Getting down to the wire

[MUSSO]

with 17 schollies available and 12 taken, 5 more remain. who would you pick if you were coach?

it's dang tough with so many talented youngsters out there, but i think i'd select the following 5 remaining prospects:

>> Earnest Nance LB (c/o '02 expecting to recover from knee injury)

>> Mitchell Thomas LB

>> 2 of the following WRs (Jackson, Swain, Caddell, Harrell, or Allen)

>> any 1 of the following: DL Dominic Lee, OL Aaron Sears, S Will Roach, or one more of the above super WRs

feedback anyone???

 

[BamaKam]

We can give 18 this year. Nance counts toward this year and will be enrolling in Jan.
Our current crop other than Nance:

1. Tim Castille
2. D.J. Chambers
3. Chris Felder
4. Andraus Grace
5. Eric Gray
6. Michael Hill
7. Mario Lane
8. LeRon McClain
9. Justin Moon
10. Eric Packer
11. Jarod Parrish
12. Travis West

Not everyone is expected to qualify (there are rumors that Chambers could be drafted in baseball). So, expect Bama to sign 20 or 21. With 13 committed (including Nance) look for about 8 more to sign.

My wish list:

13. Jason Swain (looks good)
14. Chad Jackson (he's not talkin)
15. Dominic Lee (looks good)
16. Matt Caddell (looks good)
17. Daniel Brooks (probably UT)
18. William Roach (looks good)
19. Antonio Cromartie (will visit)
20. Robert Meachum (longshot)
21. Aaron Sears (Probably UT)

Other possibilities if the dream list doesn't work out (and it's highly doubtful).

Terrance Jones LB teammate of Leron McClain, a lot of people think he will sign at Bama

Mitchell Thomas LB teammate of Michael Hill, committed & decommitted in the same day last week. Will probably still be one of the signees though. I just prefer some others. He is a stud so I definitely wouldn't be disappointed with him.

John Mahaffey OT HS teammate of Grant Dickey current Bama OL. Loved his visit and would commit if offered. He's a bit down on the list but could wind up with an offer.

Demarcus Waldrop S HS linebacker at 185 lbs or so. Could be a tweener, but a fantastic athlete

Tyrone Protho Ath reminds many of David Palmer, but not quite THAT good. Could very well be a signee.

There are many others, but these are my thoughts. As you can see, I completely left off Tyson Thomas (g). He is WAYYY down the list.

 

[The Tide]

FYI:

Daniel Brooks lists Bama and Arkansas as top 2.
William Roach lists UT as his favorite.

I hope we do better with recruiting numbers this year. We penalized ourselves 1 if not 2 (if Nance is ready) last year. We can't afford to do that when we are on probation.


I thought Fran only recruited players that could pass the grade? I guess not.

 

[BamaKam]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by The Tide:
FYI:

Daniel Brooks lists Bama and Arkansas as top 2.
William Roach lists UT as his favorite.

I hope we do better with recruiting numbers this year. We penalized ourselves 1 if not 2 (if Nance is ready) last year. We can't afford to do that when we are on probation.

I thought Fran only recruited players that could pass the grade? I guess not.</font>

Roach is listing UT as his favorite, but a lot of people "in the know" are convinced he will wind up at Bama.

Daniel Brooks has consistently listed UT and Bama as his favorites in interviews, I have not heard him mention Arkie. Ole Miss is running 3rd for Brooks.

As for Fran recruiting only athletes that make the grade, every team recruits borderline athletes. It is just a fact of life that many great athletes are borderline students.

Chris Browder is an example from last year's class, as are Titus Ryan, Chauncey Malone and Henry Smith who all signed with Bama but went JUCO.

However, some kids that many thought would not make it wind up getting qualified. Marcus McKnight was on the radar of a lot of big schools but qualified late and only had scholly offers from the likes of Troy St. He walked on at Bama but was given a scholly that Browder was supposed to get after Browder's ACT was questioned.

 

[MUSSO]

i had no idea that we were in such a favorable position with Daniel Brooks ... boy, would he be a quality MLB to backup Roach and eventually replace him when Roach leaves ...

i hope Nance is fully recovered because it makes me twitch to think that we are spending a precious scholarship on an injured recruit ... geez, we can't afford to throw away schollies under sanctions ...

 

[BamaKam]

Nance is expecting to redshirt next year and recover fully and bulk up. He was a really fine prospect before the injury and had interest/offers from most SEC schools. He may never make it, but the coaches see a player and they have been pretty accurate to date.

Nance was listed at 6'3" 205 and was timed at 4.43 in the forty before the injury. He is/was a real athlete.

As for Brooks, I'm not counting any chickens. The scuttlebutt is that he likes Bama's staff a lot and really likes Torbush's record of putting LB's into the pros, but he has a lot of pressure from his home town to go to UT (I think his parents are UT fans). I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign with Bama, but I don't expect it.

By the way, I was watching film the other nite of Mitchell Thomas, I really like this kid more and more. It was from his Jr. year and I assume he is bigger and better now. He might make an excellent MLB at Bama, he would be a fine addition to the team.

 

[MUSSO]

yea, i think Thomas deserves much attention from our staff ... hopefully, he'll recommit for good!

i've not seen any film on him though ... have any links of offer?

 

[BamaKam]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by MUSSO:
yea, i think Thomas deserves much attention from our staff ... hopefully, he'll recommit for good!

i've not seen any film on him though ... have any links of offer?</font>

BamaOnline.com has the clips. It's a pay site but well worth it. It's 8 or 9 bucks a month and they are great guys with excellent info and clips on just about all of Bama's top prospects.

 

[MUSSO]

thanks BamaKam!

 

[BamaSully]

How many of the 12 are legit DT prospects (i.e. that already weight 270 or better)? I believe Michael Hill is one. If that number is less than two, we've got to have one more. Isn't Dominic Lee a big-time tackle? How are his grades and how do we look for getting him?

Thanks for the info.

-Sully

 

[BamaKam]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by BamaSully:
How many of the 12 are legit DT prospects (i.e. that already weight 270 or better)? I believe Michael Hill is one. If that number is less than two, we've got to have one more. Isn't Dominic Lee a big-time tackle? How are his grades and how do we look for getting him?

Thanks for the info.

-Sully</font>

We have a commit from Andraus Grace, who is 6'2" 290 and a big time DT prospect. Hill is about 270. They will both probably redshirt next season, they need a year in the weight room, that is assuming that they have the grades as well.

Dominic Lee is, along with the Big 3 receivers, Bama's #1 target to finish the recruiting season. He is said to be a big Bama Lean, with TSDTR as the main competition. Lee is also around 290 and is a real bull. He already benches over 400 lbs and most likely would be in the rotation he frosh year. I don't know for sure about his grades, but I believe that he is expected to qualify.

 

[BamaSully]

Thanks BamaKam.