In early July last year, there was a bit of disquiet in and around Tuscaloosa, home of mighty Alabama. The program that had become a way station for the nation's most talented football players was being bypassed by high-profile prospects.
Only six players had committed to the Crimson Tide at that point.
The slow start in the recruiting cycle was shocking; Alabama had seven straight No. 1 classes, giving the Tide an aura of invincibility brightened by the four championships it won the previous eight seasons.
Yet the shortfall at the outset of summer was also prophetic.