Daphne running back T.J. Yeldon scores a touchdown during the Trojans' spring scrimmage against Escambia County on Saturday, May 21, 2011. (Press-Register/Jon Hauge)DAPHNE, ALABAMA -- The Daphne Trojans are about to start practice, and T.J. Yeldon is getting fidgety, although the interview has just begun. He's a young man of relatively few words, and he isn't ready to give the ones everyone is waiting to hear -- the name of the college program that will get his signature in February.
Yeldon, who helped lead Daphne to the 6A state title last year, is the top running-back recruit in the state and the top uncommitted 2012 prospect in the Mobile-Baldwin area. He has offers from top college programs around the country, and, while he routinely tells those who ask that there are six schools at the top of that list -- Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Southern Cal, Oregon and Clemson -- he said he hasn't eliminated anyone.
"I'm still open and looking," he said.
His answers to other questions are similarly short and to the point:
What's he looking for in a college? "A school where it's like a family, where you get along with everybody and that's good in academics."
What are his individual goals for his senior season? "I'm going to try to hit 2,000 (rushing yards)."
And then Ryan Anderson walked into the room, without saying a word, and what makes Yeldon tick became clearer. As Anderson, a muscular 250-pound linebacker who has recently committed to Alabama, took a seat across the room, Yeldon was asked about the Trojans' chances of repeating as state champs.
"We can if we get the defense going," he said with a sly grin. "We're killing them at practice right now."
Much of a Daphne defense that held Hoover to six points in the state championship game in December is back. Is facing this defense in practice tougher than many games?
"Not this year's defense," Yeldon replied, shooting a playful glance at Anderson. "Last year's defense was tough."
Finally, Anderson could stand it no longer. "It's easy to say that when you can't hit the backs," he said.
Put Yeldon in a room with another football player -- even a teammate -- and it doesn't take long to see that competition drives him.
"What T.J. brings is a great athlete with just huge desire," Daphne coach Glenn Vickery said. "He reminds me a lot of Julio (Jones) in his competitiveness. When the lights come on, let's go play."
At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and blessed with 4.4 speed, Yeldon is big and tough enough to run between the tackles, fast enough to be a home-run threat in the open field and versatile enough to get snaps at slot receiver and wildcat quarterback. He ran for 1,110 yards and 18 touchdowns last season and had another 506 receiving yards.
"He's got a great body, he can play several spots and he's got great instinct," Vickery said. "All those tangible things he has and then the intangibles -- the work ethic and the desire to compete -- are those things that I think make him a complete player."
Vickery first noticed the depth of Yeldon's competitiveness during a 2008 game against Pace, Fla., when Yeldon ran back a kickoff for a touchdown as a freshman. A host of college recruiters, including Auburn's Gus Malzahn, Alabama's Jeremy Pruitt and Clemson's Charlie Harbison, saw it Saturday, when Yeldon scored touchdowns on the Trojans' first two possessions in their spring game against Escambia County.
"His desire to compete, it's every play," Vickery said. "That's not always the case for a 17-year-old kid. Sometimes they want to play this game and not play the next. Every game's important to him."
Yeldon, who is also a standout forward on Daphne's basketball team, is in no hurry to end the recruiting process. He said he's enjoying the ride, but knows the time will come when the recruiting process will get difficult, when he has to start telling recruiters no.
"That's probably going to be the hardest thing, because I like all the schools and all the recruiters," he said. "My parents say they want me to stay at home because the only time they'll get to see me is if I stay here. But it's wherever I feel comfortable."
Source: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/05/daphnes_tj_yeldon_uncommitted.html
