Duron Carter Enrolls, Officially Joins Tide

The wait is over! Duron Carter is officially a student at the University of Alabama, and a member of the Crimson Tide football program.

Carter, who had been awaiting academic clearance in order to enroll, participated in his first sanctioned practice this afternoon.

The 6-foot-5 wide receiver adorned the No. 8 during his official Crimson Tide debut, a number that was issued to the Ohio State/Coffeyville C.C. transfer roughly one month ago.

While his Crimson Tide teammates look forward to Kent State…Duron Carter is simply looking forward to wearing full pads in practice.

By NCAA rule, Carter must treat his initial days with the Crimson Tide like the early stages of preseason camp. It will be a few practice sessions before Carter is allowed to adorn full gear.

2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Depth Chart

OFFENSE

Quarterback:

1-A.J. McCarron/Phillip Sims
2-Phillip Ely

Running Back:

1-Trent Richardson
2-Eddie Lacy
3-Jalston Fowler

Wide Receiver:

1-Marquis Maze
2-Brandon Gibson
3-Kevin Norwood
N/A-Duron Carter

Wide Receiver:

1-DeAndrew White
2-Kenny Bell
3-Michael Bowman
N/A-Darius Hanks

Tight End:

1-Michael Williams
2-Chris Underwood
3-Brian Vogler

Tight End:

1-Brad Smelley
2-Harrison Jones

Left Tackle:

1-Barrett Jones/Cyrus Kouandjio
2-Tyler Love

Left Guard:

1-Chance Warmack/Barrett Jones
2-Alfred McCullough

Center:

1-William Vlachos
2-Kellen Williams

Right Guard:

1-Anthony Steen
2-John Michael Boswell

Right Tackle:

1-D.J. Fluker
2-Austin Shepherd

DEFENSE

Defensive End:

1-Damion Square
2-Ed Stinson

Defensive End:

1-Jesse Williams
2-Quinton Dial/Undra Billingsley

Nose Guard:

1-Josh Chapman
2-Nick Gentry/Jesse Williams

Linebacker:

1-Courtney Upshaw
2-Adrian Hubbard/Xzavier Dickson

Linebacker:

1-Jerrell Harris
2-Alex Watkins/Jonathan Atchison

Linebacker:

1-Nico Johnson/C.J. Mosley
2-Tana Patrick

Linebacker:

1-Dont'a Hightower
2-Chris Jordan/Trey DePriest

Cornerback:

1-Dre Kirkpatrick
2-Phelon Jones

Cornerback:

1-DeQuan Menzie
2-Dee Milliner
3-John Fulton

Strong Safety:

1-Robert Lester
2-Jarrick Williams
3-Vinnie Sunseri

Free Safety:

1-Mark Barron
2-Will Lowery
3-Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix

SPECIAL TEAMS

Place-Kicker:

1-Jeremy Shelley/Cade Foster

Kickoff:

1-Cade Foster
2-Jeremy Shelley

Holder:

1-A.J. McCarron
2-Hardie Buck

Punter:

1-Cody Mandell
2-Jay Williams

Snapper:

1-Carson Tinker
2-Kelly Johnson

Punt Returner:

1-Marquis Maze
2-DeAndrew White

Kickoff Returner:

1-Marquis Maze
2-Dee Milliner

Golden Flashes of Optimism: Kent State/Alabama

When the Kent State Golden Flashes invade Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday for the 11:20 a.m. season opener against the Alabama Crimson Tide, new head coach Darrell Hazell will officially begin his head coaching career at Kent State University.

Hazell, who spent the past seven seasons as a member of the Ohio State coaching staff, will look to improve a Kent State program that finished the 2010 campaign with an overall record of 5-7, which included a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference.

Kent State Offense

On the offensive side of the ball, the Golden Flashes are led by quarterback Spencer Keith. As a sophomore, Keith threw for 2,212 yards including eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Wide receiver Tyshon Goode, who led the Golden Flashes in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns in 2010, will once again play a vital role in the KSU offensive attack.

In respect to the ground game, Kent State is expected to be led by Jacquise Terry. The KSU featured back rushed for over 500 yards in 2010 while the Golden Flashes as a team ranked 100th (FBS) in rushing. Terry suffered a shoulder injury during a preseason scrimmage and is currently listed as “probable” for the contest against Alabama.

Kent State Defense

Over the course of the 2010 season, Kent State surrendered a total of 22.9 points per game while holding the opposition to only 97 yards of total rushing per contest. However, the Golden Flashes only return a total of five starters on defense for the 2011 campaign…so depth will be an issue.

Defensive lineman Roosevelt Nix is the “glue” for Kent State in respect to the frontline. As a true freshman in 2010, Nix was named the MAC (Mid-American Conference) Defensive Player of the Year. With depth being a concern on the KSU defense, Nix will need to continue to perform at a high level in 2011.

Kent State/Alabama Verdict

While Alabama is a 35-point (plus) favorite over Kent State, the Golden Flashes will leave Bryant-Denny Stadium with a generous check and plenty of learning experience for the remainder and bulk of the 2011 season.

Nick Saban’s alma mater will not defeat the No. 2 team in the country, but they’ll be primed and ready to do damage in the Mid-American Conference thanks to this critical experience.

Alabama 45
Kent State 10

High Temps/High Tension: Thursday Practice Report

Toasty Tuscaloosa:

-Alabama practiced indoors on Thursday afternoon in order to beat the August heat. Temperatures in Tuscaloosa hit triple digits today.

Unsolved Mysteries…Duron Carter:

-Unless someone is transporting Duron Carter’s college transcript to the University of Alabama on FOOT…it should have long since arrived in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban addressed the media after practice and acknowledged that new information has surfaced in respect to Carter, however, the Crimson Tide coach concluded his avowal by saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

^^^ “I’ll believe it when I see it.” ^^^