine regular-season wins this year (and win its bowl game), expect the Tide to attract more top prep players six months from now, even a five-star or two scattered in there. Alabama will most likely be a young team, then, especially on offense. But with Saban leading the way, it's inconceivable not to expect improvement.

Original Alabama Crimson Tide insight, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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