You may recall back in 2009 when Lane Kiffin had a cup of joe in Knoxville, he hired Lance Thompson to help shore up recruiting for the Vols. The assistant coach famously boasted that they were going to "put up a fence" around the state of Tennessee. The very next day, Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban landed a commitment from 4-star Memphis wide receiver Keiwone Malone. Malone eventually transferred to Memphis but the message was clear: "Don't Mess with Saban."
Recently, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has been in the news regarding his satellite camp loophole, specifically the one held in Prattville, AL. For his alabaster bare-chested efforts, he was able to lasso a commit from 2-star linebacker Dytarious Johnson. Saban has been a vocal opponent of satellite camps. However instead of setting up a branch office in Detroit, the Alabama head man did what he does best: return BB gun fire with a bazooka.
On Wednesday, the Crimson Tide received a verbal commitment from 4-star defensive end Khalid Kareem, a proud resident of Farmington, Michigan. He made his announcement during an ESPN podcast (hence the headphones).
Kareem is rated as one of the top recruits from the mitten-shaped state (Scout #1; ESPN #2; 247 #6, Rivals #9). As a junior, he recorded 85 tackles and 18 sacks. That is not a typo: EIGHTEEN sacks in 13 games played. He also had 43 TFL and 4 forced fumbles. As a sophomore, he tallied 7 sacks, 80 tackles, 5 FF, and 1 INT. He maintains a 3.65 GPA and hopes to graduate this coming December so he can join the team in January.
A defensive end at Harrison High School, Kareem will likely be used as a Jack linebacker at Alabama. His 6'4"/257 frame will fit the position well. Former Bama great Courtney Upshaw played at a similar size. Watch Kareem's highlight reel here.
Kareem had close to 40 firm offers and chose the Tide over Michigan and Notre Dame. This is a true miracle as Bobby Williams was the primary recruiter. Williams' time as assistant under Nick Saban and eventual successor at Michigan State likely had something to do with it.