Paul James III (Miami, Fl./Norland) is awaiting an offer from Alabama. It may be an offer that never comes.
"I've been getting a lot of attention from Alabama," James told Tony Tsoukalas of TideSports.com. "They like how I play the Courtney Upshaw position. At the next level that's probably where they see me playing. I feel comfortable at it."
The reason the offer may not come is that two of the nation's top prospects, Robert Nkemdiche and Matthew Thomas, would play the same position in Alabama's scheme. Nkemdiche is the nation's No. 1 overall prospect as a defensive end, and Alabama is considered the favorite to land his services. While Thomas also has the Tide high on his list, and he's the nation's No. 1 overall outside linebacker.
James, meanwhile, could have an ideal fallback plan. He currently lists six schools that he is considering.
"The 6-foot-2, 242-pound defender has Alabama on top of his top-six list of schools which also includes Miami, Florida State, Kansas, Marshall and Tennessee," Tsoukalas wrote.
Of those, Tennessee should be a legit option if he wants to play in the SEC while playing in the same system as Alabama. After all, Tennessee defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri brought the Tide's 3-4 scheme to Rocky Top. And James could easily be recruited to play the "jack" position for the Volunteers.
"I love (the defense)," James said. "It is something we work with here at Norland, and I'd like to continue playing with it."
James clearly likes Alabama, but Tennessee may be a legitimate option if the Tide decides to go in a different direction.
