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

By Alicia de Artola

Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Cam Robinson. (Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Cam Robinson. (Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Andre Smith, Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Andre Smith. (John Reed-USA TODAY Sports) /

No. 2 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: OG Andre Smith (2006)

Andre Smith was an Alabama product out of Birmingham and he fell right into Mike Shula’s lap after a 10-win season and Top 10 finish in 2005. Ranked the No. 2 prospect in the class by Scout and Rivals (behind only Florida’s Percy Harvin), the 325-pound Mr. Alabama was a must-get for the Tide.

And Smith proved instantly why he was such a coveted recruit. He won the starting left tackle job outright, becoming the third true freshman offensive lineman in Alabama history to start a season opener.

Shula’s firing and Saban’s hiring in 2007 worked out fine for Smith, who continued to make a name for himself as one of the best linemen in the country. After securing All-SEC honors in 2007, he won unanimous All-American honors in 2008 before declaring for the NFL Draft.

The Bengals drated Smith sixth overall in 2009. He played in Cincinnati for a decade and started 98 games over a 12-year career.

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