SAN JOSE, Calif. — When Panthers safety Roman Harper last played at Alabama in 2006, he played for Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula.
Since then, Harper has become a Super Bowl champion with the Saints, while the Crimson Tide have become four-time college football national champions under Nick Saban.
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As Harper attempts to get his second ring with Carolina in Super Bowl 50, he’s down with his winning pro pedigree inspiring recruits to roll even more with Tide on National Signing Day.
“I don’t know if that’s what kids base their choices on, but it can’t hurt it. Winning national championships, Alabama recruits itself now. Nick does a great job of getting the guys there.
“You have a lot of five-star and four-star guys at Alabama, but they get there, he’s making those guys bring their talent to the top. The competition is at a high level. If you can play there, you can play in the NFL, and kids understand that.”
In turn, as those elite college players help Saban win titles, it only grows Harper’s relentless Tide pride, which he’s always eager to express in the Panthers’ locker room.
“To see Nick continue to stockpile, it only makes it easier as a pro for me to say in the locker room, ‘Yeah, I went to Alabama.’”
Harper can see that a big part of Alabama’s success under Saban is tied to finding the right type of recruits to consistently field one of college football’s best secondaries.
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“They definitely have a tier of what they’re looking for in a player, whether it’s a safety, corner, nickel. They definitely like taller corners, guys who can be physical, play the ball and have great skill sets.
“To see them play that well in that system — and it’s a tricky system to kind of learn — and to be successful year after year, it’s amazing to watch.”
Harper isn’t sure if he would have been Saban’s type of defensive back, but he would have been ready to prove he was.
“I don’t know if could have played there now, because I’m probably not big enough to play safety. I would have made a couple of plays, though, and worked my way in.
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