Despite tightened border security, some Alabama recruits do escape

Nick Saban has made a point of securing his state's borders and keeping recruits home. Bob Rosato/SI

TRUSSVILLE, Ala. -- Kendall Kelly Sr. saw the blue lights in his rearview mirror and pulled to the side of the road. As Kelly reached for his driver's license, an officer asked his name. When Kelly answered, the officer did a double-take.

As he recounted the story while waiting to watch his son's Gadsden City High Titans play at Hewitt-Trussville High last week, Kelly could only smile. It wasn't anything serious -- just a routine traffic stop -- but the officer's reaction upon hearing the name is something Kelly has grown accustomed to. Kendall Kelly Jr. is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver with scholarship offers from dozens of the nation's best football programs, so lots of people in Gadsden know the name. And just about all of them think Kelly should attend either Alabama or Auburn. So the elder Kelly wasn't surprised when, after he explained the father-son connection, the officer wanted to talk football.

"He talked up Alabama," Kelly said with a laugh.

A stone marker at the Alabama Welcome Center just west of the Georgia border on Interstate 20 bears the inscription "We Dare Defend Our Rights," but it may as well say "We Dare Defend Our Recruits," because there may be no state as good at keeping its best players from crossing the border for college. In the past four recruiting classes, Alabama and Auburn have scooped up almost every elite recruit in the state. Of the 80 players ranked in the state's top 20 by Rivals.com from 2005-08, 61 have signed with one of the two state powers, and one has signed with upstart Troy. Only a few future stars -- former Vanderbilt receiver Earl Bennett, for example -- have managed to cross the state line. Of course, that might not have been so easy had Bennett received a scholarship offer from Alabama or Auburn.

So why do players from Alabama stay home? Players, high school coaches and out-of-state coaches who recruit there say it's a combination of factors. Chief among them: Alabama may be the most college football- obsessed state in the union. With no pro teams, the Alabama and Auburn football programs represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement in the state. That means a lot of future football players grow up dreaming of wearing either crimson or orange and blue, and that old loyalty can be tough to shake.

"It's a very difficult thing to do because of the way they're raised and the importance put on football," said Clemson interim coach Dabo Swinney, a former Alabama receiver who recruited the state before his promotion last week after Tommy Bowden's resignation. "Everybody in the community is [for] either Alabama or Auburn."

Kim Kirkpatrick runs Angels Hair and Fashion in Gadsden. Her son, Dre, is a teammate of Kelly's. Dre Kirkpatrick is the top-ranked cornerback recruit in the nation, which makes him the most sought-after player in the state. "There's one man, who, every time he sees me leaving the store, he says, 'Now remember, Roll Tide,'" Kim Kirkpatrick said. "They think there are only two football teams -- Alabama and Auburn."

As if on cue, an older woman sitting a few rows over stood a few moments later and feigned shock at the declaration made by another fan. "Roll Tide?" the woman yelled, incredulous. "War Eagle!"

Dre is considering both schools, but he also wants to examine several dozen others, including Texas, Florida and USC. Gadsden, located about 60 miles northwest of Birmingham, is deep in the heart of Alabama territory. The few Auburn fans, such as the woman in the stands, yell "War Eagle!" at their own peril.

"It's a lot of pressure on me and my family," Dre Kirkpatrick said. "Most everybody in my city is a big Alabama fan. They keep telling me, Alabama, Alabama. But like I told my coach, I'm going to go where it fits me."