Arguably Alabama’s top overall target on the defensive side of the ball in the 2020 class, Justin Flowe has the Crimson Tide staff’s undivided attention.

Last week, defensive coordinator Pete Golding and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian stopped in at Upland (Calif.) to watch the nation’s No. 1 inside linebacker practice. It was the Tide’s second trip out to the Golden State to see the five-star ‘backer during the Evaluation Period.

“I talk to Coach Golding almost every day,” Flowe told BamaOnLine. “To be honest, man, me and him relate a lot, I swear. He’s a really cool guy and I can talk to him like he’s like a big uncle or something.”

It was former defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi that led the charge for the Tide in Flowe’s recruitment before heading to the NFL this past January.

“Well I know Tosh is a really big-time coach and he got the call for the NFL, so it’s all good,” Flowe said.

The All-American linebacker says despite Lupoi’s exit, the Tide staff has done a good job in keeping up with him.

“Most definitely,” Flowe said of Alabama bridging the gap with him during all the coaching staff turnover earlier this year.

Flowe has talked with Nick Saban in person on a visit and spoken with the Tide head coach three times this offseason, most recently two weeks ago.

“He feels like I can come in there and be the next great linebacker at Alabama, like Mack Wilson,” Flowe said. “He feels like I can be like him. Honestly, I feel like I can be better than him. I feel like I’m a different breed.”

Any inside linebacker looking for immediate playing time could look at Alabama’s depth chart and see an opportunity come 2020 to get on the field early. While that’s certainly something Flowe has taken notice of, that’s not what’s fully driving his interest in the Tide.

“To be honest, I feel like I can go anywhere and play right away because I feel like I’m that type of dude,” Flowe said. “I ain’t trying to be cocky or nothing, but I feel like I can … it’s the person I am, I’m a grinder. When I spot it, I’m going to get it.”

The five-star linebacker looked back on his visit to the Capstone, a trip he enjoyed.

“Just the tradition they have at Alabama,” Flowe said of what he liked. “Everything felt like tradition, like a legacy.”

At the moment, Flowe says he doesn’t really have any visits set up. He has schools in mind he hopes to see, though.

Is an official visit to Alabama in the works?

“Most definitely,” he said.

What are the Tide’s chances at this juncture?

“They have a really big chance,” Flowe said. “Just how the school is, when I’m up there, it felt really good. They’re a really top-ranked school, you know? So yeah, they have a big chance.”

Flowe recently put out a top 12, which will be narrowed down to a top five or three next.

“It’s probably going to be soon,” he said. “You gotta wait on it, though.”

Flowe is rated the No. 1 inside linebacker and the No. 3 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.