Alabama Crimson Tide

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SEC recruiting scorecard

April, 18, 2012
4/18/12
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Now that the initial ESPN 150 is out, it's time to take a look at how each SEC team is doing in the world of recruiting as the spring comes to an end.

Florida leads the SEC with seven 150 members, while Alabama and Georgia have six each. Auburn was one of two teams to have two top-10 150 members in its class.

Yes, it's very, very early, but recruiting is something that never seems to lose its popularity.

Here's a look at each SEC team's class thus far:

ALABAMA

2013 verbal commitments: 11

Spotlight: Linebacker Reuben Foster of Auburn, Ala., is not only the top linebacker prospect out there but he's the No. 2-rated player in the country, according to ESPN recruiting services. Alabama is rarely short of talent at the linebacker position and from all accounts, Foster won't have a problem fitting in. He registered 185 total tackles, including 144 solo tackles, 34 tackles for loss and 18 sacks as a junior

ESPN 150 members: 6 (2. ILB Reuben Foster of Auburn, Ala.; TE-H of O.J. Howard of Prattville, Ala.; RB Altee Tenpenny of North Little Rock, Ark.; RB Tyren Jones of Marietta, Ga.; OG Andy Dodd of Lindale, Ga.; ATH ArDarius Stewart of Birmingham, Ala.

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TideNation recruiting writer Greg Ostendorf brings you another edition of The O-zone, a confidential look inside Alabama recruiting. Get the latest updates from the gridiron and the hardwood as it pertains to the Crimson Tide.

In this week’s update centered around the new ESPN 150:

  • Auburn commit visits for A-Day
  • Fla. DE sets decision date

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One-stop shopping for ESPN 150 release

April, 17, 2012
4/17/12
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The highly anticipated ESPN 150 was released Tuesday. Here's your one-stop shopping:

Who made it and who didn't? Here's the ESPN 150 list.

Take a deeper look at some of the top players: Inside the ESPN 150 Insider.

Robert Nkemdiche is the No. 1 prospect in the ESPN 150. How will he handle the pressure?

Tom Luginbill breaks down the list: Analysis Video

There were some tough choices to make. Who barely missed out? Video

ESPN's Mitch Sherman has some questions for Nkemdiche. Check out the interview. Video

RecruitingNation 411: Top classes, best recruits. Video

Give a listen to the podcast about how the ESPN 150 came together.

The University of Alabama pulled in the No. 1 class in 2012, largely in part due to the nation’s best 13 commitments ranked in the ESPN 150. The new ESPN 150 for 2013 was released Tuesday, and the Crimson Tide are well represented once again with six commits in the new rankings.

The top ranked player in UA’s class is linebacker Reuben Foster, who comes in at No. 2 nationally. Foster committed to Alabama last summer but made headlines recently when he transferred to Auburn High School in Alabama.

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The news of Tuesday’s release of the ESPN 150 brought excitement to offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia), who is ranked the No. 3 overall prospect in the country, one of just seven five-star prospects, the top recruit in Florida, and top offensive linemen in the 2013 class. But, for the 6-foot-6, 290-pound tackle with offers from around the country, the satisfaction was short-lived.

“It feels great to be ranked so high, but the stars do not matter,” Tunsil said. “What is important to me is the hard work and dedication you put into the game you love.”

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Top TE Henry visits four schools in four days

Little Rock, Ark. (Pulaski Academy) tight end Hunter Henry took a tour of the SEC over the weekend, visiting four schools in four days.

After making stops at Vanderbilt and Tennessee on Thursday and Friday, Henry attended Georgia’s spring game on Saturday before wrapping up his caravan on Sunday in Tuscaloosa where he visited the University of Alabama.

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Kelly Jr. keeping all options open 

April, 16, 2012
4/16/12
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Todd Kelly Jr. has no problem stepping out from his father's shadow.

That's part of the reason why the 2014 safety prospect from Knoxville (Tenn.) Webb visited Alabama this weekend and is considering a possible upcoming offer from Florida. Given that his father played for Tennessee and that he lives in Knoxville, it's significant that Kelly seems open to all comers, even the Volunteers' rivals.

“He tells me all the time it's your decision,” Kelly Jr. said of his father, Todd Kelly, who played for the Vols before becoming a first-round selection in the NFL Draft for the San Francisco 49ers in 1993.

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Lewis Neal was never lonely during his visit to Clemson.

“I felt so welcome when I went,” defensive end from Wilson (N.C.) James B. Hunt said. “They paid the visiting recruits a lot of attention.”

Neal toured the Tigers' campus alongside tailback Derrick Green from Richmond (Va.) Hermitage.

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Scarborough: Coach for a day

April, 16, 2012
4/16/12
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The start to my collegiate football coaching career began ominously. I was lost within minutes.

Nick SabanAlex Scarborough/ESPN.comNick Saban meets with his team before the A-Day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Was I supposed to show up at the north endzone or the south?

Which direction was north?

I pulled out my iPhone and checked Google Maps. I was in the right spot, thank goodness. I couldn’t afford to screw up my first day.

Waiting in the corridors of Bryant-Denny Stadium alone, I checked my watch -- 15 minutes early. Apparently my fellow media coaches didn’t understand the Bill Parcells rule: if you’re on time, you’re already late. Certainly, Nick Saban would appreciate my effort and award me the play-calling duties.

I had a play dialed up and ready to go: take a knee and let the defense do the work. I’m not lazy, just an educated pessimist. I’ve seen Adrian Hubbard and Jesse Williams get after the quarterback, and if I were AJ McCarron I’d want nothing to do with them. It’s April, not October. Punt the ball and get my quarterback the heck out of there.

Surely, Saban would appreciate my concern for McCarron’s health and my regard for his defense.

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Billingsley hoping for Bama offer 

April, 16, 2012
4/16/12
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If it is extended, an offer from Alabama could seal Bobby Billingsley's college football fate.

“Had a GREAT visit to Alabama this weekend and I was one of the few prospects that was called back to sit with their position coach,” the center from Memphis (Tenn.) East texted ESPN. “I could possibly get an offer this spring or summer.”

So what did Billingsley like about the trip to Tuscaloosa?

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If the University of Alabama is looking for the next AJ McCarron, it may have found its guy in ESPN 150 Watch List signal caller Riley Ferguson.

The North Carolina native reminds people of McCarron with the way he throws. The two wear the same number, and over the weekend, Ferguson found out that the two share similar personalities when he had dinner with McCarron during his visit to Tuscaloosa.

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Tide on top for ESPN 150 Watch List member CB Smith after visit

When Texas offered Lone State cornerback Maurice Smith last month, the University of Alabama knew it had an uphill road to climb, but the Crimson Tide made up some ground and more during the weekend when Smith visited Tuscaloosa for A-Day.

“It was great,” Smith said. “We got to talk to Coach (Doug) Nussmeier, the coach out of my area. He really took me under his wing and showed me around the place. I loved the campus and the people around the campus. The environment was great.

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Watch: Trent Richardson goes to prom

April, 15, 2012
4/15/12
12:09
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Former Tide star running back Trent Richardson takes Alabama fan and cancer survivor Courtney Alvis to her senior prom.
video
A-Day was a success both on and off the field for the University of Alabama. After a competitive spring game, the Crimson Tide picked up commitments back-to-back from Anthony Averett and Deon Johnson.

For Johnson, a wide receiver from Spanish Fort, Ala., he had known for awhile that he was going to commit to Alabama, but he wanted to wait until A-Day to make sure.

“I think Alabama was my choice because I know Alabama, the fans and I think I can go help Alabama,” Johnson said. “I think it’s a good vibe in Tuscaloosa, and I felt like it was home ever since I first went there.”

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A-Day notes: Hubbard excels

April, 14, 2012
4/14/12
10:10
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When Adrian Hubbard hit the field on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, it was as if a light went on.

[+] Enlarge
Vinnie Sunseri
Marvin Gentry/US PresswireVinnie Sunseri (3) excelled on A-Day and could have a big 2012.
Game on. Ready to go.

The soft-spoken redshirt sophomore from Lawrenceville, Ga., lit up the Tide offense, scoring seven tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss at the A-Day scrimmage, impressing coaches and taking home the Dwight Stevenson Lineman of the Game Award for his work.

Last year Hubbard played in eight games as a reserve linebacker, backing up Courtney Upshaw at the jack position. But with his performance Saturday, the 6-foot-6, 248-pounder let more than 78,000 fans know he was ready to step his game up to another level.

Even after the game, Hubbard wasn’t satisfied with where he stood. With fall practice four months away, there’s still work to be done.

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