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Alabama assistant coach Mario Cristobal works with during spring football practice on March 28, 2016, at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

(Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

Mario Cristobal has a simple explanation for his success as a recruiter.

"Honestly, it's honesty," Cristobal said on Thursday night.

Cristobal, who is Alabama's offensive tackles and tight ends coach, spoke with the media before joining the panel at the annual L'Arche Football Preview at the Mitchell Center on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

In 2015, the four national recruiting services -- ESPN, Rivals, Scout and 247Sports -- named Cristobal the National Recruiter of the Year.

Cristobal said his work as a recruiter is a reflection of things learned when he was being recruited. Cristobal played offensive tackle at Miami (Fla.).

"I think I was raised by two unbelievable parents," Cristobal said. "They went through the recruiting process. They are Cuban-born, so when they sat in the living room with myself, my brother and we were getting recruited, they really didn't understand what was going on, and we had to kind of explain it to them. But one thing that stuck out to them during the process were the coaches that were really honest, the guys that were really just genuine and natural and the ones that were persistent. So like anything else in life, working hard, doing it the right way and being honest goes a long way. And I think that's what pays off for the program itself."

Alabama is coming off its fourth national championship in the past seven seasons under coach Nick Saban. Cristobal is entering his fourth season with the Crimson Tide, so the CFP national-championship victory over Clemson in January was his first at Alabama.

Cristobal said playing in the national-championship game is initially a handicap in recruiting because the title teams are focused on a game while the rest of the college football world is looking at recruiting. But the national crown turns into an advantage once it is won.

"It's very helpful for the right kind of young man," Cristobal said, "which is what we're looking for -- guys that want to compete, guys that certainly don't flinch when they're on the big stage and it's time to make a big play."

Alabama's success doesn't mean the Tide coaches can rest on their laurels when recruiting, though.

"There's no slowing down - in fact, it's kind of the other way around," Cristobal said. "The foot's on the gas more than ever. (Saban) has really pushed us and challenged us as a staff and a team to do better and to grow as a team and grow as coaches. I think we're continuing the process to improve and be a better football team and a better program."

Cristobal's on-the-field job was complicated by the arrest of offensive tackle Cam Robinson on May 17. Robinson faces a misdemeanor drug charge and a felony charge of illegal possession of a stolen weapon in his hometown of West Monroe, La.

Cristobal said questions about Robinson would need to be directed to Saban. But he did know how he would approach the situation regardless of Robinson's future with the team.

"I think you stay the course," Cristobal said. "You just continue coaching. We take the lead of our head coach. Regardless of any situation that we have, and I believe it's Sept. 3 -- is that the first game? Come Sept. 3, every team is going to have to play their game regardless of their situation and circumstances. So we focus on exactly what we have to do and how we have to do it and keep it as simple as that."

The Alabama offensive line could be in line for an early boost from freshman Jonah Williams of Folsom, Calif.

"Jonah is a special young man," Cristobal said. "We've got a ton of special young guys on our team. He's a guy that came in as an early enrollee and (is) really just committed, very driven. I know coach Saban spoke about him at length on several occasions, and right away, he put himself in the mix to compete for a starting job on our offensive line. He has exceeded expectations -- maybe not his own. Again, he has high standards for himself. So we expect him to be a tremendous, tremendous contributor for our football team."

Alabama will open its 2016 campaign against Southern Cal on Sept. 3 in the Advocare Kickoff Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

"Very talented football team," Cristobal said of Southern Cal. "Very schematically sound, well-coached, tough, fast, physical - typical USC football team. It's going to be a great game."