Alabama vs. Mississippi High School All-Star game information and primer

A couple of years ago, we saw Da’Ron Payne nearly kill a man, foreshadowing his career as a dealer of pain in college, in an All-Star game while A.J. Brown made play after play after play and made us all pine after him as he was lured in by hoo committed to Ole Miss.

Despite the fact that Alabama now recruits high school players at a national level, pulling in top players from California, Louisiana, Hawaii, Iowa, D.C. and many more, the base of Nick Saban’s recruiting efforts always start in winning the state of Alabama. Our sister state, Mississippi, also supplies a constant stream of recruits, such as current Tide players Raekwon Davis and Nigel Knott.

Fortunately for us fans, once a year we get to watch an All-Star game between the best of the Alabama high school recruits and the best of Mississippi. That is happening this Saturday, December 16th, at noon. (that’s 12:00 PM, for those of you wonderful people that prefer numbers). As for how to watch, here’s the channel list, depending on where you live. If you’re a cord-cutter like me, just break out the antennae and catch the free digital channel.

Alabama Stations (6):

• WBRC Birmingham
• WAFF Huntsville
• WSFA Montgomery
• WTVM Columbus-Opelika
• WDFX Dothan
• UTV 44 (WFNA) Mobile

Mississippi Stations (7):

• WLBT Jackson
• WLOX Biloxi
• WDAM Hattiesburg
• WTOK Meridian
• WTVA Tupelo
• WABG Greenville
• WMC Memphis (TN)

Alternately, you can stream it on YouTube here.

Now, maybe you’re feeling really froggy and want to get in on the scouting action to see these players in person. The game is being played at Southern Miss’s stadium, M.M Roberts Stadium, in Hattiesburg. Tickets are $10.

Now, the fun part of this is checking out the recruits involved. We get a shot to see some future Bama players (and potential future Bama players) and future opponents in a setting against players more their own skill, rather than against overmatched high schoolers.

Current Bama Commits:

Jalyn Armour-Davis- 4 stars, #122 overall, #15 CB, #2 in Alabama

Hailing from St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile, Armour-Davis is an athletic speedster of a cornerback who’s been committed to Bama for a while, and is expected to sign next week. He’ll be wearing #26 for the Alabama team. With Bama’s senior-laden secondary about to take a BIG hit, Armour-Davis will have a very good shot of being a 3-4 year starter in college if he plays his cards right, so watch him closely.

Michael Parker- 3 stars, #873 overall, #43 TE, #31 in Alabama

The 6’6” tight end from Westminster Christian Acadamy in Huntsville has only been committed to Alabama for about a week now, and was a surprise commitment for many of us. He’s had a breakout senior season with over 800 yards and 9 touchdowns, but has mentioned that he has been in talks with the coaches about taking a grayshirt or blue shirt. He’ll be wearing #7 for the Alabama squad.

Bama Targets:

Justyn Ross- 5 stars, #58 overall, #10 WR, #1 in Alabama

The 6’4” receiver is a dynamic playmaker from Phenix City. Early on in the recruiting process, many thought he was a heavy lean to the Tide. As time has gone on, however, he seems to be strongly favoring Clemson, with Alabama and Auburn trailing. He’ll be wearing #5 for Alabama.

Seth Williams- 4 stars, #170 overall, #33 WR, #5 in Alabama

The big-bodied receiver out of Paul Bryant High School in Cottondale has been committed to Auburn for nearly a month, but Alabama has been pursuing him hard for a long time. Everything indicates he stays with Auburn, but his home location being so close to Tuscaloosa is hard to ignore.

Asa Martin- 4 stars, #195 overall, #9 RB, #6 in Alabama

The Decatur All-Purpose back has been an Auburn commit since August, but a recent visit from coach Daboll has put some rumblings in the interwebs that he may be a possible flip. Keep an eye on this guy going forward. He will wear #20.

Kevontae’ Ruggs- 3 stars, #560 overall, #37 OLB, #16 in Alabama

Kevonae is the younger brother of current Alabama freshman receiver, Henry Ruggs. At 6’4” 190, the younger Ruggs is a bit light to play linebacker without putting on some serious weight, but I could see Alabama recruiting him to play special teams and be groomed for a hybrid safety/linebacker role in dime situations. He’s generally thought to be a strong lean to Alabama, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the coaches view him more as a plan B kind of option. He’ll be wearing #22.

Malik Langham- 3 stars, #743 overall, #29 SDE, #25 in Alabama

A 270-lb defensive end from Huntsville, Langham is viewed as a guy who could play end or bulk up a little and move to tackle. He’s picked up steam lately with offers from Bama and Notre Dame. Our own CB969 is quite the fan of him.

Those are the main players to keep your eyes on, and none are from Mississippi, so that will make keeping up with them all a little easier. Armour-Davis and Ross are the two biggest names here as the top two players in the state.

Overall though, Nick Saban has looked at what is a weaker in-state class this year, and most of his recruiting efforts have been elsewhere in the U.S.