Alabama Football Announces Signing Class of 2005

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team received facsimilies of national letters of intent from 33 student-athletes today on national signing day. Comments from Coach Mike Shula on the new signees and the complete list of signees is now available below.

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COMMENTS FROM ALABAMA COACH MIKE SHULA REGARDING 2005 FOOTBALL SIGNEES

"I would like to thank our players and coaches for doing such a good job on our recruiting weekends. They did so much to make these prospective student-athletes feel comfortable about Alabama and about the way we do things.

"We're excited about our class. We have 33 commitments that came in today. We have a plan for each one of them, very similar to what we did last year. We addressed some needs, particularly at the running back position, defensive line and some with the corner (back) position.

"What this is going to do is a lot like last year. When I look down at this list of players and how they will fit in on our depth chart, the one word that sticks out in my mind is competition. I think we have created some real good competition much as we saw last year at certain positions, and that paid off for us.

"At the receiver position last year, we brought in some young guys who played and also made our guys who were already here better football players. Again, recruiting seems like it goes on for a long, long time, but it is exciting. Its about our future and as we saw last year, we played 13 of the 19 signees and there is a real good chance we could play close to that many again this year."

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

THIS YEAR, IN ADDITION TO RECRUING HERE YOU WENT TO NEW YORK, FLORIDA AND OTHER PLACES. WILL THAT CONTINUE TO BE YOUR PHILOSOPHY TO RECRUIT NATIONALLY?

"I'm not sure it will be like that every year. We had some success early getting commitments from California, but our focus every year will still be the State of Alabama, first and then go to surrounding states. There are some real good players in this state and in the surrounding states. We got five commitments from the State of Florida. There are a lot of good football players right here in our own backyard. I think it does help us to be able to go out in some states outside this area and be competitive."

LAST YEAR, YOU GOT THE MAJORITY OF YOUR PLAYERS FROM IN STATE AND THIS YEAR, JUST THE OPPOSITE. WAS THERE A CHANGE IN PHILOSOPHY?

"No, I just think that we got out a little bit more. Last year was our first year (as a staff) and there were guys we focused on heavily in-state."

YOU GOT FOUR SIGNEES AT RUNNING BACK. HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO GET THOSE GUYS THIS YEAR?

"It was very important. We all saw what happened at the end of this year. We had a lot of injuries and all of a sudden, we're down to our fourth-string tailback. With Ray (Hudson) leaving, in order for us to have a good future, we would have to sign some tailbacks. We'll be young at that position (tailback), very similar to the wide receiver position last year."

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MADE WITH YOUR STAFF?

"There was more of a relaxed feeling with our staff. For me personally, going through that process for the first time as a coach last year and not having anything to compare it to, while this year, I was able to make comparisons on how we did it last year. We were able to further our relationships with coaches (high school) in the state and a few more out of state. It takes time to establish yourself and letting people know who you are. We have been in the high schools now and they get a chance to get to know us. They get to know our personalities."

YOU'LL HAVE THREE NEW QUARTERBACKS THIS FALL, IS THAT UNUSUAL TO HAVE THAT SITUATION?

"Unusual? I would say maybe, yeah. I was here when signed three guys, when I was a senior. We're not going to make a habit of it, but there were three quality football players at that position in Jimmy Johns, Jimmy Barnes and John Parker Wilson, guys who were very successful at their positions. From what I know about each of this guys, they show very good leadership qualities and skills at that position."

2005 Alabama Football Signees

NAME	POS	HT	WT	HOMETOWN/SCHOOL
Jimmy Barnes	QB	6-5	225	Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos
Sam Burnthall	DB	6-2	190	Decatur, AL/Decatur
Evan Cardwell	OL	6-3	290	Killen, AL/Brooks
Glen Coffee	RB	6-0	207	Fort Walton Beach, FL/Fort Walton Beach
Drew Davis	OL	6-6	300	Evergreen, AL/Sparta Academy
Marlon Davis	OL	6-4	315	Columbus, GA/Carver
Brandon Deaderick	DL	6-4	230	Elizabethtown, KY/Elizabethtown
Scott Deaton	OL	6-5	270	Birmingham, AL/Oak Mountain
Brandon Fanney	DL	6-5	270	Morristown, TN/Hargrave Military
Antonio Forbes	DL	6-4	265	Norcross, GA/Meadowcreek
Mike Ford	RB	6-2	205	Sarasota, FL/Sarasota
Bobby Greenwood	DL	6-6	245	Prattville, AL/Prattville
Prince Hall	LB	6-0	240	Moreno Valley, CA/Moreno Valley
Cole Harvey	OL	6-3	255	Tallahassee, FL/Lincoln
Charles Hoke	TE	6-6	240	Birmingham, AL/Briarwood Christian
Baron Huber	LB	6-4	238	Knoxville, TN/Powell
Desmond Jennings	WR	6-1	188	Pinson/Pinson Valley
Jimmy Johns	QB	6-2	225	Brookhaven, MS/Brookhaven
Mike Johnson	OL	6-6	285	Pensacola, FL/Pine Forest
Chris Keys	DB	6-2	205	Stevenson, AL/North Jackson
Nick Kyles	WR	6-2	190	Milledgeville, GA/Baldwin
Travis McCall	TE/DE	6-2	250	Prattville, AL/Prattville
Lionel Mitchell	DB	6-2	180	Stone Mountain, GA/Hargrave Military
Cory Reamer	DB	6-3	198	Hoover, AL/Hoover
Michael Ricks	DB	6-2	185	Courtland, AL/R.A. Hubbard
Chris Rogers	DB	6-1	178	Lakeland, FL/Evangel Christian
Zach Schreiber	LB	6-2	220	Shreveport, LA/Evangel Christian
Ali Sharrief	RB	5-10	190	Stevenson, AL/North Jackson
Travis Sikes	WR/DB	6-3	190	Nashville, TN/Christ Presbyterian
Roy Upchurch	RB	6-0	207	Tallahassee, FL/Godby
Byron Walton	DL	6-4	298	Trinity, AL/West Morgan
Lorenzo Washington	DL	6-4	265	Loganville, GA/Hargrave Military
John Parker Wilson	QB	6-2	215	Hoover, AL/Hoover

SIGNEE BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILES

Jimmy Barnes, QB
6-5 • 225 • Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos

He is considered one of the nation's top 25 prep quarterbacks. His senior season, Jimmy threw for 2,615 yards, 37 touchdowns and had just 10 interceptions. Playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl for top high school players in San Antonio in January, Barnes completed 7-of-13 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown pass as the West defeated the East, 35-3. As a junior, the 6-5, 225-pound Barnes passed Los Alamitos High School to a top ten national ranking by completing 155 of 265 passes for 2,246 yards and 20 touchdowns. His career numbers show over 4,800 yards passing, 57 touchdowns and just 20 interceptions.

Sam Burnthall, DB
6-2 • 190 • Decatur, AL/Decatur

As a junior, Burnthall racked up close to 63 tackles, 13 pass break-ups and had three interceptions from his strong safety spot. He returned two of the interceptions for touchdowns.

Evan Cardwell, OL
6-3 • 290 • Killen, AL/Brooks

As a prep senior, Evan was considered by many as the state's top center prospect. He has a 350-pound bench press and a 430-pound squat. As a junior, Evan was an All-State, All-Area and All-County selection. He played both ways and had 78 tackles, nine for loss and five sacks on defense.

Glen Coffee, RB
6-0 • 207 • Fort Walton Beach, FL/Fort Walton Beach

This past season Coffee had 1,886 yards rushing, 350 yards receiving and 29 total touchdowns. Coffee led Fort Walton Beach to the District 2- 4A district title and a regional championship game appearance. As a junior, he had 850 yards rushing and seven TDs on 132 carries and 18 receptions for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Glen had over 50 career catches.

Drew Davis, OL
6-6 • 300 • Evergreen, AL/Sparta

Davis signed with the Crimson Tide in 2004, but delayed his entry to Alabama until the spring of 2005. He spent the 2004 season away from football. Davis was a dominant player in the Alabama Independent Schools Assn., playing both offense and defense. He was a five-year starter, who as an eighth-grader, started on the defensive line and by his senior campaign, was a first-team AISA All-State selection. He was also named AISA Lineman of the Year.

Marlon Davis, OL
6-4 • 315 • Columbus, GA/Carver

Davis was a Class 4A All-State pick as a senior and started at right guard for the Georgia North-South All-Star game. He graded 92 percent and had 87 pancake blocks as a senior. A strong work ethic combined with outstanding athletic ability has enabled Marlon to be named his team's most valuable lineman every year of his high school career. As a junior, he had 67 pancake blocks and was named All-Bi City and was his team's most valuable lineman.

Brandon Deaderick, DL
6-4 • 230 • Elizabethtown, KY/Elizabethtown

One of the top prospects in Kentucky, Brandon missed four games this season with a knee injury. Elizabethtown finished 12-3 and a spot in the state 2A championship game. Deaderick closed out his senior year with seven sacks and an average of more than 10 tackles per game. He totaled 95 tackles as a junior and earned All-State honors. As a junior he recorded 95 tackles and 22 sacks. He was No. 45 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 chart.

Scott Deaton, OL
6-5 • 270 • Birmingham, AL/Oak Mountain

At Oak Mountain, Deaton was a three-year starter at left tackle. He'll play his college football career at guard or center.

Brandon Fanney, DL
6-5 • 270 • Morristown, TN/Hargrave Military

Fanney signed with the Tide in 2004, but spent last season at Hargrave Military along with fellow Tide signee defensive tackle Lorenzo Washington. As a prep senior from Morristown-West High School, Fanney had 125 tackles and 17 sacks as he helped lead the Trojans to the final game of the Tennessee state playoffs before losing to Hillsboro. Fanney earned Citizen-Tribune Lakeway Defensive Player of the Year honors two years in a row. Superprep Magazine ranked Fanney as the 13th-best prospect in Tennessee. He was conference and region Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior.

Antonio Forbes, DL
6-4 • 265 • Norcross, GA/Meadowcreek

After turning in an excellent senior season in which he made 131 tackles and 12 sacks and was named Defensive Player of the Year in talent-rich Gwinnett County, Forbes was considered one of the top defensive line prospects in the South. His team went 0-10 this past season, but Forbes led Gwinnett County in sacks with 12 and was named a first team All-State selection. Forbes played for former Tide tight end George Pugh at Meadowcreek HS.

Mike Ford, RB
6-2 • 205 • Sarasota, FL/Sarasota

There was never any doubt about Mike Ford's athletic ability. This past season, Ford was ranked as one of the nation's premier running backs. He led the state of Florida with 2,837 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns on 356 carries. Ford averaged 236.3 yards per game in leading Sarasota to a 10-2 record. As a senior, he had a streak of seven consecutive games where he rushed for 200 or more yards in a game. For his efforts, Ford was named as Florida's Class 5A Player of The Year. He has 4.4 speed and was ranked the 17th-best running back in the nation by Superprep Magazine. He was No. 34 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 list.

Bobby Greenwood, DL
6-6 • 245 • Prattville, AL/Prattville

He was selected 6A Lineman of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association following his senior year. He had 128 tackles and 19 sacks for the 13-1 Lions, including a 10-tackle game in the state championship game against Hoover. He was selected to The Birmingham News' 2004 Super All-State Team. He was ranked No. 8 on The Birmingham News' Super Senior list. He was chosen as The Montgomery Advertiser's 5A-6A Metro Player of the Year. He was No. 60 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 list.

Prince Hall, LB
6-0 • 240 • Moreno Valley, CA/Moreno Valley

Some consider Hall among the Golden State's top 25 prospects. As a prep senior, he accounted for 142 tackles, four sacks, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. He also rushed for 1,052 yards and 12 TDs. As a junior, he rushed for 798 yards and 13 touchdowns on 92 carries from his halfback spot. On the defensive side, he had 89 solo tackles, 62 assists, 16 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six sacks.

Cole Harvey, OL
6-3 • 255 • Tallahassee, FL/Lincoln

Harvey was considered one of the top high school offensive linemen in Florida where he was All-County, All-Area and 4A All-State. His junior season, Harvey was an All-State and All-County pick. As a sophomore, Harvey was selected All-County and All-Area.

Charles Hoke, TE
6-6 • 240 • Birmingham, AL/Briarwood Christian

Hoke is noted as an athletic tight end with 4.75 speed. Some recruiting services rank him as one of the nation's top 100 prospects. As a junior, Hoke had 57 catches for 945 yards and nine touchdowns. His stats dropped this year, primarily because his team was breaking in a new quarterback. Still, he had over 40 catches for 450 yards. Hoke's parents are graduates of Alabama. As a junior, he earned All-State and All-Metro honors. He was a Superprep All-America pick after his junior year. His uncle Dexter Wood was a wide receiver/tight end for Alabama in the early 70s. Hoke is an outstanding student. He carries a 4.4 GPA and scored a 31 on the ACT. He was ranked No. 4 on The Birmingham News' Super Senior list. He was No. 115 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 list.

Baron Huber, LB
6-4 • 238 • Knoxville, TN/Powell

His senior season, Baron had over 120 tackles, six forced fumbles with three recoveries and accounted for five touchdowns, four receiving and one rushing. Huber played his junior season for Coach Joel Helton at Knoxville's Central High School. He transferred to Powell for his senior year. As a junior defensive end at Central, Huber made 112 tackles and two interceptions. He forced six fumbles and recovered one fumble.

Desmond Jennings, WR
6-1 • 188 • Pinson/Pinson Valley

As a quarterback at Pinson Valley, Desmond accounted for 3,035 yards of total offense and 41 touchdowns. Jennings had over 1,600 yards passing and 19 TDs, while rushing for 1000 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is projected as a wide receiver in college. He was ranked No. 10 on The Birmingham News' Super Senior list. He was No. 84 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 list.

Mike Johnson, OL
6-6 • 285 • Pensacola, FL/Pine Forest

As a junior and senior, Johnson never missed a practice or weight room session. Johnson carries a 4.0 GPA and scored a 27 on his ACT. He has quick feet and was the fifth prep player to commit to Alabama for the 2005 class.

Jimmy Johns, QB
6-2 • 225 • Brookhaven, MS/Brookhaven

In leading Brookhaven to the Mississippi Class 4A state championship his senior season, Johns put up some outstanding numbers. Mississippi's Mr. Football for 2004, Johns, was the No. 3 prospect on The Clarion-Ledger's Ten Most Wanted list. His stats reveal 2,173 passing yards; 1,394 rushing yards; 6.6 yards per carry and 44 total touchdowns. Johns completed 129 of 230 passes for 2,173 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed 211 times for 1,394 yards and 20 TDs for Brookhaven (14-1). He threw 0 interceptions in five playoff games and had 5 games of three TD passes. He won the state Class 4A 110 hurdles with a 15.05 clocking last year and also won the 4A state championship discus with a 158-10 toss. He was No. 94 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 chart.

Chris Keys, DB
6-2 • 205 • Stevenson, AL/North Jackson

Keys finished his senior year at North Jackson High School where he has lived with the family of Ali Sharrief after moving from Port Barre, La. He was one of the nation's top safety prospects. A Superprep Dream Team pick following his junior season, Keys had 1,290 yards on offense and 17 TDs at quarterback, but his 57 tackles and seven interceptions at defensive back drew the most attention. He passed for 709 yards, rushed for 514 and recorded 57 tackles and seven interceptions to earn Class 2A All-State honors as a junior at Port Barre (La.) High. He was No. 15 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 list.

Nick Kyles, WR
6-2 • 190 • Milledgeville, GA/Baldwin

Over his last two seasons Kyles combined to catch more than 100 passes for over 2000 yards and 21 touchdowns. Kyles was considered the top wide receiver in the state of Georgia his senior season after catching 62 passes for 1,064 yards with 11 touchdowns. His three-year totals show 2,980 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns.

Travis McCall, TE/DL
6-2 • 250 • Prattville, AL/Prattville

Travis signed with the Tide in 2004, but fell thousandths of a point shy of qualifying. As a prep senior he played tight end and defense. He was a 6A All-State pick while helping Prattville to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. He was also selected to the Birmingham News Super Senior list. He was rated the nation's 9th-best tight end by Rivals.com and the 19th-best overall in-state prospect by Superprep Magazine.

Lionel Mitchell, DB
6-2 • 180 • Stone Mountain, GA/Hargrave Military

He practiced with the Tide during bowl preparation and enrolled for the spring semester. As a prep senior in 2003, Mitchell played for Coach Ron Gartrell at Stephenson HS in Stone Mountain, GA. At Hargrave, Mitchell ended his season with 33 tackles and one interception.

Cory Reamer, DB
6-3 • 198 • Hoover, AL/Hoover

An outstanding performance in the 6A state championship game, Reamer almost single-handily led Hoover to its third straight 6A state title against Prattville. Reamer had five tackles, blocked two punts -- one of which he scooped up and ran in for a touchdown -- and intercepted a pass that he returned 42 yards to set up a score. He had 92 tackles, seven interceptions, three sacks and two blocked punts his senior season. As a junior, he had 50 tackles, three interceptions and nine pass break-ups and totaled 81 tackles while splitting time at safety and linebacker. He was named the MVP of the 6A state championship game, which Hoover won 22-7 over Prattville. He was No. 12 on The Birmingham News' Super Senior list.

Michael Ricks, DB
6-2 • 185 • Courtland, AL/R.A. Hubbard

R.A. Hubbard was defeated 35-7 by Sweet Water in the Class 1A state championship game and Ricks had 15 tackles and two pass break-ups. He finished his senior year with 90 tackles and 13 interceptions. Ricks was The Decatur Daily's Class 1A-3A football Player of the Year. In his senior season, Ricks scored on the first play of the game in three contests. He had 1,315 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns at running back for the Chiefs. As a receiver, Ricks had 672 yards and three touchdowns, returned one kickoff and one punt for touchdowns and as a defensive back he had 10 interceptions and returned three of them for scores. The Chiefs were 14-1 his senior season.

Chris Rogers, DB
6-1 • 178 • Lakeland, FL/Evangel Christian

His junior season, Rogers had 47 solo tackles, 30 assists, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks and 10 interceptions. On offense, he had 13 catches for 365 yards and six TDs. Rogers is considered one of the top defensive backs in the state of Florida this year. During his high school career, he recorded 22 interceptions.

Zach Schreiber, LB
6-2 • 220 • Shreveport, LA/Evangel Christian

Evangel Christian won the Louisiana 5A state championship with a 21-20 win over West Monroe. Zach caught a touchdown pass and had two sacks in that game. He is the son of former University of Texas center Adam Schreiber, who played his prep football at Butler High School in Huntsville. He is expected to move to outside linebacker in college. Schreiber finished the season with 99 tackles, including 50 tackles for losses and 26 sacks. As a junior, Zach had 75 tackles, 15 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. His 26 sacks set the state record. He was No. 79 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120 chart.

Ali Sharrief, RB
5-10 • 190 • Stevenson, AL/North Jackson

Sharrief, considered the state's best running back prospect, is rated by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 58 "athlete" prospect. The two-time Class 4A 55-meter champion rushed for more than 900 yards as a senior and was one of three Chiefs tailbacks to average more than six yards a carry. North Jackson went 8-2 before getting bounced by Chelsea in the first round of the Alabama state playoffs. As a junior, he played running back and outside linebacker, but missed the last half of the season with an injury. He still had over 700 yards rushing after getting 1,564 yards as a sophomore. He was No. 11 on The Birmingham News' Super Senior list and No. 77 on The Mobile Press Register's Super Southeast 120.

Travis Sikes, WR/DB
6-3 • 190 • Nashville, TN/Christ Presbyterian

This past season Sikes emerged as an outstanding wide receiver. He made 52 catches for 957 yards and 13 touchdowns. His best game came against top-ranked Murfreesboro-Riverdale when he hauled in 13 passes for 216 yards. In the last three games of the season he doubled at wide receiver and safety, and he had four interceptions. In basketball, he set the single game scoring record with 51 points. He is also holds the school's all-time career scoring record.

Roy Upchurch, RB
6-0 • 207 • Tallahassee, FL/Godby

This past season, the athletic Upchurch amassed huge numbers, 2,548 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns on 305 carries, for an 8.4 yard-per-carry average. He was named a Parade All-America. As a junior, he had 1,886 rushing yards, 350 receiving yards and 29 total touchdowns to earned honorable mention All-Big Bend honors. He spent his last three Christmas holiday seasons collecting donations from local businesses for local senior citizens. Donations have included blankets, space heaters, household items, gift cards and non-perishable food items. Upchurch continues this tradition in honor of his late grandmother, Gladys Garner, whom he took care of for 18 months before she passed away in 2001.

Byron Walton, DL
6-4 • 298 • Trinity, AL/West Morgan

He is versatile enough to play on either side of the ball, but Alabama wanted him as a defensive tackle. In seven games his senior season, Walton had 30 tackles and six sacks.

Lorenzo Washington, DL
6-4 • 265 • Loganville, GA/Hargrave Military Academy

After signing with the Tide in 2004, Lorenzo played last season at Hargrave Military. As a prep senior, he was one of the most-watched prospects at Grayson High School. He was a first-team Class 3A All-State selection and was listed by Superprep magazine as the 14th best overall players in Georgia and No. 18 at his position by TheInsiders.com. He was a third-team member of Fox Sports Nets "All-South" squad. He finished his senior campaign with 60 tackles, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles.

John Parker Wilson, QB
6-2 • 215 • Hoover, AL/Hoover

Wilson enrolled at Alabama as a part-time student for the fall semester in 2004 and resigned with the Tide this year. He participated in bowl workouts in Tuscaloosa and will be on the field for spring practice. Wilson was one of three signees from Hoover High School in the 2004 signing class. In 2003, he led the Bucs to the class 6A state championship, connecting on 67 percent of his passes. He hit 314 of 467 attempts in 2003 for a state record, 3,821 yards with 40 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. He was selected to The Birmingham News' Super Senior list. For his career, Wilson completed 615 of 978 passes for 8,170 yards and 78 touchdowns. In addition to being the ASWA Class 6A and Super All-State selection, he was named 6A Player of the Year by The Montgomery Advertiser. Wilson was also a standout baseball player at Hoover. He was an honorable mention All-State pick as a junior after passing for 2,800 yards and 27 TDs.

University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama Football Announces Signing Class of 2005

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