James Sandlin Signs with Western Michigan

James Sandlin signed with Western Michigan University today. He was Alabama Sports Writers Association First Team All-State defensive tackle in 2008… ranked national tackle leader (158), top 10 in nation in sacks at defensive tackle position by MaxPreps … named tackles and sacks leader in Alabama for defensive tackles by MaxPreps in 2007 and 2008 … Tuscaloosa News All-State selection in 2008 … named West Alabama First Team All-Star, All-Region and All-County by Tuscaloosa News 2008 … ESPN.com Top 150 list … Scout.com Top 100. James is the first defensvie lineman to sign a D1 Scholarship from American Christian Academy. See the Slideshow above.

Bill Cubit on The Huge Show: Size matters for Broncos

The Grand Rapids Press
Wednesday February 04, 2009, 7:45 PM
Western Michigan football coach Bill Cubit joined Bill Simonson on “The Huge Show” to discuss his 2009 recruiting class.

Cubit said, “We got some big insided guys in James Sandlin and David Box.” “We’re always looking for some defensive ends with some range, and we’ve got guys from 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-6 out there, and we’ve got some big receivers,” Cubit said. “I just feel good about the quality. I think the biggest thing when you get your class is you’ve got guys who want to be at Western Michigan.”

As for impact players Cubit said, “James Sandlin with David Box give us big guys upfront to help us out.”

Bill Cubit on The Huge Show: Size matters for Broncos
Listen to Bill Cubit Signing Day interview

James Sandlin Chooses WMU

James Sandlin chooses Western Michigan University over Air Force, Navy, Colgate.

Also recruited by: Alabama, Army, Auburn, Boston College, Brown, Florida Atlantic, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Northwestern,  Princeton, Stanford, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

James Sandlin Talks Recruiting

(Tuscaloosa, AL) This week has seen many coaches by the school visiting James Sandlin our Senior 6′2″ 292lb Defensive Tackle. James has heard from Western Michigan, Mississippi State, the Air Force Academy, Vanderbilt, Carson Newman and Cologate. All are outstanding schools, but Western Michigan, and the Air Force Academy are James favorites.

“Western Michigan is a great school and I love the coaches. Coach McCarty is my recruiting coach and my position coach. Coach Cubic is a strait up coach who believes I could be an early contributor. Both were by the house this week visiting with my parents and I.”

“Air Force is a school of great tradition and service. Their academics is second to none. The Mountain West Conference proved this year there ability to compete in the SEC beating one of the best Alabama teams since 1999. Coach Hendricks my recruiting coach, coaches the offensive line, is recruting me as a center. Coach (Troy) Calhoun, the head coach, and he were also by to visit at the house.”

It sounds like James has narrowed his choice down to two of the best teams in each the Mid American Conference and the Mountain West. Both teams went to bowl teams last year, each are favorites to win their conferences next year, their staffs are outstanding, academics are great at both places and James would be coached by both the position coaches recruiting him.

So what is James going to do? “I am wanting to play for a team that I can contribute early, play for a conference championship, go to bowl games, has an academic program that is top in my field, and one that is the best fit for me. Best fit has a lot to do with the people you are going to be surrounded. I have made up my mind. And I will announce it in a day or so when I get caught up on classwork and finish up with some test I missed traveling on offical visits.”

Knowing James he has a list of positive and negatives he used to help determine his decision. Will check back in with him in the next couple of days.

West Alabama high school football all-stars

James Sandlin, ACA, Sr., 6-2, 292, DT

Steadman Shealy, ACA, Sr., 6-0, 167, WR

Matt Sandlin, ACA, Jr., 6-4, 207, QB

Brandon Gottfried, ACA, Jr., 6-5, 209, WR

Harrison Pollard, ACA, Sr., 6-3, 205, ATH

Matt Leddo, ACA, Sr., 6-0, 181, LB

Derrick Miles, ACA, Jr., 6-3, 271, OL/DL

Matthew Lindsey, ACA, Sr., 6-2, 287, C

Mason Hallman, ACA, Sr., 6-1, 232, DE/FB

Blake Brenton, ACA, Jr., 5-11, 182, K

James Sandlin #52 DT 2009 Update All-State

Name: James Sandlin
Height: 6′ 2”
Weight: 287
Speed: 4.8/40
Bench: 415
Squat: 675
Vertical: 25”
GPA: 4.2
Year of Grad: 2009
High School: American Christian Academy
Tuscaloosa, AL 35404
Email: jdsfootball031@aim.com

Head Coach: Stephen Hooks
Office Phone: 205-553-5963 ext:39
Career Ambition: Sports Medicine
Dominant Hand: Left or Right
Athletic Achievements & Honors:
2008, Sandlin made 158 total tackles averaging 13.2 tackles per game as a Nose Guard and Defensive Tackle. He recorded 104 tackles and 11.5 sacks. He had 38 tackles for loss, registered 17 hurries which led to 6 interceptions. He had 10 QB knockdowns, posted 4 fumble recoveries, and 20 fumbles caused. 

2007, Sandlin made 112 total tackles averaging 11.2 tackles per game as a Nose Guard and Defensive Tackle. He recorded 78 solo and 8 sacks. He had 31 tackles for loss ( -106 yds), registered 29 hurries which lead to 9 interceptions. He had 14 QB knockdowns, posted 5 fumble recoveries, 9 fumbles caused, 2 pass break ups, and 1 safety.

2006, As the sophomore starting center for the 2006 football season at Carroll High School he recorded 47 knockdown blocks and graded 92%.

Senior Season Athletic Achievements & Honors:
2008, James was Alabama Sports Writers Association First Team All-State defensive tackle in 2008… ranked national tackle leader (158), top 10 in nation in sacks at defensive tackle position by MaxPreps … named tackles and sacks leader in Alabama for defensive tackles by MaxPreps in 2007 and 2008 … Tuscaloosa News All-State selection in 2008 … named West Alabama First Team All-Star, All-Region and All-County by Tuscaloosa News 2008 … ESPN.com Top 150 list … Scout.com Top 100. James is the first defensvie lineman to sign a D1 Scholarship from American Christian Academy.

Academic Status & Achievements: James is an excellent student in honors classes maintaining a 4.27 GPA throughout high school. He is a four year All “A” Honor Roll member and 2 year National Honor society member.

Scouting Report & Potential: James Sandlin comes from a football family and his athleticism comes honestly. He has the size, speed, aggressiveness and dedication to succeed at the D1 college level. He is a fighter and goes to the echo of the whistle. He is relentless. He never gives up on a play and plays with intense determination and physical toughness. He is a winner!

ACA falls to Reeltown in 2nd Round

James Sandlin Takes Reeltown QB for Sack

From staff reports
Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 12:13 a.m.

REELTOWN | Willie McKenzie ran for two touchdowns on Friday as Reeltown defeated American Christian Academy 27-10 in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.

American Christian Academy’s Matt Sandlin completed 22 of 35 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown. Parker Barrineau posted season highs with 9 catches for 149 yards.

American Christian Academy finished the season with a 10-2 record.

“We were young, but we had a strong group of seniors again this year,” said ACA coach Stephen Hooks. “They’ve kind of been in the shadow of the group that graduated last year.

“I was very proud of them. They were a lot of fun to coach. I felt like they overachieved all year long. With a perfect game we could have won tonight, and then there’s no telling what this team could have accomplished.”

Reeltown (11-1) got its first touchdown in the second quarter on a 35-yard interception return by Josh Newman.

ACA answered with a 30-yard field goal by Blake Brenton. McKenzie scored on a 1-yard run with 21 seconds left before halftime as Reeltown boosted its lead to 13-3.

Reeltown added a touchdown in the third quarter on a 37-yard pass from Anarious White to Calan Waver. White ran for a two-point conversion.

Barrineau caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Sandlin in the fourth quarter. Brenton added the extra point to cut the deficit to 21-10.

McKenzie scored his second touchdown on a 24-yard run with 1:11 left to play.

Ryan Swanger had 15 tackles for the ACA defense. Matt Leddo had 13 tackles, and Connor McKenna had 10. James Sandlin finished with 12 solo tackles.

“I was very satisfied with their work ethic and level of effort all year long,” Hooks said. “It’s a great group of kids.

“They could have talked about how many players we lost from last year and decided we weren’t going to be any good. Their response was the opposite. It’s not about who we lost. It’s about who we are. This group is going to work to get better.”

Patriot Offense Overwhelms Isabella

ISABELLA | American Christian Academy quarterback Matt Sandlin threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots overwhelmed Isabella 49-7 on Friday in a Class 2A, Region 4 game.

Sandlin completed 16 of 23 passes with no interceptions.

He threw a 35-yard scoring pass to Steadman Shealy, a 32-yarder to Parker Barrineau and a 56-yarder to Brandon Gottfried.

Gottfried had four receptions for 121 yards. Barriner had four catches for 61 yards. Shealy caught three passes for 72 yards.

Daniel O’Quinn started the scoring for the Patriots with a 1-yard run. O’Quinn rushed for 101 yards on 13 carries.

Harrison Pollard scored on a 27-yard run. Mason Hallman scored on a 12-yard run, and Tyler Hughes had an 18-yard touchdown run.

Isabella (3-1, 2-1) got its touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard pass from Ralph Edwards to Michael Green.

Trey Conley led the ACA defense with 10 tackles and an interception. James Sandlin caused three forced fumbles and added 9 solo tackles.

Offense sparks ACA past Eagles

By Caroline Gwaltney, Special to The Tuscaloosa News
Published: Friday, September 12, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 12:42 a.m.

TUSCALOOSA | Junior quarterback Matt Sandlin ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more as the American Christian Academy Patriots used a dominating offensive attack to defeat Shades Mountain Christian 41-13 on Friday night.

The 3-0 Patriots continued to display a powerful offensive showing, putting up 464 yards of total offense with three different quarterbacks against the Eagles.

Sandlin had 263 passing yards, completing 13 of his 17 pass attempts, while senior Harrison Pollard added 53 combined rushing and pass yards along with a touchdown. Freshman Austin Grammer contributed 89 passing yards, completing 6 of 11 attempts. All three quarterbacks were without interceptions.

“I thought we had a lot of kids that played pretty well tonight,” ACA coach Stephen Hooks said. “I always am proud when the younger guys have an opportunity to play and are still able to execute.”

The Patriots opened their first offensive drive on the Shades Mountain 2 after a blocked punt was recovered by ACA’s Matt Leddo. Sandlin scored on a 2-yard run out to make it a quick 7-0 game.

The Eagles responded on their next possession with a 47-yard pass by David Reeves to Tyler Bishop. But on the next play, Shades Mountain Christian fumbled a bad snap and junior Jarrett Hall recovered the ball for the Patriots.

The Patriots drove a quick 47 yards and scored on a Sandlin 5-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Gottfried.

Late in the first quarter, another bad Shades Mountain Chrsitian snap went out the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety and making it a 16-0 game.

A Patriots drive late in the first quarter set up a 12-yard touchdown for Daniel O’Quinn on the first play of the second quarter.

Later in the second quarter during a critical fourth-down play, Sandlin found himself scrambling deep in the pocket with four Eagles defenders chasing him down. Sandlin found freshman Parker Barrineau in the end zone to complete the 32-yard touchdown pass. Barrineau also caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Grammer in the third quarter.

The only big moments for the Eagles came in the third quarter when freshman tailback Sean Mardis broke lose for touchdown runs of 68 and a 72 yards.

Acting head coach Jonathan Loudermilk said he was proud of the team, given an adverse situation. Loudermilk would not comment on why the team’s regular head coach wasn’t at the game.

“They didn’t really know what to expect having me as a fill-in coach, but they handled themselves well,” he said. “Our defense played with passion and had a motive, and while the scoreboard may not reflect it, they were giving it everything they had.”

Despite the two big runs from the Eagles’ freshman, the ACA defense had a solid night, Hooks said.

“Any time you are ahead in the game, there’s a chance to have a break down,” he said. “Our defensive coaches have done an amazing job, and I see nothing we can’t correct.”

Leddo led the defensive efforts with six tackles, four assists and one blocked punt, while Connor McKenna had six tackles and five assists and James Sandlin had six tackles and four assists.

American Christian Academy will hit the road to square off with Isabella next Friday night.