2022 four-star LB TJ Dudley trims list to six

The Alabama High School Association voted earlier this week for football season to move forward on its normal schedule and that is big news across the state.

Montgomery Catholic will play the first game of the season at the Crampton Bowl Thursday August 20, and over half a dozen Power 5 prospects will be competing.

One of those is linebacker TJ Dudley. The 2022 four-star prospect in the 2022 class has over two dozen schools, but with the season moving forward, he is ready to make the first cut to his list.

"I have got it down to six," said Dudley. "Oregon, Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Florida State are my top schools. Those are the schools I want to focus on moving forward."

Dudley did not completely rule out a new school jumping in and making its case, but he was clear that his plan is to focus on these six schools, then cut it down once more before making a decision.

"The pandemic really did speed the process up for me. Just having all this time to talk to coaches, learn about schools and think about things moved it quicker than I expected it to.

"We still don't know when will be able to take visits again, so I have established some relationships and cut my list to six."

Relationships were a big part of this cut.

Dudley has visited Alabama a couple of times and Auburn and Clemson once. He would have tripped to at least Florida State and LSU this summer in a normal year. Oregon is a place he wants to check out too.

"I would have loved to have taken visits to all these schools already, but that can't happen right now," said Dudley. "I know all six schools are great, each school has some great coaches and I have stayed in contact with the staff.

"They cannot really contact me directly yet, so they will go through my coach, I will call them and stuff like that.

"One thing about my top six schools I have learned is that the coaches really care about their players. That stood out to me about each school."

Out of the schools he has visited, here is what he said about those on campus experiences.

"I have been to Alabama twice and their crowd is amazing. I love the fan base there. The staff is great too and I have seen the toughness of the players there.

"Auburn is great overall. Their staff is great and that is really what stood out to me there. The coaches care about the players and the fans are good there too.

"I was at Clemson right before things shut down and I loved the campus environment. I know some players there, so that was cool too. I also got to know coach Bates, coach Venables and coach Swinney — all are great guys."

Now Dudley will wait to see what happens next and if the opportunity to visit schools opens back up this fall.

Visits could still be key in his final decision.

"There is only so much you can learn about schools over the phone, on videos and things like that, so visits could be very important to me. I just want to see when we are allowed to take them again.

"I am moving through this stuff faster than I thought, so we will see. I would love to get out, see each school for myself and just learn more about things in person before I make my decision.

"I am not sure when I want to commit yet, but probably earlier than I originally though. I will probably cut my list down one more time, then make a decision."

The connection with the coaches, the academics and the campus life is what Dudley said would play into his decision.