That Town's Got Talent

Alabama jumped to No. 1 in the AP and USA Today/Coaches Poll this week.  At the college level winning starts with recruiting and Tide Coach Nick Saban is well aware of the vast amount of talent located in Mobile, AL.  Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron hails from the place also known as the Port City.  He burst on the scene nationally with a stellar performance in the BCS Championship game earning Offensive MVP honors.  If the Tide continues to win and McCarron puts up big numbers he could easily find himself in the Heisman race.  McCarron was a high school teammate of former Tide player Mark Barron.  The duo won a 5A state championshp together at St. Paul's in 2007.   Barron was the 7th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 draft.

C.J. Mosley came out of Theodore -which is just a few miles from Mobile-ready to play for the Tide. Mosley competed in all 13 games as a true freshman.  As a junior he's now one of the anchors on the Tide's defense.  In the season opener against Michigan, Mosley posted his third interception return for a touchdown in his career.  That tied a school record.  On the same night the nation also got their first look at running back T.J. Yeldon. He's a star in the making from Daphne which is a town nearby Mobile.  Yeldon became the first Tide player to run for over 100 yards in their debut racking up 111 rushing yards on 11 carries.   He was Mr. Football in the state of Alabama in 2011 and has all the tools to follow in the footsteps of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.

Fullback Jalston Fowler will be blocking for Yeldon when he's not running over players himself.  Fowler is a bruising back from Mobile who won a 5A state title with Vigor in 2008.  Offensive lineman D.J. Fluker and Safety Robert Lester call Foley home, which is about 40 miles from Mobile.  Fluker was named a preseason All-American by several publications.  Fluker and Lester played at Foley, the same high school that produced current Falcons player and former Tide Wide Receiver Julio Jones.  When you take a look at the roster for the No. 1 team in the country, you can see the Mobile area is one college coaches can't afford to overlook on the recruiting trail.