THE CRIMSON ELEPHANT

‘Bama loses three verbal commitments on NSD

2012-02-02T12:26:00.000-06:00

Per Rivals.com, the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban have claimed yet another National Signing Day title; however, ‘Bama did fail to secure three prior verbal commitments due to an assortment of reasons.

Wide receiver Casey Gladney failed to sign with the Crimson Tide due to what was believed to be his high school academic standing. Rumors of Gladney’s academic hardship(s) had been swirling for months.

Despite his potential academic shortcomings in respect to the University of Alabama, Gladney inked his National Letter of Intent with Texas Tech on Wednesday.

Defensive lineman Darius Philon and running back Justin Taylor were the unfortunate “victims” of the SEC imposed 25-player signing cap.

Rather than deferring enrollment to Alabama (grayshirt) until January of 2013, Philon signed his National Letter of Intent with Arkansas, while Taylor selected the University of Kentucky over the likes of Ole Miss and Alabama.

When all was said and done on NSD, Alabama signed the “cap number” of 25, plus another commitment who was a “hold over” from a prior class.

NSD 2012: Brandon Hill signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T13:41:00.000-06:00

Offensive lineman Brandon Hill has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Hill, a Tide verbal commitment since November, is a three-star prospect per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Brandon Hill *** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Offensive Lineman
Collierville, TN
St. George's
6'6" 352

NSD 2012: Brandon Greene signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T13:07:00.000-06:00

Offensive lineman Brandon Greene has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Greene, a Tide verbal commitment since early March, was courted hard by the University of Georgia during the recruiting process…especially over the course of the last month.

The Ellenwood, Ga. product is a four-star prospect per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Brandon Greene **** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Offensive Lineman
Ellenwood, GA
Cedar Grove
6'6" 280

NSD 2012: Denzel Devall signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

Linebacker Denzel Devall has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Devall, a Tide verbal commitment since early December, is considered a four-star prospect and the No. 2 rated player in the state of Louisiana, per Rivals.com.

The No. 1 prospect in the state of Louisiana is none other than ‘Bama signee Landon Collins.

Player Information:

Denzel Devall **** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Linebacker
Bastrop, LA
Bastrop
6'2" 236

NSD 2012: Landon Collins signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T12:54:00.000-06:00

Safety Landon Collins has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Collins, a Tide verbal commitment since early January, is considered a five-star prospect and the most highly-touted player in the state of Louisiana per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Landon Collins ***** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Safety
Geismar, LA
Dutchtown
6'0" 199

NSD 2012: Tyler Hayes signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T12:11:00.000-06:00

Linebacker Tyler Hayes has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Hayes, a Tide verbal commitment since February of 2011, is one of the most highly-touted players in the state of Alabama and a four-star prospect per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Tyler Hayes **** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Linebacker
Thomasville, AL
Thomasville
6'3" 215

NSD 2012: Caleb Gulledge signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T10:24:00.000-06:00

Offensive lineman Caleb Gulledge has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Gulledge, a Tide verbal commitment prior to signing day, is a three-star prospect per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Caleb Gulledge *** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Offensive guard
Prattville, AL
Prattville
6'4" 255

NSD 2012: Adam Griffith signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T09:57:00.000-06:00

Kicker Adam Griffith has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Griffith, a Tide verbal commitment since late January of 2011, is expected to inject “new life” into the somewhat inconsistent Crimson Tide kicking game.

Rated as the No. 2 kicking prospect in the nation per Rivals.com, Griffith is a three-star talent.

Player Information:

Adam Griffith *** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Kicker
Calhoun, GA
Calhoun
5'11" 175

NSD 2012: Kurt Freitag signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T09:26:00.001-06:00

Tight end Kurt Freitag has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Freitag, a Tide verbal commitment since early December, is a three-star prospect per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Kurt Freitag *** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Tight End
Buford, GA
Buford
6'3" 245

NSD 2012: Kenyan Drake signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T09:11:00.000-06:00

Running back Kenyan Drake has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Drake, a Tide verbal commitment since February of 2011, is a four-star prospect and is considered the 13th best running back in the nation per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Kenyan Drake **** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Running Back
Powder Springs, GA
Hillgrove
6'1" 195

NSD 2012: Dakota Ball signs with Alabama

2012-02-01T09:04:00.000-06:00

Defensive tackle Dakota Ball has officially signed his National Letter of Intent and will play college football at the University of Alabama.

Ball, a Tide verbal commitment since October of 2010, is considered a three-star prospect per Rivals.com.

Player Information:

Dakota Ball *** (Click name for Rivals.com page)
Defensive Tackle
Lindale, GA
Pepperell
6'2" 292

Transfer student

2012-01-31T12:23:00.000-06:00

Contribution by Paula Gonzales

Today is my first day of college. Well, my first day of college at this college. This will be the third college I have attended. I don’t know what my problem is. I just can’t find a place that seems to fit with me. The past two places have been terrible fits. I am very hopeful about this one. I moved into my new apartment a few weeks ago and learned my way around a little before school started. Everything so far is off to a great start. I love my apartment. The move in and installations went smoothly. I was able to find a great electricity provider from Texas Electricity Providers. The view from my apartment is wonderful and the complex seems to be very popular. I was worried about choosing the right apartment. Having just transferred here, I didn’t know if I was picking a popular complex or an unpopular one. So far it appears to have been a good choice and so far I already like the school more. Fingers crossed this will be the school for me.

Tide receives new verbal commitments for 2013

2012-01-28T19:57:00.000-06:00

Alabama’s first major recruiting event of the year has featured a total of three verbal commitments in respect to the 2013 recruiting class.

Wide receiver Raheem Falkins, athlete ArDarius Stewart, and running back Altee Tenpenny each verbally committed to the University of Alabama during Saturday’s “Junior Day” festivities.

In addition to the verbal commitments, athlete John Diarse, linebacker Walker Jones (younger brother of Harrison and Barrett Jones), running back Alvin Kamara, and offensive tackle Kenneth Santa Marina each received scholarship offers from Alabama for 2013.

While scholarship offers and possible verbal commitments will continue for the next 24 hours, one can expect a dose of “weekend finality” come Sunday night once the on-campus recruiting event has concluded.

However, as of Saturday night, Alabama is in the midst of a 2013 "talent cavalcade" thanks to Nick Saban and the entire Crimson Tide coaching staff.

‘Bama makes final push for three defensive tackles

2012-01-27T13:25:00.000-06:00

With National Signing Day 2012 set for Wednesday, the Alabama Crimson Tide are making one final push for three players…all of which play the defensive tackle position.

Alabama is expected to sign one player from the list below, and possibly two, in order to put the finishing touches on the 2012 signing class.

Eddie Goldman, Korren Kirven, and Dalvin Tomlinson should present the only “signing day drama” for the Crimson Tide barring some unforeseen event come Wednesday morning.

With the exclusion of possible grayshirts and non-academic qualifiers, the names listed on the verbal commitment sheet are expected to sign with the University of Alabama.

As usual, Nick Saban will hold his annual signing day press conference come Wednesday afternoon. At which time all questions concerning the events of the day will be addressed.

Alabama is poised to have another top-three signing class and possibly the No. 1 class in the nation. So much of the final rankings will not only depend on how Alabama “closes” but also how other schools finish as well.

Eddie Goldman-Washington, District of Columbia

-Five-star prospect per Rivals.com
-Defensive tackle
-No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation per Rivals.com
-No. 1 overall prospect in Washington, D.C. per Rivals.com
-No. 7 overall prospect in the nation per Rivals.com
-Considered an Auburn “lean” by several recruiting experts

Korren Kirven-Lynchburg, Virginia

-Four-star prospect per Rivals.com
-Defensive tackle
-No. 7 overall prospect in the state of Virginia per Rivals.com
-No. 16 overall defensive tackle prospect in the nation per Rivals.com
-Considered an Alabama “lean” by several recruiting experts

Dalvin Tomlinson-McDonough, Georgia

-Four-star prospect per Rivals.com
-Defensive tackle
-No. 11 overall prospect in the state of Georgia per Rivals.com
-No. 11 overall defensive tackle prospect in the nation per Rivals.com
-Considered an Alabama “lean” by several recruiting experts

Chris Samuels accepts position on Alabama staff

2012-01-24T13:47:00.000-06:00

Former Washington Redskins tackle Chris Samuels has accepted an assistant coaching position with his alma mater, the University of Alabama, where he will work with the offensive line while completing his degree.

Samuels, here in Mobile, Ala. to watch Senior Bowl practices coached by the Washington Redskins staff and attended by Alabama coach Nick Saban, said he is excited to take another step forward in his coaching career. He said he wants to apply lessons learned from Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan while gleaning from Saban’s knowledge.

Drafted third overall by Washington in 2000, Samuels played nine seasons for the Redskins – reaching the Pro Bowl six times – before a spinal condition forced him to retire in March of 2010.

WashingtonPost.com- Chris Samuels joining Alabama as offensive line assistant

Even though the addition of Samuels appears to be short-term, make no mistake, all parties involved will benefit greatly with Samuels on staff.

Current Alabama offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who recently completed his first year at Alabama, oversees one of the most dominate offensive fronts in major college football. The addition of Samuels can only make the Tide stronger in every facet of the offensive line.

The news of Samuels returning to Alabama as an assistant will probably “fly under the radar” in terms of the casual fan, but the addition of a former NFL veteran to any coaching body is invaluable.

Nick Saban, once again, has made a solid addition to his staff.

Nick Saban remembers the late Joe Paterno

2012-01-22T15:04:00.000-06:00

Joe Paterno, the patriarch of Penn State football, died Sunday morning at the age of 85 following a bout with lung cancer.

Joe Paterno-Penn State/Alabama postgame presser-9/11/10

In the wake of Paterno’s death, Alabama head coach Nick Saban (among others) shared personal thoughts and memories of the legendary Penn State coach during an installment of ESPN’s SportsCenter.

"Joe Paterno probably gave his life to college football," Saban said. "He gave his life to the players in college football."

ESPN.com Video--Saban remembers Paterno

“2011” championship update added to Saban statue

2012-01-20T17:16:00.000-06:00

Construction on the “Walk of Champions” and the Saban statue is always a good thing.

Let the “process” continue and the winning persist!

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Alabama updated Nick Saban's statue Thursday to reflect the Crimson Tide's 14th national championship in football.

A fresh etched "2011" appeared next to the "2009," both years signifying the two national championship teams Saban has coached at Alabama.

al.com-Saban statue “2011” update

Storms threaten ‘Bama title celebration

2012-01-20T16:44:00.002-06:00

The Alabama football national championship celebration at Bryant-Denny Stadium could very well be in jeopardy based on the latest weather forecast.

Storms are projected to be the "order of the day" for most of central/north Alabama…
Looks like the main window for strong to severe storms will be from about midnight tonight through 3:00 p.m. tomorrow. Understand this is not a major severe weather threat at all, but one or two warnings might be required for storms that try to rotate after midnight. Tornadoes, if we have any at all, more than likely will be short lived and relatively weak.
alabamawx.com-weekend storm threat

Yeldon wins top award, UA confirms coaching hires

2012-01-18T22:54:00.000-06:00

-Former Daphne High School running back T.J. Yeldon has been named “Mr. Football” by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Yeldon, a five-star prospect per Rivals.com, is an early enrollee at the University of Alabama and began classes earlier this month.

-The University of Alabama has officially confirmed the hire of offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and the rehire of linebackers coach Lance Thompson. State and national media initially reported the “confirmed by source(s)” appointment of Nussmeier and Thompson earlier this week.

Doug Nussmeier named new OC at Alabama

2012-01-16T14:40:00.000-06:00

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama has hired former Washington offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier for the same position, a source with knowledge of the coaching search confirmed.

Nussmeier has worked as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under head coach Steve Sarkisian at Washington since 2009. The Huskies ranked 25th nationally in scoring with 33.4 points per game, and 38th nationally in total offense in 2011.

ESPN.com- Nussmeier to ‘Bama

One can expect a formal press conference later this week at which time Nussmeier (and possibly Lance Thompson) will be formally introduced.

In respect to the hire, Nussmeier appears to be the ideal fit for the Alabama offense based on his personal style and the Crimson Tide’s current offensive personnel.

Nussmeier’s Coaching Resume

2001 B.C. Lions - CFL - (QB)
2002 Ottawa - CFL - (QB)
2003-05 Michigan State - (QB)
2006-07 St. Louis Rams - NFL - (QB)
2008 Fresno State - (OC)
2009-11 Washington - (OC/QB)

Lance Thompson to return to Alabama

2012-01-15T20:31:00.000-06:00

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - When Lance Thompson left Alabama's football coaching staff after the 2008 season to go to Tennessee, he was replaced by Sal Sunseri. Now Thompson is returning to Alabama to replace Sunseri, according to a source with knowledge of Alabama's search.

al.com-Lance Thompson

The notion of Thompson returning to Alabama is currently being met with mixed emotions.

Many Tide fans, as of Sunday night, are pleased with the idea of Thompson returning to Alabama based on his coaching ability and his prowess as a top-notch recruiter.

On the other hand, a faction of Alabama supporters are perplexed and disenchanted with the idea of Thompson’s return, based on how the assistant coach departed Tuscaloosa in early 2009.

al.com-Lance Thompson leaves ‘Bama in secrecy…Saban shocked

As is the case with most things in life, only time will tell how this “rediscovered” relationship will unfold.

Six Tide players accept Senior Bowl invites

2012-01-15T19:38:00.000-06:00

Linebacker Courtney Upshaw, center William Vlachos, wide receiver Marquis Maze, cornerback DeQuan Menzie, safety Mark Barron, and nose guard Josh Chapman have each accepted invitations to the 2012 Senior Bowl in Mobile.

Even though six former Crimson Tide players have accepted an invite, two players are questionable, and one will not participate.

Nose guard Josh Chapman will miss the game due to an upcoming knee procedure, while Marquis Maze (hamstring) and Mark Barron (ribs) are considered questionable.

The 2012 Senior Bowl will be held Jan. 28 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Championship celebration to be held Saturday

2012-01-15T19:33:00.000-06:00

In honor of Alabama’s 14th national title, the school will hold a public celebration Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Admission to the event is free and the gates will open at noon. All seating will be limited to the west side of BDS.

The first 30,000 fans in attendance will receive a free national championship poster.

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2012-01-15T19:29:00.001-06:00

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2012-01-15T19:29:00.000-06:00

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