High School

Noah Mikhail on Alabama football: 'There’s a lot of excitement around that program'

Bonita (California) linebacker Noah Mikhail had high praise for Alabama following his visit

Andrew Nemec, SBLive Sports

The Alabama Crimson Tide are moving into the Kalen DeBoer era, and concerns that perhaps his staff may struggle to recruit have been quickly put to rest.

Alabama secured Saraland (Alabama) five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams and have picked up three commitments in the past 10 days.

Over the weekend, Bonita (California) star Noah Mikhail, the nation's No. 6 linebacker, provided some insight into why the Crimson Tide have hit the ground running.

"I think there’s a lot of excitement around that program right now and you can see that," he said. "They are very genuine guys and are hungry to show out."

More specifically, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound 'backer, who has visited Tuscaloosa three times, got a sense that DeBoer's staff isn't shying away from the lofty expectations set by Nick Saban.

What stood out on the trip? 

"The chip on the shoulder from the staff, not only to match the expectations from the past legacy, but to even exceed them and make Alabama even better," he said. 

Mikhail holds offers from 35 scholarship offers, highlighted by Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, USC and others.

In other words, he's seen a lot of programs.

The fact that he's as confident as he is in the momentum around Alabama is a great sign in the post-Saban era.

Will it be enough to secure his commitment?

USC and others are certainly worth keeping a close eye on, but clearly the transition from Saban to DeBoer hasn't slowed the Crimson Tide's effort to land the coveted California linebacker, who racked up 166 tackles as a junior. 

Junior season highlights

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Andrew Nemec, SBLive Sports
ANDREW NEMEC, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andrew Nemec covers national high school recruiting and brings more than a decade of experience. Andrew hosts "Recruiting with Andrew Nemec" on ESPN-affiliate 1080 The FAN in Portland, Oregon. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Oregon. 

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