Shazz Preston reflects on his visit to Alabama

Shazz Preston, four-star wide receiver from St. James High School in Louisiana, visited Alabama on Saturday for the second time this summer. Preston returned to Tuscaloosa with his mother who had the opportunity to meet with the Crimson Tide for the first time.

“It was good,” Preston said. “I was just excited to be around some of the recruits, putting names with faces. It was a good time. I had a good conversation with Coach Saban, Coach Pete (Golding) and Coach Wiggins.

“My mom had never met with Coach Saban. He was telling my mom how the university was and what he sees in players and how they develop their players. He was just telling me I have the official offer and stuff like that.”

“My mom liked it. She was talking to Coach Saban more than I even did. She was messing with him about all the car dealerships he has and stuff like that. They just chopped it up a lot. She really enjoyed it.”

Highlights of the one-day visit with Alabama included plenty of food, games, bonding with players, coaches and other recruits who were in attendance.

“It was good,” the Louisiana native said of his return visit. “My favorite part of the visit was probably playing corn hole and all the other games. We also played kickball and ate really good.”

“We had wings, turkey burgers, ribs, really good mac-and-cheese plus a bunch of desserts like ice cream and banana pudding. Everything was good. We just had a good time. i was building my relationship with players and coaches. They treat me like family there.”

“I was with Ty Simpson a little bit. i was also with Jamo (Jameson Williams). I was with some of the other recruits. Ty and I were just catching up and getting familiar with each other. He wasn’t trying to put any pressure on me or anything.”

Holmon Wiggins (wide receivers coach) and Pete Golding (defensive coordinator/area recruiter) are in charge of recruiting Preston to the Tide. Alabama’s success at the position speaks volumes to elite receivers especially after DeVonta Smith, who also hails from Louisiana, earned the Heisman Trophy this past season.

“They treat me like family there,” Preston said. “They keep it real with me. They show me what it means to be a big time player in a big time program. They showed me how they will use me around the board. I feel like it’s a good fit for me. We’ll just have to see when it’s time to make a decision.”

“The success of the university is really good. Of course they’ve had guys like Smitty (DeVonta Smith), Jaylen (Waddle), (Henry) Ruggs and (Jerry) Jeudy). There is just a great opportunity at the university. Their success really boosts my confidence in (potentially) playing there.”

A decision for Preston is not expected until after his senior season. He has yet to take any of his official visits, but said Alabama will receive one of his five trips this fall. The remaining schools in his top group still includes Georgia, LSU, Miami, Mississippi State USC and Texas.

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