ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Cornerback is a position that Nick Saban tends to be selective with most years, and after signing four potential corners in the 2013 class, Alabama is only expected to take two, possibly three cornerbacks in this cycle.

That’s what makes Kalvaraz Bessent’s commitment on Tuesday surprising.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When the ink dried Wednesday night, the University of Alabama came away with the No. 1 recruiting class for the second year in a row. Coach Nick Saban garners most of the attention, but the job done by his staff should not go unnoticed.

Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart deserves credit for staying with Reuben Foster. The ESPN 150 linebacker initially committed to Alabama and then flipped to Auburn. But in the end, he signed with the Crimson Tide. Smart never gave up on him.

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Take a closer look at Washington’s 2013 recruiting class and one thing starts to stand out.

This group has Tosh Lupoi’s fingerprints all over it.

The Huskies’ ace recruiter made an impact with the program from the moment he was hired less than a month before signing day in 2012.

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Now that Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) has committed to the University of Alabama, the question is, will it stick through signing day?

Regardless of what happens from here, Foster’s decision on Monday shows the relentless pursuit that Kirby Smart and the Crimson Tide coaching staff had throughout the process.

Even when Foster flipped from Alabama to Auburn over the summer and went as far as to get an Auburn tattoo on his arm, the Alabama coaches didn’t give up. Smart was talking to him just a few weeks later about removing the tattoo and coming back to the Tide.

It has been a wild ride, one that might not be over, but if he does in the end sign with Alabama, the Tide will be getting a very good football player.

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A former Lagrange (Ga.) Troup standout, wide receiver Christian Cumberlander enrolled at Jireh Prep last year in Indian Trail, N.C., and had a solid season, with 38 catches for 708 yards and six touchdowns in eight games.

Double-digit offers have come in for Cumberlander, who says he is now fully qualified -- but two offers seem to stand out at the moment. And the possibility of another offer has another prominent school heavily in the mix to land the 6-foot-2, 190-pound wideout.

Two of his three top schools also stand out for his close friend Reuben Foster, the No. 1 ILB in the nation.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is competitive. So much so he wouldn’t let visiting ESPN 150 running back Alvin Kamara (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) win at a game of spades. The four-star tailback said that it could have cost Georgia big.

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The No. 16 prospect in the nation was in Athens, Ga., over the weekend, as Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) took his third official visit, this time to the University of Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 242-pound linebacker has visited Georgia many times, but this time there was something different about the campus.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- With national signing day exactly two weeks from today, DawgNation looks ahead to what Georgia has coming and who the Bulldogs still need, and why.

Team needs: Georgia has a number of holes to fill, considering the defense is losing 10 players who started last season. All-American junior Jarvis Jones and two-year leading tackler Alec Ogletree have declared for the NFL draft, which means the incoming prospects will have to be ready to play early.

Also, consider that Georgia only signed one player for the secondary, one wide receiver and not one inside linebacker in the class of 2012. Those positions are a priority. The secondary is in special need of attention as both starting safeties and two starting cornerbacks were seniors this past season. The Bulldogs have decent depth at the outside linebacker spots but the SEC championship game proved Georgia needs help on the defensive line. Junior nose Kwame Geathers has also opted to leave early for the NFL, so Georgia needs to sign some quality prospects to fill in the defensive trench.

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Team needs: For the 2013 recruiting class, the Huskies tried to add talent throughout their roster. They had specific needs but wanted to bolster strengths as well.

Some of the key areas the Huskies identified as positions to pursue included receiver, running back, linebacker and defensive line. With six defensive linemen committed and three receivers heading to Seattle next season, Washington has stockpiled prospects at each position.

Help is on the way: Washington is pursuing a pass rush. The Huskies have a star in Danny Shelton, but ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi made it a point to bring in top-tier talent along the program’s defensive line.

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Sunday, ESPN 150 cornerback Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) returned from an official visit to South Carolina. Later that evening he received a call from Mark Richt. The Georgia head coach asked if he should be worried about Wiggins changing his commitment from Georgia to the Gamecocks. Wiggins told Richt no, but that he still planned to take visits to Florida and Texas A&M.

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ESPN 150 safety Tray Matthews (Newnan, Ga./Newnan) was the second prospect in the Class of 2013 to commit Georgia, pledging to suit up for the Bulldogs before he even played his junior season. He worked hard after that to help fill out the class, and even though he is enrolled in classes at Georgia, Matthews could still deliver another commit to Georgia.

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On the heels of his first official visit to the University of Washington, ESPN 150 linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) was met by two sets of coaches at his school. It is coming down to the final stretch for the 2013 recruiting cycle, so programs are not holding back any longer.

For Foster, that means a steady stream of high-profile visitors all telling him exactly what he wants to hear, he said. And that's not making things easy for him.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama head coach Nick Saban was in Auburn, Ala., on Wednesday along with defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. The two made a stop at Auburn High School to see ESPN 150 linebacker Reuben Foster.

However, Foster wasn’t the only recruit they made the trip for. They also checked in on ESPN Watch List linebacker Rashaan Evans, one of the top 2014 prospects in the state.

“It was fun,” Evans said. “They couldn’t have a real conversation with me, but [Saban] was just letting me know that he was wanting to come by and say what’s up. He just told me he was interested in me and to make sure I come down for their junior day.”

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The University of Washington already has the makings of a potential Top 15 recruiting class for the 2013 cycle, with five commitments from ESPN 300 prospects, including three from ESPN 150 prospects. But the Huskies are aiming for more, and never was that more clear than in the headliner recruit in town over the weekend.

Linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn), the No. 1 inside linebacker prospect and No. 16 overall prospect in the country, could play a big role in getting the Pac-12 program to the next level. While Washington is the only school outside the Southeast in the mix for Foster, he said following his official visit not to count out the Huskies by any means.

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