Alabama Football: Ranking Crimson Tide’s last 10 recruiting classes
By Dakota Cox
3. 2013
Best Player: Derrick Henry
Best Value: Eddie Jackson
This class was absolutely loaded at practically every position. Let’s start with the Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. He alone is a program-changing talent. He wasn’t even the highest rated prospect coming out of high school. Reuben Foster was a hard-hitting inside linebacker that led some of the best defenses of the past decade.
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Jonathan Allen was also in this class. He was super-human as a defensive end. Some thought he deserved to be a Heisman candidate as a defensive player, something that almost never happens. Before Allen saw the field, A’Shawn Robinson balled.
Another offensive specialist was O.J. Howard. The tight end was one of the most underutilized players Saban has ever had, but he exploded in the NCG against Clemson.
The diamond in this class was Eddie Jackson. Once he moved to safety, he became a Tide legend. He was a leader for multiple years, and he did amazing things on special teams with his punt returns. His injury was devastating for Alabama in his final season, but he eventually became a steal for Chicago in the NFL Draft.
Outside of all these stars, you still got plenty of quality starters that helped fill out the roster for four years. ArDarius Stewart, Robert Foster, Tim Williams, Bradley Bozeman, and Anthony Averett were all great players for Alabama. Getting that many high-quality players in one recruiting class is what every team dreams of doing.