http://recruiting.theinsiders.com/2/222779.html
Posted: Jan 12, 2004 For Alabama, things have gotten better, especially when it comes to recruiting. The Tide has turned By Jamie Newberg National Recruiting Analyst As of last Thursday Alabama checked in the with No. 13 rated recruiting class. What a big and pleasant surprise Alabama has been this recruiting season, especially after all the adversity in Tuscaloosa. Signing Day is next month and there are still many prospects out there. In fact, there are too many to count and still a ways to go. Like always, there will be some surprises. One big surprise already this recruiting season is the Alabama Crimson Tide. I guess one could say the Tide has turned. Lets face it, the University of Alabama has had more than its share of problems over the past few years. Alabama has faced NCAA probation, scholarship reductions, coaching turnover and embarrassment to one of the most prestigious programs in all of college football. It has been Murphy's Law in Tuscaloosa: Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. After the Mike Price debacle, Alabama went back to "family" and brought in Mike Shula. Coach Shula had no spring practice and a stacked deck against him this past season. They played their way through an un-Alabama like 4-9 season. Things looked bleak in Tuscaloosa until recently. Shula and company have a top class that has quieted the critics for now. When you consider all that has gone wrong, what they have done is simply extraordinary when it comes to recruiting. Going into this season, their bitter in-state rival, Auburn, was expected to dominate the recruiting scene in the state of Alabama. But Auburn greatly underachieved this past year. Then, after the season, Tommy Tuberville was on the hot seat. Was he staying or was he going? The president, athletic director and others created an embarrassing situation of their own. Who benefited? It looks like Alabama did. Shula has one of the top recruiting classes in the ultra-competitive SEC right now. And things should stay that way over the next four weeks. Leading the way are several in-state standouts like defensive back Simeon Castile (Birmingham, Ala.), offensive linemen B.J. Stabler (Grove Hill, Ala.), Justin Britt (Cullman, Ala.) and Cody Davis (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), defensive tackle Kevin Hamilton (Prattville, Ala.), safety Marcus Carter (Fort Payne, Ala.), offensive lineman Antoine Caldwell (Montgomery) and linebacker Ezekiel Knight (Wedowee, Ala.). Last season, Hoover, Ala., All-American wide receiver Chad Jackson signed with the Gators over Alabama. This season, Hoover has several big name recruits and Alabama got them all, including quarterback John Parker Wilson, defensive end Jeramie Holifield and linebacker Curtis Dawson. The state's top recruit, wide receiver Nikita Stover, also has committed to play for the Crimson Tide. Despite their success the Crimson Tide did lose some key recruits. The state's top running back, Markus Manson (Tuscalossa, Ala.), committed to Florida but will still visit Alabama on the last visit weekend of the month. Defensive tackle David Brown (Madison, Ala.) has committed to Georgia Tech and defensive back Chevis Jackson (Mobile, Ala.) has committed to LSU. But Alabama is still fighting for some super out-of-state recruits. Defensive lineman Lorenzo Washington (Loganville, Ga.) is one of the top recruits from the Peach State and the Tide and Dawgs have been his longtime leaders. Also, the top prospect in the state of Georgia, linebacker/defensive end Brandon Miller (Colquitt, Ga.), is expected to make an official visit to Alabama some time this month. That's big in itself. Other possibilies are offensive lineman Chester Adams (Luverne, Ala.), wide receiver D.J. Hall (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.), defensive end K.T. Mainard (Coalmont, Tenn., wide receiver Keith Brown (Pensacola, Fla.) and defensive lineman Jeremy Jones (Harvey, La.). The bottom line is that Alabama has overcome its troubles, taken advantage of Auburn's woes and fought hard to beat most of their out of state rivals for the top-notch kids. But the state of Alabama is like no other. No one takes their football as seriously as they do and, lets face it, if you grow up a fan of Alabama, you will want to play there whether they are 12-0 or 0-12. Maybe this is a sign that there are better times ahead for Shula, the program and the loyal Alabama faithful. ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
