10 highest-rated Alabama football recruits ever and how they lived up to the hype (or didn’t)

No. 7 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: QB Brodie Croyle (2001)

Brodie Croyle wasn’t just one of the top prospects in the class of 2021. He was an Alabama legacy, the son of John Croyle, an All-American under Bear Bryant. Of course he was going to play for the Crimson Tide, even if Florida State nearly turned his head. He even graduated early to enroll early, which was a practice far rarer then than it is today.

Croyle redshirted in 2001, beginning what would become a roller coaster of a career. He served as a backup in 2002 then watched as Dennis Franchione left for Texas A&M. He prepared for his first season as a starter in 2003 as Mike Price was hired in January and fired in May. Then he played for Mike Shula with a separated shoulder and cracked ribs.

Starting the 2004 season with six touchdowns and no interceptions in the first three games, Croyle suffered an ACL tear and had to miss the rest of the season. He came back in 2005 with a fire in his belly, leading the team to a 10-2 record while setting school records for passing yards.

Croyle landed with the Chiefs in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft but his pro career was also hindered by injury and misfortune. He started 10 games in five years in the league but didn’t win a single one.