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Recruiting Recap '99

The Florida Connection

By Aaron James


Hard-core Alabama football fans have never before enjoyed consistent recruiting success in the state of Florida.

At least, not until now.

Ronnie Cottrell
Cottrell

Thanks in large part to the efforts of recruiting coordinator Ronnie Cottrell, who guided nationally regarded signing classes at Florida State for nearly a decade, the Tide has planted its flag in Florida and doesn't appear willing to give up its claim. Bama signed nine players from the Sunshine State on February 3. The list included Dave Peterson, Raymond Hudson, Gerard Clark, Garry McNealy, Josh Parker, Jarrett Johnson, Roberto McBride, Michael Gaines and Antonio Carter.

The state of Florida provides a very large percentage of the talent that keeps the Florida Gators and FSU Seminoles consistently in the nation's top 5. But while the Gene Stallings regime did very little recruiting in Florida, the Mike DuBose regime is attacking the nation's talent hotbed to the South.

"We're excited about the entire class," said Cottrell. "Certainly we were pleased with our efforts in Florida in particular. The day will never come that we no longer look to our own state first, but as for the times we do branch out to other states, Florida is an outstanding option."

Even before Cottrell's arrival just more than a year ago, DuBose had already begun the recruiting efforts in Florida. In fact, Alabama's primary leaders on each side of the ball -- quarterback Andrew Zow and linebacker Travis Carroll -- were signed out of Florida in 1997. Cottrell's arrival has enhanced Bama's presence in the state, however.

This year's group includes a quarterback (Parker), two receivers (Carter, McBride), a defensive back (Hudson), a linebacker (Peterson), and four linemen (Gaines, Johnson, Clark, McNealy). Not all are academically qualified yet.

The three most heavily recruited signees in the group are Johnson, Carter and Gaines. Johnson earned All-America honors as a standout defensive lineman at Chiefland High School. He is expected to play on Bama's interior defensive line, a unit that is in need of quality depth. Carter and Gaines, both of Tallahassee, bring athletic ability and versatility rarely seen. Each has played at least four positions at one time or another during his prep career.

"Those three are certainly capable of helping us quickly," Cottrell said. "Johnson was the Player of the Year in Gainesville, and we were thrilled to have him in our class. Carter and Gaines have a great deal of speed and could contribute some as well, but all our new players will get a chance to show what they can do."

If these nine are as good as advertised, they'll show plenty.

Q & A with Ronnie Cottrell

AJ What allowed you to sign so many players in Florida this year?

RC Well, we knew that with the available scholarships they had, Florida State and Florida weren't going to be able to recruit some of the very best players in the state. We thought we had a shot at some top-level players and fortunately we turned out to be right about that. 200 or so players sign from that state every year, so it's important to have a presence there.

AJ How did your ties and experience from recruiting Florida for so long at FSU help you?

RC I suppose it certainly helped with the Tallahassee kids. I'm not alone here, though. Coach Dabo Swinney has done an excellent job working parts of Central Florida. All the coaches are doing their part.

AJ Are Alabama fans expecting too much if they expect around nine Florida signees every year?

RC I think this year was a special year. It was a very large group, but I expect and hope we will sign 4-6 players from Florida on a consistent basis. That doesn't mean we'll sign four every year just to meet a number, but Florida will be an important part of our efforts. I'd like to sign about as many from Georgia as well. Our commitment is to recruit the very best players in the Southeast at every position. That's going to mean recruiting successfully in every Southeastern state, but of course there will be more success in some states than in others.

AJ After almost 10 years of recruiting Florida as a home state, did you get a different perspective recruiting it from out of state?

RC It was different, sure. It's a different presentation, different challenge. But it's the same opportunity as far as the prospect is concerned -- a chance to come in and make a difference at the best school in the Southeastern Conference.

AJ Most of your recruiting in Florida has focused on North and Central Florida. Do you expect an increased presence in South Florida, which is highly respected as a talent base, in the future?

RC You want to spread out without spreading too thin. South Florida, Miami, that whole region plays some very high-level high school football. Alabama will recruit South Florida, but we want to do better everywhere. We'd like to increase our efforts in Jacksonville, too. We've got things moving in a very positive direction, but you can never be satisfied. There's plenty of work for everybody involved, and everybody involved is willing to do it.