WAR-MATT 2 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I guess the shine is wearing off a bit. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUChizad 0 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I guess the shine is wearing off a bit. Link For those who don't like to navigate off this site: Clifton McNeil met with Nick Saban, Mal Moore and Robert Witt last weekend. Michael McNeil's grandfather referred to the University of Alabama's head football coach, athletics director and president as "dynamic." "It would be very, very difficult for a young man to go in there, look at the facility, understand the history and tradition of the Crimson Tide and not be drawn to it," said the elder McNeil. Clifton McNeil's grandson, the top-ranked player on the Press-Register's Elite 18 and the No. 6-ranked player on the Super Southeast 120, went there over the weekend, as well, and apparently wasn't as drawn to it. Saban, Clifton McNeil said, is a "tremendous salesperson" who "helps himself with his experience, his confidence and the success that he's had. Michael understands that this guy is a gifted individual when it comes to teaching young men how to play defensive back. That's a draw because Michael likes to learn. He's a student of the game." Still, that wasn't enough of a draw. Saban's recruitment of McNeil resembled his two-year stint with the Miami Dolphins -- lots of hype and some promising moments followed by failure. Saban, Michael McNeil said, "was by my side the entire visit," eating dinner with the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder Friday and Saturday night and detailing how the free safety would fit in to his plans of rebuilding Alabama into an elite-level SEC football program. As it turns out, Saban's dinner date with McNeil marked the end of the hurried courtship. On Tuesday, McNeil accepted a proposal from another suitor. Instead of wearing crimson and white, McNeil will try to help keep Alabama down the next four or five years. "Me not really having that relationship with coach Saban, because he only had a short time to try and recruit me, is really what threw them off," Michael McNeil said, adding that he felt compelled to "follow my heart." Despite Saban's best recruiting effort and his national championship pedigree, McNeil committed to Auburn Tuesday. Therein lies the biggest difference between Saban's last college job and his current one. In Louisiana, there is no Auburn. In Alabama, Auburn is a worthy adversary, a top-10 program with stability, continuity and few question marks. For Alabama, Auburn is a threat and vice-versa. There's no such animal at LSU. Winning at LSU -- with apologies to Gerry DiNardo and Curley Hallman -- isn't difficult. It's one of the five top jobs in the country because LSU gets the pick of the best in a talent-filled state. Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Monroe and Tulane aren't exactly Auburn. Had Saban been at LSU for only three weeks and put the same full-court press on a top prospect from Denham Springs, Alexandria or Houma, he almost assuredly would've gotten his man Tuesday. In-state pressure, in addition to Saban's charisma and tenacity, would've done the trick. The same in-state pressure exists in Alabama, but it pulls in more than one direction. Like many top recruits around the country, McNeil flirted with out-of-state powers before ultimately deciding to attend college in his home state. After all, comfort is important. In Louisiana, McNeil would have had one choice. McNeil is an Alabamian, however, so he had two. "I had to go to the place that fits me best and where I could make the earliest impact and that would have to be Auburn," McNeil said. "When I went there it was a family setting." So on Tuesday morning, when Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp -- a former Saban assistant at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins -- looked McNeil in the eyes and assured him he'd be no lower than second-string the day he set foot on the Auburn campus, the Tigers had their man. Rest assured, Saban is certain to get his share in Alabama. He just might nab McGill-Toolen defensive end Sidell Corley, No. 2 on the Elite 18, by the end of the week. He'll make Tommy Tuberville's job even harder. However, Tuberville and Auburn aren't exactly running scared. The Tigers have won 35 of their last 40 games, including a Sugar Bowl win and undefeated season, and have recently served as quite a farm system to the NFL. Auburn's recruiting class was ranked 10th nationally by both Rivals.com and Scout.com prior to McNeil's commitment. McNeil will likely room with running back Lynn Haven, Fla., running back Enrique Davis in the fall. He already knows Fort Smith, Ark., quarterback Kodi Burns, Alexander City linebacker Eltoro Freeman and B.C. Rain defensive back Ryan Williams, all members of the Super Southeast 120. In other words, Auburn is more of a sure thing right now than Alabama. That's a perception Saban will have to work to overcome. Perhaps he will. If he were just starting out at LSU, that would already be done. Clifton McNeil said his grandson's resolve to commit to Auburn was emboldened by the presence of former Davidson star Gabe McKenzie, former Williamson standout Antonio Coleman and former Vigor two-sport star Sen'Derrick Marks at Auburn. Alabama, Clifton McNeil said, doesn't have much of a Mobile flavor on its current roster. "That had a lot to do with Michael feeling a home setting," Clifton McNeil said. "Coach Saban says he's going to change that." But that, as Saban is starting to learn, is going to be easier said than done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,431 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Neal must not have gotten the memo from Finebaum. CNS is the be-all, end-all of all coaches everywhere and in everything. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrnfanatc 6 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Neal must not have gotten the memo from Finebaum. CNS is the be-all, end-all of all coaches everywhere and in everything. That is all. Rest assured, he will be in the boss' office this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 neal mcready is an ole miss homer buttplug. This guy spent two weeks demeaning the UA fanbase saying there's no way on earth saban would ever come to bama blah blah blah. he can eat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinCrimson 61 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 That city is probably 70% crimson. We'll have a "Mobile flavor" on NSD anyway. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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