The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Tide, Tigers back in playoffs after talent exodus
Clemson was fresh from the national championship game two years ago when the coaches called a highly touted recruit already being pursued by other big-name programs.
Kansas high school safety Isaiah Simmons listened, welcomed coach Dabo Swinney’s recruiting visit and ultimately signed with the Tigers. He’s now a significant contributor.
“Our reach is much, much further than it has ever been,” Swinney said.
Welcome to Alabama’s world, Clemson. Sustaining high-level success is never easy, but being on that national stage and regularly contending for titles often facilitates entry into the living rooms of the kind of recruits who can help programs stay at the top.
That’s certainly evident in the Sugar Bowl, where the top-ranked Tigers reached after replacing two-time Heisman Trophy
finalist Deshaun Watson, fellow first-round NFL draft pick Mike Williams and plenty more offensive talent after last season’s national title. No. 4 Alabama lost a similar amount of defensive stars.
Perhaps the respective units haven’t been quite as dominant but both teams are right back where they were last year — and the year before — in the College Football Playoff contending for a national title. They’ve split the past two championships.
Nick Saban has made reloading into a science at Alabama. In his words, the process.
NFL draft picks exit. Similarly talented high school prospects enter. The machinery keeps running.
Swinney is doing it awfully well these days, too.
Alabama arrived at Louis Armstrong International New Orleans airport on damp Wednesday morning to begin their final Sugar preparations. The Tide had to replace seven defensive players drafted within the first four rounds, including first-rounders Marlon Humphrey, Jonathan Allen and Reuben Foster.
The Tigers had seven offensive starters depart, including a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher (Wayne Gallman). Only 22.7 percent of the offensive production returned from 2016, less than all but two of 130 FBS teams.
Saban praises the way Alabama players have embraced new roles, and sees similar results from Clemson’s offense led by quarterback Kelly Bryant.
“They have really good players. They recruit well,” Saban said. “And the guys that they’ve had step in on offense have done a fantastic job for them this year, starting with the quarterback. The receivers, the new running backs, those guys have all been very effective for them. They are almost as productive offensively as they were a year ago.”
And that’s saying something from a group that averaged 39 points and 503 yards per game. The 2017 Clemson offense averages a still-not-shabby 35.4 points and 448 yards.
Alabama’s defense is still pretty darn good, even without a dominant pass rusher like Allen or Tim Williams and with a barrage of injuries, especially at linebacker. The Tide will be without linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton and almost certainly freshman Dylan Moses with injuries through the playoffs, along with starting safety Hootie Jones. Linebackers Christian Miller, Terrell Lewis and Mack Wilson figure to be healthier for the Sugar Bowl after returning from injuries in the regular-season finale.