Over the years, the Alabama Crimson Tide have had some of the more talented rosters in college football. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban can be credited for a lot of the recruiting success alongside the other members of the coaching staff. Although there were a lot of recruits that did pan out for the Crimson Tide, there was also a share of recruits that did not pan out under the direction of Saban in Tuscaloosa.
Today, Roll Tide Wire takes a close look at 15 high-profile recruits from around the country that never panned out during the Saban era at Alabama.
The Alabama coaching staff was eager to get California native and five-star pro-style quarterback Blake Barnett on campus to begin his college career. There were high expectations for one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in the 2015 recruiting class. However, the expectations never amounted to much. In one season in Tuscaloosa, Barnett played in three games and passed for just 219 yards and two touchdowns. Following the conclusion of his freshman season, Barnett transferred to Arizona State.
In one season with the Sun Devils, Barnett played in three games. He passed for 40 yards. After his sophomore season, he transferred to Palomar College (JUCO). Following a season in San Marcos, California, Barnett made his way to Tampa to play for South Florida. In two seasons with the Bulls, he passed for 3,139 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Barnett never lived up to the hype coming out of high school despite four different stops to try and revitalize his college career.
Tyren Jones, Running Back
Alabama signed two running backs in the 2013 recruiting class from the Peach state. One was Alvin Kamara and the other was four-star Tyren Jones. Jones spent his high school playing days at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. He was ranked as the No. 66 overall recruit in the country by 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
Jones would spend just one season in Tuscaloosa. He had 36 carries for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Following his freshman season, he was dismissed from the program after being charged with second-degree possession of marijuana. Jones transferred to Hutchinson Community College. However, there are no reports that confirm whether or not he continued his football career afterwards.
Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Defensive End
The top-ranked recruit in Alabama’s 2018 recruiting class was St. Frances Academy five-star edge rusher Eyabi Anoma. Anoma was ranked as the No. 4 overall recruit in the country by 247Sports’ Composite rankings. Many Alabama fans anticipated that Anoma would be a future first-round pick. That was far from the case. In one season at Alabama, Anoma recorded nine tackles and two tackles for loss.
He proceeded to transfer to Houston where he was redshirted. After a season at Houston, he transferred to UT-Martin. In one season with the Skyhawks, Anoma recorded 36 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks. Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, Anoma transferred to the Michigan Wolverines. He spent a season with the Wolverines. The Maryland native played in 14 games while tallying 18 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Then, in a surprising series of events, Anoma transferred for a fourth time to Charlotte. For his final college season, Anoma finished with 56 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.
Anoma went undrafted and is currently a part of the Houston Roughnecks organization of the United Football League.
Antonio Alfano, Defensive End
The top-ranked recruit in Alabama’s 2019 recruiting class was five-star edge rusher Antonio Alfano. The New Jersey native was ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit, the No. 1 edge rusher, and No. 1 recruit in the state. He was a prospect that the Alabama coaching staff was excited to get to campus in the fall of 2019.
Upon arriving on campus, Alfano struggled to see the field. In one season at Alabama, Alfano did not record any stats. After the season, Alfano entered the transfer portal and ultimately signed with the Colorado Buffaloes. Alfano never played a down for the Buffaloes either. There was a rumor that Alfano was struggling with off-the-field issues at both Alabama and Colorado. Following a year with Colorado, he transferred to Independence Community College. There, he did not record any stats. In his final college stop, Alfano transferred to Lackawanna College (JUCO). In one season with the Falcons, Alfano recorded 14 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four sacks. He received multiple power-five offers.
However, Alfano elected to forgo his college career and decided to explore professional opportunities. Currently, Alfano is a member of the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League.
According to 247Sports’ Composite rankings, the No. 2-ranked all-purpose running back in the 2011 recruiting class was Florida native Dee Hart. Hart committed to Alabama over the Auburn Tigers and Michigan Wolverines. Despite being just 5-foot-9, there were high hopes for the winning recipient of the Ken Hall Award, given to the nation’s top high school player.
In two seasons at The Capstone, Hart played in 14 games. He had 43 carries for 166 yards and one touchdown. After his sophomore season, Hart entered the transfer portal and signed with Colorado State. He played for former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain in his one season with the Rams. Hart had a much better season in the Mountain West Conference. He played in 13 games and recorded 1,464 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns.
Hart joined the Miami Dolphins for a rookie minicamp tryout, but he was cut before the season started.
Chris Black, Wide Receiver
The top-ranked wide receiver in Alabama’s 2012 recruiting class was four-star Chris Black. The native of Jacksonville, Florida had a lot of buzz surrounding his name coming out of high school and rightfully so. Black had the skillset to thrive in the SEC, but that skillset never translated to the field in Tuscaloosa.
Black spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide. He reeled in 25 receptions for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Following his junior season, Black transferred to Missouri. In one season in Columbia, Black had 17 receptions for 257 yards and a touchdown. Black possessed the attributes to have success at the college level, but it never came to light over the course of his college career.
Cooper Bateman, Quarterback
The Alabama coaching staff was excited to get one of the nation’s top pro-style quarterbacks on campus in 2012. That was Salt Lake City’s very own, Cooper Bateman. The four-star prospect held over 15 offers but chose to sign with the Crimson Tide.
Bateman wound up spending three seasons in Tuscaloosa. He played in 44 games. Interestingly enough, he passed for just 410 yards and two touchdowns. After his junior season, Bateman decided to transfer closer to home to play for Utah. In two seasons with the Utes, Bateman did not record any stats. The lofty expectations that followed Bateman to Tuscaloosa never came to fruition.
Mekhi Brown, Outside Linebacker
Four-star outside linebacker Mekhi Brown was ranked as the No. 116 overall recruit in the country by 247Sports’ Composite rankings. The native of Columbus, Georgia chose the Crimson Tide over the Louisville Cardinals and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Brown’s ranking had no bearing once he arrived in Tuscaloosa and it showed. Brown struggled to see playing time and had an outburst on a member of the Alabama coaching staff during the College Football Playoff. That might have been one of the determining factors in Brown’s decision to transfer. Nonetheless, he finished his Alabama career with seven tackles in two seasons. Following his sophomore season, Brown transferred to Tennessee State. As a member of the Tigers defense, Brown tallied 40 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks in two seasons.
After his college playing days were over, Brown was selected in the UFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Bandits. Brown is no longer a part of the Bandits organization.
Agiye Hall, Wide Receiver
There might not be a single wide receiver recruit in the history of the Alabama football program that received more hype just for that hype to be diminished. Coming out of high school, Alabama fans and coaches were ecstatic to welcome Florida native Agiye Hall to campus for the start of his college career. Hall was ranked as the No. 45 overall recruit by 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
Hall spent one season in Tuscaloosa. He played in seven games for the Crimson Tide and recorded four receptions for 72 yards. Soon after the conclusion of the season, Hall was suspended from the team for a violation of team rules. He would ultimately transfer to the Texas Longhorns. Prior to the start of the season, Hall was arrested for criminal mischief. However, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian granted Hall a second chance and allowed him to play his sophomore season. In one season in Austin, Hall reeled in just one reception for seven yards. He played in just three games. Following the season, he entered the transfer portal.
After a year away from football, Hall was set to join the UCF football program as a walk-on. However, after a recent arrest, Hall will no longer be joining the Knights this season.
The Alabama quarterback room was supposed to be significantly better following the signing of five-star pro-style quarterback Phillip Sims. The Virginia native signed with the Crimson Tide as a member of the 2010 recruiting class. Sims’ career in Tuscaloosa was disappointing to say the least. He spent one season at Alabama. Sims played in eight games. He threw for 163 yards and two interceptions.
Following his freshman season, Sims transferred closer to home to play for Virginia. In one season in Charlottesville, Sims played in 12 games. He passed for 1,263 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Sims then transferred to Winston-Salem State (D2). He was academically ineligible in 2013. In 2014, he played in 11 games as the team’s starting quarterback. Sims passed for over 1,000 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Sims would go undrafted and sign with the Arizona Cardinals. He spent several months with the Cardinals before being waived. Afterwards, Sims spent a short period of time with the Seattle Seahawks and Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) before hanging up the cleats and pursuing a coaching career.
LaMichael Fanning, Defensive End
One of the top recruits that former Alabama head coach Nick Saban signed out of the Peach state is former four-star defensive end LaMichael Fanning. The product of Harris County High School was a highly-coveted recruit. Given the fact that he was 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, there were a lot of eyes on Fanning and how he would evolve as a college football player.
Fanning could not keep the eyes of the Alabama faithful glued to him. In two seasons, he played in 11 games and recorded just seven tackles. In 2013, Fanning was indefinitely suspended from the program for a violation of team rules. Subsequently, he transferred to Jacksonville State. He would go on to spend two seasons with the Gamecocks where he would account for 31 tackles and four sacks. There are no details regarding Fanning’s future after his college playing days were over or a potential career outside of football.
Trey Sanders, Running Back
The nation’s No. 1-ranked running back in the country for the 2019 recruiting class was Trey Sanders. The native of Port St. Joe, Florida signed with Alabama and was viewed as the future of the Alabama running back room. Unfortunately, the future was never bright for Sanders in Tuscaloosa.
He suffered a season-ending injury prior to the start of the 2020 season, Then, in 2021, Sanders suffered another season-ending injury after four games. During the offseason, Sanders was involved in a car wreck that sidelined him for the first few games of the 2022 season. Finally, he was able to return to the field, but it was too little too late for Sanders. He was buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Brian Robinson Jr., Jase McClellan, and Roydell Williams.
As a member of the Alabama football program, Sanders played in 26 games in three seasons. He had 116 carries for 528 yards and three touchdowns. After his redshirt sophomore season, Sanders transferred to TCU. Last season, Sanders rushed for 176 yards and six touchdowns. He is set to spend his sixth and final season of college football with the Horned Frogs in 2024.
Elliott Baker, Offensive Tackle
The top-ranked junior college offensive lineman in the 2017 recruiting class signed with Alabama. That was four-star Elliot Baker. The California native made the decision to transfer from the City College of San Francisco to Alabama. Many expected Baker to be a key piece of Alabama’s offensive line unit, but that was far from the case.
As a junior, Baker was redshirted. The following year, Baker did not play in any games for the Crimson Tide. Prior to the 2018 Orange Bowl, Baker was suspended for a violation of team rules. It is unclear as to whether or not Baker was dismissed from the team. He did not play another snap in college football to my knowledge.
David Cornwell, Quarterback
One of the nation’s top quarterbacks in the 2014 recruiting class was four-star David Cornwell. The Oklahoma native was viewed as the state’s top prospect. Ultimately, Cornwell spurned the in-state Oklahoma Sooners for the Crimson Tide. There was legitimate belief that Cornwell could come to Tuscaloosa and compete for the starting job. Well, Cornwell did that for a handful of weeks and was never in consideration to be the team’s starting quarterback thereafter.
In three seasons at Alabama, Cornwell played in four games. He did not record any stats. After his junior season, Cornwell transferred to Nevada. In one season with the Wolfpack, Cornwell played in two games. He passed for 97 yards and two interceptions. It is safe to say that Cornwell’s career, like many others, did not pan out the way that he had expected it would.
Daylon Charlot, Wide Receiver
In 2015, Alabama landed one of the top-ranked prospects in the state of Louisiana. That was fellow four-star wide receiver Daylon Charlot. Charlot elected to sign with Alabama over the in-state LSU Tigers. The Under-Armour All-American was expected to be a key piece of Alabama’s receiving core for years to come. That plan never fell into place.
After one season at Alabama, Charlot transferred to Kansas. As a member of the Crimson Tide, Charlot recorded just two catches for nine yards. In three seasons as a Jayhawk, Charlot reeled in 46 receptions for 591 yards and four touchdowns. After his final season in Lawrence, there are no reports regarding Charlot or his current occupation.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Who were 15 recruits that never panned out at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban?
