Cyrus Kouandjio, Offensive Tackle
Class: 2011
Rating: Five-star / No. 2 overall / No. 1 OT (0.9994)
Home town: Hyattsville, Maryland
High school: DeMatha Catholic High School
All-time school commits: No. 1
Breakdown: If you were to ask an average Alabama fan about the top-rated recruit in school history, they probably wouldn’t think to bring up offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. But that is the correct answer despite his being the No. 2 player in the 2011 class.
Tide fans are happy with the outcome, however. After initially committing to Auburn on signing day, Cyrus eventually made the flip to Alabama and joined his older brother, Arie, in Tuscaloosa.
Kouandjio didn’t make the same immediate impact as Andre Smith, but he contributed in eight games as a true freshman. Over the next two seasons, he became a fixture at left tackle before becoming a second-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2014 NFL draft.
Unfortunately, he never turned out to be the professional player many had hoped, but he spent five seasons in the league with stints in Buffalo, Detroit (Lions) and Denver (Broncos). He is playing in the CFL.