Tide Tidbits – January 29, 2010

New Saban statue could debut at A-Day game
Work for a statue of University of Alabama coach Nick Saban commemorating the Crimson Tide’s fifth national championship coach has already begun, and the manufacturer is working toward a completion goal of April 17, the date of the annual A-Day spring game, The Tuscaloosa News has learned. The company that produced the four statues of previous UA national title coaches beside the Walk of Champions plaza outside the north end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium, is also handling the planned bronze replica of Saban. The project manager for those statues, Corey Beltz, is also working closely with the latest project. According to Beltz, Saban’s wife, Terry, is among several people who will have input on the statue’s appearance. “We are sculpting clay right now and we have pretty good direction on what they want for the look of it,” Beltz said. “Coach Saban’s love of student-athletes, his love of being a teacher, that is what we have been asked to emphasize. [More]

Saban: Prep coaches aided in Tide’s title roll
The last week leading up to National Signing Day is always a hectic time for Nick Saban, but the Alabama football coach gladly took a few moments to speak at the fifth annual Alabama Football Coaches Association convention. Saban flew into Montgomery on Thursday afternoon to thank high school coaches for their role in developing the state’s up-and-coming football players. He also addressed the coaches attending the convention at the Embassy Suites, giving some secondary pointers to the state association comprised largely of high school coaches. “Any success that we have as a program at the University of Alabama goes back to the high school programs that we have and the great high school coaching that goes on to engage these guys and inspire them to be as good as they can be,” Saban said. “We’ve had a lot of players who made a significant impact who were coached by a lot of these guys, and any success that we had, they certainly deserve a lot of credit for it.” [More]

Recruiting: Tide lands commitment from Memphis
The University of Alabama, which had been looking to add at least a couple more big linemen in the class of 2010 as the Feb. 3 National Signing Day deadline approaches, landed a possible future Terrence Cody-type player who announced his decision for the Tide. Brandon Ivory, defensive tackle from East High School in Memphis, Tenn., was in Tuscaloosa this past weekend for an official visit. Head coach Nick Saban offered a scholarship to the former Memphis commitment. Ivory accepted the offer Thursday. “I had chills down my body when Coach Saban offered me,” Ivory said. “I was happy, I was excited. At that point it was the place where I would like to go. I thought about it a couple days. I talked to Josh Chapman. I figured it would be a great experience to go down there. I think I can do something special down there.” [More]

Alabama’s Cody a (very) big man on campus
At its roots, football is a game of big: big players, big plays, big names and big dreams. And then there’s Terrence Cody big. “Huge,” former Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson said. “He’s just huge.” At 6-feet-4, 370 pounds, Cody not only is the biggest player at this year’s Senior Bowl — the top-tier all-star game for NFL draft hopefuls — he is the biggest nose tackle prospect available in April’s draft. And that makes him a fairly popular player for the growing number of 3-4 defenses in the league’. “It’s a tough job,” Cody said. “Not too many guys can do it, and a lot of teams want somebody to do it. I guess that could be good for me if I show people what I can do.” Most college defenses prefer smaller, quicker players these days, even at the point of attack, and most college defenses just don’t play a 3-4 scheme. [More]

For some, Senior Bowl more risk than reward regarding NFL stock
For someone like Roy Upchurch, an invitation to the Senior Bowl is something to accept without a moment’s hesitation. The University of Alabama’s No. 3 running back in 2009 had a limited number of carries throughout his college career and is embracing every opportunity to show his ability to National Football League coaches and scouts. For others, however, the decision isn’t such an easy one. Players projected to be drafted in the first round often consider venues such as the Senior Bowl, and the NFL combine workout that follows it, to be potentially more harmful to their draft status than helpful. The logic is simple: If a player has performed well enough in college to merit a high draft choice, there is more risk than reward involved with further inspection. For two of the University of Alabama’s top draft prospects, however, there was no hesitation in accepting a Senior Bowl bid. Nose guard Terrence Cody and cornerback Javier Arenas, both potential first-round choices, are unconcerned that their participation could have negative consequences. “I told myself if I was ever given the opportunity, I’d jump at it. When they presented it to me, I was ready,” said Arenas. [More]

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