Complete story on Tony Mitchell, Hankerson departures

It appears as if the complete version of my story on the basketball departures didn’t appear in any print editions today. So, instead of cheating you out of the complete version, let’s post it right here.

TUSCALOOSA — The Tony Mitchell saga wasn’t heading for a happy ending.

By Friday afternoon, it was official. He won’t be back for his senior season.

The troubled Alabama basketball star’s departure was announced in a Friday afternoon news release that also reported the transfer intentions for a go-to reserve. Charles Hankerson Jr. will also find a new basketball home before next season after playing his first two in Tuscaloosa.

Both requested and were granted releases from their Alabama scholarships.

For Mitchell, Friday’s news was the final headline following a season that began with such promise. The junior was second in scoring (13.1 points a game) and was easily the most athletic player on the floor. His dunks made the Swainsboro, Ga., native a regular on SportsCenter.

But his indefinite suspension came just before the Feb. 7 win at Auburn. He never returned but sounded positive in posting to his Twitter account on Feb. 16: “to all my bama fans tmitch is goin nowhere #bamatilidie,” was Mitchell’s posting late that night.

Four days later, coach Anthony Grant announced his suspension would span the rest of the season.

Updating ex-Tide players who transferred

There were eight players on the 2010 Alabama roster who transferred out before this fall. Here’s a quick update on how most are doing at their new football homes:

WR Keiwone Malone (Memphis): Receiving a special exemption to skip the transfer redshirt, the Memphis native has four receptions, but a grand total of two receiving yards. Malone had three catches Saturday against Austin Peay for zero yards.

DB B.J. Scott (South Alabama): Once a five-star recruit, the wide receiver turned defensive back is fitting in with his hometown program. He has 20 tackles — the second most on the team and has one forced fumble. The third-year program lost its first game last week at North Carolina State, 35-13

RB Demetrius Goode (North Alabama): The senior has yet to play in the four UNA games after suffering a hamstring injury.

DB Robby Green (California University of Pennsylvania):After sitting out the 2010 season in Tuscaloosa on a NCAA-ordered suspension, the junior ranks fifth on the team with 17 tackles including one sack. He had 12 stops in last week’s win over East Stroudsburg.

DL Darrington Sentimore (Mississippi Gulf Community College): Suspended for spring practices, the Louisiana native has 15 tackles in three games at the JUCO level. Click here for a story from the Mississippi Press where he talks about Nick Saban’s advice post-Alabama. There are also reports from Knoxville saying Sentimore made an official visit to Tennessee two weeks ago.

DL Brandon Moore (East Mississippi Community College): The Montgomery product didn’t move too far from Tuscaloosa (geographically speaking) where he has 16 tackles include two for losses. Moore also recorded three quarterback hurries.

I couldn’t find information on linebacker Petey Smith who reportedly transferred to Holmes Community College. His name didn’t appear on the roster on the school’s website. The other transfer was running back Corey Grant who is sitting out this season at Auburn.

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Checking in on former Tide RB Demetrius Goode

A busy summer of transfers for Alabama football players included two running backs. Redshirt freshman Corey Grant went to Auburn and senior Demetrius Goode moved to Florence and enrolled at UNA.

Demetrius Good practices at UNA. (TimesDaily photo by Daniel Giles)

Then freshman Dee Hart went down with a knee injury and the Crimson Tide backfield was suddenly swimming in the shallow end.

So what’s up with Goode these days? TimesDaily assistant sports editor Jeff McIntyre spoke with the Lion running back recently. Here’s what he wrote:

FLORENCE — It has been a long time since Demetrius Goode was the featured back in an offense.

That goes back to the 2006 season he spent at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, where he went after finishing his career at Troup County High School in LaGrange, Ga.

Goode signed with Alabama and spent the past four years dealing with various injuries, while playing behind stars such as Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. With one season remaining, Goode transferred to North Alabama in May.

While still learning the offense, Goode said the first few days of practice with his new team have gone well.

“Everything has been smooth so far,” Goode said. “I feel so blessed to be here in Florence and at North Alabama.”

Read the rest of the Goode story by clicking here.

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Updating Duron Carter’s status

The junior college transfer expected to make some noise this fall has yet to practice this summer. Receiver Duron Carter — son of Cris Carter — is still waiting for clearance to work out with the Tide.

It’s a matter of paperwork, Nick Saban said.

“We still haven’t gotten the information,” he said. “The issue is school at (junior colleges) was out about the same time we started. So to get grades posted and transcripts is the issue. That’s what we’re waiting for.

“We don’t know that there are any issues. We have to get the information so that he’s cleared to be admitted so he can practice. We have lots of people working on it and I know Duron’s probably a little frustrated because he feels like he did his part. He did the work. He got it done early so hopefully these things would get done early. And it didn’t work out from an administrative standpoint.”

Check back later for any potential updates on the matter.

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Report: Ex-Tide RB Corey Grant to play at Auburn

And this offseason couldn’t get any more interesting between Alabama and Auburn? You’d think. Then this happens.

Corey Grant, who recently announced he was leaving Tuscaloosa, is headed to his old school’s arch enemy. Click here to read the story about the Opelika product who’ll start summer classes at Auburn tomorrow.

Grant never saw the field in his one season at Alabama. He redshirted, but will still have to sit out this fall because of NCAA transfer rules.

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UNA stock piles FBS talent

It’s no secret Terry Bowden put together a roster at Division II North Alabama that’s full of talent. They’ve welcomed players by the bus load who left/was asked to leave some of the top programs in the country.

Exiled Florida defensive back Janoris Jenkins became the most recent addition yesterday. That makes 34 members of the 2010 roster and offseason transfers for 2011 who came from the Football Bowl Subdivision we once knew as Division I-A.

Here’s a breakdown of the transfers and where they came from that should put the pressure on Bowden to win a Division II championship some time soon. Also, read this story from the TimesDaily detailing some of the transfers.

SEC (11)
RB Demetrius Goode, Alabama
DB Rod Woodson, Alabama
DB Travis Robinson, Alabama
K Kolby Taylor, Alabama
WR Ralph Spry, Auburn
WR Tim Hawthorn, Auburn
DB Janoris Jenkins, Florida
DB Bryan Thomas, Florida
OL Seaver Brown, South Carolina
DB Brent Vinson, Tennessee
OL William Brimfield, Tennessee

Florida State (8)
DE Jamar Jackson
WR Cameron Wade
QB Cory Eddinger
OL Brandon Davis
OL Kyle Futch
OL Will Furlong
WR Jarmon Fortson
TE Brandon Warren

Rest of FBS (14)
WR Donald Bowens, NC State
WR Jyrone Hickman, Colorado State
QB Joseph Anderson, Troy
WR Eugene Harris, Miami-Ohio
RB Wes Holland, Navy
LB Lucas Darr, South Florida
DB Avery Jackson, MTSU
TE Thor Merrow, West Virginia
DE Courtney Harris, Miami
OL Kyle Thornton, Texas
TE Rashad Phillips, NC State
DE Steven Wesley, Miami
DL Nate Frazier, Navy
CB Emmanual Allen, UAB

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Report: Another Alabama football player transferring

Another running back is leaving the Alabama football program, according to a report on al.com.

Click here to read Izzy Gould’s story about redshirt freshman Corey Grant’s decision to leave the Crimson Tide program.

Grant, who never played in a game at Alabama, is the third running back to leave the program since the season ended. Mark Ingram went pro before Demetrius Goode transferred to UNA last month.

Now that a fourth player left Saban’s program, the oversigning chatter should heat up some more. Remember only a handful of seniors graduated from the program after last season and a full recruiting class is coming in.

For the record, Izzy is kicking our collective reporting butts with two transfer stories in as many days. A tip of the hat to Mr. Gould.

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Bama LB transferring to JUCO

Smith

A third Alabama football player announced his intention to transfer this offseason.

Backup linebacker Petey Smith is leaving Tuscaloosa bound for Holmes Community College in Mississippi. He used his Facebook page to break the news Monday.

Later Smith told the Mobile Press-Register that he thought he “wasn’t giving it my all,” and was better off transferring as a opposed to working his way up a talented depth chart.

Smith never appeared in a game with the Tide since the highly-regarded prospect redshirted his first season at Alabama in 2010. A 2009 Under Armour All-American, the Tampa native was rated as high as the No. 5 inside linebacker in the nation by ESPN.

Smith participated but didn’t record statistics in April’s A-Day Game.

He is the third Alabama player to transfer since the season ended New Year’s Day joining defensive back B.J. Scott (South Alabama) and running back Demetrius Goode (UNA).

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B.J. Scott transfers to South Alabama

The University of South Alabama officially announced former Crimson Tide defensive back B.J. Scott was now a part of its program.

It marks the end of Scott’s run with Alabama that started with so much promise before a position change and injuries kept the success from coming. Rivals.com rated him a five-star recruit coming out of Mobile.

He played in six games this season and missed the final four because of injury.

That followed a switch to defensive back from wide receiver that meant redshirting the 2009 season.

Read more tomorrow.

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