Posted by JC Shurburtt

Alabama and head coach Nick Saban continue to flex their recruiting muscles by landing one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Under Armour All-American Phillip Sims (Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith). He may be the biggest get for Saban’s Bama at that position yet.The tradition of the Crimson Tide program is well documented and there are plenty of talented football players each and every year in the Yellowhammer State that grow up dreaming of playing football in Tuscaloosa, but since Saban returned to college football they have taken recruiting to the next level.

Pulling a quarterback like Sims out of Virginia is another example of this. In the Class of 2008, Alabama landed Elite 11 quarterback Star Jackson out of Lake Worth, Fla. Last year, though they did not go out of state, the Tide also signed an excellent quarterback in in-state prospect AJ McCarron of Mobile.

Sims could have more upside though than both of those for a number of reasons. It’s all potential right now for sure, but the signs are there that Sims has a chance to be great.

The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Sims has a good arm and is a good athlete. He has a good shot at becoming Virginia’s all-time leading passer in yards and touchdowns. He has also been starting since midway through his freshman year of high school.

In a recent interview, his high school coach Richard Morgan talked about the time Sims puts in during the offseason, studying film and working out with his teammates.

“He calls all of his own protections,” Morgan said. “He’s got every one of his teammates’ numbers in his cell phone and he’s the one calling them up and getting them to get together and run through plays.”

This is the type of quarterback that can learn a college offense quickly and eliminate mistakes quickly because of his dedication to the game off the field. There are numerous quarterbacks in college football that have all the tools physically, but refuse to put in the time to be great. That won’t be an issue with Sims.