12/9/2004 football Edit

Alabama leads for RB

Mike Farrell

Rivals100.com Recruiting Analyst

Harrisburg, Pa. running back Mikell Simpson said he won’t announce a leader until he is done with all his visits in January. However, Alabama has made a strong impression on the 6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect.

“Coach (Mike) Shula visited last week with running backs coach Sparky Woods last week and then coach Woods came back Monday,” Simpson said. “It went about like I expected in that they answered questions for my parents and went over a lot of things I learned when I was down there.

"I really liked coach Shula. He is young and seems like he understands what you go through in recruiting as player. And then his dad, Don Shula, was one of the greatest coaches in the NFL, so you know he knows the game. Coach Woods and I have hit it off too. I like him a lot.”

Simpson also enjoyed his visit down to Tuscaloosa on Nov.19.

“They have great facilities and the tradition of winning is unbelieveable,” Simpson said. “And their fans really love the program. They are crazy in a good way. They love their football team and you feel it even when you are visiting. I think the Alabama visit was my best so far. I really liked the players and the coaches. They all seemed cool and I enjoyed being around them.”

Despite the good encounters with Alabama, Simpson is keeping an open mind to other schools. After Woods visited Monday he talked with coaches from Virginia. UCLA came by Tuesday. He has already taken visits to Alabama, Michigan State, UCLA and Virginia.

“I’m not going to have a leader until after I have had a chance to see all the schools and what they are like,” Simpson said. “I want to take my fifth visit sometime in mid-January. I’m going to go to West Virginia, Southern California or North Carolina.”

Simpson is ranked as the No. 14 running back in the country. A left knee injury in the fifth game this year ended his high school season. At the time of the injury he had run for 456 yards on 51 carries and caught 12 passes for 278 yards to go along with eight touchdowns. His rehab is going very well, Simpson said.