Talent galore at Alabama-Mississippi Classic

Good as advertised

All-Star season can be a tough stretch for many highly-rated prospects because usually there isn't anywhere to go but down. That was not the case though for the big names on the Alabama sideline. The highest-rated prospect was cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (Gadsden, Ala.) and he did not disappoint despite limited playing time and limited opportunities.

The nation’s No. 3 prospect set the tone for Alabama’s dominance early in the game with an interception on Mississippi’s opening drive. The tall, athletic corner was rarely tested again in the first quarter. He missed most of the second quarter after suffering what looked like a lower back injury after making a tackle, but he returned in the third quarter and despite mainly being locked up with Mississippi's lone ESPNU 150 player Chad Bumphis (Tupelo, Miss.), he still played very well. He sat out the fourth quarter, but it was obvious he is an elite prospect. Cornerbacks with his size and ability are not very common.

As with most shutdown corners, opportunities to make plays are limited since they are rarely tested. That was the case with Kirkpatrick, but when the opportunities were there, he delivered. Despite missing the better part of two quarters, Kirkpatrick was impressive and while already very close to the top, he will be evaluated for another possible bump.

Big plays from a big player

A prospect I was anxious to see was offensive tackle D.J. Fluker (Foley, Ala.). He entered the 2008 season as a bit of a mystery as he looked inconsistent in previous seasons. He moved around a lot, so much that a year ago he would have been on the Mississippi roster while attending school in Biloxi. He moved back to Alabama for his senior year and the move to Foley seems to agree very well with him, as does the move to offensive tackle. The one-time defensive tackle prospect has sky-rocketed up the rankings since he switched positions his senior season. He possesses elite size and already looks like a college player. He was driving Mississippi defenders off the ball and pass protecting well.

The Alabama coaches ran the majority of run plays behind Fluker. He still needs to keep improving his technique as he is still somewhat raw and will bend at the waist or get off balance at times, but that will come. His size and raw ability cannot be taught and he played very well against good competition. He squared off most the game against two good Mississippi defenders in defensive end Fletcher Cox (Yazoo City, Miss.) and defensive lineman Josh Boyd (Philadelphia, Miss.) and handled both. Fluker has already made some big jumps in the 150 and his performance warranted another, as he now cracked the top 20 and is the nation’s No. 2 rated offensive tackle prospect. The future post-Andre Smith looks bright for Alabama fans.

Taking care of business 

The final three ESPNU 150 prospects on the Alabama roster didn’t gain any ground in the 150, but all three proved they certainly belong among the nation’s top prospects. A.J. McCarron (Mobile, Ala./Saint Paul's Episcopal) has seen his stock rise since the initial evaluations. He is now the nation’s No. 5 quarterback and his performance in the all-star game proved that he certainly belongs there. The hometown star walked away with MVP honors after throwing for over 160 yards and two touchdowns.

McCarron looked very good spreading the ball around and making plays. He displayed good accuracy, threw a nice ball and showed his athleticism by creating second chances when there was pressure and being able to throw on the run. He also impressed with his ability to always keep his eyes downfield and only ran when needed. The Alabama commit needs to add some serious bulk and did show some happy feet at times, but he was by far the best quarterback in the game and remains one of top triggermen in the 2009 class.

Kendall Kelly (Gadsden, Ala.), a teammate of Kirkpatrick’s and a member of the ESPNU 150, also played well. Kelly, the No. 6 wide receiver, is a big kid for a wide receiver with a thick lower body and a good wingspan. He did not get a ton of touches, but did seize opportunities. In the first quarter, he caught a pass from McCarron, made a quick move and rumbled downfield for a 57-yard reception that help set up Alabama’s second touchdown.

On the defensive side of the ball, Tana Patrick (Stevenson, Ala./North Jackson), the nation’s 105th-rated prospect, also played well. Projected as an outside linebacker, he played inside for the Alabama squad and displayed good range and closing ability on the ball carrier. He also brought the wood on his tackles delivering some good pops. He helped make it tough for Mississippi to run between the tackles and throw over the middle.

Stealing the spotlight

In addition to the play of Alabama’s ESPNU 150 prospects several other players deserve some recognition. The Alabama defensive line made it very tough for Mississippi to run the ball or have to time to throw and two players — Darrius McMullin and D.T. Shackelford (Decatur, Ala./Austin) — were a big reason for that. Shackelford, projected as a linebacker in college, played defensive end in the game and while there are some concerns about his size for the next level, he put on a show at this one. It seemed like whenever he was in the game, he was around the ball and causing problems. Despite not having a tall frame, he has a solid reach and uses his hands well. He slipped between blockers and spent a lot of time in the Mississippi backfield. He struggles some to hold his ground when blockers could get into him, but overall his effort and play was very impressive and his grade jumped some.

New Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin has parted ways with a few recruits that Phil Fulmer recruited, but he may want to give Shackelford, a Tennessee commit, a shot. Vanderbilt has a reason to be happy as their recruit, McMullin played well and got a slight bump in grade. We always liked his motor and play versus the run, but had questions about his ability to apply pressure. He answered some of those doubts by harassing the Mississippi quarterbacks on a fairly consistent basis.

A few local players turned in good performances in front of the home crowd. Current Auburn commit Jonathan Evans (Mobile, Ala./M.T. Blount) made a few big hits. Wide receiver Raphael Poellintz (Mobile, Ala./Murphy) hauled in two touchdown passes.

The game lacked big names at running back, but a little back turned in a big performance for Alabama. Shawn Southward (Florence, Ala.) scored Alabama’s first two touchdowns, both to Fluker’s side. He displayed good quickness to the perimeter and despite his scatback size, he ran well between the tackles. Wide receiver Caleb Lewis (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) had a few drops, but also made some good grabs.

Finally, kicker Jimmy Newman (Oxford, Ala.) played well also. He missed a 51-yard attempt during the game, but showed a strong leg on kickoffs (kicking off from the 40), regularly kicking the ball into the end zone and limiting Mississippi’s return chances.

The good, the bad and the ugly

That pretty much summed up Mississippi’s day with very little good and mostly the bad and ugly. The offense had a tough time moving the ball and it was hard to get a read on some of its talent. To illustrate the difference, Mississippi had the ball for just 8:52 in the first half compared to Alabama’s 15:08 time of possession. Turnovers also plagued the Mississippi squad.

Quarterback Tyler Russell (Meridian, Miss.) did not have a good day and spent a good portion off the game getting roughed up. Mississippi had some good wide receivers in the game, but considering the lack of time the QBs had to throw, the receivers made little impact.

The lone 150 prospect on the Mississippi roster, Bumphis, played predominantly wide receiver and was held in check. He seemed to do the most damage when Kirkpatrick was not in the game and did not seem to really get involved until after Kirkpatrick left the game in fourth quarter. So it's safe to say he lost the showdown with the talented corner.

Still, Bumphis did look good and it was apparent he is a good athlete. Mississippi tried many ways to get him the ball, be it throwing to him deep, on screens, and even letting him throw it. But he though was either overthrown, covered, and even overthrew the ball when he passed. He did also punt and made his biggest play on a fake when he ran the ball for a first down. Bumphis is a talented young man, but defense might not be his calling in college.

Wide receiver Pat Patterson (Macon, Miss./Noxubee County) had a solid day, but was shut out in the first half. He has good size and made some grabs, but also had some drops. Kevin Norwood (Biloxi, Miss./D’Iberville) showed good hands catching most everything thrown his way.

On defense Mississippi had some good prospects, especially upfront. Talented defensive end prospect Fletcher Cox passed the eye test and is a nice blend of size and athleticism. His future should be bright, but he did disappoint some in the game. He struggled to get a pass rush, often attacking blockers head up and was shut down when he faced Fluker. Cox has raw ability, but he did drop a little.

Josh Boyd played some tackle and end. When not lined up against Fluker, he displayed good quickness off the ball and the ability to be disruptive. Still, we would have liked to have seen him play better versus the Alabama commit. Boyd got a very slight bump in grade, but while he showed flashes it was tough to really move him up when he struggled against the toughest opponent he faced.

Ex-Auburn commit David Conner (Batesville, Miss./South Panola) did grab MVP honors, but it was not an outstanding day for the safety prospect.

Craig Haubert is the recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc. and has more than a decade of coaching experience.