Alabama Crimson Tide

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- There were several standouts at Tuesday's Day 2 practice for the Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN). Two players -- one for Team Nitro, the other for Team Highlight -- said they are closing in on their college decisions and will make their announcements Friday. Meanwhile, the nation's No. 1 player left the field at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports with an injury.

Folston closing in on decision

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -– Team Nitro and Team Highlight took to the fields at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports on Monday for Day 1 of practice for Friday’s Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Two powerhouse programs in the Southeastern Conference look to battle it out for one of the standout running backs, and one of the top uncommitted offensive linemen is out with an injury.

Tide and Dawgs at top for RB Kamara

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In the season opener, ESPN 150 running back Tyren Jones (Marietta, Ga./Walton) had what can be considered the top performance in the five-game Corky Kell Classic event, carrying the ball 30 times for 302 yards and five touchdowns. Only one other running back, Mike Boydston, had ever topped the 300-yard mark in school history. A week later, the 5-foot-9, 195-pound tailback did it yet again.

Against McEachern, Jones had an astounding 47 carries for 334 yards and four touchdowns. He had 336 before his last carry, which appeared to be a two-yard loss. It was reported as a school record by the television station covering the game, but online reports have Boydston with 335 yards in a 2008 win over Alpharetta. Regardless, it was a monster performance by Jones, who now has 78 carries for 639 yards and nine touchdowns through two games. His coach, Rocky Hidalgo, praised his star running back.

"He is everything you wants as a player," Hidalgo said. "On top of that he is tough as nails, a competitor, and a great locker room presence. We have had a bunch of great kids come through here and have a bunch right now, but I have never been around anyone whose talent warranted all of those attributes as he does."

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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:

• Foster, Matthews plan visits
• McNeil delays decision

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While participating at The Opening, ESPN 150 defensive back Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) planned to hold a meeting with several prospects in hopes of getting all of them to go to the same program.

And while the meeting had a few hiccups overall, Wiggins was pleased by the progress.

"We probably didn't hang out for as long as we could have but Reuben [Foster] left early so we had to deal with that," Wiggins said. "Still it was a good meeting and I think everyone knows what's up."

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Four-star Safety Tray Matthews (Newnan, Ga./Newnan) and five-star linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) have been best friends since middle school. But it was not until after Foster committed to Alabama and Matthews committed to Georgia last summer that the two ESPN 150 prospects began seriously discussing the possibility of playing together at the next level. The two have gone back and forth on the Tide and Bulldogs in the last year. Many wondered whether Matthews and Foster would actually go through with their December pledge to attend the same college. Following Foster’s latest visit to Athens, Matthews said an agreement has been made.

“We are having fun, but we talked last night and we really know where we want to go,” Matthews said. “We both decided on a school and we are the only two that know. A couple of people are not going to like the decision, but we have to do what is best for us. “

Matthews says they will make their announcement together before the beginning of the season, and he feels two others could be joining them.

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Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) has been committed to the University of Alabama for almost a year now. Yet Foster, the nation’s No. 2 prospect, continues to keep the door cracked open. On Saturday, the 6-foot-2, 242-pound linebacker decided he needed to take another trip up to Athens.

“I had not visited UGA in a while, and I am still giving them a chance, so why not visit?” Foster said. “I missed being around the coaches. They are energetic, fun to be around and they speak the truth. My interest in Georgia is up there. I like Georgia; they were one of my first colleges that I visited, and they treat you like family.”

Foster was on campus for four hours during the Mark Richt Camp, and even though the Bulldogs head coach had more than 100 prospects competing in front of him, he still made sure to spend ample time with the five-star target.

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Four-star defensive lineman Antonio Riles (Lawrenceville, Ga./Archer) has had a busy week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound prospect camped Monday at Alabama, Thursday at Georgia and Saturday at Florida, but he admits his journey got off to a surprising start.

“Getting an offer from the Tide really caught me off guard,” Riles said. “The Alabama offer changes things, and I am highly considering them.”

In May, Riles mentioned Florida and Georgia as co-leaders, but on Sunday he was not ready to name a particular school as No. 1.

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Rossville, Ga. -- Less than three miles from the Tennessee border, coaches from Auburn and Tennessee watch as defensive back Vonn Bell (Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland) makes it look easy against his teammates during the school’s spring scrimmage. Three carries result in three spectacular touchdown plays for the 6-foot, 185-pound ESPN 150 athlete, who would also make his presence known on defense with a couple bone-jarring hits before letting the backups take over.

For Bell, who is coming off an All-State season in which he made 180 tackles, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and three recoveries for touchdowns on defense, as well as 37 rushes for 280 yards and five touchdowns, 31 catches for 487 yards and six touchdowns on offense, it was just another day at the office.

More than 15 programs made the trip in the last month to Rossville to evaluate Bell, who has done his best to return the favor, making trips to Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas and Vanderbilt this year. It is all part of a process that Bell and his parents take seriously.

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The University of Georgia is hoping to lock down a stellar defensive back class in the 2013 recruiting cycle, and with only four cornerbacks and four safeties set to return after this year, whomever the Bulldogs sign will have to be ready to play immediately. That is exactly what the coaches told Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell) during his time Saturday in Athens for Very Important Dawg Day.

"This visit to Georgia was definitely a lot more compelling than before, and they brought me in close and spent a lot of time breaking things down," Langley said. "I could tell the difference visiting with an offer. Coach [Will] Friend had offensive linemen trying to contact him all day and he was with me the entire time, so that meant a lot."

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