Alabama correct choice for Morris
Alec Morris, Alabama's lone QB signee in 2012, sought tips from former Tide player

By Alex Scarborough
TideNation
Archive

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Before Alec Morris ever committed to the University of Alabama, he had a conversation with another Texas quarterback who took a similar path years earlier.

It was early August and Morris, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound signal caller from Allen, Texas, had a choice to make. He had just received an unexpected offer from the Tide and, although already committed to Wake Forest, he wrestled with the idea of playing for coach Nick Saban. Alabama seemed the way to go, but he had to be certain. So before he called Saban to give him the good news, he dialed up former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy for direction.

What was it like playing at Alabama? What was it like playing for Saban? No one would know the answers better than McElroy, the former two-year starter and national championship quarterback for the Tide.

"We talked a little bit before I committed," Morris said of the conversation. "He just asked if I was committed to Wake Forest and said you need to do what's right for you, and if that's at Wake Forest then that's where you need to go. Then he said if Alabama's right for you, then you need to take the necessary steps to become a part of that.

"I really heard what he had to say. It was some great advice, and it helped me out a ton."

Morris bears a striking resemblance to McElroy that goes beyond a shared position on the football field. They're mirror images of one another with their fair skin and short copper hair. They're both big-time Texas quarterbacks who stand tall in the pocket and have good raw ability. And both were committed to other schools -- Morris to Wake Forest and McElroy to Texas Tech -- before the lure of the crimson-soaked tradition of Alabama took hold.

"I had gone down there and worked out for the coaches at the camp, and I could already tell the basics of what was going on down there," Morris said of his first visit to the Tuscaloosa campus. "Athletics wise, it's very intense. Obviously it's a storied program that's serious about winning football games. (McElroy) just told me that it was awesome and that he thoroughly enjoyed himself there and he made a great decision going to play there."

About a week after talking it over with McElroy, Morris committed to play for the Crimson Tide. He ended up the only quarterback in the 2012 signing class.

While Morris understands his career inevitably will be juxtaposed with McElroy's, he said he'd like to earn being in the same breath with a championship quarterback.

"I'm not sure if I would necessarily compare myself to him now," Morris said. "I've got a lot to prove before I get that comparison thrown around."

Allen High offensive coordinator Jeff Fleener acknowledged that Morris' decision to go to Alabama was a relatively easy one even without the telephone conversation with McElroy, noting that Morris is a great fit for the Tide. Allen describes Morris as an "extremely coachable" quarterback who puts the time in the film room to get better. Fleener added that Morris has the right mindset to do well in a Saban inspired offense.

"He's not a kid that has any issues being coached hard," Fleener said. "He understands the number one priority is to take care of the football."

Like McElroy in 2007, Morris comes out of high school as a low-profile prospect, a three-star quarterback with only a handful of college offers. Morris has average mobility, the tendency to get lost in his mechanics and lock in on receivers -- the same knocks that plagued McElroy out of Southlake High. But unlike McElroy, Morris has a top-tier arm. His intelligence attracted the Alabama coaching staff at first, but his strength throwing the ball sealed the deal. Fleener told the story of Morris attending an Alabama camp over the summer and wowing the coaching staff with one final heave.

"As the day went on, he started to take more and more reps," Fleener said. "At the end of the day Coach Saban asked him to get on his knees and throw the ball as far as he could. He threw it 55 yards, which I believe was a camp record."

Said Fleener: "More than 50 coaches have come here to see Alec and the only issue that anyone could ever tell me was that they couldn't understand why he didn't have an offer. ... Fundamentally he's as sound as you can find. I think he's a great steal for Alabama."

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 I believe this year's class, albeit smaller, will include the largest position group at OL. Here are the most likely we will land & status as well as how the staff views them:

Tackles:

1. Logan Tuley-Tillman - 6'7 300, Peoria, Illinois

Staff's top OT target, lean & athletic, very large frame & long arms, has us top 2 very much enjoyed his visit for Jr day, expect another visit over the Summer. Likely will wait it out till NSD to decide

2. Laremy Tunsil - 6'6 275, Lake City, Fl

Not as high b/c of smaller stature, nasty run blocker though, VERY high on UF, seems to want to stay in-state, not gonna hold my breath

3. Kyle Bosch - 6'5, 282, Wheaton, Illinois

Another great run blocker with quick feet, very athletic, not as raw as most other OT's at his stage, very polished, has footwork as well to slide inside as well, a guy I like a LOT. Had a phenomenal visit on Jr Day, very close to committing, might come back next week, if not will def be back for Aday

4. Kenneth Santa Marina - 6'5, 305, New Orleans, La

Another one to watch for a commitment from pretty soon, VERY underrated prospect, great size and frame to grow, needs some coaching with footwork in run blocking, but has long arms and extremely strong. LSU offered attempting to prolong the process with him, but truth is he & family were also blown away by Jr day & Coach Stoutland. Another likely Aday visitor

Already committed:

Bradley Bozeman - 6'4, 322, Roanoke, Al

Bozeman pulled the trigger early, he is very raw, but great size, really good blocking skills especially in the run game, could also play inside if needed, versatile great run blocker

Two to Watch:

Justin Evans - 6'5, 280, Florence, SC

Deon Mix - 6'4, 305, Batesville, Miss (South Panola HS, VERY underrated)

My guess on who we end up with (keep in mind how early it is to NSD for 2013 LoL)

Bosch, Santa Marina, Bozeman, Mix (hopefully, cross my fingers)

one I could be wrong on though is Tuley-Tillman, not be surprised at all to sign him, or not be surprised to lose him to Michigan

OG/C

1. Tyrone Crowder - 6'3, 320, Rockingham, NC OG ABSOLUTE BEAST MODE OG!! Best inside lineman prospect in the country, already a high impact player in the run game, great footwork and technique already an SEC caliber OG. Important to note that he canceled a Clemson visit to attend Bama Jr Day, enjoyed it but his recruitment has been very close to the vest

2. Grant Hill - 6'5, 330, Huntsville, AL

GREAT in-state prospect and huge Bama lean as well, overpowering great feet and large frame, actually OT size but agility and pull ability in run game forced a move to the inside, LOTS of upside, great prospect, expect a commitment soon as well

3. Reeve Koehler - 6'3, 322, Honolulu, Hi

A long shot at this point, but he is expected to possibly visit for Aday, has ties to Isaac Luatua, family I believe, distance might be too much of a factor in this one though, but he is another elite OG

Ones I expect Bama to sign

There isn't a huge crop at inside lineman for 2013 so just pulling Grant would be good, Grant & Crowder would be phenomenal, and anything could happen with Koehler.

Enjoy!!

What upsets me is Bama staff and Saban are upfront and truthful with all prospects even when discussing greyshirt options, and get flamed by the media simply because Saban has a exact idea of #'s and how it will work, whereas other SEC Coaches like Leslie Miles has NO EARTHLY IDEA how to work it and has to turn away an OG 4 star mind you, a LB last year AFTER HE HAD MOVED IN, and call them after the fact to tell them there isn't a spot, maybe Les learned after this year after Gunner burned him after he opened up a spot.

EVERY one of you this that posted this morning NAILED IT good job guys

He is silently commited for a while, will announce possibly on next Jr day, if he doesn't then he will at Aday

He LOVES him some CNS. He and Rueben Foster spend the night regularly at Coach Conn's house

If any of you haven't seen film of Foster he is the best LB I've ever seen on film in HS, both are gonna be signing with Bama next NSD, the #1 and #2 player in the state of Ga and likely the nation, also a very good shot at OJ Howard having a bog year and being #1 player in the state, AU has the early #1 player in the state commited Dee Liner, he came to Jr day though at Bama

I agree wholeheartedly 110%, I gave you e-cred for posting like a champion. What the AJC, national media, AU homers at Bham News and Montgomery News don't realize is the whole situation surrounding Philon, not just with his knee (had already had surgery, and then non evasive rehab and the knee wasn't responding, he wouldn't go get it rescoped until AFTER he signed). When Dalvin Tomlinson commited on Jan 16th, Saban told Philon to go get it scoped if he wanted to enroll, he wouldn't for some reason, then that morning he had a reaction at his announcement because not only was he finally realizing what happened, and a lot of ppl don't know this, it stays HERE, one of Philon's best friends was arrested that morning from school (remember the story of the kid on Mobile being transported that killed 1 cop and injured 2 others? That was his friend, so those emotions Philon had were a tornado of things and the kid needed to get out of dodge fast, Saban had begun telling him to explore options like Prep school for a semester to get his ACT up, he didn't like that idea either. Anyway getting off track, the knee injury could possibly sit him for 2 yrs, no idea how bad it is, we will see by how soon he plays.

The true culprit for why this happened (and TRUST ME it will only get worse) is the newly mandated 25 SIGNEE SEC rule, limiting # of players you can SIGN hurts others and forces greyshirts, before this year it was only a limit on #of enrolled, hence the Houston Nutt 38 player class and only 22 enrolled or Sabans 08 class with I think 32 and a few were grade casualties, 2 MLB prospects etc, now with signees being limited the SEC is gonna get nastier and nastier around EE dates and NSD. Had there not been a limit on signees, or it was 28 like last yr, Bama would've signed Philon, added the 2 on NSD, added Kwon Alexander and Justin Taylor.

Now back to Philon, truth is the whole story wasn't ever truly known by the media, they saw the tip of the iceberg. Here was this humble kid in ATL with a 3.9 GPA, best academic student Bama has brought in since Barrett Jones, exemplifies Crimson Tradition, took his last OV to Bama with his mother who would pass away a few days later, but tell him she enjoyed it more than any other school, most notably what was discussed, the emphasis Saban and the whole fball staff put on academics and how she knew he would be taken care of, more than the 2 in-state schools UGA and GT, he is a lot different type player,.best motor I've seen since Dareus, no plays off, high ceiling, then there is anoher prospect from Va, a very young player with massive size, quick feet, a lot of room to grow, much more power and versatility to play inside or out, but he also had an injury, but unlike Philon who refused more treatment the staff suggested, he went and had small non evasive surgery on his ankle, responded very well to rehab, went and got several more scoped to make sure no more scar tissue etc.

Then you have Philon, who rejected the staff suggestions, had a history of being in the presence of trouble, in so much himself I believe that immediate scholarship was necessary to get him out of the area asap and needed work on his ACT, no doubt he has some talent and igmf he stays out of trouble in Fayetville, he has the talent to become an all SEC player if he rehabs well and gives his all, but there were too many question marks and the 25 signee rule made Saban and staff become a picky bunch while still addressing a major need in a big way and adding 2 slam dunk academic prospects as well with very little questions.

FIRST DOWN BAMA!!! ROLL TIDE

There were MANY more factors with Philon. He is from Prichard near Vigor HS, one of the toughest areas in the country. His grades are looking OK, his ACT score was way too low, bit that never came out, Saban 1st ASKED about a greyshirt 2 months ago, Philon vehemetly denied, about 4 or 5 weeks ago Bama staff suggested JuCo or prep school to get that ACT and get him out of the area, trying to give him other options beside a greyshirt so he could move away. For a reference point, there was a kid his age arrested yesterday (not sure if you guys saw on the news) in the area, the kid stabbed one officer in the neck killing him, through the bars of the police car, somehow injured 2 other officers, stole the police car, drove it a few blocks before the police caught and shot him, but not before he had entered a home and police had to smoke him out with tear gas and eventually shot the 18 year old. I tell you that story because he was a friend of Philon's growing up and a member of a local area gang that is really bad news, I'm not sure if Philon was involved in gang activity, but from a coach in that area, he was also pretty bad news and had a lot of terrible influences and needed to leave the area immediately, maybe to even stay alive, Saban tried his best to get him out even if it was a JuCo or prep school, the kid rejected it and when a spot wasn't there (Saban took Tomlinson instead, a 3.9 GPA student with great character and a 32 ACT score and a Harvard offer etc) he was desperate to get out of the area and Arkansas provided what Bama couldn't. I good he has a great career, I agree he rushed to a decision, but when you understand the whole story it makes a lot more sense.

THANK YOU GUYS THANK YOU

If you haven't seen it already, here are interviews with 6 EE's

 - Alphonse Taylor - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h6FfxbbsJ4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h6FfxbbsJ4</a>
 - Amari Cooper - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGquRiOEdEQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGquRiOEdEQ</a> (MY personal fav, guy is humble, trust the coaches, GREAT kid, reminds me of how humble Shaun Alexander was)
 - Chris Black - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1RuIBT5od8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1RuIBT5od8</a>
 - Dillon Lee - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZItPVlGsfk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZItPVlGsfk</a>
 - T.J. Yeldon - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Z6G68Pce8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Z6G68Pce8</a>
 - Travell Dixon - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_gPSDWAzVY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_gPSDWAzVY</a>

Enjoy!!

He played all playoffs with a bad injury, had to have surgery, was approached about a GS a few months ago if push came to shove, and we landed KK and DT, he agreed a few months ago and had no problem...HOWEVER Arkansas got in his ear and made him think about it

Also Toshiro Davis switched from LSU to Texas (said dudes didn't look as happy down there lately lol)

And Tubbs dis the same thing at AU, offered kids an LOI with NO shot at qualifying, he is the same will be JuCo

Korren Kirven to............

BAMA

RTR!!!!!

Still 100% on D.Tomlinson, he will be a part of this class

Looks like the staff had a serious decision & we already had enough LB's in this class to field a starting bball team () so unless Kwon accepts Bama's greyshirt offer (which he still might do, grew up a HUGE Bama fan & needs to rehab his knee injury, but both AU & LSU have offered him a FULL scholarship in this year's class)

The consensus this morning is the other offer is still up in the air for Kirven, and what was thought to be a long shot after Sal left (as I previously said & the staff thought), now his situation is looking MUCH more positive for the good guys & the staff would rather add another potential DL (likely play DE) and it looks like he will be an addition

IF Kwon picks Bama...he should INSTANTLY become a fav recruit for most of us simply for the fact that:

1. He is not a fit at LB & would have to add significant weight, but would fit perfectly at LB at either of his other 2 choices, AU or LSU

2. He will only be getting a greyshirt offer, and it has nothing to do with #'s, it is strictly because of his knee injury

3. He will have spurned a FULL SCHOLARSHIP in this year's class at either of our bitter rivals AU & LSU, but would do so because he grew up a huge Bama fan & always dreamed of wearing Crimson.

Kirven & Tomlinson to close out the class along with a few 2013 commits (Nkemdiche) tomorrow, Bama may not have a thunderous 2012 close, but will def more than likely steal the show.

Pretty sure the close will be Dalvin Tomlinson & Kwon Alexander

Tomlinson is an excellent student (3.9 GPA despite losing BOTH parents recently in the last 2 yrs, and a full academic scholarship offer to Harvard) and a war mentality in the trenches, very strong and great use of leverage, staff thought for a long time he would stay in state & go to Ga Tech, so the staff pursued Kirven, in my eyes (played DL as well so I like to think I have a bias, & some eval skills in this area) Tomlinson is not only a MUCH better prospect, has a higher ceiling, better technique, MUCH better motor than Kirven OR 5* Goldman, stronger than both as well, just a nasty attitude with pads on & a relentless drive. 2 time state wrestling champ as well in the state of Ga, exemplifies that nasty attitude & drive. He is a guy that will be able to play both DE and NG after putting on a little more weight, 6'3 280 right now, couldn't say that about Kirven OR Goldman (different skill set, more speed pass rush & less read & react). Dalvin will be making his announcement early Wed at 8:30

Kwon is a guy I continuously like through the whole process. Bama made it a difficult decision for him at first by making him wait on an offer in this class, then offereng a greyshirt offer, now that appears the staff is not gonna land Kirven, we are close to offering him a full scholly to come in this Summer, rehab that knee, and be a part of this class ultimately, he could still pick LSU, but ppl close to him are saying if Bama offers, it is the offer he has waited on growing up a Bama fan, as far as his ability, he has it no doubt, he is a tackle machine, just suffered a gruesome knee injury this year, kind of turned most teams away, but I would love to have him. No word yet on his announcement time, once I find out I will def let you guys know


 

Hey fellas...a few notes

Tenpenny weighed and measured yesterday as 5'10 and 215, most notably also was showing off his lifting skill (350 lb bench), he is a phenomenal elite back the exact mold of Trent and Mark. Went to the Nike Combine this Summer and came in 2nd only to Landon Collins beating out all other SRs. He was the top back on our list for 2013 over Kelvin Taylor (stronger and faster than Taylor). He had a breakout Soph season and then 1st game of his Jr season broke his ankle, he is now healthy and his 1st game back this year is one of the most anticipated. Don't be surprised to see his stock rise even more and him to be given his 5th star by all services.

ArDarius Stewart is an athlete the same mold of Maze comming out of Tarrant, just much taller (6'2), he played QB for 2A Fultondale, will likely play WR believe it or not, wants to play offense, 40 time this Summer was 4.36

Falkins is a big tall physical WR the mold of Shinn, very fast, had right under 1000 yds receiving and 16 TDs for NoLa Carver last year, we also expect him to have a break out year as well.

Today more commitments are coming, also not sure if Saban wants to release it yet or not, but top player in the country Robert Nkemdiche commited to the staff yesterday to go along with #2 player Rueben Foster, both coincidentaly in the state of Ga, not sure if you guys knew this but Foster (already a Bama commit) is a transplant from Minor, grew up a huge Bama fan as did family, and Nkemdiche's head coach is Mickey Conn former walk on DB on Bama's 92 champ team. Nkemdiche is almost a clone, just faster, of Jadeveon Clowney, he is 6'6 275 lbs had over 20 sacks each of the last 2 yrs and is a perfect Jack OLB candidate (in love with that position).

Also made some serious in roads with some big uglys today, Saban proved to Dee Liner that he is a PRIORITY for the staff in this class, the DT who will likely be the state's top player, is currently commited to AU, but not for long, Also the staffs top OG and OT on the board are both here an also coincidentally hail from Illinois. Kyle Bosch is the OG to watch, top on our board. Also Logan Tulley-Tillman, staffs top OT, he is absolutely MASSIVE 6'8 295.

2013 will likely be a smaller class but it has already gotten off to an amazing start.

More commits coming later today. This Jr day has been the most impressive and most successful Saban has had at Bama without a doubt. A lot of these kids are super fired up and want to come win championships.

Morning guys

Korren Kirven's visit went REALLY well. By all accounts he heard what he needed and the staff feels extremely confident on landing him on NSD, Saban has an in home he will take this week to Va before he takes his last OV to Va Tech. Indications are he was very close to commiting and told his mom he wouldn't yet until him and his family talk it over. Does this new development kind of squeeze out Goldman? It might since the latest news surrounding him seems he and his family have passed all communications to a "handler" the HS coach who strangely is extremely close to FSU coach Dameyune Craig. As of this morning I have heard things have gotten so seedy in the bidding war between AU and FSU for him, Saban has pulled his offer, and there are some, namely Coach Rumph who like Kirven better because of his power and versatility, but mostly his motor and tenacity, something I think the country saw that Goldman lacked during the UA game. Kirven is 6'4 280 and pretty lean, a nice consolation for not getting down in the dirt with AU and FSU.

Where the staff is with the Winston situation...There is really a divide it seems with his dad and his personal feelings. His dad comes out with a quote this weekend saying he is solid and will sign with FSU, then Winston does an interview with al.com as soon as he got home from his OV to Tallahassee and it is vague at best and paints the picture of him being unsure with even an interesting quote concerning Bama saying "I have to decide with Bama if I want to go play for the greatest college fball program" hmmm and that picture he posted in the FSU locker room he seemed very disinterested to me, and I've met him several times he's a lively charasmatic kid and that pic he looked pissed. Just personal observations...anyway I fully expect Saban reach out to him this week and figure out where Bama stands and once this is determined the staff will make a decision on whether or not to invite and offer Cyler Miles 4* dual threat QB from Denver, Co, was recruited to UW by Coach Nussmeier, if he is offered he will commit to Bama, he is just waiting on a solid offer. He is 6'4 225 runs a 4.43 electronically timed and no threat of baseball, a MAJOR take IMHO, MVP of the US Army all American game, great talent.

Also a few possible surprise visitors this weekend for the final OV weekend before NSD, now not sure if any of these 4 will end up on campus or not but serious chatter of each of these coming in on an OV...Cyler Miles, 4* QB commited to Washington, 5* DT Mario Edwards from Texas, commited to FSU, 4* (5* talent no doubt) DE Channing Ward commited to Ole Miss, 5* WR Dorial Green-Beckham (if he shows up it will likely be very quiet on him and staff will keep it on the low since he has been a media frenzy the last 2 weeks, but he wants to come in and meet Coach Nussmeier)

Also 1 more note, both Goldman (thought at one time to be a Bama lean) and in state battle for Winston have both showed Coach D.Craig's recruiting tactics, he was hired too late to make an impact for 2012, but with Lance Thompson back at Bama...expect Craig to be totally shut out in the future and expect to see fireworks in the recruiting battles between these two...I like our chances

Ok got the finish for you guys

DB - PHENOMENAL haul at this position. It is also much needed since we lose the most at this position, and have missed on a few guys in the past, not this year. The bell cow without a doubt is of course Landon Collins. This is without a doubt the top DB prospect this year and the best I've seen on film at his position since some of the greatest like Ed Reed in HS, Sean Taylor, and he's that good, can't compare his film as a S to Eric Berry since Berry played QB in HS, but that is a pretty good comparison, he is a phenomenal talent and a guy you should expect to see quite a bit next year. Easily one of the most likable signees in this class might be Geno Smith. He was a top priority by Saban and staff simply for his physicality and size, there were a lot more DB's not as big that Saban did not pursue as hard simply because of the type player Saban feels Geno is. He feels like Geno compares very favorable to another guy he whiffed on, Stephon Gilmore at USC, and he was determined to land Geno and made him a priority. Geno is very physical and fast, but needs some technique work, and it seemed like he struggled at the US Army Game, but he had a good week and the WRs were WAAAY bigger than any DB in that game, he would've done much better at the UA game (better coaches as well as shorter WRs). Another plug in guy is JuCo DB Travell Dixon, also on campus, the biggest CB I think Saban has coached, 6'3 215 and still very fast, very good technique, he will start in Dre's place & guys were used to seeing Dre's wiry frame, TD's body type is different, also a lot better catching than I've seen most CB's, gonna be a REALLY good one. A guy I'm excited to see, also on campus Deion Belue, and some people just pass him off as a scholly just for his PR/KR ability, which is a huge asset (LOTS of people including him were mad when he didn't arrive originally 2 years ago for grades because he would've started then as a PR/KR specialist, and yes he's that good) but he is far from a one trick pony. He is a very physical corner, in fact he was the most physical and best tackler among the CB's this past year according to his JuCo staff, so he was moved to S and didn't skip a beat, still had over 100 tackles & 8 INTs I think returned 3 for TD's & returned 5 kicks or punts for TDs, but that number was low for him since he only fielded about 1/3 of the kicks & punts, I think the # I heard was 14, 5 of 14 not bad huh? But he is very similar to Menzie when he came in, a little better in zone reads, faster, more agile & a better tackler, really sticks and upends and follows through tackles, got great technique & if he INTs watch out b/c he's similar to Javy or David Palmer with the ball in his hands. I expect him to play quite a but as well in that money slot as the nickel and dime DB covering slot and blitzing like Javy did. Bottom line is Staff really needed to take a few elite CB's to cover the losses & that was accomplished this year.

K - Bama continues its pursuit of a K, remember both guys this year were young, especially Foster, but that is no excuse when you have chances to win a game & miss 3 or 4 kicks. All indications are with Adam Griffith that he is excellent off a tee, has hit a few game winners & THE state champ game winner, so seems like he can take the pressure. I will know MUCH much more once Griffith gets on campus.