Two now lead for Dowling

Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee safety Jonathan Dowling already had a long list of offers and a pretty good idea of where he wanted to play in college before this weekend. The 6-foot-3, 178-pound star recently named the Florida Gators as his leader but it looks like they have some competition for the interception machine after his weekend visit to Alabama. Where do things stand now?

"The Alabama trip was good and I really enjoyed myself," Dowling said. "I really went to get something of a comparison to Florida. They have so many similarities except for obviously the coaching staff. They are both college based towns with great coaches and facilities. I had a real good talk with coach (Kirby) Smart and he basically told me the plan that Alabama had for me at safety.

"I like coach Saban. He's the type of coach that gets straight to the point.

"These two teams are my leaders and I feel like they are kind of tied."

This coming weekend Dowling and his parents will hit the road once again and go back to Gainesville for another visit with the Gators. After that, Dowling has no plans other than he would like to make a decision sooner rather than later.

"I might make a visit to Florida State at some point. After that I don't know. I do want to get it over with. Now it's getting harder but I do know I would like to commit sometime between now and August."

Dowling said he has recently received scholarship offers from both Notre Dame and West Virginia.