



An article surfaced this week quoting five-star running back Najee Harris as saying he’s not 100 percent set on Alabama.

The tenuous commitment status of the No. 1 player in the 247Sports Composite for 2017 has created a firestorm of rumors on the Internet over the past 48 hours, including its own segment on ESPN’s College Football Live.

Harris’ mother, Tianna Hicks, clarified Najee’s comments with BamaOnLine on Wednesday.

“That was news to all of us,” she said. “So what he says – because he is getting tired of the recruit talk – when he’s asked if he’s committed to Alabama, he says I’m committed to Antioch (his high school). He came home last night to me and said, ‘Did you see what was put out there?’ and I’m going yeah but I had to check with you. He said, ‘No I didn’t say anything like that.’ I know how he talks; whoever he talked to probably caught him saying, ‘I’m not thinking about Alabama right now, I’m thinking about Antioch.’

“It’s nothing about, ‘I’m not 100 percent committed to Alabama,’ it’s someone taking what he said a different way. He’s more focused on Antioch and finishing up his season, and then he’ll move on to Alabama. I know my boy, it’s probably something he said because he gets irritated with it, so now his response to that question is, ‘I’m committed to Antioch.’”

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With that being said, it begs the question: What is the commitment status of the nation’s No. 1 overall player?

“We’re still strong with Alabama,” Hicks said. “That’s our spot.”

While the verbal pledge to the Tide stands strong, Harris does plan to take official visits at some point before he enrolls early.

“Because he’s so focused on the season, the games they’re wanting us to get out and see are not quite working out,” Hicks said. “Our games are on Friday and most of the college games are on Saturday. Right now we really haven’t got anything set on the books, but he does plan on using his visits, and Alabama, we are definitely going back.

“I’m not even sure he’s going to take all five. I know for sure the three are Alabama, USC or UCLA, one of those down there and Michigan.”

Harris’ primary recruiter from Bama is co-defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, one of the Tide’s top recruiters.

“Coach Lupoi, we talk back and forth,” Hicks said. “They check in and talk about our games on Friday nights. At the same time we’ll call back on Saturday and let them know good win like this past Saturday, even thought that was a slaughter.”

Hicks touched on where she’d like to see her son end up when it’s all said and done.

“It’s not my decision,” she said. “At the end of the day I’m not the one that’s got to wake up at the school every day and be happy with the decision that I made. It’s his choice. I support him at Alabama, but I support him wherever he decides to go.

“My school, that’s Alabama, that’s where we are committed now and that’s where we plan on staying. If anything changes, I’ll tell you it will be something I’m not aware of. For right now as far as we are all concerned, him too, we are still committed to Alabama, same commitment, 100 percent. He just doesn’t want to talk about it right now.”

Harris, a U.S. Army All-American, committed to Alabama in April of 2015.

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