Auburn commit Jake Holland, middle linebacker out of Pelham High School in Pelham, Ala., was recently selected as the “Shelby County Reporter” Player of the Year.

According to the Alabama newspaper, Holland racked up an eye-popping 153 tackles on the season, as well as 11 quarterback hurries, two sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and four interceptions.

“Linebacker is a Jake of all trades” (Shelby Co. Reporter)

Pelham High School plays in one of the state’s most competitive regions (Class 6A, Region 6), which makes Holland’s stats that much more impressive. It’s not as though he built up his numbers artificially against weak competition.

In a game against Vestavia High School, for example (in Vestavia’s only region loss), Holland notched a resounding 24 tackles, including four tackles for loss.

“Jake was a big part of our team,” Pelham coach Brett Burnett told the paper. “He had a very productive senior season.”

Other Honors

In addition to the Reporter’s Player of the Year honor, Holland was also selected for the Under Armour All-America Game, which took place Jan. 2 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

According to sports columnist Mike Herndon (Mobile Press-Register), Holland impressed coaches throughout the week with his versatility, demonstrating capable coverage skills and textbook tackling.

In fact, Holland led the black team (Team Nitro) with four tackles on the game, which they won 32-7.

For the year, Holland was also named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Class 6A team and the High School Butkus Award Watch List.

Congratulations to Jake for all his well-deserved honors! We look forward to seeing you next year in orange and blue!

War Eagle!

2008 Jake Holland Highlights (YouTube.com)

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There was a great article on AL.com recently about Auburn’s latest in-state football commit Chris Davis. The Woodlawn High School athlete, who has up to this point gone largely unnoticed by the major recruiting services, had a standout senior season, prompting “Birmingham News” writer Jeff Sentell to shine a little light on this hidden grid-iron gem.

“Sentell: Woodlawn’s Chris Davis is diamond in the rough” (AL.com)

“There is not a single player in the Yellowhammer State more likely to make a man miss on a given play. Players like Stanhope’s DeMarcus Milliner may be just as good, but I’d need to see reels of game film to be convinced they are any better playing the game now than Davis,” Sentell wrote.

On the year, Davis rushed for over 800 total yards, averaging over 6.5 yards per carry. More than that, however, Davis served as Woodlawn’s Mr. Everything, contributing on kick returns and in the secondary, which is what he’s expected to do at Auburn.

In one game against Brookwood, Davis rushed for 135 yards and compiled 127 return yards, including an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Against Central High School (Tuscaloosa), he tallied three touchdowns on offense and pulled down two interceptions on defense. 

Woodlawn 21 Central 14 (AL.com)

Of Davis, Woodlawn head coach Bruce Breland said, “He plays multiple positions for us and he’s just a tremendous football player.”

Davis committed to Auburn over the weekend. Welcome aboard, Chris, and War Eagle!

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Auburn linebacker commit Jawara White of Charles Henderson High School in Troy was recently named one of the 2009 Birmingham News Super Seniors, a list of the state’s top high school football players in the class of 2010 as selected by the Birmingham News. (White came in at No. 10 on the list.)

The accompanying article and video paint White as not only a tremendous athlete but also a terrific kid. And as cliché as it might sound, White appears to have that special combination of athleticism and character that coaches so often desire.

Charles Henderson’s Jawara White has desire, speed (Birmingham News)

What’s most intriguing about White, however, is probably his versatility. White projects as an outside linebacker in college, but he’s athletic enough to play several different positions in high school, including wide receiver. (In fact, he’s already Charles Henderson’s all-time leading receiver, and last year, he accounted for over 1,000 all-purpose yards.)

For fans of fast linebackers—which Auburn fans generally are—he looks like the perfect fit.

When asked for two words that sum up White, Charles Henderson head coach Hugh Fountain responded, “Very fast athlete”—which I think pretty much says it all.

For fans who want to see White in action, Charles Henderson will be hosting Valley High School this Friday, Sept. 18, at Movie Gallery Stadium in Troy, Ala.

Good luck, “Rah Rah,” and War Eagle!

For White, the right way is the only way (AuburnUndercover.com)  

Charles Henderson 2009 Football Schedule (CoachT.com)

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This past Friday night (May 15, 2009), Pelham High School hosted its spring football game against Jess Lanier High School of Bessemer. The game drew more than its usual amount of interest, due to the participation of three big-time college prospects — all of which are being courted by Auburn. Pelham’s linebacking corps boasts two big-time athletes, in Auburn-commit Jake Holland and heavily-recruited Nigel Terrell, while Jess Lanier has one of the state’s best-rated players in defensive end LaDarius Owens. According to reports, several college coaches were in attendance at the game, including Auburn secondary coach Tommy Thigpen.

Jake Holland (5) and Nigel Terrell (26)

The game itself looked like it might be a defensive battle early — as you might expect with so many highly-rated defensive players. Neither team’s offense was able to establish much in the way of a ground game, though Jess Lanier eventually got things moving thanks to the passing of quarterback Judah Fuller (class of 2010). In fact, Jess Lanier was able to manage two touchdowns before Pelham got on the board in the second quarter with a touchdown of its own. The score stood Jess Lanier 14, Pelham 7, when officials suspended the game due to hazardous weather in the area. That was with about two minutes to go before halftime. It was also the point at which WarEagleTales vacated the premises.

Judah Fuller profile (Scout.com)

In just under two quarters of football, according to my own (very) unofficial tally, Jake Holland (middle linebacker) had three tackles, including one perfect, form tackle that pushed a Jess Lanier running back straight back from where he came. Terrel, playing weakside linebacker, was highly active as well, chalking up four tackles early and just generally flying around. For Jess Lanier, Owens also had four tackles, including perhaps the evening’s most jaw-dropping hit, as he tackled a Pelham running back for a big loss on a sweep play. He also snuffed out a Pelham reverse, causing the ballcarrier to reverse field, resulting in lost yardage. 

LaDarius Owens profile  (Scout.com)

In general, based what I saw, I thought that none of the three guys did anything to hurt himself in the eyes of the coaches that were on hand. They were all active and managed to get involved in a number of stops. Beyond that, I can also see why the summer football camps have become so important in terms of evaluation — considering how much of a team sport football is, it can’t always be easy to assess an individual’s total skill-set in a game atmosphere.

Also, for anyone who hasn’t seen Owens play, I should point out that in the Bessemer scheme, he actually plays on the defensive line as a defensive end. I’m not sure how he projects in college, but I came into the game thinking he’d be playing linebacker.

Finally, both Owens and Holland served as captains for their respective teams.

Pelham Panther Football 

Nigel Terrell profile (Scout.com)

Jake Holland profile (Scout.com)

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The Summer Senior camp was a great idea for Auburn recruiting.  We’ve added 5 high grade commits over the last week and they’re coming form inside AND outside the state of Alabama.

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