Earl Little Jr., recaps another great trip to Alabama
Earl Little Jr., Rivals100 cornerback from American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, has been one of Alabama's top defensive back targets since the early stages of his recruitment. Little took a few multi-day visits to Alabama this summer including this past weekend.
Little arrived in Tuscaloosa on Friday and remained in town until Sunday morning. It was another opportunity to hang around the coaching staff, players, current Tide commitments and everyone associated with the football program. Alabama has been the heavy favorite and remains strongly in the driver's seat for his commitment.
However, a decision hasn't been reached to this point. Little will return to Tuscaloosa on November 5 for an official visit. He also plans to take official visits to Florida, Florida State and LSU before announcing a commitment.
"I enjoyed my time up there," Little said of his weekend trip to Alabama. "I just went up there with my dad. I think he loves it there even more than me. I chopped it up with Coach Saban, Coach Golding and ran over some stuff in the film room with Coach Valai.
"They had the cook-out on Saturday which was great. The food was great. I hung out with Malachi (Moore) the whole weekend. We are pretty cool. He was just telling me some stuff to know if I go there like working hard and just stay in the playbook."
Little spent time with Alabama defensive backs coach Jay Valai. Coach Saban and the Crimson Tide see a lot of similarities between the south Florida athlete and former Crimson Tide All-American, Minkah Fitzpatrick.
"I really enjoyed watching film with Coach Valai," he said. "He is always picking my brain and I am always asking him questions. I really enjoy that. We talked specifically about stripping the football. We had a conversation earlier in the week about it and how they can create turnovers.
"The best part of the visit was just sitting with Coach Saban and going into detail what will happen if I go there. He said he loves me and wants me to come play for him. He's the best-of-the-best. He helps the defense a lot especially in the defensive backfield. They see me a lot like Minkah (Fitzpatrick). I can play corner, safety or star. Really anywhere in the secondary."
Alabama commitments Ty Simpson and Emmanuel Henderson also spent a lot of time around Little during the visit. The two have been in Little's ear about joining the Tide's class. He has developed a great bond with them, but will make his own decision when the time is right.
"Those guys are on me pretty hard," Little said. "They want me to come be a part of the family. I just really like how everyone carries themselves at Alabama. All are professionals. I would like to be a part of that. They just get things done. I think I would be a great asset for the program. They are definitely still at the top."
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