Tide takes best shot at landing DL Corley

Alabama's last best chance to sway Mobile's Sidell Corley away from Florida will come this weekend when Corley and UMS-Wright receiver Brandon Gibson headline a batch of prospects visiting the Crimson Tide.
Corley, the 6-4, 250-pound defensive end out of McGill-Toolen who ranks No. 2 on the Press-Register's Elite 18 list, is using the visit to work on relationships with the new Nick Saban coaching staff.
"This is a staff and scheme visit," said Sidell Corley Sr., the player's father. "We've been up there about five times already, so we know Alabama has great facilities.
"He wants to get to know the coaching staff there. He probably knows as much about Saban as he does Bear Bryant, which isn't much."
Saban visited the Corleys in person on Tuesday, kicking off a wild week for the family. Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer and Florida's Urban Meyer were in on Wednesday, and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops flew in from Norman, Okla., on Thursday, knowing his return flight into eastern Oklahoma -- hammered by snowstorms -- would be risky.
Corley, No. 16 on the Press-Register's Super Southeast 120, committed to Florida last spring, but he's still contemplating offers from Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee in addition to the Gators.
Three more southern Alabama players are scheduled to be at the Capstone as well: Gibson, B.C. Rain defensive back Elliott McGaskin and W.S. Neal offensive lineman Jared Cooper.
Gibson, No. 5 on the Elite 18 and No. 43 on the SSE 120, is still considering Alabama, Auburn and South Carolina, while McGaskin is a Tide grayshirt verbal and Cooper is an Auburn grayshirt verbal.
Gibson (6-2, 195) is thought to be leaning toward Alabama, having told TiderInsider earlier this month, "I fell in love with the town and players at Alabama. I just feel comfortable in Tuscaloosa."
McGaskin accepted the previous staff's grayshirt offer, but his situation could change.
As reported by: The Mobile Press-Register
By THOMAS MURPHY
Sports Reporter

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Saban's staff appears set

Nick Saban has apparently completed the hiring of on-the-field coaches for his first staff at Alabama after reaching an agreement to bring running backs coach Burton Burns to the Capstone.
Burns is resigning his position at Clemson, The (Columbia, S.C.) State reported on its Web site late Monday, to join Saban's original staff with the Crimson Tide.
A native of New Orleans, Burns has spent the last eight seasons coaching running backs for Tommy Bowden at Clemson after a five-year stint at Tulane that included the 12-0 season of 1998.
A former fullback who played on three nine-win teams at Nebraska, Burns has been part of six of the top 10 offenses in Clemson history. Burns has tutored star runners such as James Davis, the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2005, Reggie Merriweather, Travis Zachery and Duane Coleman at Clemson and former New York Jet Jerald Sowell at Tulane.
Based on information coming back from prospects on the Alabama campus over the weekend, Saban's first staff looks to be set.
The projected lineup: Joe Pendry, offensive coordinator; Major Applewhite, quarterbacks; Burns, running backs; Ron Middleton, receivers; Steve Marshall, offensive line; Kevin Steele, defensive coordinator and linebackers; Bo Davis, defensive line; Kirby Smart defensive backs; Lance Thompson, defensive line.
Saban has not announced any specific titles for the coaches, nor has he revealed an assistant head coach or special teams coordinator.
Saban has said that Todd Alles, hired away from Ohio State, would fill an off-the-field position, director of football operations.
Rocky Colburn appears to be under an evaluation period as the Tide's strength-and-conditioning coach after serving one season under Mike Shula.
Asked specifically about Colburn last week, Saban said, "You know, I'm not really caring what anybody did in the past. I want to know what they're going to do now.
"I like Rocky, but we all have -- the players coaches, everybody -- have to be accountable to do things the way we want them done around here."
Asked generally about football-related employees on staff, Saban said, "We can't evaluate everything that's here, right now, immediately. I think there's a lot of good people here.
"Some of those people are going to get an opportunity to show what they can do and how they do things. ... We will evaluate people in an ongoing basis as to how they can contribute to this program.
"There's a lot of people that love Alabama here, and as long as they have the same goals and aspirations we do in how we do things and what we want to accomplish, I'm fine with that."
Saban's first recruiting weekend at Alabama looked like a solid one. The Tide landed a Sunday night commitment from highly regarded defensive tackle Kerry Murphy of Hoover, and appeared to firm up their positions with soft commits like quarterback Robert Marve and Kourtnei Brown.
As reported by: The Press-Register

By THOMAS MURPHY
Sports Reporter