Tide Tidbits – March 30, 2010

Crimson Tide gets defensive this spring
Alabama head coach Nick Saban has never been one to get caught up in spring depth charts. He’s even less into them these days. With a defense that returns just one starter from last year’s national title winning team, moving and switching has become a theme of the 2010 spring workouts. Several of the defensive players are learning a variety of positions and working with different groups as the Crimson Tide works to nail down a solid playing rotation. “Everybody’s moving around,” linebacker Chris Jordan said following Monday’s practice. “Everybody’s playing ‘mike’, everybody’s playing ‘will.’ Right now, I don’t really know where I’m playing. I work a lot at the ‘mike’ position. But I’m moving around.” Life isn’t much different on the line, where sophomore Josh Chapman and last year’s backups are attempting to take over for a talented group of now-departed seniors. [More]

2 rings and counting
There’s no need to show off the bayou bling, at least not anymore. So now tucked away in junior cornerback Phelon Jones’ room on Alabama’s campus is a small case that contains a national championship ring – from LSU. As a redshirting true freshman on the Tigers’ 2007 title team, he still received a ring. As a transfer, he was ineligible to play for Alabama in 2009, but he’s sure to receive a ring with the Crimson Tide too. That gives the former McGill-Toolen High standout the rare claim of winning BCS title rings with different schools in three seasons of college football. “To my knowledge, I think I’m the first player,” said Jones of the distinction. He originally looked into a move to Auburn but said the preference all along was Alabama, mostly because of the opportunity to play for Nick Saban. [More]

Recruiting: Recruits like what they see at Alabama
The University of Alabama football coaching staff stayed busy last week with practices, unofficial visitors and a big commitment from one of the state’s top prospects. Darryl Collins, wide receiver from Gadsden City High School, committed to the Tide early last week. Collins became the fifth high school commitment and third wide receiver in class of 2011. He will join future teammates who also came from the Gadsden City Titans: Jerrell Harris, who signed in the class of 2008, and both Dre Kirkpatrick and Kendall Kelly, who signed in 2009. Alabama has commitments from the top three in-state receivers with Collins, Marvin Shinn from Vigor High School in Prichard and Danny Woodson Jr. from LeFlore High School in Mobile. Collins chose Alabama over scholarship offers from several schools, including Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Tennessee and Southern Cal. “I’ve always liked Alabama,” Collins said. “I have family down there and a few former teammates. I am very happy to be committed to the University of Alabama.” [More]

Moore talks stadium expansion
Moore beams with pride when talking about the projects going on in Tuscaloosa — especially the expansion of Bryant-Denny Stadium — and the overall success the Crimson Tide sports programs are enjoying. “We expect it to be completed by the first of July,” Moore said of the stadium expansion, which adds more than 9,000 seats to the South end zone, including club seats and skyboxes, bringing capacity to more than 101,000. The decision to build on to the stadium was made because of supply and demand through a ticket waiting list of more than 10,000. We also had signed letters of pledges of people who wanted skyboxes. And it will mean more seating for students and faculty.” Enthusiasm for Alabama football is certainly sky-high right now with coach Nick Saban leading the way, and Moore believes the improvements made in athletic facilities several years back jumpstarted the resurgence in a program which went through some lean years. “Without question, there’s been a great response from our alumni and fans in the building of these facilities,” Moore said. “Before Coach Saban came, people realized what we had to do to upgrade our facilities. [More]

Alabama preps for Friday’s scrimmage
The University of Alabama football team practiced for two hours on Monday in full pads at the Thomas-Drew Practice Facility. Monday’s workout marked the sixth practice of the spring and the fourth in full pads for the Tide. UA is working toward its first scrimmage of the fall on Friday, April 2. “Practice has been going really well,” Crimson Tide nose guard Josh Chapman said following Monday’s practice. “I feel we got a little better as a defensive line today. We have to use these spring practices to become a better football team, and I think we have been able to do that. If you put in the work every day, you are going to become a better football player.” Alabama is using the spring to reload on the defensive side of the football after losing nine starters on the defensive side of the football. The lone returners for UA on defense is safety Mark Barron and linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who has 16 career starts, but missed the final 10 games of the 2009 season due to a knee injury. [More]

Roll Tide!

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