T.J. Yeldon, one of the best running backs in the country, has switched his commitment from Auburn to Alabama. This is a huge win for the Crimson Tide, as SB Nation’s Roll Bama Roll comments:
T.J. Yeldon Drops Auburn For Alabama, Five-Star Plans To Enroll Early
TJ Yeldon pulls the switcheroo on Auburn and pledges to Alabama. A huge win for Alabama over Auburn on the recruiting trail.
Yeldon had originally committed to Auburn back in mid-June and had been a seemingly solid commitment for several months. Alabama pursued him all along, but he seemed unwilling to budge, and many were still pessimistic even after he took an official visit to Tuscaloosa two weeks ago. Rumors had been swirling about his commitment in recent weeks, but even so this one comes as a big and very welcomed surprise. Irrational REC conspiracy theories aside, you have to imagine that Auburn's offensive implosion this season combined with the departure of Gus Malzahn likely tipped the scales in favor of the Tide. Additionally, Yeldon is the teammate and close friend of Alabama commitment Ryan Anderson, and undoubtedly that also helped 'Bama flip the Daphne product.
Even notwithstanding the fact that Nick Saban managed to poach away a key prospect from Auburn, Yeldon will help shore up tailback depth immediately in Tuscaloosa. With Trent Richardson certain to declare early for the NFL Draft in the weeks ahead and Eddie Lacy likely to do so next season, there has been somewhat of a murky outlook at tailback, especially given that Dee Hart and 2012 tailback commitment Justin Taylor are both recovering from ACL injuries. Having Yeldon on campus, though, makes much of those concerns go away.
For more on Yeldon, including a prepared statement from the back himself, head to Roll Bama Roll.
Yeldon is a home-run threat at 6’1.5” and 200 pounds. He does need some polishing between the tackles, but when he gets daylight, college defenders are not catching him.
And Yeldon is very unlikely to switch back to Auburn, because he’s slated to enroll early, and the NCAA recruiting quiet period is coming up.
