Alabama Crimson Tide Land Top QB Prospect, Get Even Better

The Alabama Crimson Tide are the heavy favorites at 5/2 odds to win the National Championship  next year, and the way their recruiting is going, they may be the prohibitive favorites for the foreseeable future. Yesterday, Alabama landed top pocket-passing quarterback David Cornwell. Here are all the National Championship odds for this season, courtesy of VegasInsider.com:

ALABAMA: 5/2

OHIO STATE: 6/1

OREGON: 7/1

GEORGIA: 10/1

TEXAS A&M: 12/1

LSU: 15/1

SOUTH CAROLINA: 15/1

FLORIDA: 15/1

STANFORD: 18/1

CLEMSON: 25/1

TEXAS: 30/1

MICHIGAN: 30/1

OKLAHOMA STATE: 30/1

LOUISVILLE: 30/1

UCLA: 40/1

FLORIDA STATE: 40/1

NEBRASKA: 40/1

NOTRE DAME: 50/1

OKLAHOMA: 50/1

USC: 60/1

OREGON STATE: 100/1

ARIZONA STATE: 100/1

BOISE STATE: 100/1

MICHIGAN STATE: 100/1

TCU: 100/1

NORTH CAROLINA: 100/1

WISCONSIN: 100/1

NORTHWESTERN: 100/1

WASHINGTON: 100/1

BYU: 200/1

VIRGINIA TECH: 200/1

CINCINNATI: 200/1

BAYLOR                : 300/1

ARKANSAS: 300/1

FRESNO STATE: 300/1

TENNESSEE: 300/1

KANSAS ST: 300/1

TEXAS TECH: 500/1

ARIZONA: 500/1

UTAH: 500/1

VANDERBILT: 500/1

MISSOURI: 500/1

OLE MISS: 500/1

GEORGIA TECH: 500/1

AUBURN: 1000/1

NORTH CAROLINA STATE: 1000/1

MISSISSIPPI STATE: 1000/1

IOWA: 1000/1

WEST VIRGINIA: 1000/1

FIELD (Any other school not listed above): 30/1

Cornwell, a senior in high school, is already built like a senior in college, standing 6’5’’ and weighing 230 pounds. He threw for 2700 yards and 27 touchdowns last year, his first as a starting quarterback.

“I had a lot of contemplation and the meeting with coach Saban went 10 times better than I thought it would,” Cornwell said. “We were in his office and talked about everything. I told him, ‘I’m ready to wrap this up if you are.’ We went down the hall and the other coaches were dancing and were happy. I was really happy.”

Cornwell could give Alabama the kind of vertical passing attack they’ve s orely missed in their recent history, though current quarter back A.J. McCarron has developed a better downfield passing game, particularly last season. But with McCarron poised to graduate next year, they needed a new quarterback in their system. While the Crimson Tide typically favor a ground-and-pound offensive approach, Cornwell could give them an entirely new offensive dimension.

“I know they have their system, and I’m not going to be that recruit that interrupts that,” Cornwell said. “Whatever coach Saban says, goes.”

“He’s a good man. He’s a great coach. It was a great meeting with him and shaking his hand in person,” Cornwell said. “I was kind of already there [thinking about committing], but after the meeting, he convinced me and pushed me over the edge. I’m so excited about the opportunity.”

Indeed, Saban may finally have the shiny new toy he needs to experiment with a different level of college football offense, and that’s something that the rest of the SEC, and college football, should be very worried about.