Junior LB nearing Bama commitment

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Cameron Toney, a junior inside linebacker from Huntsville, Ala., said early Saturday he is "close" to committing to Alabama and that it very well could happen sometime soon.

"I'm leaning heavily," Toney told Rivals.com. "I've been thinking about committing for about a month"

Thus far, the Crimson Tide is the only program to have offered the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, but he said he also is hearing a good bit from Auburn, LSU and Tennessee. In 2011, Toney recorded 120 tackles, eight sacks, seven quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, three interceptions and three pass breakups.

"I talked to [Tide assistant] Coach Sal [Sunseri] on [Friday], just about the recruiting process," Toney said. "Basically, we just talked about recruiting, my grades and that kind of stuff. He said I was already set up for the system there and that my SAT and GPA were where they needed to be. I had a good conversation with him. It really hit me hard after I talked to him."

Friday night, Toney got advice from his high school coaches.

"One of my coaches pulled me to the side at a basketball game and asked me what I'm trying to do since Bama was the only school to have offered me," Toney said. "I was telling him I want to enjoy the recruiting process and visit places I've never been. And he was like, 'No.' He said he had been in my shoes, been through the same thing. He had been recruited by Bama, but he waited and they found another guy. He was saying, 'Don't take it because of pressure. Take it if that's where you want to be.' I've always wanted to play there."

What's next for Toney?

"I'm going to give it a week or two, talk to my coach and my mom, and talk to Coach Sal," Toney said.

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.

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