RECRUITING

Latest recruiting news for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, other Alabama state schools and local high school athletes

Rivals.comGadsden's Dre Kirkpatrick, No. 1 in the Press-Register's in-state Elite 18, is hearing plenty from Alabama and Florida.

Not sure I would have ever expected a No. 1 vs. No. 2 SEC title game featuring Alabama to be overshadowed in-state by another football story, but it has.

The Tommy Tuberville saga was on everyone's mind yesterday, including Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who spoke out in defense of his fallen colleagues during the intro of yesterday's press conference in Tuscaloosa.

It's worth remembering, however, there is a game in about 48 hours that is as big as any Alabama has played in quite some time.

On that note, here is my story today on the recruiting battle behind Saturday's game. I spoke with UA commit Trent Richardson and uncommitted in-state prospects Dre Kirkpatrick and Brandon Moore, asking them to compare Saban and Florida's Urban Meyer. ...

Carpenter had interest from Ole Miss, Oklahoma and a number of other schools.

In addition to the Iron Bowl victory, Alabama netted its 18th commitment of the expected 2009 signing class today.

Junior college offensive tackle James Carpenter of Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College called Nick Saban to commit moments after the Auburn game. Carpenter, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound prospect, makes six offensive line pledges to the Crimson Tide's class.

Carpenter, a sophomore, hails originally from Hephzibah High School in Augusta, Ga. He expects to enroll at UA in January, according to this story by Crimson Confidential.com.

"I'm going to compete for the left tackle job if (junior) Andre Smith leaves (for the NFL), and if he doesn't I can compete for the right," Carpenter told the Web site.

Read more about Carpenter here and here.

I drove to Leroy Friday night to check out the state's top uncommitted quarterback, Clint Moseley. The story follows.

Instant impressions:

*Moseley has a strong arm, especially on out patterns. He has no problem launching the ball deep. The only thing he lacked Friday was touch on deep balls. Considering it was 20-something degrees, that's understandable. Coaches and scouts said it was his worst performance of the year, yet check out his final stats.

*He has a great pocket presence and a cool demeanor. On the sideline, he's front and center, next to his coaches, when the defense is on the field. He is a leader by example.

*Can he play at the SEC level? Alabama and Auburn are still interested, but already have a number of quarterbacks on campus and committed. Ole Miss likes him as an athlete. Boise State is making a strong push. The biggest negative, which is addressed in the story, is the size of school -- Leroy is a Class 2A program.

An aside to the trip: it's a long, lonely 31/2-hour drive from Birmingham. Take State Highway 5 through Brent and Marion and join 43 around Thomasville. On the way down, I passed two Dollar Stores, one WalMart, a KFC and a Wendy's. That's how barren a stretch it is for the first 100 miles, until you reach Thomasville.

On the way back, I ran over two armadillos and dodged one deer (I'm told, if you're in a similar predicament, don't dodge, just take him head on. Any suggestions?)

I have interesting interviews with Moseley, Leroy coach Danny Powell and former Alabama linebacker Emanuel King in this week's "Hot Shots" video.

Rivals.comChris Bonds chose Alabama and assistant coach Burton Burns over Notre Dame.

Columbia, S.C. defensive tackle prospect Chris Bonds is getting word out tonight that he has committed to Alabama, giving the Crimson Tide one of the higher rated remaining targets on its board.

Bonds, listed at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, is rated No. 34 on the Press-Register's Super Southeast 120. His stock fell slightly because of a torn ACL during his junior season. He had interest from a number of SEC and ACC programs, but ultimately chose Alabama over Notre Dame, the two final schools on his list.

Recruiting guru Phil Kornblut spoke with Bonds tonight on behalf of The State newspaper. ...

"Everything just fell into place," Bonds said. "With me getting hurt, they kind of stuck it out with me through thick and thin. I'm a big fan of their noseguard and how he anchors the line. Coach (Burton) Burns talked to me about playing defensive tackle and defensive end."

Bonds becomes the 17th verbal commitment to Alabama's expected 2009 signing class and the 10th who is either an offensive or defensive lineman.

Read more on Bonds' decision from Crimson Confidential, Scout.com and Rivals.com

Auburn received a commitment from one of the top kicking prospects in the nation Wednesday, dipping into a high school that has produced seven Division I kickers to do it.

Cody Parkey said he'll sign with Auburn -- but Tiger fans will have to wait. He's just a junior at Jupiter High School in Florida. AuburnSports.com, Inside the Auburn Tigers and AuburnUndercover.com reported the commitment. Parkey is rated the top kicking prospect for 2010 by Chris Sailer, a respected kicking specialist.

Auburn lost to Georgia over the weekend, as we all know, but apparently impressed three big-time high school seniors already on the Tigers' commitment list.

Despite a disappointing season, quarterback Raymond Cotton, running back Onterio McCalebb and tight end Phillip Lutzenkirchen all said they intend to sign with Auburn in February after visiting over the weekend. We know this from our friends at websites that closely follow the recruiting game.

Here's what they said:

As expected, Alabama men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried officially has added all five anticipated prospects since the beginning of the early signing period yesterday. Each is expected to join the team in the fall of 2009.

They are: Guard Charvez Davis (Montgomery, Ala.), forward Chris Hines (Hillcrest, Ala.), forward Shawn Kemp, Jr. (Canton, Ga.), forward Tony Mitchell (Swainsboro, Ga.), and guard Cully Payne (Schaumburg, Ill.).

Mitchell signed with the Crimson Tide last year but failed to qualify academically. He now plans join Alabama's team in 2009-10 and is attending school in Birmingham.

Click below for more on each signee per UA's release tonight ...

Chris Johnson/Reebok All-American CampFormer NBA star Shawn Kemp's son of the same name headlines Alabama's expected 2008 early signing class.

Everything has "gone as planned" today for Alabama's basketball program, according to coach Mark Gottfried, who could wind up receiving signatures from at least five prospects as the early signing period starts today.

The Crimson Tide is expected to formally add ...

High school players
- Power forward Shawn Kemp Jr. (Read more here)
- Point guard Cully Payne (Read more here)

Junior college players
- Guard Charvez Davis (Read more here)
- Forward Chris Hines (Read more here)

And there is also small forward Tony Mitchell (6-6, 185), who signed with Alabama last year and did not qualify academically. Mitchell, a Georgia native who now attends Central Park Christian in Birmingham, will wait until the 2009-10 season to suit up for the Crimson Tide.