Upchurch picks Tide!

After weeks of speculation on where he would eventually land, Tallahassee (Fla.)-Godby running back Roy Upchurch ended the suspense at his high school's media center at 10 a.m. Monday when he announced that he would sign with Alabama on Wednesday.

"I really appreciated all of the coaches that recruited me," Upchurch began, "but I have to go with my heart, so I'm going to choose Alabama."

Although Upchurch had stated on several occasions -- both publicly to the media and privately to the Alabama coaching staff -- in the past month that he was a strong Tide lean, there was talk in the days leading up to his announcement that perhaps Arkansas had made up considerable ground with the four-star running back. Florida State was also mentioned prominently with Upchurch, but in the end his only two official visits went to the Tide (Jan. 7) and Razorbacks (Jan. 21).

"Arkansas really started recruiting me hard," he said, "but I felt most comfortable and at home at Alabama."

Upchurch's decision sparked a celebration is Tuscaloosa.

"I talked to Coach Shula right after I committed," Upchurch said, "and he said they were already partying up there because I committed."

Upchurch rushed for over 2,500 yards as a senior and scored 27 touchdowns. Rivals.com rates the 6-foot, 195-pound Upchurch as the nation's eighth-best running back prospect. In announcing for the Tide, Upchurch became commitment No. 31 for the Tide's 2005 recruiting class.

Stay tuned to BOL for continuing coverage of Upchurch's announcement. We'll have a photo feature and audio/video from the press conference shortly.

Click here for 48 video clips from Upchurch's senior season!

Michael Langston of Rivals.com contributed to this report.