Tide leads for talented Texan

His commitment is not official yet, but the clock is ticking.

"I'm looking at committing sometime after our first or second game," North Richland Hills (Texas) athlete Elvis Gallegos explained this morning.

"I want to get a game or two behind us, so I can really feel my way through the process and everything. It'll give me some extra time to make sure I'd be making the right choice."

And who would that team be?

"Alabama seems so right to me, like it's meant to be."

"I've been real impressed with them. Coach Fran (Dennis Franchione) stayed with me even after they moved from TCU. They said that they want me to be a part of the team and that I have the skills that they're looking for."

Of course, Gallegos has the skills a lot of teams are looking for, not only the attributes the Tide coaches seem to like.

He's 6-foot-1 1/2 and 180 pounds and is able to play receiver or defensive back on the college level with his 4.4-flat 40-yard speed, a time that was verified at a recent "The Athlete's Course" workout program.

He's also versatile and a team player.

Gallegos trained as a receiver a year ago earning all-district accolades, but this season he's being asked to quarterback Richland Hills as it moves to a new offense -- the Flexbone. The Flexbone is a combination of two highly popular ground-oriented attacks, the Wishbone and the Veer.

While the Tide remains the team to beat -they've always been Gallegos' favorite since he started thinking about recruiting - Texas, Texas A&M, Nebraska and LSU also are involved, albeit to a lesser extent.

"I guess I have a top five or six list. But you know, it's one of those things where Alabama is kind of number one and the others I am waiting and seeing on."

Though it may take another month for him to cast his lot, Tide fans will wait patiently for Gallegos, one of the top ten receiving prospects in the state of Texas.

Extra Notes: Besides being an all-district wide receiver a year ago, Gallegos is also a sterling baseball player who could be a draft prospect in that sport. He runs a 6.4-second 60-yard dash (the yard length that the pro baseball scouts use to measure). While he is a legitimate prospect in baseball, Gallegos says he prefers football.