Recruiting Heats Up

Below are some of the top Tide football stories for today published by various organizations:

Nick Saban Meets With Justin Taylor

By Michael Carvell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nick Saban and Justin Taylor sat across from each other for about an hour at North Atlanta High School on Tuesday. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two since it was reported that Taylor can’t sign with Alabama this year. The Crimson Tide wants Taylor to “grayshirt” because of a knee injury and wait to enroll in 2013, while others speculate that it was creative “roster management” by Saban. We talked to North Atlanta football coach Stanley Pritchett, the ex-NFL RB who is also Taylor’s legal guardian. “We had a good conversation with Coach Saban. He told us exactly what the plan was with Justin. It was basically the same things he told us a couple of weeks ago on the official visit to Alabama. Coach Saban really wants him. He said he wouldn’t be coming to the school and sitting in the room if he didn’t want him. Coach Saban said Justin is part of the Alabama family. They just think it’s best for his football career to grayshirt and get his knee back right.” [More]

Why the 2011 National Title Was the Sweetest

By Andrew Smith, Bleacher Report
It has been a few weeks since Alabama won its 14th national title, but the sweetness of the triumph has not worn away. In fact, now that it has been long enough for the recency bias to subside, it is safe to pronounce Alabama’s 2011 national title the most satisfying of this generation. Make no mistake. Alabama’s 1992 and 2009 national title teams were splendid. Their accomplishments brought unbridled joy in the lives of Alabama fans far and wide. There was just a little something extra satisfying about the ride in 2011. Quite simply, Alabama’s 2011 national title set an upside-down world back on its feet. It would be overly simplistic to suggest that Alabama’s football title fixed the damage of the April tornadoes that ripped through down—that kind of suffering is beyond what football success can remedy. But it certainly helped. [More]

Senior Bowl A Plus For Recruiting

By Izzy Gould, al.com
National Signing Day is a week away, and the Senior Bowl serves as a reminder of one of Nick Saban’s selling points for recruits: Alabama’s use of a pro-style offense and defense helps prepare his players for professional football careers. New York Jets coach Rex Ryan was deep in conversation with Saban when the Crimson Tide’s coach visited the South team practice Monday in Fairhope. Ryan said Sunday that his son Seth, a high school junior, will join Alabama’s football team next year. ESPN NFL analyst Cris Carter supported his son, Duron, and his transfer to Alabama from a junior college last summer. And other former professional stars such as Barry Sanders and Joe Montana looked into the Crimson Tide as a possible destination for their kids. In five seasons at Alabama, Saban is 50-12 (.806) with an SEC title and two national championships in the last three seasons. That success has made the Crimson Tide a fertile field of NFL prospects. [More]

Senior Bowl Update

By JOHN ZENOR, Montgomery Advertiser
Courtney Upshaw sidled up to his Alabama coach with a big grin and asked, “Do I look slim?” “Yeah, you do,” Nick Saban responded. Sure, the 6-foot-2, 273-pound linebacker has more to worry about than appearances during the week leading up to Saturday’s Senior Bowl, but the thickly-muscled Upshaw has far less to prove than his participating teammates from the national champion Crimson Tide. Upshaw, safety Mark Barron and Tide underclassmen Trent Richardson and Dre Kirkpatrick are all projected first-round picks, and two or three might even make it into the top 10. Wide receiver/punt returner Marquis Maze and center William Vlachos have to overcome height deficits while cornerback DeQuan Menzie and tight end Brad Smelley had lower profiles going into the game. Upshaw is working at defensive end after playing a hybrid linebacker/end role in the Tide’s 3-4 defense. He already has an impressive resume: Butkus and Lombardi Award semifinalist, defensive MVP of the national championship game against LSU, second-team AP All-American. [More]

Roll Tide!

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