Mark Barron, a highly talented prep prospect out of Mobile's St. Paul's Episcopal School, has committed to play football for the Crimson Tide.
His teammates Ivan Matchett and Destin Hood have already committed to Alabama. The quarterback on their squad, rising junior A.J. McCarron, is also expected to commit to Alabama in the coming weeks, and he has already been pegged as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country for the 2009 class.
All told, Barron had firm offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, and South Carolina.
Click here to see a YouTube video of some of his highlights.
Without doubt, Barron is a huge pick-up, albeit an expected one. Technically he is listed as a wide receiver prospect, but no one expects him to play there. In actuality, he could play a variety of different positions, and it's highly unlikely he will play wide receiver. Auburn, for example, was recruiting him as a tailback. Many people expect that he will play either safety or linebacker at Alabama. Like so many other Alabama commitments thus far, Barron is a versatile player who could become a great player at a variety of positions.
Either way, he's a huge pick-up for the Crimson Tide, and a huge pick-up in a key area at that (Mobile). The crimson recruiting boom continues.
For those keeping count, Barron's commitment puts us as having nine commitments rated as four stars according to Scout.com, and ten commitments as either four and five stars according to Rivals.com. Considering this, and this, that's good news for the Crimson Tide.
To give you a bit more recruiting information...
Star Jackson, a four star quarterback recruit, will announce on September 3rd. He is considered to be an Alabama lean, and was originally expected to announce August 23rd. Apparently he is going to take a visit to Alabama for the Western Carolina game, and announce that following Monday.
William Green, one of the top defensive end prospects in the country out of Hoover High School, is expected by most to make a decision in the next couple of weeks. It is seemingly down to Florida and Alabama, with both recruiting him very hard.