Alonzo Harmon, Jr, or A.J. as he prefers to be called, is a 6-foot-5.5, 325-pound offensive/defensive lineman from Jefferson County in Louisville (Ga.) Harmon is ranked as the No. 62 player in the country by Scout.com and finished his junior season with 70 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
"I'm quick off the ball," Harmon said. "I time the ball really well and I have great reactions. I'm light on my feet and I bull rush really well. I'm good at getting my hands on you and not letting you escape.
"I want to improve my forty speed. I run a 5.25 40 (although he ran a 5.5 at the Scout.com combine)," Harmon said. "I'm working on making my hands even better and my chop block. I'd also like to get guys off me quicker."
Harmon, a four-star player, says that schools aren't tipping their hand whether they want him on the offensive or defensive line. "I actually prefer defense," he said. "I like to hit and be physical and be able to embarrass the other guy."
Although Harmon prefers defense, he insists that isn't a deal-breaker. "But if they told me I could play early on the offensive line, I'll play offense. I just want to play."
He benches 320 pounds, squats 550 and has a 26-inch vertical jump.
Harmon has approximately 16 scholarship offers and says he favors Clemson slightly over Georgia, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee. All of his favorites have offered. He also has offers from Florida State, Alabama, Michigan, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Mississippi and Marshall.
He plans to attend summer camps at Marshall, Florida and Clemson. "I love the atmosphere at Clemson," he said. "It's an amazing rush just being there. It's a feeling you can't describe. When they run down the hill, I get excited just watching them. It makes me want to put on my pads and join them. It's a special place."
The Tigers are just under three hours away, while the in-state Georgia Bulldogs are under two hours from his house. "It don't matter to me if I'm close or not," he said.
"I like Georgia because they play very hard. I went to their spring game and was very impressed," he said. "They were really active and intense and they seemed to play as a team. They are like one big family.
"Their offensive lineman, Fernando Velasco, went to my high school and they really took care of him," Harmon said. "They said that I'm a lot like him. Plus, he's a senior and they need more linemen."
The only other school that he has already visited is Florida. "Man…their facilities are amazing," he said. "The campus is really beautiful too. I wasn't really looking at them as a possibility until I visited them. It was a really nice place and I liked how pumped up and intense the coaches are. I like how active and involved (head) coach Urban Meyer was. He was helping guys individually and really impressed me."
Growing up, Harmon says he was very fickle when it came to following certain teams. "When I was real young, like five or six, I really liked Michigan and Michigan State," he said. "Then I became a fan of Tennessee and told my dad I wanted to go there. Then it was Georgia. Then I liked Oregon and would talk about being a Duck. It changed a lot.
"My goal is to go to college and get drafted," he said. "I want to be able to tell my parents that it's my turn to take care of them. That's why I work out every day and stay focused. These are all top-notch schools and I couldn't go wrong with any of them. I thought I'd be ready to commit during the summer, but I decided to wait and announce my decision at our football banquet in December."
Although he's not being recruited for basketball, Harmon plays on his high school team and averages 20 points per game.
He reports a 2.6 core GPA and is taking the SAT on June 2. "I didn't really work very hard my freshman year," admits Harmon. "I remember a few years ago there was a big-time running back recruit who everybody wanted. He had lots of offers, but didn't qualify and didn't go to college. I remember seeing him around and he wasn't really doing anything. I think he got some disease. It was really sad and scared me. That's why I'm really focused on my academics now. I don’t want that to happen to me."