Alabama football may be adopting a new focus, and it's starting to show in Nick Saban's recruiting. While the team has made defense a priority in the past, it looks like there's a new focus on offense for 2013.
According to rivals.com, eight of the Crimson Tide's 12 4-star commits play on the offensive side of the ball. And of their two 5-star prospects, one is tight end O.J. Howard.
The Tide will see three starting lineman (Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones and D.J. Fluker) as well as star running back Eddie Lacy enter the NFL draft this spring.
So it's no wonder that Saban's new focus is on offense. Of his 4- and 5-star commits for 2013, there's one quarterback, one tight end, three running backs, two wide receivers and two linemen.
The fact is, college football—much like the NFL—is starting to become more focused on offense. Some of the top up-and-coming programs are teams like Oregon and Texas A&M.
Already mentioned was Texas A&M. On the back of their fantastic freshman quarterback, the Aggies are starting to look like the next great SEC team.
They beat Alabama last season, and should be just as dangerous this season. The Aggies put up the second-most total yards (7,261) in the FBS this season.
Another top offensive team in the SEC was Georgia, whose 6,547 total yards of offense ranked 11th in the FBS. They didn't beat Alabama, but came awfully close in the SEC Championship Game.
Looking at more traditional SEC football teams, LSU and Florida ranked outside of the top 75 in terms of total offense last season.
Another shining example of the changing college football landscape is Notre Dame. The Irish made it to the BCS Championship Game on the back of their superior defense.
None of this is to say Saban has never put an importance on offense. The Tide did rank 19th last season in total yards, mostly due to the emergence of Lacy.
The big difference now in Alabama's recruiting is that Saban is taking not only a heavier focus on offense, but a more balanced one as well.
Yes, there are plenty of running backs in the mix, but there are also a plethora of skill player designed to improve the passing game—including a new 4-star quarterback.
Players like Johnny Manziel are going to continue to dominate the game, and programs are going to have to find balance.
There's still plenty of room for defense—especially ones as good as Alabama's—to dominate. But you can't win a game without offense, and that's becoming more and more apparent.
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