Alabama turned to the state of California in the 2017 recruiting cycle to sign five-star running back Najee Harris out of Antioch. Now the Crimson Tide staff is back in the Golden State with a similar goal in mind.

Five-star running back Kendall Milton, the No. 3 ball carrier in the 2020 class from Buchanan High School, is a top target of the Tide’s this cycle. He made his way out to Tuscaloosa last month.

“It was actually pretty cool, man,” Chris Milton, Kendall’s father, told BamaOnLine of the stay. “It’s kind of like I told Coach (Nick) Saban and the other coaches … in preparing to go to Bama, you hear some adverse things about Bama, you hear some adverse things about the way Coach Saban runs his program, and so on and so forth. You go in kind of expecting a very rigid machine and that sort of a thing, but after having the opportunity to meet his coaching staff and to meet with Coach Saban and actually having the opportunity to sit down and probably spend collectively a little over an hour with him, you realize … honestly, my wife and I, we both are in business and we both equate him to the way he runs his program is like a CEO. He has his managers in place, which are his coaches, they know what they’re responsible for, they know what executionables they need to act on with the desired results, and they really just do it. For us it was less of a sports program and more of corporation, and that’s not to say it in a negative fashion.”

Milton’s father had been to Bama once before when the Tide hosted Fresno State back in 2017. Milton’s other son, Ka’Lonn, is a running back for the Bulldogs.

Of course, the visit with Kendall last month was quite a bit different in that the Milton family wasn’t visiting with an opposing team.

“It was enlightening,” Chris Milton said of their talk with Saban. “He talked less about football and more about life, more about leadership, more about development. Again, like I said, my wife and I run businesses respectively in our own area, and listening to him, honestly it was motivational for us. There were some things I took back to my leadership team within my organization and quoted him on it. It was actually pretty cool, man, to sit down with him and get coached up.”

Saban has a such a great grasp on his program that Milton’s father couldn’t help but to draw a comparison.

“I say this kind of out of humor … sitting down with Coach Saban was kind of like sitting down with The Godfather,” he said laughing. “It really had that feel. Nick Saban, you can tell he has a lot of old school in him. Obviously we’ve visited some of the top universities in the country with some of the top head coaches in the country, and you walk into their offices and, not using the word flamboyant, but it’s modern. Basically you walk in and it’s like wow this is your office. Granted, Coach Saban had a big office, but it was kind of like you stepped into a mob boss’ office. It had that feel to it.”

Saban wasn’t the only coach to spend time with the Miltons. Both running backs coach Charles Huff and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian got to know the family better during their stay as well.

“I think Coach Huff is definitely a guy,” Chris Milton said. “I think his resumé, especially his recent resumé, has proven exactly what he can do with Saquon Barkley, and then also his other running back, since he just got to Bama, that went in the second round (Miles Sanders), who was the second running back taken. So I know he can put out guys.”

Perhaps one of the more genuine conversations Milton’s father has had with a coach came during his talk with Sarkisian.

“I like Coach Sark; Coach Sark is a really good dude,” he said. “And I think that he’s genuine. We actually had the opportunity to have a real-life conversation. I mean, it’s public knowledge that he had some adversity in his life after he left USC. I asked him about it, because I’m big on trying to see what have you learned from your past. That’s one thing we try to do and teach other people. He was a stand-up guy, he basically just addressed it — of course we didn’t get into detail — and 100 percent said ‘You know what? I’m a totally different person. I was humanized. The way I interact with my players, the way I interact with my staff, just my outlook on life and my opportunities.’ It was real cool to hear. We all make mistakes, but not all our mistakes are on a national level, right? For him to actually look in the mirror and say ok what can I learn from this? That’s pretty cool. That’s comforting to know that now if my son chooses to be coached by him, he has a guy who is in touch with reality and what’s real instead of theory. That was really good for us.”

Last, but certainly not least, strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran left quite the impression on the family.

“Of course I’ve got to give my boy Scott Cochran … that dude is on another level,” Chris Milton said. “I just had bicep surgery, I had a torn tendon, and it was torn while I was sitting in his office, but sitting in there watching how they get after it in the weight room and everything … yeah, he’s a guy. He’s a guy, for real. As an adult, I told my wife I wish I had somebody in my life like a Saban or a Cochran to have that kind of accountability.”

Kendall was able to spend time with players like Tua Tagovailoa and others. Fellow California native Najee Harris was unable to see Milton during their stay, however, the two do have a bond. How much influence could that have in an ultimate decision? We’ll see.

One thing is clear: the visit helped Alabama’s chances.

“I think that Bama has definitely positioned themselves and given themselves some very huge relevance. I know that for a fact,” Chris Milton said. “I can probably speak with 100 percent certainty that he’ll be scheduling an official visit to Bama. Just a matter of putting that on the calendar. For a lack of better words, I think they made his personal cut.

“One thing about Kendall, Kendall has a poker face. Even to his mom and I, we sit here and guess. He cut a list of 41 down to a recent seven and we’re asking him to cut it down to a potential five for the official visits, which will ultimately become one. That’s hard. The reality of it is this: the decision that he makes on this 2019 calendar year, ultimately has the power to impact the rest of his life. If he goes to the right school with the right program, it can potentially put him in the right offense, maybe win some awards in college, be a top first round pick, make a whole hell of a lot of money, create businesses, wealth for himself — it can change his life. Or, if he makes the wrong decision that stunts his growth, now he’s fighting or whatever. He’s potentially making the biggest, most influential decision of his life. At 17 years old, I know for a fact I wouldn’t want it.”

Milton isn’t your average 17-year-old, though. So sifting through opportunities to play at schools like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, and USC, among others, isn't something he's taking lightly.

“Kendall is very, very mature,” his dad said. “This is why we’re comfortable with him being a little bit more tight-lipped. We understand the litmus test by which he’s grading everything by. It’s not about the glitz and the glamour, it’s not about the shiny things. Kendall actually deep dives and gets granular into the things that he’s really looking at — life after football, alumni program, truly developing me, physically and mentally, building football IQ … Kendall knows exactly what he’s looking for.”

At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Milton is rated the No. 3 running back and the No. 22 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.