Stanford offers Alabama LB

Jake Holland has received some big scholarships of late from teams like Auburn, Kansas State and Vanderbilt. Last night he got another big one.

"We spoke to Stanford today," Holland said. "They offered me. I had a good long visit with Coach Lance Anderson and the linebacker coach. My Dad had talked to coach (Jim) Harbaugh earlier today. I owe him a phone call. I couldn't reach him. It's a long way from home but Stanford is equal to Ivy League quality education. It's definitely something I have to think about. Plus, they have a great coaching staff. We'll just have to see."

Holland, 6-1 and 228 pounds, is from Pelham (Ala.) High School. He may now plan a trip out west to see both Stanford and UCLA.

"I also talked to UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel and defensive coordinator (Chuck) Bullough yesterday. They said they love my versatility and they think I fit into their defensive scheme perfectly. Basically, they said they want to offer me but need to be sure I am committed to giving serious consideration to coming that far."

Last weekend Holland took a trip to Knoxville to visit the Volunteers on their most recent junior day. It had a fun trip.

"I had a great time at Tennessee's junior day last weekend. It was intense."

Holland now has scholarship offers from Stanford, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Kansas State, Duke, UAB and South Alabama.

"At this point it's really still wide open for me. I obviously have some initial favorites but it really seems like my stock is rising for some reason. I am sort of overwhelmed and humbled by all the attention to be honest. Right now, I am just going to focus on getting bigger, stronger and faster and have a good spring training."