2021 OL with connections to Alabama and Auburn talks first offer

Do you know where Southern Academy is in Alabama? Not many do, but Eli Richey is about to put that small school in Greensboro on the map.

He kind of already has. Rivals.com made a stop there recently.

The 6-foot-5, 280 pound offensive lineman is only a junior, but he got out to some camps over the summer and one of the SEC schools he made a stop at offered before he could leave.

Missouri had him at camp, offered, then had him back in Columbia for a game early in the season and the Tigers definitely have his attention.

"I have been there a couple of times now and I love the atmosphere and the people over there," said Richey. "They bring you in as family and the people I talked to brought me in like a brotherhood.

"I am all about physicality and the offensive line plays hard and tough there, so I like that too.

"Missouri being first to offer meant a lot to me. I am in Alabama and a single A school, so for them to watch me, like me and offer has me very interested in them."

Could another SEC school a little close to home be next to pull the trigger?

Richey has connections to both Alabama and Auburn, but he grew up a fan of the Crimson Tide.

"I always have loved Alabama, the school my uncle Shannon Brown played at. I have been there a lot, so I know a lot about them and I know a lot about Auburn, where my uncle Steve Brown played.

"If I went to either school, I would feel like I am walking in my uncle's footsteps. They both are there for me, but I am really close to my uncle Shannon, and he has really helped me a lot.

"Of course he likes Alabama and uncle Steve likes Auburn, but they both just want them best for me. They are there for me, they help me, they push me and they are always there for me to pick up the phone and call.

"They are both happy for me."

Outside of Missouri and the in-state schools, Richey is on the radar of schools like LSU and Tennessee as well. He knows this is just the beginning and he is on track to becoming one of the top prospects in the state of Alabama's 2021 class.

"I am extremely excited about the recruiting process and I am just working hard and remaining humble," said Richey. "I am coming out of a very small school in a small town, and I have a lot of people talking to me and congratulating me, but I know I still have a lot of work to do.

"I am thankful for the first offer, and I want many more, but I am just staying humble about it all."