1. Erique Florence, DB, Valley (6-2, 181, 4.47). A big hitter who also stars on special teams, where he returned three punts for TDs in '09. Will also play QB in '10. Auburn leads Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford and UAB.2. Marvin Shinn, WR, Vigor, (6-3, 177, 4.5). Posted more than 1,600 yards of offense while splitting time between WR and QB as a junior. Averaged better than 20 yards per catch. Committed to Alabama.3. Brent Calloway, LB, Russellville (6-1, 210, 4.6). Ran for 1,460 yards and 23 TDs to lead team to 5A state title game, but projects as an outside linebacker in Tuscaloosa. Committed to Alabama.4. Reese Dismukes, C, Spanish Fort, (6-3, 272, 5.0). A natural center who is dominant at the point of attack. Committed to Auburn.5. Jonathan Rose, DB, Leeds (6-2, 170, 4.5). Returned two punts and two kick-offs for TDs as a junior while recording five interceptions. Auburn leads Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Southern Miss and Memphis.6. Danny Woodson Jr., WR, LeFlore, (6-2, 200, 4.5). A home-run threat from anywhere on the field, the son of former Alabama QB Danny Woodson had 78 catches for 1,360 yards and 15 TDs last season. Committed to Alabama.7. Chris Jones, DB, Minor, (6-0, 185, 4.5). Talented defender recorded 65 tackles and six interceptions as a junior. Considering offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Notre Dame and Tennessee.8. Spencer Region, OL, Cullman, (6-6, 330, 5.4). Massive lineman de-committed after early pledge to Auburn, likely projects as a guard. Alabama and Wisconsin lead Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Penn State, Louisville, Southern Miss, UAB, Virginia and Wake Forest.9. Jabrian Niles, DL, Davidson, (6-2, 270, 4.7). Former quarterback keeps getting bigger, stronger, and now excels at chasing them. Committed to Auburn.10. Daryl Collins, WR, Gadsden City, (6-0, 190, 4.5). A deep threat playing in a run-first offense, he's also dangerous as a kick returner. Committed to Alabama.11. Stephen Rivers, QB, Athens, (6-6, 200). Strong-armed brother of San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers passed for 2,125 yards and 23 TDs as a junior. Has offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Arizona State, North Carolina State, Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Memphis.12. Collins Moore, WR, Bob Jones (6-2, 185, 4.5). Caught 50 passes for 1,057 yards and 13 TDs in '09. Has offers from LSU, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Louisville, Illinois, Tulane and Vanderbilt.13. Chris Landrum, LB, Sweet Water, (6-2, 215, 4.5). Versatile 1A star ran for more than 900 yards while posting 68 tackles and 12 sacks on defense. Committed to Auburn.14. Keymiya Harrell, DE, Dallas County (6-5, 235, 4.66). Has prototypical DE frame, and stock is rising after strong camp at Tennessee. Considering offers from Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee.15. Anthony Swain, DB/LB, Gadsden City (6-3, 215, 4.6). Big-framed safety could grow into a LB at the college level. Committed to Auburn.16. Devaunte Sigler, DE, B.C. Rain (6-4, 250, 4.67). A gifted athlete who plays LB in high school, but he'll likely switch to DE in college. Auburn and Ole Miss lead Kentucky, Southern Miss, Memphis, UAB and Louisiana-Lafayette.17. Rashad Cunningham, WR, Davidson (6-4, 200, 4.4). A sleeper who plays in a run-first offense, he's got size, speed and a ton of upside. Has offers from Arkansas, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Memphis, UAB and South Alabama.18. Jacob Coker, QB, St. Paul's (6-5, 210). Very raw, but could be a steal with his size and arm strength. Committed to Florida State. Best of the rest: Jervohnte Riles, ATH, Jess Lanier (6-5, 230); Kameron Wood, DE/LB, John Carroll (6-4, 200); Allen Carson, DT, Oxford (6-0, 327); Jacquese Kirk, DB, Walker (5-11, 160); Maleki Harris, LB, Cordova (6-3, 200); Darien Thomas, WR, Theodore (6-2, 191); Alonzo Harris, RB, Gadsden City (6-1, 200); T.J. Worthy, WR, Gadsden City (6-2, 180); Eric Dixon, DB, Vigor (5-11, 175); Vinnie Sunseri, LB, Northridge (5-11, 193); Thomas Williams, OL, Vigor; Ameer Abdullah, RB, Homewood (5-9, 171); Antonio Marsh, LB, Blount (6-2, 198); Blake Dees, LB, Spanish Fort (6-0, 234); Dre'shon McGaster, DE, Foley (6-3, 225); David Simon, OL, Baldwin County (6-5, 285); Broderick Hall, QB/ATH, Paul Bryant (6-3, 175); Sammie Coates, WR, Leroy (6-3, 170).
Elite 18: SEC coaches have seen the previews of Erique Florence and hope to make him their next blockbuster When Auburn coach Gene Chizik made the short trek to Valley High School in Chambers County this spring, Rams coach Mike McCombs wasn't surprised that folks at the school got a little starry-eyed.And that was just the teachers."The kids went nuts," said McCombs. "But it was funny to watch how our faculty reacted to it."Chizik, Alabama's Nick Saban and a parade of other SEC coaches have ventured to one of the few towns in the state in the Eastern time zone to see a player honored here in the Press-Register's Elite 18 as the top prospect in Alabama -- Erique Florence.A 6-foot-2, 181-pound safety who has clocked a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, Florence is a hard-hitting safety who also excels as a kick returner, bringing three punts back for touchdowns before opposing kickers started avoiding him."It's just pure, God-given ability," McCombs said of Florence, who will also play quarterback for the Rams this year. "He has been blessed with a lot of speed. He's a natural football player, a throwback in that he's a big hitter. He loves the contact aspect of the game."Just behind Florence on the list of the state's top college football prospects are two of the four players who have committed to defending national champion Alabama -- Vigor receiver Marvin Shinn and Russellville linebacker Brent Calloway.Like Florence, both are versatile, naturally gifted athletes, although Vigor coach Kerry Stevenson said Shinn also has a great mind for the game."Instead of looking at (the game) from a player's perspective, he looks at it as if he was a coach," Stevenson said. "There's just something special about him. ... He can beat you with his speed, he can beat you with his quickness and he can beat you with his length. He has the ability to make all those plays."The other Alabama commitments are LeFlore receiver Danny Woodson Jr. and Gadsden City receiver Daryl Collins.Four others on the list have committed to Auburn: Spanish Fort center Reese Dismukes, Davidson defensive lineman Jabrian Niles, Sweet Water linebacker Chris Landrum and Gadsden City safety Anthony Swain.The list includes seven players from Mobile and Baldwin counties and five receivers in a deep year for wide-outs. Nine of the 18 have announced their commitments, with B.C. Rain defensive end Devaunte Sigler expected to announce his choice between Auburn and Ole Miss within the next month.For a state that has seen an explosion of five-star talent in the past few years, the overall depth of the 2011 class is somewhat lacking. Just over half the list has offers from both Alabama and Auburn and four players listed here among the best in the state hold offers from neither.But former Williamson High and Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin, who now recruits the Mobile area for Kentucky, said that picture is incomplete. He expects a slew of players who aren't currently swimming in offers to pick up more by the end of the season this fall, particularly in Mobile."I have a lot of guys I've got my eyes on," Martin said. "Some guys are changing positions, some guys are first-year starters. In the SEC, you can't really miss a lot, so you really wait to have a lot of your questions answered. I think you're going to see a lot of late offers."
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