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Alabama linebacker target Kendrick Blackshire announced his top six on Wednesday, a group that included Alabama, Baylor, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.

The four-star 'backer from Duncanville (Texas) spoke with BamaOnLine earlier this week about why the Crimson Tide is in the mix for his commitment.

“They would develop me best I feel like for the next level,” he said. “Their training staff — everyone knows I tore my ACL — they have one one of the top training staffs in college football. So I feel like that would be a huge advantage of me going there, getting back stronger, faster, and healthy.”

Blackshire said he felt UA was trending in his recruitment, however, a decision may not be made until later in the summer after the top six drop.

Tide special teams and tight ends coach Jeff Banks is the lead recruiter for Blackshire, who's in constant communication with the UA staff. He was last on campus in the summer for a visit in June.

At 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, Blackshire is rated the No. 6 inside linebacker and the No. 148 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Here is 247Sports' player via 247Sports' Gabe Brooks comparing Blackshire to NFL linebacker Zach Brown:

A bulked-up specimen with virtually college-ready size at linebacker as a high school sophomore. Powerful lower body with impressive upper-body build. Has made plays as traditional inside linebacker, off the edge, and playing with a hand on the ground. Could provide personnel flexibility in college. Diagnoses quickly and closes fast in pursuit, especially relative to size. Productive with 180 tackles in freshman-sophomore seasons in Texas' largest classification. Owns size and strength to play off blocks in the run game. Not asked to drop and cover too much, but gets good depth when needed. Has missed significant playing time because of injury. Missed junior season with ACL. Reliable tackler, but can improve breakdown ability and arriving power. Fairly agile laterally relative to size, but lower-body mass can cause some stiffness. Physical ceiling could be limited because of such advanced bulking early in development. Long-term positional home not cut and dried, but could potentially fit almost any linebacker variation. Among the top defensive prospects in Texas for the 2021 class. Possesses long-term NFL Draft potential.

The Crimson Tide is currently trending on the 247Sports Crystal Ball at 40 percent.

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