For college football fans, and SEC fans in particular, Spring Practice is akin to a small oasis during the drought of the dreaded college football offseason. Spring Practice provides an opportunity for younger players to try and make a move up the depth chart, and its an opportunity for the coaches to get back to basics as far as teaching and even in some cases try some positional experimentation. Spring Practice also provides a unique opportunity for recruits. During the spring, recruits can drop in on a practice, scrimmage, or Spring Game at their favorite schools. The spring visits occur in a much more laid back environment when compared to a fall visit. Some guys take spring trips with friends/teammates where they drop in on multiple schools over the course of a week. Spring visits are really a win-win situation for all parties involved. On the subject of spring visits/recruiting, let’s take a quick look at Alabama Football recruiting as we head down the stretch of the Spring Practice portion of the football calendar.
Spring Football Schedule
This spring Alabama has hosted several prospects along with a few commits. Alabama has hosted quite a few visitors this Spring, with more to come. Here are a few notable visitors thus far…
Christian Bell, DE/OLB, Birmingham (Ala.) Hoover
Bell is an active and disruptive force on defense. Alabama offered back on February 1st, and is thought to be the favorite at this point. Scoop: Look for a commitment from Christian sooner rather than later. Possibly as early as A-Day.
Mekhi Brown, OLB, Columbus (Ga.) Carver- UA commit
Mekhi committed to Alabama last spring, so he is a prime example of a guy that took advantage of the spring visit season. Brown is an elite defensive player, but some Alabama fans are concerned that he is taking several visits, even though he claims to be firm in his commitment.
Scoop: Don’t worry Alabama fans. Brown has been extremely vocal and active when it comes to recruiting other players to Alabama. He is simply enjoying the process, and we should get ready to enjoy watching him in Crimson when 2015 rolls around.
John Burt, WR, Tallahassee (Fl.) Lincoln
Burt is a 6’3″ 180lb receiver out of Florida, which is pretty much prototypical size for a wideout in this day and age. Texas is currently his leader, but the big 3 Florida schools are all in the running, along with Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina.
Scoop: Alabama appears to be on the outside looking in here. With Texas in the lead, distance is not thought to be a factor, but hometown FSU will loom large nonetheless.
Lester Cotton, OL, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Central- UA commit
Mr. Cotton has made quite a name for himself on the Camp Circuit. He committed to Alabama on February 1st, and has only seen his stock soar since then. He projects as an interior lineman at the next level, but the kid is flat out dominant and has a mean streak like no other.
Scoop: Being a hometown kid, Lester is as solid as the come. One thing is for sure, he will look good in Crimson.
Terry Godwin, ATH, Hogansville (Ga.) Callaway- UGA Commit
Godwin is the top rated commit for the rival Georgia Bulldogs. He is a two-sport star and is looking to play both football and baseball at the next level. His visit was a bit under the radar, but he brought his whole family with him.
Scoop: Nobody really knows if anything will come of his visit, so stay tuned. He did have a sit-down with Nick Saban who explained that he would welcome Terry to Alabama as a dual sport athlete.
Justin Hilliard, LB, Cincinnati (Oh.) St. Xavier
Hilliard is yet another blue chip LB prospect that has Alabama in his sights. He reportedly runs a 4.7 40 yard dash and currently benches 360lbs. He can play in space, but is even better in pursuit. He’s definitely a good one. He’s a midwest guy, so you have Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Iowa, and Oklahoma to contend with. The Florida schools will also get a look along with Alabama and Southern California.
Scoop: Hilliard has a long list of suitors, so don’t expect a decision anytime soon. He and his father both really enjoyed their visit to Alabama, and hopefully they will return for an official visit this fall.
CeCe Jefferson, DE, Glen Saint Mary (Fl.) Baker County
CeCe (who bears a striking resemblance to ‘Bama alum Nico Johnson) has been on the Alabama staff’s radar since 2012 (prior to his sophomore season). Needless to say, he is one of the staff’s top targets and rightfully so, as he is a consensus 5-star top 15 type prospect. Most think he will end up at Florida (the school he has loved since childhood), unless they have another terrible season.
Scoop: Alabama is certainly in the mix for him, but he is going to take a long look at what Muschamp is doing at Florida before making a decision.
CeCe Jefferson (courtesy: twitter.com/cecejeferson7)
Kerryon Johnson, ATH, Madison (Ala.) Madison Academy
Prior to the meteoric rise of one Daron Payne, Kerryon was expected to be the state’s top player for 2015. He is still in the discussion as he is a terrific athlete and player on both sides of the ball. He has also been on the staff’s radar for quite some time, but he originally hails from Tallahassee, so there will be some tough competition for his signature, as he isn’t an Alabama native.
Scoop: Kerryon’s recruitment has long been an Alabama/Auburn/FSU battle. The finish line is in sight, as he will be announcing this Tuesday. At this point, all signs point to him announcing a commitment to Auburn this week. However, will that be the end of the story??? Stay tuned.
Richie Petitbon, OL, Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga- UA commit
Alabama’s strong run of Offensive Lineman recruits has certainly carried over into 2015. With Cotton and Petitbon onboard, along with Dallas Warmack, Alabama has another strong group of interior linemen headed to Tuscaloosa. Richie is an NFL legacy, and he was long thought to be an Alabama lean. He made a quick visit to commit to Nick Saban in person earlier this month.
Scoop: This one was done for a while. It was nice to hear him keep it classy by committing in person, and just like his future classmates, he will look good in Crimson.
Jovon Robinson, RB, Georgia Military
Robinson is an uber-elite level RB. As such, he is likely one and done for whichever school he chooses. He is definitely good enough to start wherever he lands. Not saying he will, but that’s the type of talent he is.
Scoop: Even though he signed with Auburn out of high school, after his recent visit to the Capstone, Alabama put itself back in the driver’s seat for Robinson’s signature. Look for a commitment soon, especially if Johnson announces for Auburn this week.
Quite an impressive list no doubt, but when you consider that this is nowhere near a comprehensive rundown of the visitors over the past month, then you can’t help but appreciate the unique opportunity presented during the spring. Alabama currently holds the #1 rated recruiting class for 2015 (according to 247 Sports), but many more blue chippers will be in town over the next week as Spring Practice culminates with A-Day, Alabama’s Annual Spring Football game/celebration. Please stay plugged in to the Houndztooth for in depth coverage of A-Day along with real-time recruiting and team updates throughout the offseason.