Alabama Football: Top 2010 High School Recruits

The Alabama football coaching staff has managed to impress fans both on and off the field in recent years. Not only have Saban and Co. led the Tide back to national prominence in the polls, they have also out-recruited almost every other school in the nation. Even with the departure of their star recruiter and linebacker coach Lance Thompson, Alabama stands ready to bring in another top shelf group of football players for the 2010 season.

Committed

DeMarcus Milliner - DB
Rated by many as the top ranked player at his position, Milliner is one of the fastest and most versatile athletes to commit to Alabama so far. It is rare to see a recruit of his status commit so early, but with the prompt pledge comes a valuable sense of relaxation and a lack of media distractions. When asked by River Region Sports about why he made such an early commitment, Milliner replied, "Now, I don't have to worry about anything else... I did it because of teammates, distraction and just, I get back to myself being the old DeMarcus Milliner again."
This young defensive back has seen action on offense, defense and special teams throughout high school, and his versatility and speed definitely make him a viable kick return option at the next level.
To go along with his superior coverage ability, vision and blazing speed, he also demonstrates great tackling form. He always seems to use his arms to wrap up the ball carrier (a trait absent among a lot of "big hitting" defensive backs). He demonstrates confidence in his tackling by regularly stepping down and helping the linebackers to stop the run. This guy will surely make an early impact for Alabama's football team in one way or another.

Jarrick Williams - DB
Like Milliner, Williams is making an impact on both sides of the football during his senior season. He is a well built, hard hitting player who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He shows superior body control in the air as well as a strong desire to earn extra yards when the ball is in his hands. Williams should add some depth at the safety position for Alabama.

DeAndrew White - WR
White provides the Tide with another option in the return game while also adding depth at the receiver position. He shows great concentration when looking in the deep ball and appears to possess a frame that could handle some needed additional size (currently listed at 6'0" 170 pounds by Rivals.com)

Phillip Sims - QB
This top ranked prospect recently attended an exclusive quarterback camp in Hawaii where he was asked who had the strongest arm and most accurate arm among the elite players in attendance. Sims, responding with a confident (bordering on cocky) tone of voice, gave a short and convincing response; he simply said, "Me".
Phillip Sims is a big guy with enormous potential at the next level. While his size might take a little away from his foot speed, he still manages to move around pretty effectively. He works well out of the shotgun and demonstrates a great ability to place the deep ball. While Alabama has significant depth at the quarterback position, look for Sims to come in and make a name for himself early.

Jalston Fowler - RB
Fowler is a rare type of player who possesses enormous size and power along with decent speed and soft hands out of the backfield. He is listed at 6'0" and 240 pounds by Rivals.com, and as you might expect, he is not afraid of running through defenders. His ability to match a linebacker's size allows him to be extremely effective between the tackles, but his real value shows when he is tasked with catching the ball. He could find himself making an early impact as either a running back or short route receiver depending on what the Alabama coaching staff has planned. Regardless of where this young athlete finds himself, you can bet opposing defenders won't be lining up to try and tackle him.

Cade Foster - K
This kid could be the cure for Alabama's kick coverage woes. The Tide have let up a number of big kick returns this season and even with the extra effort made to fix this problem, they still seem to be giving up field position week after week. Enter Cade Foster; top notch kicker who doubles as a middle linebacker for Texas high school powerhouse, Southlake Carroll.
Foster specializes in ridiculously deep kick-offs but also adds a much needed eleventh tackler on kick-off coverage. He is listed at 6'2", 220 pounds and is not afraid of sticking his nose into contact; in fact, he seems to really enjoy it. Foster could find himself making an immediate impact with the departure of the often inconsistent Leigh Tiffin.

Possible Future Commitment

Jeff Luc - LB
This guy is flat out huge. He is one of the most well built high school athletes in the country and has the ability to absolutely punish ball carriers. One of the biggest hitters I have seen this year, Luc shows great speed off the edge and is not bad in coverage either. He seems to have no problem shedding blocks and looks very alert against play-action. If the Tide can reel in this recruit, he will only add to the myriad of bone crushers already on the Crimson Tide's roster.

While all of these players look impressive, they are only the tip of the iceberg that is Alabama's still developing 2010 recruiting class. Fans should be excited about this new generation regardless of where Alabama finishes among the final football recruiting ranks.

"DeAndrew White" Rivals.com
"Jalston Fowler" Rivals.com