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

No. 3 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: OT Cyrus Kouandjio (2011)

The only reasons Cyrus Kouandjio wasn’t the No. 1 player in the 2011 recruiting class was the presence of Jadeveon Clowney (one of only five players in history to receive a “perfect” rating in the 247Sports composite). So the 6-foot-7, 315-pound behemoth had to settle for No. 2 as he left DeMatha Catholic in Maryland for Tuscaloosa.

His consolation prize? Two national title runs in arguably the most dominant dynasty in college football history.

Kouandjio was a contributor as a freshman before an injury ended his season early, so he had to watch the 2012 championship game from the sidelines. However, he recovered from that injury and emerged as a starter in 2012. He helped power an unstoppable rushing attack that bulldozed through Notre Dame in the 2013 national title game.

The 2013 season brought a consensus All-American nod for Kouandjio before he declared for the NFL Draft.

The rest of Kouandjio’s career was tough to get off the ground. He missed out on first round selection, going in the second round instead to the Buffalo Bills. From there he bounced around the league while dealing with a slew of injuries, ultimately retiring from the Canadian Football League in 2021.