Dawson sets three official visits

The teams in contention for Detroit Cass Tech offensive lineman David Dawson have shuffled in the six weeks since he decommitted from Michigan, but the top group appears to have settled in after the four-star prospect recently scheduled three official visits.

"Dec. 7-9 I will be down in Columbus (Ohio State), Jan. 11 I will be down in Tuscaloosa (Alabama) and Jan. 18 I will be up in East Lansing (Michigan State)," Dawson reported. "I have one more [official visit left], but I don't know what team is going to squeeze in."

The newest addition to Dawson's top group is Alabama. Crimson Tide assistant coaches Jeff Stoutland and Bobby Williams have been in regular contact, and Dawson is already familiar with their campus after making two visits to the school earlier in his recruiting process.

"I still have been talking to those coaches and they are still interested in me," Dawson said. "I liked it when I was down there, so I'm going to go down there and give them a look.

"They have a good situation down there for me to go down there and learn under Cyrus Kouandjio. They want me to play tackle, so I could step right in when he leaves. The SEC is a great conference and Alabama is a great team in the SEC, so it would be nice playing for them."

Michigan State and Ohio State have been among Dawson's top three since October. He is already preparing for his trip to Columbus in two weekends.

"I just want to sit down and actually talk to Coach [Urban] Meyer," Dawson said. "I have talked to him a few times over the phone, so I'm going to talk to him and see what their plans are for me. I want to see if it is a family atmosphere down there, because that is a big thing I am looking for. They have a lot of things going for them and Coach Meyer is turning around the program in a good direction."

Dawson anchored the left tackle position on Cass Tech's offensive line this fall while three-star Dennis Finley manned the right tackle spot. Finley is committed to Michigan State, and so is Cass Tech junior linebacker Deon Drake. Those connections have helped raise the Spartans high on Dawson's list.

"I had a visit with those coaches the other day and they are very down to earth, funny guys," Dawson said. "I could see myself being coached by them and my mom liked them a lot. It is another good situation for me to go in and learn for a year or two and then step right on the field. There are a lot of other kids I already know on campus and [Finley] and Drake are going up there, so that's another plus for them."

Wisconsin had previously held a spot in Dawson's top three, but the Badgers have fallen off the pace set by his top teams at this time. Other schools could move into the picture over the next several weeks, but for now Dawson's focus is on Alabama, Michigan State and Ohio State.

The 6-foot-4, 282-pound Dawson helped Cass Tech to their second straight Division I state title this past Saturday. He played in the championship game despite having a fracture in his foot.