Shoemaker chooses Tigers
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Oak Mountain&8217;s Ryan Shoemaker was a Crimson Tide fan until Friday afternoon.
That&8217;s when he announced his intent to play for the Auburn Tigers next season.
The state&8217;s top kicking prospect accepted a full scholarship offer from the Tigers&8217; Tommy Tuberville after the head coach visited with him and his family on Wednesday.
It didn&8217;t help Alabama&8217;s chances that Tide head coach Mike Shula also paid a visit to the Shoemaker household Wednesday but came offering the Eagle&8217;s kicker only a chance to walk on to his squad.
Oak Mountain&8217;s top kicker and punter in the history of the program made 12-of-18 of his field goal attempts as a senior, including a long of 48 yards. He also averaged 48.5 yards per punt.
Shoemaker said he will likely red-shirt his freshman year and punt for the Tigers in 2007, following in the footsteps of Auburn&8217;s standout punter, Kody Bliss