Who Looking At The Tide’s Players?

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

Richardson Rated As The No. 1 Running Back

By Bill Vilona, pnj.com
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan leaned his head back and laughed. Trent Richardson? “Oh yeah, I’ve seen him (play). I know all about him,” he said, convincingly. “That guy is a great football player.” If there was one consensus at practices for Saturday’s Senior Bowl, it was the assessment of Richardson’s talents for the 2012 NFL Draft. While many of the NFL personnel assembled this week were reluctant to discuss Richardson, because he’s a junior leaving school early, there is no doubt about the potential impact for the Alabama tailback. “I haven’t done all the work I need to do on him yet, because there are 60-some juniors who came out,” said Mike Mayock, the lead draft analyst for the NFL Network. “But from what I have seen, he is a first-round running back with the size, speed, toughness, durability and all the other things you look for in a first-round pick.” Mayock, and other notable NFL draft analysts like ESPN’s Mel Kiper, have Richardson rated as the No. 1 running back on the board. He is viewed as the only tailback with a clear-cut, first-round status. [More]

Top-ranked kicker Adam Griffith has made pressure field goals

By MICHAEL CASAGRANDE, Ledger-Enquirer
From his seat in Bryant-Denny Stadium on an early November night, Adam Griffith saw the perils of college football kicking. He was on a visit the day Crimson Tide specialists missed four of six kicks in the 9-6 overtime loss to LSU. “I think for the first time there, he felt the pressure of being a college kicker,” said Hal Lamb, Griffith’s high school coach. As the nation’s No. 1 high school kicker, according to two recruiting services, the Calhoun (Ga.) High School senior faced his share of tense moments. That and his character, Lamb said, should help his transition to college. Griffith is committed to sign as part of Alabama’s top-ranked recruiting class Wednesday. Less than two months earlier, the weight of a state championship landed on the shoulders of the Polish-born kicker. Foreshadowing Jeremy Shelley’s five-kick BCS national title game performance, Griffith nailed four in the Class AA championship game Dec. 9. His 32-yarder in overtime beat Buford, led by fellow Alabama commitment Dillon Lee, 27-24 after making a 46-yard kick earlier in the game. [More]

Upshaw Doesn’t Shy Away From Contact

By Mike Wilkening, Pro Football Weekly
Will Courtney Upshaw be a defensive end or an outside linebacker in the NFL? The Alabama star and surefire first-round pick has insisted throughout Senior Bowl week that he has no preference. But this much seems assured: The preference of opposing offensive tackles would be that he take up another line of work. One of the standouts of a dominating Crimson Tide defense, Upshaw has had a fine week of practice at the Senior Bowl. He has worked with the defensive ends throughout the week, though he plans to do OLB drills at the Combine and at Alabama’s pro day. However, Upshaw did get some work standing up in a 3-4 look this week, noted Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, a member of the South coaching staff this week. Haslett is among those who have been impressed by the first-team All-American, who garnered BCS championship game MVP honors with seven tackles and a sack in Alabama’s shutout of LSU. [More]

Goldman Could Make a Major Instant Impact

By Danny Flynn, Bleacher Report
There’s one more defensive line recruit out there that Saban would love to get his hands on, and that’s DT Eddie Goldman. Goldman, who played for Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington D.C., is one of the top prospects still left on the market. The highly-touted 5-star defensive tackle is considered one of the top overall recruits in the country by every major recruiting service, and he’s going to make whichever school he ends up signing with very happy. The 6’4’’, 310’’ monstrous middle-man possesses a rare combination of sheer size, raw power and devastating quickness that you only see in truly elite defensive tackle recruits. Goldman reminds me a lot of former Alabama great Marcell Dareus, and I think he would be able to play a similar versatile role as the type of lineman who can either move inside or outside along Alabama’s three-man line given the situation. According to an interview with his high school coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim in the Washington Post, Goldman has reportedly narrowed his choices down to three schools: Alabama, Auburn and Florida State. [More]

Alabama tops Sporting News’ 10 best classes

From The Sporting News via The Oregonian
It’s not uncommon for the national champion to do well a month later when national signing day comes around. With 27 quality recruits on board, Alabama is solidly atop the country in the No. 1 recruiting spot. With less than a week until most recruits will sign their letters of intent, Brian McLaughlin takes a look at Sporting News’ top 10 classes: 1. Alabama (27 commitments): The Crimson Tide have one of those well-rounded classes. They are most likely done, but the Tide coaches are still pursuing at least a couple top targets. Six of Alabama’s 27 recruits are Sporting News Top 125 members, and it’s a strong class top to bottom. Alabama should be especially proud of its defensive backs haul—all five are good enough to be early contributors. Top SN 125 players: DB Geno Smith, DB Landon Collins [More]

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