Alonzo Lawrence, the 6-foot-0, 180-pound four-star cornerback from George County High School in Lucedale, Miss., will announce his decision later today ( Feb. 1) at 3:30 pm at his high school. Lawrence will choose from his final three schools: Alabama, Ole Miss and Miami.
He says that Alabama leads slightly over the other two, but denies having already made up his mind. "I haven't fully made up my mind yet," Lawrence said. "I still plan to think about things and go over all the things I like about each school."
Lawrence, ranked as the No. 11 cornerback in the country by Scout.com, visited the Tide on Jan. 10 and says the trips was a perfect "10". "They have the best facilities and weight room and I love the stadium," he said. "It was the best trip I went on.
"It was great getting to hang out with all the players and we went to coach Nick Saban's house for breakfast," he said. "That was a lot of fun. We all had fun just hanging, eating and talking football. It was real low key."
Another reason Lawrence says the Tide leads has been their persistence and loyalty. "They've been with me since day one," he said. "They've showed a lot of love and I think the team has a great future."
His second favorite visit was to Ole Miss on Jan. 18. "That was probably a 9," he said. "I know a lot of the players there already and I'm friends with a lot of the recruits too. I have a good relationship with them.
"Coach Houston Nutt is real cool," he said. "He's hyper and jokes around. He's a lot of fun. The campus there is great and they have a nice weight room and indoor practice field."
Lawrence says the Rebels are recruiting him as both a cornerback and running back.
His final official visit came last weekend on Jan. 25 to Miami. "That was a pretty cool trip," he said. "I grew up following Miami. They were always the team to beat. I really like how cool the coaches are. They are straight up with you. They don't tell you what you want to hear and they look you in the eye.
"The thing that stood out most about Miami was how close the players were," he said. "I didn't expect that. They all hung out together and went everywhere together. Overall, I'd say the trip was an 8."
Lawrence says he has around a dozen total scholarship offers.
He finished his senior season with 97 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Offensively, he had 20 touchdowns, 11 of those were receiving.
"I have good speed and am tough," he said. "I can press and jump and am really athletic, but I need to improve on my technique and precision, especially with my hands."
Academics are a concern as Lawrence reports a 2.0 core GPA and 16 ACT, which he plans to retake on Feb. 9. "I need two more points on the ACT to qualify."