John Harbaugh offers unimaginable recruiting pitch for Alabama

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh loves the kind of gamers Nick Saban produces at Alabama.

John Harbaugh repeatedly seems to construct up his Baltimore Ravens roster with one former Nick Saban Alabama standout after one other.

Mark Inabinett of AL.com expounded on the Alabama/Baltimore connection we didn’t understand was there. Saban has referred to as the pictures in Tuscaloosa since 2007, whereas Harbaugh has been in Baltimore since 2008. During the last 16 NFL Drafts, Baltimore has picked eight former Alabama gamers, tying them with the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders for essentially the most.

Harbaugh believes very a lot within the iron sharpens iron mantra that has made this Iron Bowl participant’s practices legendary and awe-inspiring.

“I believe you get a bunch of fellows that know how you can apply. They know how you can compete in apply each single day. I’ve to assume at Alabama, apply might be harder than a lot of the video games. Each single day, you’re preventing to your place … At our degree, that’s good. It’s good to have guys that know how you can work onerous and soccer’s vital to them.”

 

After all, Harbaugh is nicely conscious that former Ravens basic supervisor Ozzie Newsome is a Crimson Tide legend and was within the Cleveland Browns’ entrance workplace when Saban was Invoice Belichick’s defensive coordinator within the early Nineteen Nineties.

“Ozzie’ll take loads of credit score for it, for certain. Heck, yeah, it’s Ozzie. However we’ve all the time had nice success with these guys. Possibly it’s as a result of Ozzie is aware of these guys so nicely. I believe Nick (Saban) and Ozzie are very shut. They discuss rather a lot. I believe Ozzie’s type of an advisor and confidante for Nick, and the identical factor the opposite method.”

Let’s additionally not overlook how impactful former Crimson Tide gamers have been in Baltimore uniform, highlighted most triumphantly of late by defensive again celebrity Marlon Humphrey.

“However we all the time really feel like we all know these guys rather well, and we’ve by no means been steered within the improper method. Alabama guys, they prefer to work, they prefer to compete. Marlon Humphrey’s among the finest ever, however he’s not the one one. We’ve had so many nice gamers from there. I really like these guys.”

Whereas Georgia has performed pretty much as good of a job as anybody of replicating Alabama’s blueprint, not all former Crimson Tide stars turn into them within the NFL. Plenty of this has to do with Saban getting as a lot of the juice squeezed out of his gamers as humanly attainable earlier than turning professional. Humphrey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Derrick Henry and Julio Jones bucked the pattern, however many guys are also-rans.

Let’s focus on if Baltimore ought to proceed to draft Alabama heavy going ahead or pivot rapidly.

Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh offers a implausible Alabama recruiting pitch

What Harbaugh mentioned isn’t new, nevertheless it undoubtedly reaffirms what we all know that’s all and good concerning the Alabama program. Sure, not each NFL crew goes to wish to draft a Saban Alabama participant as a result of they could really feel that there’s little tread on the tires. Nevertheless, sensible groups like Baltimore know that drafting well-coached gamers who’ve thrived with self-discipline will thrive with them.

Extra importantly, what Harbaugh’s quotes say to potential school recruits and their households is two-fold. One, your son will get developed and will get drafted popping out of Alabama. And two, there are well-run organizations on the market like Baltimore that love what Alabama is all about. Sure, unhealthy organizations will draft Alabama gamers, comparable to Washington, however they just like the Tide as nicely.

Finally, it nonetheless serves Baltimore to draft Alabama closely for so long as Saban is the pinnacle coach and Newsome is within the Ravens constructing in some capability. Although they might nonetheless preserve doing that in future regimes down the road, this does really feel like a drafting pool with diminishing returns. Possibly attempt to be the AFC model of the Philadelphia Eagles, who’re hooked on taking Georgia Bulldogs?

There are far more similarities than variations between the Ravens and the Alabama program.