Could Jadeveon Clowney Be the Cherry on Alabama's 2011 Recruiting Cake?

Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, Fla.) Jadeveon Clowney may be the nation's No. 1 college recruit, but he isn't enjoying the attention and constant questions from reporters and recruiting services. He's basically a private person.

So much so that he's changed cell phone numbers a few times to have a little peace.

He knows this decision could be the biggest in his life and he wants to make the right one.

Many think that South Carolina has the inside track because he wants to stay close to home. Many think that's so his mother and father, though not together, could possibly see him play. Plus he has two close friends on the University of South Carolina team, one whom is offering him advice from his own recruitment.

That friend, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, offered this advice according to Clowney. "He told me it's going to be hard, everybody coming at you," Clowney said. "But you've got to do what's right for you, do what you want."

And that is the problem. Do what he wants for personal reasons or do what he wants for football reasons?

Besides having friends on the Gamecock team, he would like to be near the father that was absent from his life from the age of 2 to 14, serving time in jail for various convictions for robbery, assault, and drug charges.

Now free, he spends lots of time with his father and is enjoying making up for lost time with watching sports together, doing a little bowling, or just spending time talking.

Though his father enjoys the attention and even had his son's portrait of his son tattooed on his left arm and his son's name on his right arm, he has said that this a decision his son must make.

He has said he wants his son to do what's best for himself.

And doing what's best for him might mean going to Alabama, where he would get much more publicity and television coverage. This way, his parents could see almost every game.

According to his coach, he has said that he has advised Clowney to look at it as a business decision. This would mean that you can't stay at home forever, not if you're hoping to enter the NFL.

"It's a business decision," Carroll said. "Barring any serious injury, three or four years down the road he could be a first-round player, maybe a top-10 pick. He could be worth $40 or $50 million overnight."

If he looks at it that way, then Alabama could certainly be high in the mix.

Or if he seeks advice from his coach, then Alabama jumps to the top of the list.

His coach accompanied him to Tuscaloosa for an "unofficial" visit last week and his coach was sold lock, stock, and barrel for Alabama.

According to the TiderInsider.com who interviewed his coach, Bobby Carroll, "It was the most incredible thing I"ve seen in 28 years of coaching (the facilities and whole organization)...To walk into that stadium and see it for the first time, I can't imagine being 17 years old and doing that and thinking about the possibility of playing there. That's just an incredible place...It's something!"

It's nice the coach thinks so much of Alabama, but what did Clowney think? He never says much to reporters and this was no exception, but his coach said he was very impressed.

Although getting this guy would be great, tall and fast defensive ends aren't exactly an area Alabama is lacking in. Saban said something along the lines of "you don't see many 6'6" athletes."

And not to correct Nick Saban, but Alabama already has Adrian Hubbard, a 2010 signee at 6'7", at defensive end; Alfy Hill, a 6'4" defensive end, in the 2010 class; Quinton Dial, a 6'5" defensive end from the 2009 class; and LaMichael Fanning, a huge 6'6" 2011 commit who weighs in at a big 285 pounds.

These defensive ends of the future are already in the pipeline and three of them are 6'6" or above and all praised for their speed and athleticism.

So if Clowney doesn't choose Alabama, maybe he thinks he's not up to that much competition.

But if he's as good as he and the recruiters think he is, with just a year in development, he could be a three-year starter and a first round pick with the coaching and publicity he would get from his time there.

In the end, Clowney may need Alabama more than Alabama needs him. This 2011 class is going to be a top class with or without Clowney and should continue playing for titles with or without him, but he would certainly be a cherry on top of that recruiting class cake should he sign with them.