Saban contacts UT commitments

The newly hired Alabama football coach called offensive lineman Darris Sawtelle on Jan. 9, the day before he moved onto UT's campus, a source close to Sawtelle's recruitment told the News Sentinel.

Sawtelle was enrolled at UT but hadn't yet started classes for the spring semester. Contact from other schools is not allowed once a prospective athlete has begun taking classes.

Alabama also checked on some of UT's homegrown commitments. Saban's staff contacted Maryville High School to inquire about Tyler Maples. The receiver/defensive back informed the Tide he was firmly committed to UT.

Sawtelle, from Brother Rice High in Birmingham, Mich., was considering Alabama before narrowing his choices to UT and Michigan early in the process. When he committed to UT, Sawtelle joked that his family members, in particular his grandfather, would have never allowed him to sign with Alabama.

Sawtelle's grandfather, Darris McCord, played football for UT from 1952-54.

Slammed Shut?: The door seemed open for UT to swoop in and snag Georgia Tech commitment Morgan Burnett when media reports had Yellow Jackets coach Chan Gailey headed to Miami to coach the Miami Dolphins. Then, reports surfaced that Gailey was staying in Atlanta and the Dolphins were looking elsewhere.

Burnett, a safety from North Clayton High in College Park, committed to Georgia Tech earlier this month. UT commitment Eric Berry, who is a good friend of Burnett's, won't give up the fight.

"You've got a lot of job security up there," the star athlete from Creekside High in Fairburn, Ga., said of UT. "They're not going anywhere."

"... We're going to start working on him. (UT assistant) Coach Trooper (Taylor) said he was going to work on him, too."

Morgan has long been considering an official visit to UT and Alabama. He didn't return numerous phone calls from the News Sentinel on Friday.