One of the definitive recruiting ratings when it comes to college football is "The Mobile Press-Register's" Super Southeast 120 list. And for Alabama fans, Nick Saban's prowess in landing players on that list continues to be a reason to be excited about the direction of the program.

    The Tide has more verbal commitments from players on the list than any other school with 10, and the news could get even better. The No. 1 prospect in the country is Rock Hill, S.C., native Jadeveon Clowney. At 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, he is said to be a monster of a defensive end, and has repeatedly indicated he will choose between the Crimson Tide and South Carolina.

    Auburn has commitments from four of the players on the list of 120 southerners, including quarterback Kiehl Frazier of Springdale, Ark. He just took part in the Elite 11 quarterback camp in Southern California, a gathering that is considered the most prestigious such camp in the country.He is said to have an extremely strong arm and at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, one of the more athletic signal-callers in this year's class.

    As usual, the state of Florida produced the most prospects with 51, while Georgia was a distant second with 20. It appears to be an off-year for the state of Alabama, as only nine prospects made the list.

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    It is incredible how former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin continues to wrankle people. The latest is Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher. With training camps just opening in the NFL, Kiffin raided Fisher's staff for Kennedy Pola, who will take over as the Southern Cal offensive coordinator.

    According to Fisher, Kiffin didn't contact him about pursuing Pola, who played and once coached at USC.

    "I am very disappointed in the last of professionalism on behalf of Lane," said Fisher. "To call me and leave me a voicemail after Kennedy had informed me he had taken the job...it's just a lack of professionalism."

    One has to wonder if Kiffin would be the USC coach if Pat Haden had been the athletics director when the hire was made. Mike Garrett, who resigned last week, hired Kiffin to replace Pete Carroll. Haden has vowed to clean up the Trojan program in the wake of the NCAA Infraction Committee's recent ruling to strip the Trojans of 30 scholarships and impose a two-year bowl ban.

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    The schools involved in the ongoing probe into whether players accepted illegal benefits from agents at a Memorial Day weekend party in Miami have to hope for a quick resolution. The season-openers are barely a month away, and all the players alleged to be involved are projected as prime NFL prospects, including Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus.

    Many will recall it was only three days before last year's opener that the NCAA declared eventual Heisman winner Mark Ingram and Julio Jones eligible after checking into a saltwater fishing trip they took based out of Gulf Shores. And I don't think the Tide wins the national championship without those guys, do you?

    Phil Paramore's column appears Tuesday in The Dothan Eagle. He can be heard weekday mornings from 7-9 on AM 560, FM 100.1 or at www.woofradio.com. He can be reached at the same website.