AU First Commit for 2010

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Auburn's first commit for 2010 is highly regarded PK Cody Parker of Jupiter, FL. No problem for me but I wonder what those who criticized Tubs for giving too many scholly's to kickers will say.

[David 0]

Auburn's first commit for 2010 is highly regarded PK Cody Parker of Jupiter, FL. No problem for me but I wonder what those who criticized Tubs for giving too many scholly's to kickers will say.

Seeing how the kicking went last year and that this kid is supposed to be one of the best kickers, if not the best of the 2010 class, they shouldn't have too much to say.

[metafour 5,776]

No problem for me but I wonder what those who criticized Tubs for giving too many scholly's to kickers will say.

Parkey was offered by the Tuberville staff and and accepted while the Tuberville staff was in power .

[TigerEyes1914 1]

I'd love for this guy to be the next commit.

Ladarius Owens SLB

(Jess Lanier HS)

Bessemer, AL

6-2/220/4.47

[baseballman8388 0]

Yea, we've had this one for a while. I'm sure I could probably do a search and find the exact date, but I believe it was late November.

[mcgufcm 4,109]

Whoa, meta... let's remember that if this kid is still getting a scholie that has nothing to do with anything Tubs promised him. This is 100% Chizik's decision, which he made clear during the Durst deal. Also, I guess this flies in the face of all the people saying, "you can't waste scholarships by having multiple kickers on scholie at the same time." Apparently Coach Chizik thinks having multiple scholarship kickers is totally acceptable; he just didn't think Clinton Durst deserved one.

Anyway, I'm glad to have the guy. I think the kicking game is vastly underrated by most people, and if he's as good as advertised, Parker can be a great player for us.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Whoa, meta... let's remember that if this kid is still getting a scholie that has nothing to do with anything Tubs promised him. This is 100% Chizik's decision, which he made clear during the Durst deal. Also, I guess this flies in the face of all the people saying, "you can't waste scholarships by having multiple kickers on scholie at the same time." Apparently Coach Chizik thinks having multiple scholarship kickers is totally acceptable; he just didn't think Clinton Durst deserved one.

Anyway, I'm glad to have the guy. I think the kicking game is vastly underrated by most people, and if he's as good as advertised, Parker can be a great player for us.

Thanks. you nailed it. he was offered by Tubs and commited but....as you duly note and I have been reminded several times.....all bets were off when Chizik came in and only those that he wanted were allowed to "recommit." So the news is that this kicker has recomitted and is still the first for 2010.

[Justin5 20]

Glad to have him, but either I'm getting older or he looks about 14 years old in that picture.

[AUman43 5]

Don't forget about Damion Allen, a player out of Florida (WR) who commited to us last year and ended up at Wesson MS JR Col. He was an outstanding receiver and still lists us as his only choice. He would be a nice addition at WR.

[Tigermike 4,245]

Glad to have him, but either I'm getting older or he looks about 14 years old in that picture.

It's not an either or, you are getting older.

[jw 4 au 546]

Whoa, meta... let's remember that if this kid is still getting a scholie that has nothing to do with anything Tubs promised him. This is 100% Chizik's decision, which he made clear during the Durst deal. Also, I guess this flies in the face of all the people saying, "you can't waste scholarships by having multiple kickers on scholie at the same time." Apparently Coach Chizik thinks having multiple scholarship kickers is totally acceptable; he just didn't think Clinton Durst deserved one.

Anyway, I'm glad to have the guy. I think the kicking game is vastly underrated by most people, and if he's as good as advertised, Parker can be a great player for us.

Thanks. you nailed it. he was offered by Tubs and commited but....as you duly note and I have been reminded several times.....all bets were off when Chizik came in and only those that he wanted were allowed to "recommit." So the news is that this kicker has recomitted and is still the first for 2010.

Don't forget, Tubs did the same when he was hired with Tater Tots recruits and even some of his players. It's what the new guy does.

[AURainman 6]

Also, I guess this flies in the face of all the people saying, "you can't waste scholarships by having multiple kickers on scholie at the same time." Apparently Coach Chizik thinks having multiple scholarship kickers is totally acceptable; he just didn't think Clinton Durst deserved one.

No, it doesn't.

Wes Byrum is a Junior next year. This kid won't play until Byrum is a senior.

Don't try to compare this to the Durst situation. Apples/Oranges.

[TitanTiger 22,249]

Tubs also took some schollys from Tot players when he first got here...guys he deemed were not good enough to compete for playing time in the SEC. It wasn't a ton of them, but I seem to remember at least 3 or 4 guys he did that with.

EDIT: Actually he cut six scholarship players when he got here. This article stub shows it:

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archiv...ackval=GooglePM

You have to pay to read the whole thing but there are other articles from that time period (also for a fee) that mention it too. Another article from the Anniston Star at the time even mentions him getting praise for it:

Anniston's Wallace Gallahar, Clint's father and a crane operator at Anniston Army Depot, praised Tuberville's decision to cut six scholarship players. ...

And here's a full article I found (had to register to read the whole thing):

Tommy Tuberville took charge from the beginning to uplift Auburn

COPYRIGHT 2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service

AUBURN, Ala. _ Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville hears the whispers and feels the electric current of unbridled optimism running through this football-crazy town.

His ability to transform a 3-8 team into a Southeastern Conference Western Division champion in two short seasons may have succeeded in raising the bar of expectation to an uncomfortably high level.

Fans still remember the promise that Tuberville made at his introductory press conference in 1998, when he said Auburn would compete for SEC and national titles. While Tuberville considers both well inside the realm of possibility, he hasn't bought into the notion that Saturday's SEC title game berth against Florida confirms an Auburn resurrection.

"We've still got a long way to go,'' said Tuberville, whose career-best 9-2 record came on the heels of a 5-6 introductory season. "We still want to play for a national championship. We see how we lost on the road at Starkville and how we lost in Gainesville this year. We've got to be a lot better than that.

"You can't go and just totally collapse on the road and say that you're a national contender. We're not. I think we've squeezed this about as much as we can squeeze it, and we're trying to squeeze it for two more (wins).''

Tuberville, who was recently rewarded with a five-year contract extension worth $1.25 million annually, has proven to be a master at squeezing potential and promise from seemingly hopeless situations. He has been a football St. Jude, a coach who excels at finding the beauty buried inside a seemingly hopeless case. After assistant coaching stints at Arkansas State, Miami and Texas A&M, Tuberville rescued Ole Miss from NCAA probation and earned SEC Coach of the Year honors in 1997.

In accepting the Auburn job in 1998, he inherited a team with more baggage than its 3-8 record. The departure of head coach Terry Bowden, the retirement of interim coach Bill Oliver and controversy in between created an atmosphere of divisiveness and distrust.

"They were totally different from the old staff and it took a while to get used to them,'' senior right tackle Colin Sears said. "There's always going to be an adjustment period when something like that happens.''

It began when Tuberville met his team for the first time and issued an apology. For the hardships of a 3-8 season. For the loss of two coaches. For the secretive nature of a coaching search.

Senior center Cole Cubelic can't tell you the exact moment the clouds parted and the sunshine streamed down on a beleaguered football program. He can only tell you that the groundwork for this season's surprising ascent to best in the SEC West was laid last year.

It began with simple and symbolic gestures, like Tuberville's individual meetings with players and his willingness to meet once a week with the team's entire senior class.

It continued with the hiring of strength and conditioning coach Kevin Yoxall, whose muscle-burning and stomach-purging offseason workout sessions toned physiques and hardened resolve.

"When they first got here, they were hard on us,'' Cubelic said. "It was a lot like boot camp would be. It was hell, really, when they first came in.''

Added senior linebacker Alex Lincoln: "In that hard work, we kind of looked to depend on each other.''

There were potholes to negotiate, however. Tuberville cut six scholarship players in the summer of 1999, a move that met with sharp criticism, but one that sent a message to the remaining players.

"I think that was exactly what was needed,'' Lincoln said. "He needed to come in here and say it was his program and take the reins. If we weren't willing to do what it took to win, then we didn't need to be here.''

Aside from addressing Auburn's recruiting needs with such signings as tailback Rudi Johnson, there have been less apparent factors in the Tigers' turnaround.

Seven of Auburn's nine assistant coaches have worked alongside Tuberville for at least six seasons. Auburn offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said Tuberville delegates authority but expects accountability in return.

"He directs you in the way he wants to direct you, but he understands it's your job and responsibility to get it done,'' Mazzone said. "He sees the big picture and he's got all of us worrying about the little picture.''

Tuberville's vision includes a spirit of impudence and whimsy, reflected by his willingness to call fake punts from his own 20 or allow the placekicker to throw a pass on a fake field goal.

"This is a special year. There's just something different about the whole character of this team,'' senior left tackle Kendall Simmons said. "These coaches have brought a lot of fun back to the game.''

Tuberville plans to keep the carnival ride full throttle and firmly on track well after Saturday's SEC Championship game.

"It's been a great year, no matter what happens in the next two games,'' Tuberville said. "Whatever happens, we've accomplished more than we thought we would. We're ahead of schedule.

"We just need to keep adding flour to that gravy.''

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summa...286-6415798_ITM

[jw 4 au 546]

Tubs also took some schollys from Tot players when he first got here...guys he deemed were not good enough to compete for playing time in the SEC. It wasn't a ton of them, but I seem to remember at least 3 or 4 guys he did that with.

EDIT: Actually he cut six scholarship players when he got here. This article stub shows it:

I would say a very similar situation to today except for the records of Tubs/Chizik before they were hired (unless you include Chiziks sucess as a DC). I remember that my dad was very upset that the PTB ran off Bowden. CTB was a very sucessful coach at Auburn. I personally thought he was putting us in a deep hole with his crappy recruiting and lack of discipline, but I do remember many Auburn faithful being upset with the Tuberville hire and how he handled things when he arrived on campus. I think there is more positive buzz about Chizik now than Tubs then.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Don't forget about Damion Allen, a player out of Florida (WR) who commited to us last year and ended up at Wesson MS JR Col. He was an outstanding receiver and still lists us as his only choice. He would be a nice addition at WR.

Does he still have an offer from AU?

[Tigermike 4,245]

Don't forget about Damion Allen, a player out of Florida (WR) who commited to us last year and ended up at Wesson MS JR Col. He was an outstanding receiver and still lists us as his only choice. He would be a nice addition at WR.

Does he still have an offer from AU?

He still has another year of juco and I would think he will be in the next signing class (somewhere). At this point I can't answer if he still has an offer from AU.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

So, after two pages, we are back to what I said in the beginning.....Cody Parker is our first commit for 2010.