McBride decides to Roll Tide

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A week ago, Plant City (Fla.) offensive lineman Montel McBride told Rivals.com that picking up an Alabama offer felt like "being a kid on Christmas morning", but he wasn't ready to commit.

On Tuesday, McBride did an about-face and committed to his dream school, ahead of schedule.

It came as a bit of a surprise to Plant City (Fla.) defensive coordinator and recruiting director Greg Meyer. Meyer spoke to McBride after he committed and the assistant coach caught up with Rivals.com to break down the pledge.

"This is the best fit for Montel. When he started with the recruiting process, Alabama was the school that he always mentioned," Meyer said. "When they offered I thought he was going to commit right away, but he decided to take a college tour to Louisville and see some other places. At the end of the day he felt Alabama was the best opportunity.

"I guess he got caught up in the moment and decided to pull the trigger," Meyer said when asked if the decision surprised him. "Montel told me he wanted to wait until he went to the Alabama camp and commit in person to Coach (Nick) Saban and the staff. He thought it was the right thing to do, but I guess he wanted to get it over with."

Alabama assistant coach Mario Cristobal was a big reason why he committed to the Tide over offers from several other BCS programs.

"I consider Coach Cristobal the best in the business. Montel will be in good hands with him and he will get the most out of him," replied Meyer. "Also Coach [Chris] Rumph helped recruit him, too. Both guys did a great job."

McBride is planning to attend the Alabama summer camp in mid-July. He has a family trip to Atlanta around the same time, but he intends to be in Tuscaloosa to check out his future home.

According to Meyer, McBride chose the Tide over Louisville and USF.

The massive guard prospect gives Alabama its fourth offensive line prospect for the Class of 2014.

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