Alabama Crimson Tide

NORCROSS, Ga. -- ESPN 150 defensive end Lorenzo Carter seems to never stop grinning, even on the football field. His 100-megawatt smile calls to mind another affable defensive end, Michael Strahan, complete with the trademark gap. Even a shoving match with a teammate resulted in Carter falling down laughing about it later.

During the Norcross spring game on Friday, Carter and offensive tackle Horatio Walker tangled as they went at each other in the trenches. Walker held Carter’s jersey and was rewarded with a shot to the helmet.

“Well it was a run, and I don’t think Horatio respects me on the run yet, but it is all good,” Carter said between guffaws. “He tried to bully me around, but I was not having that so I had to hit him back. I was having fun out there.”

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Holding more than 40 offers, running back Joe Mixon (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) is arguably the most sought-after recruit in the West region. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound, four-star back is the top running back in the West and the No. 135 player in the country. His offer sheet has seemingly grown by the minute this spring, but he isn't in any hurry to narrow it down.

Despite tweeting out a list of 16 programs several weeks ago, Mixon said Sunday that he only did that to highlight the schools recruiting him the hardest, not anything to be taken as a group of finalists.

"I'm still talking to a lot of people," Mixon said. "The recruiting thing has been crazy the past couple of weeks. I've pretty much been taking it well. I talk to them before school, during lunch and after school. I'm not to the stressful part yet, but the hard part has been staying in contact with everybody."

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BUFORD, Ga. -- ESPN Watch List defensive end Lorenzo Carter (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) credits his blindingly pink socks and highlighter yellow shoelaces with helping him win the defensive lineman MVP award at the Atlanta NFTC on Saturday.

The award came with a brilliant gold dog tag that complemented his outfit. But what really caught Carter’s eye, and fashion sense, was the big gold box that he was handed that contained his invitation to The Opening.

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When the SEC comes calling, recruits tend to listen. It is no different with ESPN Watch List linebacker Clifton Garrett (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South).

Garrett will visit Alabama and LSU on consecutive days next weekend, checking out the Crimson Tide on Friday before going to Baton Rouge for the LSU spring game Saturday.

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Cornelius Sturghill's recruitment is coming into focus.

The receiver from Memphis (Tenn.) Melrose said he is primarily considering Vanderbilt, Tennessee, UCLA, Louisville, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Duke. He has scholarship offers from Mississippi State and Vanderbilt and has visited several schools this spring, including Alabama.

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Want to know where Solomon Thomas (Coppell, Texas/Coppell) will end up? Good luck with that.

Truth is, the ESPN Watch List defensive end is wide open with his recruiting process -- and by “wide open,” that doesn’t mean, in this case, that he has a favorite but is keeping it under wraps.

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MIAMI – At the end of the Miami NFTC, Richard Yeargin III (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School of Nova South) had succeeded in what he had set out to do, which was competing and showing he was worthy of his offer list. The 6-foot-4, 225--pound athlete took home linebacker MVP honors, and was also rewarded for his performance with an invite to The Opening.

“I was able to turn up my intensity, learn my pass coverages better, come off the edge and I will take home some moves that the coaches taught me,” Yeargin said.

Yeargin said he has well over 20 offers to date, and has forgotten more of them than he can remember.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The recruiting process is just getting started for 2014 safety Mattrell McGraw (River Ridge, La./John Curtis). He already has over 25 scholarship offers, but he took his first visit on Saturday to the University of Alabama.

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Former Michigan offensive lineman commit Denzel Ward (Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academies) was one of the standout linemen at Saturday's Orlando NFTC.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Outside linebacker Jacob Pugh (Tallahassee, Fla./Godby) isn’t exactly sure of how many offers he has. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior has not counted them. Once he had received over 30 offers to the top programs in the nation, there really seemed no point in doing so. Pugh is more concerned about the five that he has on top.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- In the Class 3A state semifinal game, freshman Joshua Langford scored 30 points and pulled down 16 rebounds as Madison Academy held off a Greensboro team featuring Alabama signee Jimmie Taylor to advance to the finals.

What would the 2016 prospect do for an encore?

How about 21 points, 19 rebounds and six assists in the championship game to lead the Mustangs to a win over Southside Selma. It wasn’t easy, though. In the first half, Langford shot just 2 of 15 from the field, but he and his teammates battled back in the second half to overcome a double-digit lead and claim the state title.

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