Bayou DE sheds sleeper label

This weekend in Baton Rouge most of the top players from Louisiana and Mississippi got together for the NIKE camp held at LSU. There many guys who shed the sleeper tag, other guys proved that they are worth of big time status and some guys went from unknown to national recruit. One prospect who shed the sleeper label was New Orleans (La.) Abramson linebacker/defensive end Alonzo Horton.

“So far the only offers that I have are Auburn, Southern Miss and Michigan State,” said Horton. “I’ve been hearing from a lot of different schools and getting handwritten letters and that sort of thing though.”

Going into the weekend Horton was listed primarily as a defensive end. After height and weight testing had been done he came in a 6-foot-2, 209 pounds. Throughout the camp he had the agility and speed of linebacker, which could be where he ends up after all.

“I have had the same top five pretty much throughout the recruiting process with LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Miami and Michigan State. I never really cared much about football until high school, but since then I have been more of an LSU fan than anything.”

Horton he tallied an impressive 95 tackles, 32 tackles-for-loss and 23 sacks as a junior.

“Coach Saban was at the school today to watch practice. My coach said that coach Saban told him that they loved my ability and that they were going to start recruiting me really hard. I don’t know if that means they will offer or not.”

If the Bengal Tigers do decide to offer, they could be tough for Horton’s signature.

“I went to LSU’s spring game and that was a real cool experience for me. The whole trip went really well and was a great learning experience. IT really motivated me to work harder because it made me realize that I want to play at that level.”

Horton plans to attend camp this summer at Auburn, Michigan State and possibly LSU.

“Early playing time is not a big factor to me. I realize that I may need a year to mature physically and mentally before I’m ready, but I certainly wouldn’t complain with early playing time. I want to go to a school that has a good graduation rate and has a high production of NFL players.”