Recruiting: Update on Ha’sean Clinton-Dix

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Ha’sean Clinton-Dix is “now 85 percent Alabama.” The story by Chris Hays includes some quotes from the young football star.

“I’m still ‘Bama, but the Gators are on a run with me,” Clinton-Dix said Monday, when he also said that now 85 percent with Alabama and listening to those others in his ear. “FSU is also throwin’ in a few punches at me. I’m liking FSU right now.”

Also, “USC is on me hard and I’m taking a visit soon,” Clinton-Dix said. “I just dont know about going that far from home. When I take a trip and see what I think … I would decommit and go to USC. I just have to see after my official visit.”

Will Ha’sean Clinton-Dix decommit to Alabama? The Orlando report makes it unclear. However, there are many things to keep in mind regarding out-of-state recruiting.

First, it is very hard to land top out-of-state recruits.

Second, when an out-of-state recruit commits or leans to Alabama the recruits are under intense local pressure that must be overcome. Anyone remember the pressure put on Trent Richardson by Florida? That is the same type of effort you can expect to be placed on Ha’sean Clinton-Dix by FSU and Florida. It is just the way business is done.

I’ll repeat the first point, it is extraordinarily hard to land top-tier out-of-state recruits.

The third thing to remember about out-of-state recruiting is that no staff does it better than Alabama. Nick Saban is known as the best recruiter in the business; his record of accomplishment speaks for itself in landing top in state and out-of-state talent.

Ha’sean Clinton-Dix is considered one of the top defensive prospects in the 2011 recruiting class. He is listed as a five-star prospect by Rivals.com. According to Rivals, Clinton-Dix “has the makings of a special teams monster, while he works his way into the starting lineup. Defensive backs usually take longer than most positions to hone their skills. Look for him to get meaningful playing time late in his sophomore season.”