Alabama, USC continue college football recruiting dominance - More Sports - SI.com

After another impressive start, Alabama experienced a rare break in recruiting success over the past few weeks, adding just two verbals during the month of April. That changed recently. Beginning May 16, the Trojans added three recruits -- none bigger than Salt Lake City (Utah) Cottonwood Senior quarterback Cooper Bateman. For 'Bama, Bateman is a huge pickup and fills a major need. The quarterback is always a crucial position for any school, but becomes even more significant in Tuscaloosa following Phillips Sims' decision to transfer. And Bateman was a hot commodity: The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is the nation's No. 6 pro-style quarterback and chose the Crimson Tide over Auburn, Florida and LSU, among others. Defensive tackle Darius Paige and defensive end Jonathan Allen also committed over the weekend. After locking up last year's top class, Saban and Co. are primed for a repeat.

TideSports.com - HURT: Conferences should take charge of openers

How hungry is the University of Alabama football fan base for the arrival of fall? Well, something as simple as the announcement of a kickoff time for the first game - 7 p.m. on Sept. 1 against Michigan, if you managed to miss it - caused a social media buzz. Of course, this isn't a run-of-the-mill opener. Both teams will be in this year's top 10 and both are unquestionably in history's Top Five. It's the sort of matchup usually reserved for the postseason, and even then it's rare. But with all the talk about the changes in postseason football, and particularly the new SEC-Big 12 "champions" matchup, doesn't it seem sensible that the conferences - especially what now appear to be the four soon-to-be super conferences (the SEC, the Big 10, the Big 12 and the Pac-12) should take charge of opening weekend as well. With the coming playoff, even a four-team playoff, it makes more sense than ever.

Alabama-LSU picked as top game for 2012 - SEC Blog - ESPN

We asked the same question we did a year ago at this time ... and got the same response. If you could only watch one SEC game next season, the game that was absolutely the must-see game in the league, which one would it be? You the fans picked Alabama-LSU last year, and that's the game you picked again this year -- Alabama vs. LSU on Nov. 3 in Tiger Stadium. With more than 10,000 votes cast in our SportsNation poll, the Alabama-LSU game drew 42 percent of the vote. The Georgia-South Carolina game on Oct. 6 in Columbia, S.C., was second with 27 percent of the vote.

TideSports.com - Tide's Hunt closing on home run record

Kaila Hunt doesn't look like a power hitter, but she bats like one. The University of Alabama's sophomore shortstop hit 10 home runs last year as a rookie. Going into this weekend's Tuscaloosa Super Regional against Michigan, she has 19 and is within striking distance of the school record of 25 in a season set by Kelly Kretschman in 1998 - particularly if the second-seeded Crimson Tide can play its way back to the Women's College World Series with two victories against the Wolverines. It's fair to ask how Hunt, at 5-foot-6, generates that kind of power. "I think she's got one of the most fundamentally sound swings on the team," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. "We saw that way back in October, September, and she has the least amount of corrections (needed) on the team, just fundamentally very good, and she gets to the ball quick.

TideSports.com - Anders making his mark in MMA

Anders said he plans to remain an amateur for the time being, continuing to train and avoid the pro ranks until he thinks he is ready. Dye believes Anders needs more amateur seasoning as well but sees high potential in his pupil and has found it more difficult to arrange fights for Anders as his reputation has begun to grow. "In MMA, when a guy kicks and misses, a lot of times he'll do a full circle and turn around," Dye said. "In one of Eryk's first fights, this guy went to kick Eryk, missed and when he spun to come back around and reset his position. Eryk just bull-rushed him before the guy could even turn back around. Eryk was just all over him, and that's something I've never seen anybody do. I've been coaching MMA for a few years, and I've never seen anyone do that."

100 Days Till Kickoff - ESPN

6. Defending BCS national champion Alabama tries to rebuild its stingy defense. Alabama will have to replace many of the defensive stars that helped it win its second BCS national championship in three seasons. Gone are linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw, cornerbacks DeQuan Menzie and Dre Kirkpatrick, and All-American safety Mark Barron.

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Over the past five or six years or so a number of voices have emerged from the chaos of the college football blogosphere to speak with some authority about the game. These folks have found a niche addressing the educated fan tired of the insipid paint-by-numbers analysis of the regular media but who may not be versed in enough nuance of the game to grapple with hyper-detailed breakdowns done by the sport's specialists.

One of the best of this group is Chris Brown whose observations about the game at his website Smart Football are a must-read for any serious fan. Recently, Brown collected several of his best posts from the the past few years and made them available in a book The Essential Smart Football. While this tome is about football as a whole, it also serves as an invaluable guide for the layman trying to understand Coach Saban's approach to the game.

If you are curious about the inner workings of the game but didn't know really where to start to find out, there are three recently-published books -- including this one -- you might consider purchasing. First is Pat Kirwan's Take Your Eye Off The Ball which is a superb primer on all the basics you were too intimidated to ask about.

Don't know the difference between the 3-4 and the 4-3 defense? Here ya go. Confused about these guys Mike and Sam everyone's talking about but you can't find on the roster? Now you know. Did you wonder why Les Miles refused to play Jarrett Lee in the BCS National Championship game? Well, actually, nobody has an explanation for that.

The second book is Tim Layden's Blood, Sweat and Chalk which gives an excellent historical take on evolution of various football strategies. When it comes to football there is nothing new under the sun and understanding where strategies evolved from tells you a lot about where they are going.

Once you've got those two under your belt, The Essential Smart Football puts it all together and lays out what exactly you will be seeing when teams take the field next season. And given the impact Coach Saban and the Alabama defense has had on the game in the past several years, there is plenty here for the Crimson Tide fan eager to learn more about just how their team goes about being dominant and awesome.

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TideSports.com - Moore Excited for Softball Success

With the UA softball team qualified for super regional competition and set to host Michigan, UA athletic director Mal Moore said he couldn't be happier that the program was able to retain coach Patrick Murphy, who was courted by LSU and was set to become the Tigers' coach in the offseason before opting to stay at UA. "All coaches get enticed at times to move on because of their success, and you anticipate that with coaches that are winning big," Moore said. "That's part of it. What made me so proud (is that) I think he realized what a great job he has here. Sometimes when you look back, you're more aware of that than ever."

Michigan softball opens Super Regional at Alabama on Thursday

The Crimson Tide (53-7), looking for their fourth trip to the Women’s College World Series in five years, are the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. This will be Alabama’s eighth straight Super Regional appearance and the fifth consecutive series played on its home field at Rhoads Stadium. Michigan (42-15) had its streak of seven straight regional titles snapped last season, but is back in the Super Regional round after eliminating No. 15 seed Louisville on its home field. "They’re powerful," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said of Alabama. "They’re speedy. They’ve got great pitching. They’ve got great coaching. They’re definitely a tough opponent."

Alabama QB commit Cooper Bateman shines at Elite 11 camp | al.com

"That's why l love him," Dilfer told ESPN of Bateman. "I don't think people always get it, but I'm not looking for driving-range quarterbacks. There's a million dudes out there who can hit soft draws from the range. Then they stick the tee in the ground, and it's a wild hook or a shove. It's the same with quarterbacks." "I think he made a perfect choice," Dilfer said of Bateman's commitment to Alabama. "For Cooper, no stage is too big. No environment is too big."

Alabama commit Jonathan Allen brings versatility, potential as defensive end, Jack linebacker | al.com

Rivals.com sees Allen as the 10th-best strong-side defensive end and the 100th-best overall prospect. Scout.com simply has him as the 14th-best defensive end. "I think he's pretty much elite at every skill required from the defensive end position. And it's pretty easily seen on video, too," 247Sports national recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton said. "I don't think it's something hard to diagnose when you watch it. I think it stands out quickly from Snap 1 to however many snaps you watch. "He has pretty much everything you're looking for in a defensive end prospect."

Alabama's 2013 Recruiting Class - Roll Bama Roll Facebook

Roll Bama Roll has compiled a tally of the commitments to the 2013 recruiting class and posted the list on our Facebook page. This includes links to each of the pieces penned by OutsidetheSidelines about each commit and how they are expected to affect the lineup.

Conference shuffle creating room for upstarts to make jump to FBS - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com

"Our attitude was if we're ever going to do this, we might as well do it now," said Brad Lambert, the former Wake Forest and Georgia assistant who was hired to build the program at Charlotte. "This opportunity presented itself now and we know it may never come again. We are just getting started in our recruiting, so we can now go after a different caliber of athlete and in greater numbers. If we're going to build, we might as well build towards this. College football is about the brand you put behind your brand."

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Alabama picked up what will certainly be one of the most highly-touted signees of the 2013 recruiting class earlier today with the verbal commitment of Virginia Jack linebacker prospect Jonathan Allen. The direct quote from Allen on his commitment, per the Washington Post:

"I'm feeling so good that I finally committed," Allen said. "Hopefully, the process will start slowing down and I can focus on football and on my senior year ... At the end of the day I felt Alabama was the best fit for me. I'd develop more under [outside linebackers] coach Lance Thompson and the whole staff."

Allen visited Alabama over the weekend, and many had hoped the Tide would be able to secure his commitment at that point in time. Obviously that came to fruition, and for the time being he puts an end to what had been a very intense recruiting cycle that featured most of the national powerhouse programs.

As a prep prospect, Allen has been a standout for Stone Bridge High School, racking up 192 tackles and 35 sacks the past two seasons. A dominant player in the Virginia prep ranks, it comes as no surprise that he has offers from effectively every school in the country, and no one should expect opposing schools to stop recruiting him simply because he has given a verbal commitment.

Just how good is Allen? He is considered by most to be one of the top fifteen prospects nationally, and he will be no lower than the second or third best overall in the 2013 Alabama recruiting class. Only Reuben Foster and, if he ends up in crimson, Robert Nkemdiche would be considered bigger signings. Prospects of Allen's caliber are exceedingly rare, and those who do possess such a frame and requisite athleticism are the type of prospects who can be dominant players at the collegiate level and high-round draft picks in the NFL.

Simply put, Alabama has signed several high-end Jack linebacker prospects in the past four years, but Allen looks to be the most physically impressive to date. The depth chart at Jack is very deep at the moment, with Adrian Hubbard, Xzavier Dickson, and Ryan Anderson all expected to see playing time, but the odds are that a player like Allen finds a way on the field almost immediately after setting foot on campus.

Being a Virginia native, the distance will be a legitimate concern for many, but on a further glance there does not seem to be any real cause for concern. While he hails from Virginia, Allen was actually born in Anniston, Alabama and still has family within the state. Additionally, the lack of a true powerhouse program in the state of Virginia certainly helps matters, and Alabama has had success in recent years under Nick Saban recruiting the talent-fertile mid-Atlantic region. After going public with his commitment earlier today, Allen was adamant that he was done with recruiting and would not be taking any further visits, so distance concerns or not Allen seems as firm as a verbal commitment can realistically be this far from National Signing Day.

Allen becomes the fourteenth commitment of the 2013 recruiting class.

Addendum: Todd posted the junior highlights earlier, but here are some sophomore clips per YouTube:

Super 8: Alabama advances to yet another Super Regional thanks to opportunistic baserunning, Jackie Traina's 2-hit gem (video) | al.com

Traina didn't have to be great for Alabama to get past South Alabama for a second consecutive day, but she was certainly close enough to it. The sophomore ace allowed singles by Haley Hopkins and Brittany Fowler in the second and fourth innings, respectively, and saw just one runner reach scoring position. The Jaguars never put a runner on third base. For the second consecutive game, Traina struck out 10, the final three coming when she struck out the side to end the game. "She's incredibly competitive," South Alabama coach Becky Clark said. "When she gets on the mound, she does a great job of knowing her job and what she has to do. Nothing really rattles her or veers her away from that."

Softball Claims Tuscaloosa Regional Title - rolltide.com

Sophomore Jackie Traina threw her second consecutive two-hitter to improve to 35-2 on the year. The sophomore struck out 10 batters on the afternoon, which included her 300th strikeout of the season. Traina is just the fourth Alabama pitcher to accomplish that feat. Hannah Campbell took the loss for the Jaguars, dropping to 24-12. "She was pretty sharp," senior Kendall Dawson of Traina. "She wasn't on her `A game', but I think that her lower-level games could still beat a lot of people. I wouldn't say she had her best game. She was missing a little on the outside, but she'll find a way. She's just that kind of strong pitcher that no matter what the strike zone is like, she's still going to find a way to throw to them and get the outs. That's what's amazing about her. She's so mentally solid."

Alabama softball wins Tuscaloosa Regional, beats South Alabama 6-0 : CW Sports

With Michigan winning the Louisville Regional, the Wolverines will come to Tuscaloosa for a three-game series with the Tide with the winner advancing to the Women’s College World Series. “It’ll be fun to get to see them again,” Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said about facing Michigan. [Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins] is a hall of fame coach, a legend at Michigan. They won the Big Ten for the fifth straight year, so I know they’ll have a great team.” Alabama did not play Michigan the last two years, but split the season series in 2010. Now, the Tide will need to win two games for a trip to Oklahoma City. “It’s been such an incredible ride. To be at a program where we’re in a position to win a regional or win the SEC or be successful every year, that’s such a tribute to where it starts at the top with coach Murphy,” said senior Cassie Reilly-Boccia. “Every year I feel like we’ve gotten better and better since my freshman year. And I thought we were really good my freshman year.”

Borges talks Bama - Michigan Wolverines Blog - ESPN

Borges said he has watched a lot of game film on Alabama, but the part of its game that has stood out the most has been the speed on the field. Opponents averaged less than 200 yards per game against the Crimson Tide defense last season. “They’re fast guys,” Borges said of Alabama. “Coaching down there [Borges was the OC at Auburn from 2004-07], I’m very aware. Plus, they’re very well trained. Their staff, (defensive coordinator) Kirby Smart does a great job and (head coach Nick) Saban is a defensive guy by nature.” Much like Michigan coach Brady Hoke, Saban started his coaching on the defensive side. For nearly 15 years Saban served as a defensive assistant, defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator at several schools. “Alabama has always been good on defense, this staff has just made them better,” Borges said. “When I was at Auburn, every year they were top five I think, a couple years they were No. 1 -- that’s them. That’s what you’re dealing with.”

Ravens Biggest 2012 Draft Day Steal - Baltimore Beat Down

As usual national media outlets are praising the Baltimore Ravens for getting the steal of the draft in second round pick Courtney Upshaw. Upshaw was projected a top 15 pick after being a main cog in the machine that was the best defense in college football last season at Alabama. The situation was eerily similar to that of Sergio Kindle three years ago as the talented pass rusher out of Texas slid all the way to the Ravens lap in the second round. Except this time Upshaw did not carry any of the off the field concerns that Kindle did back then. Concerns that turned out to be just. It is mostly unclear as to why no other team took Upshaw through out the first round and even the first two picks of the second. Some scouts have said that he is not the "elite" pass rushing presence that teams look for in their first round outside linebacker prospects but Upshaw was the best pass rusher on the best defense in college football.

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