With so many high-profile recruits coming into Tuscaloosa, it can be hard to keep track of the ones that don’t pan out. Four- and five-star recruits come to Alabama and prosper on a yearly basis, but many don’t end up working out as well. One area where Alabama has had problems is in developing receivers.

Between 2009-11, the Crimson Tide brought in eight four-star receivers, per 247sports’ composite rankings. Of those, only two have made a significant impact with the team. Even those players, DeAndrew White and Kenny Bell, never blossomed into SEC stars over their four years.

White became a solid secondary receiving option over the course of his career, with 69 catches combined over his junior and senior years, while Bell never had more than 17 catches in a single year. Meanwhile, names like Kendall Kelly, Michael Bowman, Keiwone Malone, Marvin Shinn and Danny Woodson never made an impact in crimson.

Another four-star receiver, Bradley Sylve, ended up moving to defensive back. While he wasn’t a huge contributor over the course of his career, averaging less than a tackle a game and picking off fewer passes over his career than this year’s starting quarterback, Blake Sims, but did have a huge impact in the second half of this year’s Iron Bowl win over Auburn.

The rest, though, left the team in one form or another before making any kind of positive impression on the Crimson Tide. Amari Cooper changed the tide of receiver recruiting in 2012, but players that came with him or after him — Chris Black, Robert Foster, Raheem Falkins — have yet to do much for the Crimson Tide.

That may begin to change with Lane Kiffin as the offensive coordinator, as he’s instituted a more pass-heavy offense. However, Kiffin’s attacks generally lean heavily on one primary receiver, with Cooper this year as a prime example. Next year, Alabama will enter the season without a proven receiver out wide. Five-star receiver Calvin Ridley will be a freshman, but with Alabama’s recent history with touted receivers there’s no guarantee of greatness or production.