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KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Alabama’s biggest quarterback recruit of the Nick Saban era stepped onto campus in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide have had a handful of touted quarterbacks come in during Saban’s years at Alabama, including AJ McCarron and recruits ranked in the top five of the 2013 and 2014 classes, but none that carry the No. 1 ranking that Blake Barnett carries.
Barnett was one of eight early enrollees at Alabama this week, and after a strong performance at last week’s Under Armour All-American practices and game, he’s ready to make his impact felt in Tuscaloosa.
“I think I’ll fit in well. Coach (Lane) Kiffin is doing a really great thing there,” Barnett told SDS after winning the QB Accuracy competition in the UA Skills Challenge.
Barnett heads to school and awaits the arrival of the player who could fill Amari Cooper’s shoes: five-star receiver Calvin Ridley. The two were teammates at the Under Armour game, both playing for Team Highlight. Of course, in the modern day of high school and college football, the two had linked up previously.
“I met him this summer at the Nike camp [the Opening] and he was on my team then,” Barnett said. “I’ve been pretty close with Calvin for a while now. We talk two or three times a week.”
Barnett appears to have a rosy future ahead of him. While he has prototypical size for a quarterback, listed at 6-foot-4.5 and 200 pounds with room to fill out, he’s shown a capability for running around in a way similar to Blake Sims, Alabama’s quarterback in 2014. While Barnett likely won’t be a Johnny Manziel-type runner, he’s not going to be a statue in the pocket, either.
NFL types are already impressed with Barnett’s skill set. Herman Edwards, the former Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets coach who now works at ESPN, was on hand as a coach at the Under Armour game. He told SDS he plans to inform Nick Saban that he’ll be getting a good one in Barnett.
“Barnett reminds me a lot of my guy in San Diego,” Edwards said to SDS, referencing Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. “It’s not pretty, but he gets it out of his hand, and when he gets it out of his hand it flies.”
Barnett can indeed sling it down the field, showing off accuracy and distance in winning the QB skills challenge. As Edwards mentioned, he does have a bit of an elongated delivery, although it doesn’t appear to affect how quickly he releases the ball.
While most players just stepping onto campus are focused on what’s ahead of them — at Alabama, that means the experience of competing for playing time in one of the top programs in the country — Barnett isn’t hitching his job prospects to playing at the pro level alone. Instead, he’s thinking about following a former Alabama quarterback’s route, that of Greg McElroy.
“They do have a good communications program, which I would like to have my major be and hopefully to be a broadcaster in the future, so that had an impact on (my decision),” Barnett said.
Alabama fans will hope Barnett can match McElroy’s career, which included a national title win, and then some. While Jacob Coker is assumed to be the favorite to start under center in 2015, Barnett is hoping to be able to work his way into the competition.
“Hopefully I can get a head start on learning the program and getting familiar with everyone as well,” Barnett said.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
