Quinn sees Yellowhammer State

Rivals100 defensive end prospect Robert Quinn made a two-stop trip through the state of Alabama this past weekend, checking out Tuscaloosa and Auburn. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder talked about his experiences in the Yellowhammer State in an interview Tuesday morning with Rivals.com.

It was Quinn's first trip to the University of Alabama.

"When we were driving up I saw that big old stadium and I said here we go, this is what this is about," he said. "Then we found (Crimson Tide assistant) coach Burton Burns and walked around campus. It's a pretty campus, pretty and big. We finally met with (Alabama head coach) Nick Saban and talked to him and saw how he was."

His conversation with Saban touched on the direction of the Crimson Tide program.

"He talked about his plans for the program," Quinn said. "He said that they the coaches that were at Alabama before had smaller players and that didn't fit his defense. He said he likes to blitz all the time and I don't have a problem with that at all."

Quinn, who had nine sacks last season for North Charleston (S.C.) Fort Dorchester, also got a clear understanding of what position he would play for the Tide if he chooses to head to Tuscaloosa.

"They said I would be playing the jack linebacker," Quinn said. "It's sort of the linebacker/defensive end combination that Jason Taylor plays for the Miami Dolphins."

Quinn also got a chance to check out the facilities at Alabama.

"(At the academic center), they have separate rooms for certain subjects and whatever," he said. "They bring tutors in there. If they don't have one for one of the subjects you are taking, they will get you one. It seemed like they had a high tech locker room. You push a button and doors slide open and certain things like that."

Quinn also went to Auburn during the weekend. It was one of several trips to Auburn he has made during his recruitment.

"I went back and was talking to the coaches there," he said. "I also talked to a couple of the players. Mainly, No. 54 Quentin Groves. We hung out with him most of the time. They let me know that they still wanted me to come there."

The Tigers have been on Quinn since his junior year.

"From the start, they have been there and they have a position I would love to play (defensive end)," Quinn said. "The coaches are also cool as I don't know what."

Despite the excellent trips to both campuses, Quinn isn't ready to say that either the Tide or Tigers will make the cut when he trims his list down during the next couple of months.

"Everybody is about the same," he said. "I am just trying to finish up looking around at other schools and then make my cuts from there."

Unofficial visits to several other schools are in the works. Possible stops include Florida, Florida State and North Carolina.

"We are supposed to be going to North Carolina soon," Quinn said. "But I might have to rearrange that because football practice will be starting soon. My dad said we are going to go (to the two Florida schools) sometime in August. We are supposed to be coming down there some time."

In-state programs Clemson and South Carolina also remain in the mix. Quinn said he hears regularly from Tigers assistant David Blackwell and Gamecocks assistant Shane Beamer. Quinn doesn't have a preference in terms of staying in-state or going out-of-state to play college football.

"It doesn't really matter," he said. "I want to do what is best for me."

Quinn is the nation's fourth-ranked strongside defensive end prospect and the No. 3 overall prospect in the state of South Carolina according to Rivals.com.