Tide Tidbits – February 9, 2010

Saban to be first recipient of Bobby Bowden Award
Nick Saban has been named the recipient of the inaugural Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, which commemorates Bowden’s outstanding coaching career. Bowden will present the award to Saban at a ceremony on March 21, sponsored by the cooperative efforts of the Over the Mountain Touchdown Club of Birmingham, Ala., and the Alabama Sports Foundation. The award will be given annually to honor excellence in college football coaching. “Obviously we are extremely excited about honoring Coach Bobby Bowden. Not only has he demonstrated that he is one of the top coaches to ever coach the game, but he’s done it with unmatched integrity. And that deserves recognition,” said Mark Morrison, President of Over the Mountain Touchdown Club. “With Coach Saban coming off of a perfect season and a BCS Championship, it is the perfect opportunity to bring together these two coaching icons for a great evening in Bowden’s honor.” [More]

ANDREW BONE: Alabama fills needs with No. 4 recruiting class
The University of Alabama finished with the No. 4 recruiting class in the country in Scout.com rankings last Wednesday on National Signing Day. The Crimson Tide coaching staff also filled its needs with the class of 2010. Florida finished with Scout.com’s No. 1 class in the country, followed by No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Texas and No. 5 Southern Cal. Auburn was jumped by the Trojans and ended the year with the No. 6 class. LSU finished at No. 7 as the final Southeastern Conference school in the top 10. Alabama finished the 2010 class with five National 100 recruits: two (Demarcus Milliner and Phillip Sims) were rated Scout.com five-stars. Alabama’s class also included 14 four-star recruits. [More]

Where would Nick Saban be if he hadn’t passed on Drew Brees?
Call it Monday morning quarterbacking in its highest form: With Drew Brees having led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl win on Sunday, setting records in the process, some media pundits were speculating what would have happened had Nick Saban taken a chance on Brees when Saban was coach of the Miami Dolphins. The year was 2006 and Brees was an established quarterback who had hit free agency. The knock on him? He dislocated his right shoulder in the 2005 season finale with San Diego and, even after surgery by renowned Alabama orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, was a bit of a question mark. Saban loved Brees. But Miami doctors said it was a long shot that Brees would fully recover from the surgery. When the Dolphins passed on Brees, he took his only other option — the Saints. And sitting and considering how different things would be if that had happened is enough to make your head spin. Would Nick Saban have another national title and have a simmering powerhouse humming at Alabama? Or would he be in Miami? [More]

Burns hoping to land pass-rusher extraordinaire for Bama
The Clowney chase is on. And what a massive chase it’s already become. Jadeveon Clowney (Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe) is an Under Armour All-America and ESPNU 150 Watch List defensive end who is attracting interest from literally all across the country. His head coach at South Pointe, Bobby Carroll, who’s coached three NFL first-round draft picks, said Monday afternoon he’s never seen anything like it. Why all the fuss? Check out some numbers. The kid is 16-years-old, stands 6-foot-6, weighs 245 pounds, runs a 4.48 40, power cleans 300 pounds and racked up 24 sacks last fall as a junior despite being double- and triple-teamed. And, oh, just FYI, but as a 6-foot-3 freshman in 2007 he scored 30 touchdowns. “I’ve never seen a pass rusher like him,” Carroll told Crimson Confidential. “Some coaches are saying he’s tops in the nation.” [More]

UA’s Sal Sunseri named one of nation’s top football recruiters
Rivals.com has named Alabama outside linebackers coach Sal Sunseri as one of the nation’s top 25 recruiters for the 2010 signing period. Sunseri was hired before this season from the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, and those ties to the Atlantic Coast helped him recruit several key additions to this year’s Alabama class. The list included quarterback Phillip Sims from Virginia, offensive lineman Arie Kouandjio from Maryland and defensive end/linebacker Alfy Hill out of North Carolina. Cal defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi was named the Rivals national recruiter of the year. [More]

Roll Tide!

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