Alabama Crimson Tide

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Nike Football Training Camp circuit stayed in the southeast on Sunday, stopping at the Memphis University School for an event that, to the surprise of no one, featured solid line play. No doubt, it’s a staple in this part of the country. In fact, coaches praised the participants for play as strong in the trenches as they’ve seen at any Nike camp this spring.

Mitch Sherman of Recruiting Nation attended the event. Here’s what he learned:

Youth has been served

While a strong contingent of upperclassmen dominated the positional MVP honors, a few 14- and 15-year-old prospects shared time in the spotlight. Notably, linebacker Dylan Moses of Baton Rouge, La., showed no hesitation in facing players four years his senior. Moses, an eighth-grader set to begin high school at LSU Laboratory School in the fall, added an offer on Saturday from Ole Miss to a list that already featured Alabama and LSU. Running back Gabe Angel, a freshman at Lebanon (Tenn.) Wilson Central, performed well on Sunday after recently adding Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Tennessee to a Mississippi State offer he received last year. Another 2016 prospect, receiver Harry Ballard of Florissant (Mo.) McCluer North, showed well, too.

Ole Miss is surging

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Only two days after firing head coach Bill Carmody, Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips flew to New Jersey on Monday to meet with four-star senior point guard signee Jaren Sina (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's), one of the best recruits Carmody had been able to land during his 13-year tenure.

As a result of the meeting, Sina is now expected to be released from his letter of intent with Northwestern within the next two days, according to his father and high school coach, Mergin Sina.

“We’re going to get the release because they might bring a guy in that’s not a great fit with Jaren,” Mergin said. “But we love the school.”

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Running back Alvin Kamara (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) will decide between Alabama and Georgia on signing day, announcing his decision at 3:35 p.m. ET on ESPNU. While it was thought that the Bulldogs were the team to beat several times last year, it seems the Crimson Tide are sitting pretty to add a fourth ESPN 150 running back in the 2013 recruiting cycle.

On Monday night, he consented to answer some questions that were submitted by fans on Twitter using the hashtag #AskKamara. Be sure to follow him at @A_kamara6.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- As it turned out, 2008 was just the beginning. Alabama's 2009 signing class was one step ahead for Nick Saban and the coaching staff as it finished No. 2 in the country, highlighted by the likes of Dre Kirkpatrick, Trent Richardson, AJ McCarron and Eddie Lacy.

But those were just the headliners. Like many of the recruiting classes to come in the years since, the 2009 class was solid top to bottom. Chance Warmack, Anthony Steen and James Carpenter were all ranked in the second half of the class. Kevin Norwood, Darrington Sentimore and Quinton Dial also came out of the lower half of the class to become playmakers at the college level.

There's no doubt, though, who the star of the class was. Richardson, the No. 1 running back from Pensacola, Fla. in the country, was stolen right out from under the Florida Gators' nose. The 5-foot-11, 219-pound athlete was an instant impact player, rushing for more than 700 yards as a true freshman. Two seasons later he was in New York City as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. A few months after that, he was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.

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Five-star talent doesn't always equate to star-studded results on the football field. Every so often a player fails to reach his full potential. Whether it's a lack of effort in the weight room, a lack of understanding on the practice field, or something as simple as the wrong fit systematically, misses are bound to occur. With that in mind, we'll take a look back at the recruiting classes since 2006 and determine who were some of the biggest misses.

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Editor’s note: Every Tuesday and Thursday between now and national signing day, TideNation will review each position and look at who figures to start, who could rise up the depth chart and who might be on the way. Today we’ll look at the quarterbacks.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- AJ McCarron could have said he'd had enough. The junior quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide could have looked back on a mesmerizing season in which he set school records, led the country in passing efficiency and won the national championship, and said he'd done all he could. He could have declared for the NFL draft and left nothing unfinished in Tuscaloosa. Back-to-back titles would leave little for fans to gripe about.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It was the shot across the bow. Nick Saban and the Alabama coaching staff made a statement with the class of 2008.

It was Saban's first full year recruiting as the head coach of the Crimson Tide, and what a stunning first impression it was. Not only did he haul in the No. 3 signing class in the country, but he went nationwide to do it, pulling a 2,000-yard running back from all the way up in Flint, Mich., by the name of Mark Ingram.

Saban drew on familiar ties to nab the 12th-ranked running back in the country, according to ESPN, swiping Ingram out from under the nose of Michigan State, where the now 61-year-old Saban held the second head coaching job of his career.

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Editor's note: The season is over and the Alabama Crimson Tide are national champions yet again. But what happens next? TideNation examines the most pressing storylines of the offseason as the Tide gear up for another title defense.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Spring practice is roughly two months away. The start of another Alabama title defense is right around the corner.

Nine early enrollees are already on campus. The offseason conditioning program is in full swing. Rest assured Scott Cochran, the Crimson Tide's raucous strength and conditioning coach, has put the 2012-13 championship to bed. Inside the football offices, the page has been turned. The time for competition is now.

With that in mind, let's break down the four most intriguing position battles set to unfold over the coming months.

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Editor’s note: Every Tuesday and Thursday until national signing day, TideNation will review each position and look at who figures to start, who could rise up the depth chart and who might be on the way. Today we’ll look at the wide receivers.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Even with a national championship in hand, the Alabama coaching staff must look back at the passing game and wonder, "What if?"

What if DeAndrew White hadn't torn up his knee against Ole Miss? Would Amari Cooper have won the starting job and become AJ McCarron's go-to target if he had?

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Editor’s note: Every Tuesday and Thursday between now and national signing day, TideNation will review each position and look at who figures to start, who could rise up the depth chart and who might be on the way. Today we’ll look at the running backs.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Even Eddie Lacy is in the dark about who will carry the football for the University of Alabama next season. The junior running back who declared for the NFL draft last week said he's sure T.J. Yeldon will get plenty of carries, but who the No. 2 back is remains a question mark.

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Editor's note: The season is over and the Alabama Crimson Tide are national champions yet again. But what happens next? TideNation examines the most pressing storylines of the offseason as the Tide gear up for another title defense.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Often the one thing standing between a team and a berth in the national championship is health. The quarterback or running back might fall and the season quickly circles the drain. There's nothing to be done about it. Sometimes the ball just bounces the wrong way.

Luckily for the University of Alabama, the ball careened a few times but never hit any irreplaceable parts. Several talented players who were injured and replaced can now enjoy a championship ring -- but their offseason now revolves around finding playing time on a roster that won a title without their help.

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Editor's note: The season is over and the Alabama Crimson Tide are national champions yet again. But what happens next? TideNation examines the most pressing storylines of the offseason as the Tide gear up for another title defense.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The departing junior offered some insight. Dee Milliner, another in a long line of Alabama underclassmen to bolt for the NFL, knows a thing or two about being the man on deck. He played the part of understudy to Dre Kirkpatrick a year ago. Before that, Kirkpatrick was the heir to Javier Arenas. Year over year under coach Nick Saban, the factory of defensive backs has continued churning along without fail.

"You’ve got to be prepared and ready at any time," Milliner, a potential first-round pick in April's draft, said. "It’s just buying into what you’re supposed to do and trying to be your best. We always talk about that. You’re competing with yourself, because you’re competing to be the best within yourself. We try to do that each day we get on the field, and I think that plays a role in high draft picks each year."

Alabama will have a new crop of defensive backs to incorporate next season as both Milliner and safety Robert Lester step away to the NFL.

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