Tide Talent Search

From HOW THE SEC BECAME GOLIATH by Ray Glier. Copyright © 2012 by Ray Glier. Reprinted with permission from Howard Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.In essence, what Saban did at LSU and what he is doing at Alabama is not about collecting talent. Not even close. He is building a team. He does not start with players, he starts with definitions of players just like the Cowboys and Browns did. When Alabama goes recruiting it is not finding players, it is eliminating players because it has defined what it wants at each position. If you are not this height and weight with this speed and you do not reach certain benchmarks in the critical factors for the position, the Crimson Tide drops you off the list.Here is how it starts. Alabama collects sales leads. It pours over newspaper clippings and internet message boards. It jots down names, perhaps a tip that came from the uncle of