Saban, staff squeezing year of recruiting into one month

Nick Saban has one month to complete a year's worth of recruiting.
Saban was announced as Alabama's football coach on Jan. 4, which gives him a severely shortened period to shape his recruiting class. This situation - giving other schools in the country an 11-month head start - is less than ideal.
When Saban coached LSU from 2000 to 2004, he built a reputation as a recruiter who sought the early commitment. He got in quickly, got his work done and got high-quality players.
With merely a month on the job before signing day, racking up early commitments is a luxury Saban does not have.
"Back when I started seven years ago to accelerate the process, to make offers during the spring, to have guys come to summer camps and get a lot of early commitments, I get blamed for that sometimes," said Saban, who coached the Miami Dolphins the past two years. "But that was the process I'm used to and have used and obviously that can't be the case right now."
That's why, regardless of what happens during this weekend's big recruiting date or even in the next few weeks, some recruiting experts don't expect Alabama to make its huge recruiting jump just yet.
"The biggest difference you'll see is in the class of 2008," said Scott Kennedy, the director of online programming for the recruiting Web site Scout.com.
Saban isn't necessarily starting from scratch, though. This is where Alabama stands:
Fourteen players have said they will stick with the non-binding oral commitments they made to former coach Mike Shula. One player - Florida receiver Jermaine McKenzie - reneged, pledging to attend Miami instead.
In turn, Saban said he will honor the scholarships Shula offered - with one caveat.
As reported by: The Birmingham News
IAN R. RAPOPORT News staff writer