DJ Dale: "I felt in my gut that Alabama is the right place for me"
DJ Dale hit the road this spring and he visited Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and Tennessee. All schools impressed him, but his last visit to Tuscaloosa pushed him to commit earlier than he planned to.
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The 6-foot-3, 320 pound defensive lineman out of Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville announced his commitment to Alabama Wednesday and he explains his commitment.
IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I have committed to Alabama and I committed on A-Day, a day that I had no plans of committing on," said Dale. I didn't plan on committing until some time in the summer, but I just felt it that day.
"I told coach Saban, coach Kulowski, coach Lupoi and coach Key at the end of A-Day. They were all very excited.
"I chose Alabama because of the relationships I have with all the coaches. I feel like I will be well taken care of there. I can really see myself playing for them and I wanted to go to a place where I can win and have fun doing it.
"I just felt in my gut that Alabama is the right place for me. I committed to them over Clemson.
"It was a tough decision and I couldn’t have went wrong with any other programs in my top five, but I’m happy with my decision. It relieves a little bit of stress that I didn’t want going into the season.
"I enjoyed the whole process, but it got stressful at times. It was a great experience, but I am shutting everything down and I am done with recruiting. I am not taking anymore visits."
RIVALS REACTION: This is Alabama's ninth commitment since April 5th, so to say that the Crimson Tide is having a great spring is an understatement. Dale is the 6th in-state prospect to commit to Alabama, so they are doing a good job there too. Alabama has definitely developed their share of top-end defensive linemen since Saban took over and Dale hopes to be next. Dale is a strong interior defensive linemen who plays with leverage and works his hands. Look for him to line up right over the opposing center on the Crimson Tide defensive line.
