Alabama ATH gets Croom visit

One of Alabama’s fastest-rising prospects had an in-home visit with new Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom tonight.

“Coach Croom came to the house tonight and talked to me and my family tonight,” said three-star Mobile (Ala.) athlete Pat White. “I had spoken with him on the phone before, but this was the first time meeting him in person. I liked him. He comes off as a very disciplined coach, someone who is strict and expects a lot of his players. I think that’s good.

“But the main thing he had to say is they’re serious about giving me a shot at quarterback. That’s what I was really wanting to hear.”

White (6-1, 180, 4.5) will visit the Bulldogs on Jan. 23.

This weekend, he heads to LSU for his official visit.

“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “They’re a really strong team right now. Their program is on top.”

Unlike the other programs on his list, however, the Tigers have informed him he would likely play wideout in their system.

“They told me straight up from the beginning that they want me as a receiver,” he said. “I really respect that. Some coaches will tell you anything they think you want to hear just to get you to come to their school. I feel like LSU has been very honest with me.”

White is coming off an official visit to West Virginia this past weekend. Asked how that trip went, he said: “It was fun. It was freezing cold there, but I had a good time. I liked it enough that I could get used to the cold if I went there.

“They have a really nice coaching staff and the players were nice to hang out with. They have a couple of guys from Mobile on their team. Charles (Hales), one of their quarterbacks, was my host. We hung out with Abraham Jones a lot. We had a good time.”

White previously had an official visit at Vanderbilt on Dec. 12. His last stop will take him to Kentucky on Jan. 30. The Wildcats had appeared to drop off his list in recent weeks, but he included them in his final four tonight.

“They’ve stayed on me pretty strong,” he said. “Coach Brown, I really get along well with him. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him. I don’t know all that much about their program, but it seems like they’re on the rise. And they also offered me the chance to play quarterback, so I’m going to go check things out and see if I like it.”

A dynamic athlete, White finished his senior season with 1,905 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns, while passing for 1,488 yards and 15 touchdowns. In all, he accounted for 3,393 total yards and 46 scores.