THE LATEST: Sergio Allen made the trip over to Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Saturday for the game against Mercer and before kick-off, he found out he had an offer from the Crimson Tide.

Alabama is the fifth school to offer the 6-foot-2, 215 pound linebacker out of Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County who is in the middle of his sophomore year. Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan and Vanderbilt have also offered.

This offer put Alabama high on his list.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I didn’t expect the offer," said Allen. "Coach [Derek] Ansley offered me. He asked if was I enjoying my time there and he told me he was about to make it even better — he then told me that they would like to offer me.

"Coach [Jeremy] Pruitt told me that they actually offered me when I went to the camp this summer, but I didn’t stay long enough after to find out about it.

"It feels great to have an offer from Alabama. What I admire so much about Alabama is the tradition in everything. When you hear the name Alabama, you think tradition and a coached up team. I also love how they made me feel like a priority to them they made me feel like family.

"This offer puts them up there with Georgia."

RIVALS REACTION: Allen could have gone to Georgia for their game against Kentucky, but he chose to spend Saturday at Alabama. It paid off. This offer is a big one to him and it could come down to Alabama and Georgia for his commitment one day. Allen is on track to be one of the top 2020 prospects in Georgia and his offer list will continue to grow in the coming months. The in-state school could still be tough to beat in the end the way it looks now, but Alabama has jumped into the mix and become a contender.