is that a 6-6, 340-pound offensive lineman, one carrying an Alabama offer and universally considered one of top in-state prospects for the class of 2011, has committed to Auburn.
That’s what matters. Everything else is noise.
Granted, and not surprisingly, there’s been a lot of noise. That happens when you’re talking about a recruit described by everyone with a keyboard as a lifelong Alabama fan, who’d already told reporters “I’m going to Alabama”, who apparently had his change of heart en route to his announcement. Explanations for Region’s 180 have since come fast and furious: that he wanted to commit to ‘Bama and the Tide simply weren’t ready to take him yet, that his statement regarding Auburn’s family values and (dis)comfort level with Alabama should be taken at face value, that Region wanted to take other visits after committing and was told nothing doing by Saban.
Whatever’s the truth–and it’s probably out there in the muddy gray middle between Saban and Co. balking and Chizik and Co. going full-speed-ahead–it doesn’t change the fact that Region is the sort of recruit that two years ago would have been off to Tuscaloosa without so much as a stray glance in Auburn’s direction. A lifetime of ‘Bama fandom and an offer (however serious or not) from the Tide? Region would have been the Tide lock we all believed him to be last week.
But things have changed. They haven’t changed so much that Auburn can claim they’re suddenly winning the recruiting war, I wouldn’t say; there were more players Auburn wanted in the Tide’s class from last Wednesday than there were players the Tide wanted in Auburn’s. They haven’t even changed yet to the point where Auburn’s really making a dent in the great crimson recruiting engine; Saban may come to regret not sealing the deal with Region, but the odds remain good he’ll find a player somewhere he prizes just as highly.
But not long ago, no player he prized at all would ever have become an Auburn commit. Things now are different. Some of it is probably Alabama becoming more picky. A lot of it is definitely Chizik and Co. selling the holy hell out of the program. Regardless: it’s nothing but good for Auburn.
That’s the bottom line. Spencer Region is an Auburn commit. However it happened, Auburn wins.
Three more quick things:
– There’s a looooooooong way to go before Signing Day 2011, and if I’m not mistaken (can’t find the link, sorry) Region’s already said he’d take his visits. So Chizik and Co. still have a lot of work to do, probably. But Region’s commit is still a big, big deal even without all the AU-UA hullaballoo, because
1. all signs point to Region being very, very good; offers from both in-state programs and another several major programs besides at this early stage are awfully positive indicators
2. it’s worth noting that in his year-plus on the trail Chizik hasn’t lost one commitment to his staff, save in-again-out-again D.J. Howard; even if Region’s not yet a Tiger, Auburn has to be the clear, obvious favorite.
Yeah, good times.
– Did you see this? Because you should have:
Nice, no?
– While we’re on the topic of the coachbot and recruiting, I can’t help but ask you to compare and contrast the following quotes or quote-like substance. Saban, February 2010:
Saban suggested that other schools used Alabama’s national title and newfound depth and talent against it during recruiting.
“A lot of these players make decisions based on where they can play next year,” Saban said. “The fact of the matter is not a whole lot of players actually play when they’re freshmen. … I’m amazed at what other schools know about our team, because I know nothing about their team, and they know more about our team than I know.
“I mean, they get the depth chart out and they know how good players are, guys that haven’t even played before.”
Tommy Tuberville, February 2008:
*On Alabama getting most of the top in-state kids, Tuberville said (without referencing Alabama directly) that many schools have more immediate holes that need to be filled and players are drawn by the allure of early playing time.
Just sayin’.
Region photo via.
Glad to see the Chiz cherry pickin away…. Bamers are hating it – http://capstonereport.com/?p=4973
Finebaum has has the moron on the air now. Classic Bamer bunk….
This is somewhat of a big deal, because it looked for all the world that Saban was out to send a stern message to Team Auburn, that the coveted recruits in this state belong to him. Conventional wisdom was that Region and Dismukes were lined up for Tide commitments, thereby putting AU’s in-state O line recruitment behind the 8 ball. And suddenly, in the few minutes before Region was to announce, it all blew up in Saban’s face. And Dismukes has since postponed his announcement which seems to be a good thing for AU. This recruiting battle clearly pits the robotic domination that Saban brought to the Capstone against the genuinely human touch and sense of family (read: concern for the individual beyond the football field) that Chizik wants Auburn to represent. This is what I appreciate most about Chizik. The culture he has fostered around AU recruiting is genius, and perhaps the only strategy that could truly one up Saban.
The prospect of early playing time has to be huge in a recruit’s mind. I think it has to be the greatest challenge to the coaches in NC championship caliber programs when trying to bring in the best players year in and out. All of the kids are “superstars” from their own little corners of the world. The prospect of being a benchwarmer for the first time in their entire lives, for possibly 2 or 3 years, is I’m sure very, very unsettling to them. Convincing 17 year old kids with giant egos to just be patient and be a tackling dummy for a couple years has got to be a tough sell. But none of the Bama fans would hear of any of that when Saban put together a top notch class 3 months removed from getting beat by La-Monroe in T-Town. All of those kids just wanted to be part of the “tradition” and the “process”. Give me a break. Those kids saw a chance to play immediately at an SEC school and jumped on it like a JYD on a porkchop. I think you’re seeing another good example of that with Auburn’s class from this year. I’m fired up about it, but I’ll be a lot more impressed if we can put something together in the ballpark of that caliber for 5 or 6 consecutive years. Same goes for Saban. If he can keep convincing the best players in the country to come run the scout team for 2 or 3 out of their 4 or 5 years of eligibility, then he’s worthy every penny those yahoos are paying him. It all goes in cycles folks. It’s why I can’t be too hard on Tubbs for letting it get away from him like it did towards the end. Recruiting is a whole new animal. His main fault was not having folks on his staff that had the fire to stay after it like it appears we have now.
But it’s still hilarious to hear Nicky whining about something being used against him that you know he used as an A-1 selling point for 2 years. Boo-hoo.
Great points, AU99. If we are learning anything, it is that:
1) Super start athletes have always been coddled, but now with the constant (and instant) exposure on the internet/youtube, coupled with a channel on the WWL dedicated to showing clips of their games (or heck, their games in entirety)- -it’s gotten worse. So, yes, they are looking for playing time immediately, first and foremost.
2) When it comes to UAT– they don’t want logic or prior history to get in the way of their whining or gloating at the time (whichever way it is going right then). And further, we all know that the biased Alabama media will be there to quickly sop up whatever the gravy o’ the day is, and print it for the masses.
I’m mostly cynical- -but I’m hopeful that Chizik and this staff are sincere in their family atmosphere and approach, and that eventually good will triumph over evil- -especially as it is currently packaged in midget form.
Boo-Hoo is right. The local news channels last week had Nicky all over them as he was giving his self-righteous speech about recruits honoring their commitments. At the same time, Shon Coleman was on UA’s campus.
Bottom line with Region is this – even after a huge signing day, the AU coaches are obviously still hard at it. It’s hard to make these kind of strides while standing in a duck blind in Ark.
WDE.
dude looks like a orc, for real.
What a rant by an ignorant capstone writer. Bammers cannot stand it that Auburn has more energy than UAT, not to mention momentum too.
I don’t mind the link being posted for those of you who are into that sort of thing, but only Auburn fans feeling particularly sadomasochistic should ever click on a Schmapstone Schmeport link. It’s the blog equivalent of F-bomb radio, only (somehow) even less connected to reality and even more rabidly anti-Auburn. I took them out of my feed reader at the start of last season and my soul is better for it. Stay away.
BSDR
(bama sux, didn’t read)
hahahaha
Went to that pathetic excuse of a site one time. I’ll NEVER go there again.
Excited about this staff and their work ethic.
WAR EAGLE!
Nick Saban’s comments on Spencer Region’s commitment,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF91uv-72PQ
I won’t go there again. Spent two hours afterward fighting am urge to go find a redneck to punch. Bad for the soul indeed.
Just like Nicky honored his commitment to the Miami Dolphins.
I think this is a big deal because I can’t remember the last time that anyone other than Bama has gotten a big recruit out of Cullman. Someone correct me if I’m wrong on this.
[...] Rivals naming two of our coordinators Top recruiters in the nation and the surprise verbal commitment of Spencer Region for [...]
Finebaum, the guy who has called the CSR a credible and respected blog, is now on his show grilling a guy from the Birmingham News on that rag being…wait for it…Auburn-biased! I couldn’t make something like that up.