WR Danny Woodson Jr. transferring from Alabama to South Alabama

South Alabama announced Monday that former LeFlore standout Danny Woodson Jr. has transferred from the University of Alabama to the Jaguars' program.

"We're very excited about having Danny Woodson at South Alabama,'' said Jaguars' head coach Joey Jones, in Destin, Fla., Monday morning for the Sun Belt Conference spring meetings before heading back home for his daughter's graduation ceremony. "I really admired his play in high school and we wanted him very badly out of high school. Of course we understood when he signed with Alabama. But we believe we have a potential All-America-type receiver coming here and we're obviously very excited.''

Saban says he will be 'more committed' after his Alabama Sports Hall of Fame induction

Alabama coach Nick Saban talks about the real value in the things that are involved in success at his level.

"Tonight, all those things seem to me worthwhile," he said in his acceptance speech.

"In the future, I'm going to be more committed in order to justify the honor you've given to me tonight," he said.

"To be surrounded by these great men and women, and realizing the nature of their accomplishments...what an honor," he said.

"As a kid, I wanted to achieve something of significance," he recalled. "Dad made me want to be a coach. My Mom, who is here tonight, taught me more than anything that people will always remember how you made them feel."

Athlon Sports ranks Alabama's ongoing dynasty as 4th-greatest since 1934

Athlon Sports put the Nebraska teams of the mid-90s at No. 2 and Alabama's current run, which it starts in 2008, at No. 4.

Oklahoma (1948-58), which went 107-8 and claimed three national championships, received the magazine's top ranking. Miami (1986-92) was ranked third and Notre Dame (1941-49) fifth.

Two stretches of the Bear Bryant era made the top 25. The stretch from 1961-66, when the Crimson Tide went 60-5-1 and won three national championships, was ranked eighth while Bryant's teams of the 1970s, which won eight SEC titles and claimed three national championships, was 12th.

Only two other SEC schools had dynasties that made the cut: Florida (2006-09) at No. 14 and Georgia (1980-83) at 24.

Since Alabama went 7-6 in Nick Saban's first year, it's amassed a record of 61-7, won three BCS National Championships and two SEC Championships over the last four years and notched two undefeated regular seasons.

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4-star Texas linebacker Zach Whitley commits to Alabama

The Crimson Tide got  its sixth commitment for the Class of 2014 this week when Houston, Texas linebacker Zach Whitley pledged his commitment to the Crimson Tide during a Skype call with Alabama head coach Nick Saban.  

“Their graduation rates for the last three years have been very high," Whitley told BamaOnline after his A-Day visit. "That’s what I was mostly focused on, because my academics are something that I’m going to be focused on when I go to college. I liked the engineering program. They have tutors for every player. That’s going to be my main focus. I know they have a thing for winning and all the national championships, but that’s not all I was worried about.” 

2014 NFL mock drafts project five first-round picks from Alabama

BehindtheSteelCurtain.com projects:

• 9. Tampa Bay: Alabama junior tackle Cyrus Kouandjio
• 21. Pittsburgh: Alabama senior inside linebacker C.J. Mosley
• 23. Indianapolis: Alabama junior outside linebacker Adrian Hubbard
• 27. Houston: Alabama junior inside linebacker Trey DePriest
• 29. Green Bay: Alabama junior safety HaHa Clinton-Dix

SBNation.com also projects five first-rounders from Alabama:

• 10. San Diego: Kouandjio
• 16. Minnesota: Mosley
• 17. Dallas: Clinton-Dix
• 20. New Orleans: Hubbard
• 27. Green Bay: DePriest

AJ McCarron to drive pace car for Aaron's 499

McCarron will be the Honorary Pace Car Driver and  Chipper Jones is the Grand Marshal. "I have enjoyed races at Talladega before and have always had a passion to get up to speed on the track," McCarron said in a news release. "This is an incredible opportunity, and to be able to do it in front of the most famous drivers in the world, is something I am really looking forward to."

Dee Milliner, Chance Warmack and D.J. Fluker go consecutively in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft

Cornerback Dee Milliner was selected by the New York Jets with the No. 9 pick, and in the next two picks, former Alabama guard Chance Warmack went No. 10 to the Tennessee Titans and former Tide tackle D.J. Fluker went No. 11 to the San Diego Chargers.

"It felt great," Fluker said . "Dee Milliner's a great cornerback. Chance Warmack's a great guard. Going high, it showed me that all the hard work paid off. ... Being three-time national champions, that paid off, too. Now it's time to do it at a whole new level.

"Revis was a player, a role model I looked up to," Milliner said. "When he plays on the field, he's one of the best. I'm still going to do the things he did, come out there and hope I can turn those guys on to me like he did."

Coach Nick Saban on how this helps recruiting"A lot of people tell people that we recruit that they can't play ... at Alabama because of all the good players that we have," he said. "They should keep in mind that somebody told all those guys that were drafted tonight 9, 10 and 11 that they couldn't play at Alabama, too.

"We need the kind of guys that have confidence, that want to be challenged and want to develop into very good players, and this is what could happen if you look at everything a little long term in terms of how you can develop and what you can accomplish and believe you can do it."

4-star Opelika cornerback Stephen Roberts commits to Alabama

Roberts is a 6-foot, 177-pound defensive back rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN. That makes 5 commitments for the 2014 class. 
"It was an easy decision for me," Roberts said. "Everything about Alabama fits me perfectly from their style of play to the relationships I have built with the coaching staff. It's just the perfect fit for me as a player and as a student."

"Being a fan and being a player are two totally different things," Roberts said. "I have always rooted for Auburn as a fan but when it comes time to making the decision about what's best for me as a player going forward, you can't think about those things. Alabama has put a lot of defensive backs into the NFL in the last few years and I believe they will give me the best chance to develop into the best player I can be."

"Coach Saban and Coach Smart both told me they feel like I could play not just corner but also safety and nickel for them and they like that I have that versatility."

Alabama - spring football award winners

• Dixie Howell Memorial Most Valuable Player of the A-Day Game Award: T.J. Yeldon
• Dwight Stephenson Lineman of the A-Day Game Award: Ryan Kelly
• Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award: A.J. McCarron, HaHa Clinton-Dix
• Mal Moore Leadership Award: Anthony Steen, Ed Stinson
• Bart Starr Most Improved Player Award: Austin Shepherd, Arie Kouandijo, Andrew White, Denzel Devall
• Ozzie Newsome Most Improved Player Award: Derrick Henry, O.J. Howard, Kenyan Drake, Ryan Anderson, Landon Collins, Cyrus Jones
• Bear Bryant Outstanding Non-Scholarship Award: Parker Barrineau, Zach Houston
• Derrick Thomas Community Service Award: Kevin Norwood, Blake Sims
• Woodrow Lowe Linebacker Award: C.J. Mosley
• Ray Perkins Receiver Award: Amari Cooper
• Johnny Musso Offensive Back Award: T.J. Yeldon
• Bobby Johns Defensive Back Award: Deion Belue
• Paul Crane Offensive Lineman Award: Cyrus Kouandjio
• Billy Neighbors Defensive Lineman Award: Jeoffery Pagan
• Jerry Duncan "I Like to Practice" Award: Ryan Kelly, Brian Vogler, Vinnie Sunseri, Davlin Tomlinson
• Lee Roy Jordan Headhunter Award: Christion Jones, Adrian Hubbard