Crimson Tide signees on track at junior college

Three University of Alabama football signees are on a fast track at East Mississippi Community College and could all enroll at the Capstone in time to take part in spring practice next year.

Defensive lineman Quinton Dial, a part of the Crimson Tide’s top-ranked 2009 recruiting class, enrolled at the junior college in Scooba, Miss., at the end of May and is taking summer classes while working out to prepare for the fall season. He is on a schedule that could allow him to graduate in December and enroll at Alabama next spring with three years of eligibility remaining.

Two signees who were part of Alabama’s No. 1-ranked class in 2008, defensive lineman Brandon Lewis and linebacker Devonta Bolton, played last season and are also expected to graduate this year, East Mississippi head coach Buddy Stephens said.

“They’re doing well,” Stephens said. “Both should graduate by Christmas and be back with the Tide in January.”

Dial, a 6-foot-5 prospect from Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson who was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and a three-star prospect by Scout.com, has worked his way down to 305 pounds after arriving at about 320. He chose Alabama over offers from Florida, Tennessee, Clemson, Auburn and other schools.

“He’s slimmed up a little bit since he got here,” Stephens said. “He looks good. He’s a great kid. He’s a pleasure to be around.”

Stephens said East Mississippi has worked with the UA football coaching staff and academic advisors to make sure the Alabama signees have a sound program for the classroom.

“I think they’re comfortable with our academic plans for the kids,” Stephens said. “They know they’re going to graduate on time and the academic standing is going to be good. All senior colleges want is for these kids to graduate. It has nothing to do with what kind of defense we play or this team’s success.

“All they care about is the kid is going to get a quality education and gets back to them as soon as possible. That’s the important thing.”

The East Mississippi coach is glad to have a relationship with Tide head coach Nick Saban and the Alabama coaching staff.

“You’re looking at a national championship signing class each year that they have,” Stephens said, “and if there’s non-qualifiers academically and Coach Saban and the academic people at Alabama feel comfortable with our plans, it’s a good thing for both (UA and East Mississippi).”

Alabama has previously signed a few players from East Mississippi. Flanker Quincy Jackson played at Alabama in 1997-98 and defensive tackle Todd Whitmore played in 2000.

East Mississippi Community College went 8-2 last season and cracked the top 20 in the national rankings for the first time in more than a decade. Lewis started at defensive tackle and Bolton at outside linebacker.

Lewis came out of Pleasant Grove High School as a 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive lineman and was ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and a three-star prospect by Scout.com. He signed with Alabama over Clemson, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Iowa State.

“I think he had a good year (last season),” Pleasant Grove coach Jim Elgin said. “He hurt his knee a little bit in the spring and didn’t finish out the spring, but he’s fine. They didn’t do any (surgery). When he got to me right after school was out (at the end of the spring) he was workout out. I said, ‘Doesn’t look like that knee is hurting too much,’ and he said he’s fine.

“The main thing I hammer on him every time I see him is his grades. He says he’s doing well in the classroom and from the information they give me I think he is. I think by December he will be out of there and ready to go.”

Both Elgin and Stephens said they expect Lewis to re-sign with Alabama.

Bolton came out of Norcross (Ga.) High School rated as a four-star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. The 6-4, 220-pound athlete picked Alabama over offers from Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Miami, Clemson, Auburn and South Carolina.

Keith Maloof, head coach at Norcross High, said he has been in touch with both Bolton and Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, and fully expects Bolton to end up at UA.

“As far as I know he’s doing great, and as far as I know Alabama is excited about getting him,” Maloof said.

Where Bolton would play with the Tide is a different question. Even though he played defense last season at East Mississippi, he could end up on either side of the ball.

“You’ll be getting a kid that can play many different positions,” Mahloof said. “I know they’ve mainly got him playing outside linebacker over there, but he played wide receiver/tight end for us. He can play offense or defense.”

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.