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Alabama is first offer for 2012 receiver

On Wednesday, Alabama picked up a commitment from one of the fastest wide receiver prospects in the class of 2011 in Bradley Sylve out of Louisiana. His commitment follows Alabama's class of 2010 that was loaded with speed at the skill positions.
It looks as though speed and skill will continue to be a priority in 2012. Monday, the Tide gave a verbal offer to one of the top sophomore wide receivers in Florida, Avery Johnson of Pompano Beach (Fla.) Ely.
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"I was in class and the scout pulled me out of class," Johnson said. "It was Coach Bobby Williams and he said that they were offering me. I was just smiling. I was happy and excited."
Though Johnson expected the offers to begin this spring, the Alabama interest was new.
"I knew an offer was coming pretty soon but I was real surprised," he said. "This is my first time hearing from them at all."
Johnson may be a familiar face to SEC fans. He is the brother to standout LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson who was also an Ely product. During Johnson's sophomore year he caught 55 passes for 705 yards and seven touchdowns. His size and athleticism make him a physically advanced prospect and he hopes to play early in college much like he has in high school. That priority plays to Alabama's favor.
"[Alabama] is pretty good," he said. "They play their freshmen and they give their freshmen an opportunity to compete for a starting job. I'm looking for just what kind of offense teams run and do their freshmen play and get a starting job and then their facilities and stuff."
As is often the case with south Florida talent, Johnson grew up a fan of Miami. However, that shouldn't discourage teams from outside of the state from recruiting him. He is actually anxious to get out of the state.
"The University of Miami, that's the school that I like but I'm trying to get out of Florida so I probably won't be getting down that way," he said. "I just want to play in the SEC."
This summer, Johnson plans on camping at LSU, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida and others. He will also continue to prepare himself for the 2010 season where he has set some left goals for himself.
Johnson plans on hitting the 1,000 yard receiving mark, catching 100 passes and scoring at least 15 touchdowns.
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