Nation's Top Offensive Lineman Cyrus Kouandjio Picks Crimson Tide
2/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 5, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama announced the addition of the nation's top offensive lineman, Cyrus Kouandjio, to the Crimson Tide's 2011 signing class Saturday evening.
Kouandjio brings UA's 2011 recruiting class to 24 total student-athletes, including nine players who enrolled in January for classes at the Capstone and will participate in spring drills. The Tide's signing class comes from 10 states - Alabama (7), Florida (4), Georgia (3), Ohio (2), Tennessee (2), Maryland (1), California (1), Louisiana (1), North Carolina (1) and Mississippi (1). The Crimson Tide also went outside the United States to land defensive lineman Jesse Williams from Brisbane, Australia.
Listed by position, UA added six defensive linemen, four offensive linemen, four wide receivers, three defensive backs, three linebackers, two running backs, one tight end and one quarterback. Below is a biography of the Crimson Tide's latest addition.
Cyrus Kouandjio
OL, 6-6, 322, Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha
Cyrus Kouandjio is one of the elite prospects at any position in the 2011 signing class ... the younger brother of 2010 Alabama freshman Arie ... the consensus top offensive line prospect in the nation by rivals.com, ESPNU, Scout.com, SuperPrep and Tom Lemming ... the No. 2 overall player nationally by Scout.com and SuperPrep Magazine ... No. 3 prospect in the ESPNU 150 and third nationally by Tom Lemming at MaxPreps ... rivals.com ranked Kouandjio as the No. 4 player in the country ... an overpowering run blocker with excellent athleticism ... tremendous overall speed and quickness for a player his size ... started at left tackle in the Under Armour All-American Game ... SuperPrep All-American and the No. 1 player in the MidAtlantic Region ... SuperPrep MidAtlantic Offensive Player of the Year ... a consensus first-team All-State selection in Maryland ... held over 60 scholarship offers ... chose the Crimson Tide over virtually every major college football program.
