Alabama Football: Top Prospects to Watch at Nick Saban 2015 Football Camp

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It’s one of the busiest times of the offseason for Alabama football. A long, impressive list of prospects are in Tuscaloosa for the first of two Nick Saban Football Camps, which runs until Wednesday.

Camps are an important time for college football coaches, as recruits get to see and use the facilities up close and in person while spending time around the program off the field. It can be a catalyst for a big commitment or two, or help a prospect land an offer if he doesn’t have one.

Four summers ago, Alabama brought in a 6’1” wide receiver from South Florida the coaches didn’t know much about. After Saban and his staff were blown away in person, they offered him immediately. He committed later in the fall.

Amari Cooper went on to break just about every Alabama receiving record in the books, leaving Tuscaloosa in three years to become a top-five draft pick.

There are plenty of top, uncommitted prospects taking in Alabama right now. Here are a couple of top 2016 prospects to keep an eye on.

Lyndell Wilson

Photo courtesy 247Sports

Lyndell Wilson, 5-star outside linebacker from Montgomery, Alabama

No. 8 player overall, No. 1 outside linebacker, No. 1 from Alabama

Alabama doesn’t have to look far for some of the top players in 2016, with a lot of top prospects coming out of its own state. The crown jewel of that group is Wilson, who’s being courted by the usual SEC suspects, including his two home-state teams.

Wilson’s crystal ball sits at 87 percent to Alabama, but it’s far from a done deal. Before heading to Tuscaloosa for camp, he tweeted a picture of himself on a visit to Baton Rouge.

Florida State is also coming hard after the Montgomery native.

“Right now he’s still kind of open,” his high school coach, Billy Gresham, told 247Sports’ Hank South.

"

He’s going to go through this first month of summer and kind of narrow things down. He does a good job in the classroom. He’s just trying to take it all in. It’s different with a kid of his caliber. In the past he’s kind of just went to places, but now with this summer it’s important that he sees these places so he can narrow it down to schools he has a strong interest in.

"

Getting Wilson to camp was more of a formality than anything, but his recruitment is anything but a done deal.

Rashard Lawrence

Rashard Lawrence, 5-star defensive tackle from Monroeville, Louisiana

No. 15 player overall, No. 15 defensive tackle, No. 2 overall

While Alabama boasts arguably the best defensive line group in the country, it won’t be around for much longer.

The Crimson Tide will need big replacements in the middle for A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, and Lawrence is a good place to start to fill that need.

Of course, while Alabama has had success in Louisiana, it’s never easy to pull someone out from under LSU’s nose. Lawrence also attended the Tigers’ camp earlier in the weekend, according to 247Sports’ Shea Dixon.

Alabama already has one commitment from a top player in Louisiana. Lawrence would solidify a big year for the Crimson Tide in that state on the recruiting trail.

Ben Davis

Photo courtesy 247Sports

Ben Davis, 5-star outside linebacker from Gordo, Alabama

No. 19 player overall, No. 4 outside linebacker, No. 2 from Alabama

Another crown jewel from the state of Alabama in 2016 is Davis, whom the Crimson Tide already have a leg up with due to a family connection.

Ben is the son of Wayne Davis, a former Alabama linebacker who holds Alabama’s all-time tackles record. He clearly hopes his son follows in his footsteps.

"When it comes down to it, I'm going to be pushing my son to go to Alabama," Davis told AL.com’s John Talty. "He's going to make that decision with his own heart."

That doesn’t make his recruitment a done deal at all.

Davis went with Wilson to visit LSU before camping in Tuscaloosa, snapping a picture with head coach Les Miles in the process. He’s also hearing from an impressive list of schools, so every chance Alabama has to get him to Tuscaloosa and remind him of his family’s legacy is big.

Willie Allen

Photo courtesy 247Sports

Willie Allen, 5-star offensive tackle from New Orleans, Louisiana

No. 22 player overall, No. 3 offensive tackle, No. 4 from Louisiana

It’s safe to say Alabama’s first opportunity to start a freshman from Louisiana at tackle was a success. It may have a chance to do that again.

The Crimson Tide have signed an impressive crop of offensive linemen but still lack a bookend tackle for Cam Robinson, especially after 2015-16, when Dominick Jackson graduates.

Allen would be the kind of slam-dunk lineman offensive line coach Mario Cristobal could plug in right away.

Like Lawrence, though, it won’t be easy to pull Allen out of Louisiana. Also like Lawrence, he attended both LSU and Alabama camps this weekend, per Dixon.

The early returns from Tuscaloosa, though, at least on Twitter, were promising.

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes and reporting were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.