Westlake (Ga.) OT Juan Gaston opens up about Alabama, updates recruitment

Westlake HS in Atlanta, Georgia has been a great producer of talent for years now, and this year appears to be no different. Juan Gaston Jr is another prospect from the area who has been pretty active on the recruiting trail, getting familiar with schools.

Although it may be a tad early for the class of 2025, Gaston plays a premier position, and like others in his class, they could choose to commit earlier than anticipated.

Gaston has displayed such vigor on the recruiting trail that it seemed appropriate to follow up with him and get his thoughts following his most recent visit to Tuscaloosa two weeks ago and now with the hiring of OC Tommy Rees.

"With the recruiting process, it's been all one whirlwind. I've been taking things one step at a time to figure out which schools value me and want me on their team," Gaston said. Each day has something expected, and I try not to get too overwhelmed with the process."

"When I look at schools, I try to take in what they bring to the table, their history, and how they develop players. I've put in a lot of work to get to this point. Work that I'm extremely grateful for, but at the same time, I have to understand I have to work, not taking what's been given to me (offers) for granted. So the way I envision things, I'll continue to evaluate schools and build relationships with staff as I go along with the process," he said.

Gaston has, in the past, spoken highly of Alabama, and during our visit with him, his stance on the Tide was very much still the same.

"Alabama is a tremendous program, and I've been able to start building a close bond with the coaches. Every time I visit Alabama, it's definitely a good visit. Nick Saban has done well with the program for years, I grew up watching them win, and it's crazy because they are still as dominant as they were when they first started winning. I'm grateful to have the offer, but at the same time, I don't let it go to my head. I take it day by day," Gaston said.

"The hope is that as things progress, I'll be able to continue to build a strong relationship with the staff. They did make some offensive changes, but everything seems pretty solid, and the coaches seem to come with a lot of experience and new ideas. Alabama has become one of the top offensive programs in the last several years, and I know that Saban will only continue to push the program in the right direction under his leadership," he said.

Although he's built a solid relationship with Alabama, that hasn't stopped other Power Five programs from making him a priority.

"Yeah, I mean, for me, everything is pretty wide open. I still want to check out programs like Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan, and others. Plus, I feel like other schools will get involved before it's all over, so I stay patient because, with the change in college football, you just never know how things will shift," Gaston said.

"For now, I'd say just stay tuned. At the end of the day, I'm going to make the most of this opportunity. You really only get this opportunity once, so I plan to take full advantage to make the best decision for me," he said.