Tana Patrick, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound four-star linebacker from North Jackson High School in Stevenson, Ala., just returned from Mobile, Ala., where he played in the Alabama/Mississippi High School All-Star game.
"It was a good game," he said. "We (Alabama) won 28-3 and I did pretty good. I think I had about six tackles."
Patrick, ranked as the No. 5 strongside linebacker in the country by Scout.com, says he was unable to schedule any official visits recently because he was gone all week for the All-Star game.
"I was in Mobile all week and didn't really get to talk to any coaches," Patrick said. "I know my coach says that he's been getting a lot of calls and there all supposed to be visiting me next week."
Patrick still denies a leader, but mentioned Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Miami, Florida State and LSU as his six favorites, among 20 offers. "I haven't narrowed it down yet," he said. "I'm still pretty open and these are the ones that are recruiting me the most.
"If I have time I'll take as many trips as I can," he said. "Hopefully, I'll set up a few trips this week for January."
Although it wasn't an official visit, Patrick did attend the Alabama/Auburn game on Nov. 29 at Tuscaloosa. "It was crazy," he said. "The stadium was rocking and both sides were intense. It was a great game if you're a fan of football. It was a real amazing experience. Their rivalry is one of the best but Alabama has been on fire this.
"I really like how incredible they did this year," he said. "Coach Nick Saban is real good and got them through the regular season undefeated. That's real impressive."
While Alabama's been on the upswing this year, their in-state rival Auburn had a disappointing season which culminated with the resignation of head coach Tommy Tuberville.
"That was real shocking," he said. "I was very surprised because he's such a good coach and has been there for so long."
So what does Patrick think about new Tigers head coach Gene Chizik? "I heard they hired coach Chizik after the All-Star game," he said. "I really don't know anything about him. I'm still looking at Auburn, I just need to talk to the coaches and see what coach Chizik plans on doing."
In addition to the in-state programs, Patrick says that Michigan has been coming on strong as of late. "They are telling me they like my defensive style and that I'd be a good fit for them," he said. "I like that they have a good tradition and history of football at Michigan."
Patrick reports a 3.0 core GPA and a 16 ACT, which he plans on retaking in January.