David Palmer: Jackson-Olin Two-Sport Star a Hot Property

Peggy Palmer almost ended her son’s football career before it even got started.
David Palmer joined the Jackson-Olin of Birmingham football team as a freshman, three years behind older brother Robert.
The newspapers couldn’t resist the temptation of pitting brother against brother from the standpoint of competition.
“I never thought we were competing against each other, but he thought we were competing,” Palmer said. “Robert said in the papers something about our competition, and our momma found out and was going to put us both off the team.
“So we just decided to go out there and play ball and stop competing with each other.”
His main competition now lies in which sport he wants to play. Palmer hopes to play both football and baseball on the collegiate level.
Palmer, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound speedster, says he models many of his baseball and football feats after Atlanta Falcons defensive back Deion Sanders, but tries to be unlike the flamboyant two-sport star in at least one characteristic.
“I like Deion a lot,” Palmer said. “He’s my idol. But I’m not a cocky person. I think Deion does what he does just to get some publicity.
“What I like about him is what he does on the field. I still haven’t dreamed of making it in pro baseball or football. I guess, if I make it, I make it.”
Then again, when Palmer first learned he was blessed with lightning speed (4.5 in the 40-yard-dash) and elusiveness, he never dreamed he would be in the position he’s in right now. Palmer is considered by many to be the top prospect in the state. He has already visited Pittsburgh and is still considering Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Arkansas. He doesn’t plan on making any more visits because he’s currently playing on the Jackson-Olin basketball team. Palmer also doesn’t intend on committing to anyone before signing on Feb. 6.
Jackson-Olin’s other prospect, wide receiver Vincent Davis (6-2, 190), accompanied Palmer on the trip to Pittsburgh. Davis, who has 4.4 speed, is also reportedly considering Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Arkansas and Nebraska.
Palmer’s numbers are definitely impressive. Jackson-Olin head coach Earl Cheatham used his speed demon in virtually every conceivable capacity. Palmer, playing quarterback, tailback, wide receiver and defensive back, rushed for 2,119 yards and 26 touchdowns, while passing for 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Palmer, who has carried the nickname “Poppa Cherry” since it was given to him by his grandmother in early childhood, says three factors will weigh heavily in his decision.
First, he wants to play wide receiver, not defensive back, which is where some recruiters have insisted on putting him because of his size.
“The coaching staff is really important to me,” Palmer said. “I want them to be nice, like all of my coaches so far have been.
“I also want to go somewhere where they throw a lot. Some schools want me at defensive back, but I want to play on the offensive side. I want to play receiver, return kicks, play running back, some mainly on toss sweeps, sort of like Notre Dame used the Rocket (Raghib Ismail).”
Secondly, Palmer is concerned about his education. He has a 2.9 grade point average and is waiting on his ACT score. He hopes to teach mathematics if his football or baseball career doesn’t work out professionally for him.
Finally, the school Palmer commits to must be willing to allow him to play both sports.
Palmer led Jackson-Olin to its best season ever in 1990, as the Mustangs reeled of seven straight wins in compiling a 9-2 record. The seven-game winning streak and nine victories are both school records.
Needless to say, Palmer’s total of 3,719 yards of offense was by far the most productive season for a Jackson-Olin player.
Those kinds of statistics can make life fairly harrowing for a teenager who just happens to have uncanny athletic ability. Peggy Palmer, who raised both of her sons by herself, says the pressure sometimes gets to be too much.
“It’s been getting kind of rough,” she said. “Everybody wants David to make his decision. They can’t make it for him. He’s got to do it on his own, in his own way.
“I feel all right about it. It’s awfully hard for him to decide, but I told him whatever school he picks is fine with me. I never thought he’d be like this. His uncle always told him he’d be a pro one day. It seems like he’s on his way.”

Tide Quarterback Position up for Grabs

On the same field Peyton Manning was putting up unprecedented numbers against the Alabama defense, the Crimson Tide’s offense found itself searching for a quarterback.
Freddie Kitchens’ opportunity came early Saturday night against Tennessee, and he helped the Tide offense make some noise in the first half. Unfortunately for Kitchens and Alabama, a 21-0 first quarter deficit and a Vols team tired of a nine-year drought against the Crimson Tide proved out of reach, especially for an offense that has struggled through its first seven games.
Kitchens said the Vols’ defense threw nothing at Alabama the Tide didn’t expect. It was a game that was full of big plays, the overwhelming majority by the visiting Vols.
“It was a lot of what we were doing,” Kitchens said. “They didn’t do one thing we shouldn’t have been able to handle.
“We came in the second half trying to get back into the thing, but we didn’t do it.”
Alabama coach Gene Stallings wasted little time making the quarterback change once Tennessee shocked the Tide, scoring on its first offensive play – an 80-yard pass and run from Manning to Alabama native Joey Kent. Two touchdowns later, Stallings inserted Kitchens for starter Brian Burgdorf, who had completed 4 of 5 passes for 24 yards, but failed to move the offense on its first two possessions. Kitchens finished with 20 completions in 43 attempts and one touchdown – a 20-yard pass to Chad Key in the second quarter.
Kitchens also threw three interceptions and was sacked six times.
Manning was 20 of 29 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored on a 1-yard sneak. The 41-14 win was Tennessee’s largest margin of victory over Alabama since the 1969 win by the same margin.
Stallings said right now, Alabama has no starting quarterback, as the Tide prepares for Ole Miss in Oxford this week.
“We are back at square one as far as the quarterback situation is concerned,” Stallings said. “We will re-evaluate at practice and go with the best player.”
Kitchens was able to spark the Tide offense, moving Alabama to the Tennessee 10 before a hit by Jesse Sanders forced his fumble. On the next possession, he led the Tide to its first score, a 20-yard touchdown pass to Key that temporarily cut the Vols’ lead to 21-7.
But a missed field goal late in the first half gave Manning another opportunity before halftime, and the Vols made it count. His 30-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Nash with 43 seconds remaining again made it a three-touchdown deficit. Alabama would get no closer than two touchdowns before the Vols pulled away in the second half.
“They had all the big plays,” said freshman running back Montoya Madden, who scored Alabama’s second touchdown on a 15-yard run late in the third quarter. “I mean it, all the big plays.
“When we would make a big play, they would match it. They kept coming at us, and it took the air out. The touchdown didn’t mean a thing.”
Tennessee right linebacker Scott Galyon said the Vols never assumed they had the game won until the end, especially after suffering through two of the Vols’ eight losses since 1985 against Alabama.
“To some extent, I was surprised at how we were able to put them away,” Galyon said. “But no one on this team took Alabama for granted. Even though their offense hadn’t put up a lot of points, we knew they were capable of doing it.
“Tonight, we were able to get some sacks, pressures and created turnovers. The last two years, we felt coming in, we had the better team, and this year we were finally able to get one.”