As mentioned earlier in the quick fanshot, Alabama picked up its second verbal commitment in as many days, with the latest addition to the 2013 recruiting class coming from Grant Hill, an offensive line prospect out of Huntsville. Money quote comes from Greg Ostendorf, who first broke the news, in the free excerpt to a premium article on ESPN:

"That’s where I belong," Hill said. "I can see myself going to Alabama. I feel like they will develop me better than any other school as both a person and a football player. I feel like the coaches are the best fit for me."

Hill visited Tuscaloosa on Saturday for Alabama’s junior day over the weekend where he spent the majority of the day with UA offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

In terms of a recruiting get, Hill isn't exactly the second coming of a Cyrus Kouandjio or an Andre Smith, but he is a highly-touted player in his own right and one who figures to be heavily recruited. Most of the self-proclaimed recruiting experts have him in their top 250 national players -- i.e. four-star prospect -- and the general consensus is that he is one of the top ten in-state players in the 2012 class. Both Alabama and Auburn offered him very early in the recruiting process, and as a general matter Hill could have his choice of most major programs.

Like nearly all offensive linemen signed by Nick Saban at Alabama, Hill is a versatile prospect who could play either outside or inside at the next level. Playing right tackle at Huntsville High, Hill has been a dominant force as a drive blocker in an often run-heavy offensive attack, and many feel that with that background he could easily project as a guard in Tuscaloosa. Perhaps so, but having said that, though, with a 6'5 frame he more than has the length necessary to play outside if he can master the footwork and the initial quickness off the snap. Ultimately playing as a center is probably unlikely, but Hill could legitimately end up at any of the four positions on the line.

Hill joins fellow in-state product Bradley Bozeman to give Alabama two offensive line commitments in the 2013 recruiting class. Alabama only took three offensive linemen in the 2012 class -- one of which is a potential academic casualty and another of which could just as easily end up on the defensive line -- but figures to add several new signees to the mix in this class. Exactly how many signees is still up for debate, but with two already in the class Alabama will likely add at least two more before all is said and done this time next February. Adding Hill now provides a bit more certainty moving forward as the coaching staff attempts to finish out this offensive line class.

Additionally, Hill is the high school teammate of 2013 linebacker prospect Cameron Toney, who currently claims a verbal offer from Alabama. Should 'Bama ultimately choose to take the commitment of Toney, having a current teammate headed to the Capstone should only help 'Bama add him to the fold as well.

Hill becomes the ninth commitment of the 2013 recruiting class, and he is expected to qualify academically.

Nick Saban once again goes into the state of Georgia and picks up a heavily recruited prospect, this time in the form of Tyren Jones, a tailback out of Marietta. Per the Atlanta-Journal Constitution:

Tyren Jones, who is ranked as the state’s No. 1 prospect at RB by some, committed to Alabama on Tuesday night.

The 5-foot-8, 192-pound junior from Walton High School picked Alabama over UGA and Clemson.

It was yet another huge recruiting victory for Alabama in the state of Georgia. The Crimson Tide only offered Jones a football scholarship last Saturday at Junior Day.

"He was very impressed with the Junior Day visit," said Derrik Allen, Tyren’s AAU track coach. "Alabama laid out what they liked about him. They told him about the academic programs, and the support for the athletes. He just felt like in his heart, Alabama was the place for him."

Jones has simply been a dominant player in the Georgia prep ranks. Last year as a junior he ran for over 2,400 yards to go along with 33 touchdowns, which does not include several hundred more yards generated as a receiver and in the return game, and those numbers only become more impressive when put in the context that he was that productive against a very high level of competition (Walton is in the 5A classification in Georgia).

Given that, it's no small surprise that even this early in the recruiting process Jones has picked up offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Clemson and several others. In the end, Jones might not receive the hype that will be lavished upon fellow-commitment Altee Tenpenny, but even so Jones figures to be one of the most highly-coveted tailback prospects in the nation.

Several people will look at the relatively diminutive stature and conclude that Jones will be a speedster who provides value by out-running defenders and making them miss in the open field, but that's not an accurate description of his physical skill set. Jones uses the short frame to his advantage and runs with both speed and power, proving to be a very effective interior runner at Walton High in a pro-style offense. He should bulk up when he gets to Tuscaloosa, but in terms of a physical build he essentially has the frame that Mark Ingram did this time four years ago, and much like Ingram, Jones projects to a be a physical runner who uses the low center of gravity and the fluidity of hip movement to his advantage. A second coming of Terry Grant this is not.

With Jones and the aforementioned Tenpenny in the fold, the Alabama backfield now looks solidified in the years ahead. Dee Hart and T.J. Yeldon will be freshmen this fall and together this quartet will form the basis of the 'Bama rushing attack in the years following the departure of Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy. Alabama has relied heavily in the Nick Saban era on star tailbacks to carry the load and provide the backbone of the UA attack, and by continuing to add players like Jones 'Bama can ensure that basic philosophy does not have to change.

Jones becomes the eight commitment in the 2013 recruiting class.

Addendum: The obligatory YouTube highlight clip:

After looking at the additions from the 2012 recruiting class to the offense and the defensive backfield, let's now focus attention on the defensive line, where Alabama added five signees.

With the departure of both Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry, the nose guard position becomes the biggest concern in the defensive front seven with the new season on the horizon. Chapman finally made the jump from a solid player to a gamechanger a year ago, anchoring the 3-4 base as a dominant force in the run game while providing a surprisingly effective pass rush, while Gentry yet again proved to be an effective spot player by utilizing his quickness at the point of attack. This past season, Alabama used a rotation of Chapman and Gentry at the nose, and with Jesse Williams moving down when the Tide went to a four-man line, that group effectively solidified the interior of the defensive line.

Moving into 2012, however, 'Bama loses what was arguably its only true nose guard on the roster. Jesse Williams would ideally remain at the combo end-tackle position, and no one really knows how effective Brandon Ivory could be at this point in his career. Ivory certainly has the raw size necessary to play the nose, but he was signed as a long-term developmental project and relying on him could prove tricky. He held up well last year in some semi-emergency duty against Georgia Southern, but the SEC gauntlet isn't exactly Georgia Southern, so Ivory still has much to prove against high-end competition.

Fortunately, Alabama did sign Alphonse Taylor in the 2012 recruiting class, flipping the longtime Florida State commitment late in the process. At 6'6 and 350 pounds, Taylor has the raw size necessary to play the position, and he was recruited for that express purpose. He might need to slim down slightly and his snap count could be limited if conditioning is an issue, but Taylor did enroll early and that should give him immense advantage in getting on the field early. Admittedly playing a true freshman on the interior line is a daunting proposition, but again Taylor has the combination of raw size and talent that is largely missing at the nose guard position for Alabama, and as such the odds are good that Taylor is forced into action sooner rather than later. It would be a surprise to see Taylor redshirt, and if he did so it would likely mean bad things for all parties involved.

Darren Lake, a 6'3 and 330 pound signee out of tiny York, Alabama, was also added to help solidify the defensive interior. Lake is a different build than Taylor in the sense that he is more of a short, stocky type, and frankly if he were a couple of inches shorter he would be built almost identical to the outgoing Chapman. He does bring better pass rushing skills to the table than what you would expect from someone his size, so it's also possible that Lake could eventually end up playing the combo end-tackle position. Having played against a much lower level of competition, however, Lake figures to have a much more trying acclimation process to the college game, and unlike Taylor he will not report until this summer. It wouldn't be a shock to see him be forced into action this fall simply due to the overall shortage of depth at the nose guard position, but admittedly that wouldn't be an ideal situation for either him or Alabama. For better or for worse, the development of Ivory will play a big role in determining when and where Lake contributes.

The good news, however, is that for all of the concern inside, defensively end is easily the deepest position on the entire roster. The entire three-deep rotation at defensive end returns for 2012 and that does not include redshirt freshmen LaMichael Fanning and DJ Pettway. All things considered, it would take a major expansion in overall scholarship limits to even conceivably have more depth at one position than the Tide currently has at defensive end; its simply an embarrassment of riches. The only criticism that can be made is that the group may lack a true superstar player -- though a healthy Jesse Williams could certainly change that -- but the raw quality depth is simply without peer.

Despite this abundance, however, Nick Saban and company decided to invest in three more defensive ends in the 2012 recruiting class, with two significant signees being added on National Signing Day.

Dakota Ball committed very early in the process and didn't receive a great deal of billing as a result, but he had a strong offer list and he already features the rough size necessary to play the end position. Much of the same could be said of Korren Kirven, who too was heavily recruited despite suffering a broken leg late in his senior season. Dalvin Tomlinson, however, in time might be the best of the bunch. He needs to bulk up slightly in the weight room, but he has a solid frame and given his background as a standout prep wrestler, clearly he has the agility and a strong understanding of the importance of leverage. On a larger note, all three look to be quality additions who could be short-term contributors if the existing depth wasn't so strong, and by no means are any of them to be considered long-term developmental projects.

Given all of the aforementioned depth, though, it's highly unlikely that any of them see the field as true freshmen, and frankly it would likely take either a dominant showing this fall and / or a run of injuries for anyone to avoid the redshirt. Tomlinson and Kirven in particular would perhaps normally be candidates for early playing time, but as buried on the depth chart as they look to be, it makes little sense to waste a year of eligibility when they will see so few snaps.

After looking at the offensive additions in the 2012 recruiting class, we'll switch to the defensive side of the ball and break down the defensive signees in a two-part piece, first focusing on the defensive backfield before later turning attention to the front seven. We'll begin by looking at the defensive backfield, where Alabama added four signees.

Just as was the case after the Tide's last national championship, in the following year the cornerback position is once again the biggest concern on the roster. Rising junior DeMarcus Milliner returns, but Dre Kirkpatrick, DeQuan Menzie and Phelon Jones have all since moved onto the next level, and given the attrition at the position inexperience and uncertainty are once again the dominant themes with the 2012 season on the horizon.

To help address this shortcoming, Nick Saban and company signed two junior college defensive backs, Travell Dixon and Deion Belue, both of whom have enrolled early in Tuscaloosa. Belue was a talented two-way signee out of Deshler that Alabama originally signed in the 2010 class, while Dixon was an overlooked prospect in that same class due to the fact that he had only played one year of high school football. Both are undeniably talented and possess the raw size Nick Saban prefer in a defensive back, but unfortunately both also expect to be relied on to be instant contributors in the nation's toughest conference.

The good news with Dixon and Belue is that, aside from their raw talent and size, both enrolled early and will go through the offseason strength and conditioning program and spring practice. Early enrollments often function more like returning players than incoming recruits, and having a junior college prospect enroll early on further increases the chances that a player can immediately play at a high level. Additionally, much progress can be made after spring practice (see Jesse Williams, for example). While there will obviously be some growing pains along the way, the hope is that having two JUCO players enroll early can help avoid the mental breakdowns that hurt the Tide secondary so much in 2010 while at the same time not forcing a true freshman into the rotation.

Dixon and Belue are particularly important signees because the reality of the returning depth at cornerback is that there are only three serious candidates on the roster, namely John Fulton, Bradley Sylve and Jabriel Washington, and it's possible that none of those three are viable short-term solutions. Fulton is clearly the best of the three, to be sure, but despite good size and athletic ability he has been something of a disappointment since he arrived in Tuscaloosa as a highly-touted recruit. Losing out to Milliner as a true freshman was one thing, but playing all season behind Phelon Jones is another, and the way that Fulton languished on the depth chart last season has some worried about his future. It wouldn't be a major surprise if he became a highly-performing starter next season based on the aforementioned talent, but by the same token it would come as no great shock if incoming players passed him by and he became, in effect, another Burton Scott.

Sylve and Washington are believed to have legitimate long-term potential at corner, given that the coaching staff could have generated a quicker impact by placing them at wide receiver, but both will be redshirt freshmen in 2012 and most likely both will not be ready to play at a high level in the short-term against SEC competition. Neither really has the size that Nick Saban usually prefers in his cornerbacks, and both have only spent roughly one year playing the position after having spent most of their prep careers focusing on the offensive side of the ball. Again, these players could be long-term solutions, but in all likelihood neither will see more than mop-up duty this fall. More work in the strength and conditioning program and time learning both the defense and the position will likely be required before these two can be considered legitimate options against high-end competition.

Geno Smith, the heavily-recruited cornerback out of Atlanta, has also been mentioned by several as a potential contributor as a true freshman given his billing and prep pedigree. Smith, though, also needs to add weight and he struggled at times against bigger wide receivers at the US Army All-American Game in San Antonio, so his path to immediate playing time could be slowed. Enrolling in the summer won't help his cause either, and barring a surprise showing in fall camp it's reasonable to expect that, while a redshirt may not be a guaranteed outcome, it will most likely take either injuries or some struggles by Dixon and / or Belue for Smith to see the field as a meaningful contributor this fall.

For all of the concern at cornerback, however, the safety position looks to be solidified even in the absence of Mark Barron. With Robert Lester, Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, Vinny Sunseri, and Will Lowery all returning for 2012, 'Bama looks to manage post-Barron at the safety position with no significant drop-off in effectiveness. Even so, Landon Collins will all but certainly see the field as a true freshman, and long-term he has the raw physical tools and the physical style of play to be the natural successor to Barron. Collins comes in at about three inches shorter, so he doesn't necessarily have the length to pull off some of the gravity-defying plays that Barron made his trademark, but that lower center of gravity will help him when he is isolated in man coverage, which was relatively speaking Barron's biggest weakness. Aside from the differences in height, however, it's almost a clone comparison between the two in terms of build, explosive ability, ball skills, agility, tackling style and just about everything else that can be measured.

All that high praise notwithstanding, though, Barron looked lost at times as a true freshman in 2008, and following that season Nick Saban readily admitted that he and his coaching staff simply threw too much at the Mobile native too soon, effectively creating sensory overload at times that led to mental mistakes. With Collins not enrolling until the summer, he'll be trying to process a complicated scheme in a very short period of time. Can the coaching staff now simplify the complexities of Nick Saban's over-under scheme such that Collins can digest it and play at a high level as a true freshman, or can the presence of the returning players streamline Collins' role such that he is not forced to assume multiple roles? In any event, Collins expects to be a three-year player and his time in Tuscaloosa will likely prove short, so Alabama must find a way to take advantage of his skills early in his career.

Post-National Signing Day recruiting discussion typically involves individual player evaluations and team rankings aggregated from those individual rankings, but in this piece I want to take a closer look not at overall ability of individual players, but instead how the signees in the 2012 Alabama recruiting class look to fit into the program, identify how and where they may fill short-term needs, and in some areas speculate a bit about what certain signees suggest about some scheme changes and recruiting needs moving forward. With that in mind, I'll start with a piece focusing on the eleven offensive signees that Nick Saban and company added in this recruiting class and later in the week I'll address the defensive side of the ball in the same fashion.

Alec Morris turned out to be the quarterback signee in this class after Alabama initially missed and later withdrew on their recruitments of both Gunner Kiel and Jameis Winston. Morris is a particularly intriguing recruit because he was highly productive as a prep player against a high level of competition and has a seemingly impressive skill set. Those apparent assets, however, have to be weighed against his offer list that was quite frankly cupboard-bare outside of Alabama, a sign that many have pointed to as a major red flag.

With A.J. McCarron still having two years of eligibility remaining, there was not necessarily a short-term need to add another high-end quarterback signee in this class, but the key here will be the future plans of Phillip Sims. After leading 'Bama to a national championship, McCarron figures to have an absolute lock on the starting job now, and accordingly nearly all expected Sims would transfer out this offseason. Oddly enough, though, Sims has not only not transferred to date -- and we're past the time frame where mid-year transfers routinely occur -- but in fact there has not even been any real discussion of a potential Sims departure, an indicator that many have interpreted as portending a return for the Virginia native in 2012. Either way, if Sims actually sticks in Tuscaloosa then Alabama figures to be set at the quarterback position until at least 2014, but if he heads for the exits then someone like Morris or Phillip Ely could be forced into playing relatively early in their careers.

For obvious reasons the hope is that Sims sticks, but regardless of what he does it can be expected that Alabama will go full force in their attempt to land a high-end quarterback in the 2013 recruiting class. Morris is an intriguing prospect and may be the long-term answer, but the odds seem relatively low that the staff would definitively choose to build around him moving forward.

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As inevitable as the sun rising in the east, another National Signing Day was followed by another outcry against greyshirting and all of its supposed ills, and as is typically the case much of the spotlight was on Alabama. By no means is that practice unique to Tuscaloosa, of course, and many schools in fact have made this standard custom and practice for roster management, but Nick Saban is the easy villain so he bears the brunt of the criticism, as usual. The outcry is predictable at this point, but the recent hard cap imposed by the SEC has worked to make such situations more frequent. With all of that in mind, a quick thought on greyshirting.

First, take the 30,000 foot view of the current competitive landscape. Consider the two basic realities at play in big-time college football: Coaches are paid large amounts of money to win and are promptly fired if they do not win enough, and the inherent nature of the recruiting melodrama is such that a significant number of prospects will not make a decision until the last minute and many other prospects will do an about-face on or near National Signing Day, eschewing a long-time verbal commitment when letters of intent arrive for another school.

In real terms, the interplay of those two inescapable realities is that for head coaches to win enough to continue being head coaches, much less compete for conference and national championships, they must be highly aggressive in terms of roster management. Only 85 players are allowed on scholarship at any given time, and invariably some signees will see their collegiate careers end prematurely regardless, whether it be to early entrance into the NFL Draft, poor academics, arrests, or some other intervening circumstance that brings their college career to an early end. This unavoidable attrition typically makes it necessary that coaches maximize the size of individual recruiting classes in order to offset the roster turnover.

Well, the powers-that-be decree a hard cap of only twenty-five signees per year? That simply means that in most cases head coaches will have to find a way to bring in exactly 25 signees. Legislative fiat or not, games must still be won, stadiums must still be filled, rosters must still be maximized in terms of capacity, and each spot that goes unfilled becomes the literal equivalent of self-imposed scholarship sanctions, each and every one of which limits programs in their ability to compete come Autumn Saturdays.

So in essence the maximum signees allowed by legislation becomes the minimum allowed by on-field realities. With no real flexibility in terms of class size, it then falls on head coaches to perform a perfect balancing act -- whereby all available scholarships are awarded while no prospect is forced to greyshirt, much less actually lose a scholarship -- which is almost impossible given the late decisions and potential defections. The inevitable result in most instances is that someone will be left out in the cold, and so it happened this seasons at countless schools, including Alabama, LSU, Stanford and many others.

For this, head coaches tend to get painted in an unfavorable light by the sports media talking heads and the self-appointed moral authorities, but a fairer look isn't nearly as harsh. Coaches are, after all, doing no more than simply trying to maximize on-field success given the applicable rules established by those above them (which is, incidentally, their job), and many modern rule changes have made that job even harder. Long gone are the days when most coaches could freely take risks on players with potential academic problems or uncertain medical issues, for example. With each spot now unused being lost forever, coaches simply have to be certain that whoever they allow to fill those spots can, at a bare minimum, qualify academically and arrive to campus relatively healthy in the months immediately after National Signing Day. Evaluations, then, become even more critical, all the while the nature of the recruiting cycle changes such that -- due to earlier decisions of many prospects and the acceleration of the recruiting process as a whole -- evaluations must be made much sooner than in years past, with much less information, and a greater potential of a bad outcome with a missed evaluation. And when something inevitably goes wrong, the coaches, and not the system under which they are forced to operate in, inevitably become the scapegoats.

Players, of course, aren't winners either and fairness are often left with a series of bad choices at the very end of a long process. Given their lack of power to change the situation in terms of the existing system, the best advice for them moving forward may simply be to become more vigilant in their college selections and to become more aware of the harsh realities of the current scholarship regime in place. Don't want to greyshirt? Fair enough, but realize that, for example, as a recruit almost certain to redshirt who then suffers a major injury while part of the recruiting class of a top program, a greyshirt is a legitimate, perhaps even likely, possibility at that point given the the numbers crunch that programs must successfully navigate. In real terms that means committing to a lesser program that can more readily guarantee a spot as a mid-summer enrollment, which admittedly may not be ideal, but realistically little more can be done and that at least helps avoid the turmoil of having to make a last-minute decision under great pressure.

In the final analysis, like it or not, this is the nature of the beast vis-a-vis the current regime in place. Scholarships have been systematically reduced for many years now, both in terms of overall rosters and individual recruiting classes, all in the name of searching for a nebulous concept of "fairness" for institutions with fewer resources. Perhaps that is a noble pursuit, perhaps not. Either way, when you have a system intentionally designed to limit the number of scholarships given out to prospects, don't be surprised when some prospects are left out in the cold when the ink dries on National Signing Day, and don't blame head coaches who are simply trying to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

Enough speculation, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to make all those verbal commitments binding with the stroke of a pen. Not a great deal of activity is expected today for Alabama, but the Tide looks to be in good standing with Dalvin Tomlinson and the surging talk late last night was that 'Bama might land Korren Kirven today as well. With any hope Alabama can hang on to the current verbal commitments and add those two to further shore up the defensive line.

In any event, there are four announcements in particular this morning that Alabama followers should keep a very close eye on, and those four are listed below with their tentatively scheduled announcement times.

Korren Kirven has signed with Alabama, choosing the Tide over home state Virginia Tech. Tennessee was thought to be a serious contender here, so add this one to the rather long list of Derek Dooley misses.

Dalvin Tomlinson has signed with Alabama, per Gentry Estes and several others. Tomlinson was the most likely signee coming into today, and with Kirven and Tomlinson in the bag 'Bama is likely done for the day, barring the unexpected defection or perhaps another greyshirt candidate.

Justin Taylor has elected to sign with Kentucky rather than greyshirt at Alabama, thus ending one of the stupider media driven recruiting "scandals" of recent memory. Good luck to him in Lexington. Commit list has been updated accordingly.

Eddie Goldman has signed with Florida State. Not a big shock there, especially considering the signing of Kirven and Tomlinson. This one is a bigger loss for Auburn than it is 'Bama.

Dorial Green-Beckham has signed with Missouri, and Bobby Petrino once again proudly flies the fail whale over the skies of Fayetteville. Green-Beckham is in the SEC now, and 'Bama will have to stop him a couple of times, but it's much better than having him in Petrino's spread passing attack. Really a big sigh of relief for 'Bama fans here.

Jameis Winston, who still claims a solid commitment to Florida State, has reiterated that he will not announce or sign a letter of intent today. He stated on ESPN that he would "probably" sign on Friday, but that it may be next week. Just smile and waive on this one, boys.

Casey Gladney has signed with Texas Tech. The Tech news comes as a bit of a surprise, but he was not expected to sign with 'Bama today given his academic situation, and the odds are that he will be a sign-and-place in Lubbock. In any event, it is funny to see that even four years later and a thousand miles away Tuberville is still stockpiling Nick Saban's leftovers.

Brandon Hill has officially signed with Alabama. So much for any outstanding worries that his academic standing would cost him a spot.

Kwon Alexander has signed with LSU, spurning the greyshirt offer from Alabama. You kind of hate to see this one because, by all accounts, Alexander is a good kid who was a 'Bama guy at heart, but it's pretty obvious at this point that recruits with viable alternatives don't like the notion of greyshirting, and admittedly it's hard to criticize signing with a school like LSU. Best of luck to him down in Baton Rouge.

Kyron Samuels, nephew of former Outland Trophy winner Chris Samuels, has decided to enroll at East Mississippi Community College and plans to sign with Mississippi State next January. You can remove him as a potential greyshirt candidate for 'Bama.

Darius Philon has not signed with Alabama and according to a teammate he has been offered a greyshirt by the 'Bama coaching staff. Apparently this was a late, unexpected development on his end, so no one knows exactly how it will end up just yet. It's possible he could go the way of Justin Taylor.

Landon Collins has signed with Alabama. So much for the fears over the late flip to LSU. Troll Tide and whatnot.

Brandon Greene has signed with Alabama, turning down all overtures from Georgia. The in-state program had put a lot of pressure on Greene in an attempt to steer him to Athens, but Greene has stuck with his months-long verbal commitment and will enroll in Tuscaloosa.

Signed Letters of Intent Received in Tuscaloosa

Deion Belue (early enrollment)

TJ Yeldon (early enrollment)

Travell Dixon (early enrollment)

Ryan Anderson (early enrollment)

Chris Black (early enrollment)

Amari Cooper (early enrollment)

Dillon Lee (early enrollment)

Alphonse Taylor (early enrollment)

Korren Kirven

Alec Morris

Geno Smith

Eddie Williams

Dakota Ball

Kenyan Drake

Denzel Devall

Reggie Ragland

Caleb Gulledge

Kurt Freitag

Tyler Hayes

Brandon Hill

Adam Griffith

Dalvin Tomlinson

Darren Lake

Cyrus Jones

Landon Collins

Brandon Greene

Final Update: With the exception of the uncertainty remaining over Darius Philon and his potential greyshirt, the 2012 recruiting class is officially signed, sealed and delivered at this point. All of the current commitments who were expected to sign did in fact sign with the Tide today, and 'Bama picked up two additional signees from Korren Kirven and Dalvin Tomlinson. Consider this one as successful of a Signing Day as you can realistically expect.

With the annual recruiting melodrama set to come to an end by tomorrow night, National Signing Day looks to be a (hopefully) quiet and straightforward affair in Tuscaloosa, with only a handful of prospects remaining on the board and most simply hoping that Alabama can hold on to all of its current verbal commitments. It's entirely possible that we see a repeat of 2010, where 'Bama adds no new signees on Signing Day, but even so a few possibilities for movement remain on the board. With that in mind, a quick overview of several prospects to keep your eye on tomorrow:

Landon Collins took an unofficial visit to LSU last week -- while sporting 'Bama apparel -- and his mother has continued her now-weeks long anti-Alabama tirade by publicly accusing Nick Saban of committing an NCAA violation by allegedly offering her son's girlfriend a job in the office of the Alabama athletics department. The good news for Tide fans? Nothing suggests that Collins is actually reneging on his commitment, despite his mother's continued protests, and even if her allegations are in fact true, nevertheless no NCAA violation have been committed by doing as such. Anything can happen in recruiting, of course, but far from being a likely late flip, Collins has actually been actively recruiting fellow Louisiana prep prospects to Alabama in recent days, and his signed letter of intent is expected in Tuscaloosa tomorrow. The mother will all but certainly get mad, but 'Bama will all but certainly get her son, and even she sees the writing on the wall at this point..

Jameis Winston has seemingly turned the Tide sour with his ongoing recruiting melodrama, with the Alabama coaching staff canceling an in-home visit scheduled with the Hueytown product late last week, effectively withdrawing from the contest entirely. Interestingly enough, almost immediately after the Tide withdrew, Winston began talking up Stanford and proclaiming his intense interest in the Palo Alto program -- this comes at a time when, apparently, it's not even certain if Winston has even been accepted into Stanford, which does not rubber stamp its football recruits through the admissions process like most schools -- which only further fuels the theory that he is just looking to milk the publicity surrounding his decision for all that it is worth. Winston previously maintained that he would not sign until after National Signing Day, and while we'll see tomorrow if that holds true, for now don't expect the in-state star to end up in Tuscaloosa.

Eddie Goldman also looks to be off Alabama's radar screen at this point. After seemingly dropping down the Tide's board in recent weeks, it surprised many when the Alabama coaching staff suddenly scheduled an in-home visit with the Washington, D.C. product late last week, but Goldman first postponed that visit and later canceled it entirely. His recruitment is still a relative unknown at this point, though most signs have him choosing between Florida State and Auburn tomorrow with the 'Noles being the smart money favorite. Neither would be a major surprise given how his recruitment has gone in recent weeks, but the odds look very long of him signing with Alabama.

Dalvin Tomlinson stayed home this past weekend and has shut every thing down publicly. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Henry County native has made a decision but is keeping everyone in the dark for the time being -- family included. 'Bama looked like the frontrunner here for a while, but many now think Georgia Tech will land this one. Either way, he's probably the single best chance for 'Bama to add a late signee, and he will announce tomorrow at 8:30 AM Eastern.

Korren Kirven took an official visit to in-state Virginia Tech this past weekend, and will choose tomorrow between Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. Kirven, however, has apparently shut down everything in recent days and there is no real news to report. Tennessee is likely the frontrunner, especially given their chances at early playing time and the recent addition of Sal Sunseri, though it wouldn't be a major surprise if he committed to the Tide.

Kwon Alexander could potentially be given a full offer with several other prospects heading elsewhere, but for the time being it seems he still only has a greyshirt offer. Auburn remains a possibility, but most expect that this will be an Alabama v. LSU battle come tomorrow morning. 'Bama is the childhood favorite, but LSU offers earlier enrollment and a much better fit in their defensive scheme -- not to mention that it's more likely he can play linebacker in Baton Rouge whereas he may be bound for safety in Tuscaloosa -- so this one figures to be very close. If 'Bama were to come along with a full offer this would be a foregone conclusion, but that has not happened yet.

In other quick hitters: No word yet on if we will see a return of the Fax Cam girls this year after two schools made complaints to the SEC after National Signing Day 2011. Arik Armstead committed to Oregon. The latest reports on Dorial Green-Beckham are that he will sign with Missouri and spurn Arkansas. Nothing new on either Brandon Hill or Casey Gladney regarding academics. Justin Taylor took an official visit to Ole Miss, which is likely the Tide's biggest competitor for his services, but he looks like he will stick with 'Bama. QB / DE Jeremy Liggins committed to LSU. The Alabama coaching staff has, at this point, turned its focus toward the 2013 recruiting class.