After already securing the commitment of a kicker in the 2010 recruiting class, Nick Saban and company have moved on and have now secured the commitment of a punter. Jay Williams, a 6'4 and 220 pound punter of Thomasville, Alabama, has committed to the Tide. Williams' stock has been skyrocketing as of late, as he picked up offers from Alabama, Florida, and Houston after impressing all three with camp performances. Admittedly an lifelong Alabama fan, Williams committed to the Tide shortly after being offered by Nick Saban. As a junior in high school, he averaged almost 50 yards per punt, and was also the standout pitcher on one of the top baseball teams in the 4A classification.
Anyway, this marks the first time in probably ever that Alabama has signed both a kicker and a punter to a scholarship in the same class. With Leigh Tiffin and P.J. Fitzgerald graduating after the 2009 season, it is clear that Coach Saban and company want Cade Foster to come in and immediately handle placekicking duties and have Williams take over the punting job. Foster already plans to enroll early this December, and I would not be surprised if Williams ended up doing the same.
At any rate, it's a bit of an interesting development. It is admittedly rare for a school to sign kickers or punters to a scholarship, but it is becoming more common these days, and frankly this just goes to show you that offer two incredible recruiting classes in 2008 and 2009, with another inevitably on the way in 2010, we have reached a point where filling needs on offense and defense is not as big of an issue as it was in the recent past. Punting and kicking, however, are probably two of our biggest needs, and with a general lack of needs elsewhere, this gives us the freedom to sign a kicker and a punter in the 2010 class. One way or the other, it is nice to see us getting good prospects here. Foster was recently given a fourth-star by Scout.com and rated the #3 kicker prospect in the country, and with his offer list Williams will undoubtedly be rated as one of the top punter prospects in the country as well.
Williams becomes the 14th commitment of the 2010 recruiting class.