If Attalla-Etowah star Randy Dupree lives up to his nickname, he'll be a great college running back.
"Around here the fans call me 'The next Carnell'," says Dupree, referring to former Etowah and Auburn star running back Carnell Williams. "I don't know about that, because Carnell was a great running back. But, hopefully, someday my name will be that special around here." Dupree is already pretty special to Etowah. As a junior, the 6-0, 200-pounder rushed for 1,500 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. "I'm a power runner," Dupree says. "If the outside is open, I'll take it. But I'd just as soon run between the tackles. I guess you could kind of compare me to Kenneth Darby a little bit." Dupree is already attracting attention from several schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Southern Miss. Two weeks ago at Alabama's A-Day game, Dupree spoke with Bama's coaching staff about the possibility of playing for the Crimson Tide. "I spoke with Coach [Dave] Ungerer, Coach [Randy] Ross, and with Coach Shula," Dupree says. "They haven't offered me anything in writing, but I guess you could say they offered me verbally. "They said that they've watched my tape and that they really liked what they saw. They said that I could play at Alabama. They said they need some running backs and that I'd be good for them." Dupree says that he grew up a lifelong Alabama fan. But so did that other famous running back from Etowah. "I talked to Carnell about it, and he said he was a big Alabama fan but that Auburn just felt like the right place for him," Dupree says. "I'm an Alabama fan, but I'm going to keep everything open. I want to see how the running backs at Alabama and Auburn perform this season and then see which school is right for me." Dupree comments on his favorites Alabama "I like the way they spread their offense out. They run a lot of draw plays, which I like. They pass to open up the run. I also like Coach Shula. I noticed when I talked to him that he puts education first. That means a lot to me." Auburn "I've known Carnell [Williams] a long time. His mother is my neighbor, and they've told me all about Auburn. I even went down there [to Auburn] a few times with Carnell. I was down there last week on a visit and really liked it. Even though I'm an offensive player, I'm a firm believe that defense wins championships, and Coach Tuberville is a defensive coach. I like that." Mississippi State "Their running backs coach, Freddie Kitchens, is another former Etowah player. He's going to be recruiting me. He's already told me all about Coach Croom and about their offense. Plus, I know that Freddie would treat me well." Southern Mississippi "Believe it or not, Derrick Nix is coaching there now and he's also a former Etowah player. Derrick was a running back, and he's already told their running backs coach that I'm the man for them. His dad comes to all of our games and he tells Derrick all about us." Note: Dupree says that he's been timed at 4.4 in the 40. _______________________________________________ RTF mailing list RTF@rolltidefan.net http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net