It’s no secret that Nick Saban has had unprecedented success at Alabama. He’s a great motivator and leader of men, knows how to assemble a staff of coaches who enhance his strengths, can adapt and adjust as well as anyone in football, and cares deeply about setting young men up for success in the future (and yeah – he has a notorious mean streak).
But, although we almost always immediately think about the titles when we talk about Saban, he has quietly put together quite the accomplishment. With the selection of Tua Tagovailoa to the Miami Dolphins, Saban has now sent a player to the NFL in the first round for 12 consecutive years.
Take a look at this list of picks:
- 2009: Andre Smith (9)
- 2010: Rolando McClain (10)
- 2011: Marcell Dareus (3)
- 2012: Trent Richardson (3)
- 2013: Dee Milliner (9)
- 2014: C.J. Mosley (17)
- 2015: Amari Cooper (4)
- 2016: Ryan Kelly (18)
- 2017: Marlon Humphrey (16)
- 2018: Minkah Fitzpatrick (11)
- 2019: Quinnen Williams (3)
- 2020: Tua Tagovailoa (5)
Wow.
It’s a huge boost in recruiting when you can look a kid in the eyes, say “you have a hell of a shot at going in the first round,” absolutely mean it, and have the pedigree to back it up. Now, I’ll admit – not all of these guys pan out. But, there’s a hell of a lot of talent on that list coming out of Alabama.
A lot of people were scared away of Tagovailoa because of the nature of his injury. But, he’s been cleared for football activity, and the if he can return to form, he’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He has some of the best pure arm talent I’ve ever seen, but he’s got the football IQ to go with it. I’ve seen him compared to Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. Folks, that’s some rare air.
Now, he gets the chance to be the franchise and rebuild the Dolphins from the ground up. If the AFC East wasn’t interesting enough before this, it sure is now.
Big night for Alabama…..yet again…
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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