Bama vs Vols

[orange&green84]

Yeah, bama has a great class now but the issue is: it’s too national/and they’re looking sucky. If I’m them I might consider another qb later in the year. milroe is not a good qb.

When you start to suck, how many of those national studs will stick when the drop off is already apparent? Overly neglecting your home recruiting base (like they are now) will eventually bite you back hard.

They were a Ryan Williams freak play away from having 3 losses and one of the worst choke jobs of all time.

It's what led to our demise back in the early 2000's.

 

[Pimpdaddycane]

Late to the party, but…was that Rod Mack’s son that gave up the game winner? If so, this day, somehow, even got better!

 

[Canedude08]

I got it but this year the state of Alabama has 10 top 100 players in the state according to 247. They are loaded this year.

The problem for Bama is: Auburn has 80% of them and Ohio state has the other 2. That doesn’t even take into account some of the guys we’ve gotten out of there so far in this class either who are really good (Merritt, Upshaw).

There’s plenty of talent in Bama this year to make a much stronger impactful dent and not burn local ties.

Freeze has sucked this year (yet again) but at least he’s working from the inside out and capitalizing more nearby high impact talent and starting to branch out nationally. Both local and national are important (when impactful players are especially nearby).

The problem is that this is a unique class in Alabama, it's never this good. Deboer has extensive recruiting ties on the West Coast, he's going to leverage those ties, especially in regards to skill position talent. Never mind the fact that Bama will be active in the Portal. People overrate local recruiting ties, especially in states where the talent is HISTORICALLY underwhelming.

 

[Canedude08]

It's what led to our demise back in the early 2000's.

No, poor evals, an HC that was in over his head and a complacent culture led to our downfall. Miami recruited nationally, they did a terrible job of doing their homework. Lots of camp kids that didn't know diddly squat about HOW TO PLAY FOOTBALL. Lance Leggett comes to mind. A guy that looked great in shorts, but lacked the will to be a legit player. People also forget that Miami did recruit locally during that era, but as the program cratered, local schools turned their back on the program(as has been the case for decades, it's a frontrunning HS scene).

If you look at the roster from that era, there was plenty of South Florida talent, but also a lot of busts, a lot of bad evals as well. It all comes down to evals.

 

[FrostyVFL]

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, @FrostyVFL

Yeah brother we are ALREADY there haha. I lost my voice at local sports bar with all these Gump fans next to me

 

[JD08]

 

[CANE1775]

The problem is that this is a unique class in Alabama, it's never this good. Deboer has extensive recruiting ties on the West Coast, he's going to leverage those ties, especially in regards to skill position talent. Never mind the fact that Bama will be active in the Portal. People overrate local recruiting ties, especially in states where the talent is HISTORICALLY underwhelming.

Actually, the state has had a good class nationally for about 3 years in a row now and the 26 class early on is looking the same with 5 guys in the top 50 nationally. I'm not making a guarantee that the trend will continue forever but just wanted to point out that it's been more than just one class.

 

[HughFreezemyCuckoldYesPlz]

Actually, the state has had a good class nationally for about 3 years in a row now and the 26 class early on is looking the same with 5 guys in the top 50 nationally. I'm not making a guarantee that the trend will continue forever but just wanted to point out that it's been more than just one class.

This 100%.

Alabama was loaded last year and they’re loaded in 2026 too. In 2025 there’s a ton of talent. They always have lots of talent but no one ever said Florida, Texas, etc aren’t important, either. When you are starting to get almost none of your instate talent, that’s a big problem. In Sabans case he never ignored it. He didn’t totally rely on it but he recognized its major importance.

His first big recruiting class that won multiple titles had 15 guys from Bama. It can’t be that bad of a state. He’s had plenty of Nc winning classes when about 25-30% of the guys are from in state. He was smart enough to recognize in a football crazed state you don’t ignore both talent and culture. Even bring in guys who are local who will work hard, contribute, and stay four years without burning local ties.

Freeze, as garbage as he’s been so far he’s doing this while branching out nationally as well (working from the inside out). He’s not ignoring national recruiting but he is recognizing it starts from the inside out and he’s getting all the top local talent because it’s a higher probability you’ll have guys who support the local program when problems arise than more foreign studs who may leave at the drop when things go badly. ESPECIALLY in the portal era.

Are many of those national kids going to stick when they’re likely there more to historical reputation than pulling for the program growing up as kids and being surrounded by networks of local fans?

DeBoer, on the other hand, is nearly totally ignoring a loaded state (3/22 commits are actually from Bama) and one that always has loads of talent or even solid contributors in their program. That final point is so underrated: the contributors matter a ton, too. But even then he’s ignoring really good players like Merritt, Purcell, Upshaw, etc. Big mistake. He’s not just ignoring all the studs in Alabama he’s ignoring lots of really good players or guys who could be solid contributors. Their current class has almost none of either. And his first year when they lost tons of talent to the draft and portal upon Sabans retirement, he’s initially overly ignoring this.

Saban knew this, Butch knew this (I know all about our out of state starting 22 I also know about the tons of non super stars from Florida/South Florida who were also very impactful), Mario has been doing this, and Freeze has so far been doing this. Mario is recruiting nationally but he still recognizes there’s tons of potential local or general Floridian guys we can mine here. If we win a NC under him, I’m willing to bet he’s smart enough to keep this going and not suddenly go overly national.

Always nationally recruit but don’t ignore the local culture. It has always played a major role in our best teams and it clearly played a major role in Alabamas, too. Particularly when the state DOES have plenty of talent and even, at the least, solid contributors who provide depth and pipeline continuity.

 

[FrostyVFL]

Not sure if anyone agrees, but Nico kinda reminds me of Kyle Wright. Big arm, pretty spiral, decent athleticism, but everything looks like a struggle.

Super stoked he put it together in the 2nd

 

[FrostyVFL]

Heupul reminds me of Malzahn and Freeze. Great offenses that were once innovative and different at the height of their success. hard to gameplan because no one else ran it. Now teams have figured it out and they hope that finding that generational qb will revive it.

Throws were there. Sampson fumble in the first and Nico missed some shots plus some WR drops. Very sloppy first half, 2nd was much much better and we all saw the Nico we expected

 

[FrostyVFL]

Last thing to add here.

If Nico plays like the 2nd half moving forward we are definitely a contender to win it all. This is the best defense in the country

 

[NC_Canes_11]

Last thing to add here.

If Nico plays like the 2nd half moving forward we are definitely a contender to win it all. This is the best defense in the country

Are you sure that’s gonna matter when you play Kirby? He wrote the book on how to stop your offense. And has done it against better and more experienced QB’s than Nico.

This isn’t a slight it’s a serious question. Do you feel like this year is different?

 

[JHallCanes]

Last thing to add here.

If Nico plays like the 2nd half moving forward we are definitely a contender to win it all. This is the best defense in the country

 

[FrostyVFL]

Are you sure that’s gonna matter when you play Kirby? He wrote the book on how to stop your offense. And has done it against better and more experienced QB’s than Nico.

This isn’t a slight it’s a serious question. Do you feel like this year is different?

I think Nico is a lot more talented and now everyone is using the 3-3-5 defense.

I think he CAN, and we have better athletes on the field now. Plus the defense is the best we have had my entire life. Sampson is the best back we have had since Kamara, and maybe since atleast 90s. Not to say we will win, but we have as good a chance we have had since Heup got here.


@JHallCanes why man. Whose defense is better?

 

[NC_Canes_11]

I think Nico is a lot more talented and now everyone is using the 3-3-5 defense.

I think he CAN, and we have better athletes on the field now. Plus the defense is the best we have had my entire life. Sampson is the best back we have had since Kamara, and maybe since atleast 90s. Not to say we will win, but we have as good a chance we have had since Heup got here.


@JHallCanes why man. Whose defense is better?

I’ll give you the defense being much better. I won’t give you the offense and Nico being better than Hooker and his weapons a couple years ago. I’m going to have to see Heupel beat Kirby before I believe it’ll ever happen. The best thing UT has going for them is Beck is still playing QB at UGA.

 

[FrostyVFL]

I’ll give you the defense being much better. I won’t give you the offense and Nico being better than Hooker and his weapons a couple years ago. I’m going to have to see Heupel beat Kirby before I believe it’ll ever happen. The best thing UT has going for them is Beck is still playing QB at UGA.

Nico is more talented. But between misfires and drops it hasn’t materialized but the shots are there for the taking. 2nd half we saw it come to life finally.

He’s still a freshman vs 5th year senior in Hooker.

 

[JHallCanes]

I think Nico is a lot more talented and now everyone is using the 3-3-5 defense.

I think he CAN, and we have better athletes on the field now. Plus the defense is the best we have had my entire life. Sampson is the best back we have had since Kamara, and maybe since atleast 90s. Not to say we will win, but we have as good a chance we have had since Heup got here.


@JHallCanes why man. Whose defense is better?

I just meant **** you for having an elite defense because ours is

I’ve got a lot of Vol friends considering how close I am to Tennessee here and they’re all solid people. Good win.

 

[FrostyVFL]

I just meant **** you for having an elite defense because ours is

I’ve got a lot of Vol friends considering how close I am to Tennessee here and they’re all solid people. Good win.

The people of this board are solid too so I personally think a Tn and Miami good would be a lot of fun in the playoffs

 

[NC_Canes_11]

Nico is more talented. But between misfires and drops it hasn’t materialized but the shots are there for the taking. 2nd half we saw it come to life finally.

He’s still a freshman vs 5th year senior in Hooker.

No doubt he’s more talented. Im not comparing QB’s, I’m saying that offense is better than this one.