Alabama consistency a major plus for Shazz Preston

Shazz Preston, Rivals100 wide receiver from St. James High School in Louisiana, will take a final official visit this weekend before he announces his college decision. He has a top four of Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas. He took official visits to Texas and USC in June. He will not take an official to Georgia or Texas, but has visited both schools.

Former LSU assistant coach, Mickey Joseph, had an in-home visit with Preston last week prior to accepting a position on the Nebraska staff. LSU has always been considered a front-runner in Preston's recruitment, but he has yet to speak with new Tigers head coach, Brian Kelly.

The Crimson Tide did not send many coaches on the road last week as it prepared for the SEC Championship game. Alabama hit the road on Monday after the 41-24 win against the Georgia Bulldogs. One of the first stops for Alabama defensive coordinator was to see the elite receiver.

"The visit went fine," said Shawn Preston, Shazz's father. "At this point in the game you have a good relationship with all the coaches who have been involved. I know Coach Saban has been making the rounds to players he won't see again. We are going to Alabama this weekend.

"Coach Wiggins is recruiting on the West Coast. Pete (Golding) was here. He talked about the strength of the program. He talked about the foundation with the coaches and insured us there won't be any major coaching changes moving forward with the current staff like we have seen at other places.

"He talked to us about the current depth chart. He talked about some who may leave and some who may come back. He was open and honest with us. He highlighted some of the things about the university (of Alabama) outside of football that's important. He talked about the training staff and how they have been there for such a long time. He talked about the academic side of things and just talked a little ball."

Preston took two unofficial visits to Alabama during the summer, one in June and late July. He also returned for the Tide's 20-14 win against LSU. His father said the family looks forward to learning more about the school during their trip to Tuscaloosa this weekend.

"The visits have been quick, fast and in a hurry," he said. "This time we will get a chance to go a little deeper. We can see all the nuts and bolts. We can have deeper conversations. It (recruiting period) goes back dead on Sunday. There is a lot to do during the course of the next three-four days."

His son will announce a college destination next Wednesday. An announcement regarding the time will release in a few days. Texas will make another in-home visit with him today. The Longhorns sent several coaches to visit Preston last week including Steve Sarkisian.

Coach Sark and the Texas staff, however, were not preparing for a conference championship. Alabama was prepping for the SEC title and therefore playing a little bit of catch-up this week on the recruiting front. Preston will have his remaining questions answered by the Tide coaching staff this weekend. He will also have one-on-one time with Nick Saban.

He plans to major in Sports Broadcasting. Alabama will provide him with plenty of information this weekend, and he will meet with academic advisors. A few schools on Preston's list have seen a few roller coaster rides in regards to coaching turnover.

"It's always the same with Alabama," his father said. "Consistency. They have a high standard of winning. They are consistently competing at the nation’s top level. They had a big win against Georgia this past weekend.

"If you play that game four times the record might be 2-2. You just never know what can happen. Alabama was in a dog fight last month against LSU. The schools he (Shazz) has been dealing with are top-tier, and Alabama is always leading the way."