Meet Muscle Shoals 2020 linebacker Jackson Bratton

Height, weight: 6-3, 225

247Sports Composite ratings: Four stars, nation’s No. 4 inside linebacker and No. 144 player overall, state’s No. 6 rising senior.

Alabama offer/commitment: Feb. 24, 2018 / March 24, 2018

Other offers include: Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Nebraska.

Stats: Junior - 155 tackles (12.9 per game), 12 stops for a loss, seven sacks. Sophomore - 118 tackles (9.8 per game), four sacks.

Honors: Class 6A All-State as a junior (first team) and a sophomore (second team); AL.com Super All-State as a junior.

Q: We’re coming off National Signing Day for 2019. What are you feelings now that the 2020 class is next in line?

Bratton: “It’s definitely exciting. I’ve got less than a year before I’m graduating, so time is ticking down and I’ve really got to know where I’m going to college. As of now, it’s Alabama. It puts a lot of stress on you, knowing you’re about to go to four years of college, so you’ve got to make up your mind. It’s kind of stressful, but it gets me excited, at the same time.” (Note: Bratton plans to graduate in December.)

Q: You committed prior to your junior season. Why was it important to you to decide early?

Bratton: "I’ve always been an Alabama fan. They were really the first college to show interest in me. When they offered me first, I kind of figured that I’d end up there. I took a few more visits down and I felt like I was at home there, and I still do every time I go back. I went ahead and pulled the trigger early.

"I'm still taking visits to other colleges, too, just to make sure, but I love Bama and I always have, so I'll probably end up sticking to Bama."

Q: Was there a feeling of relief when you made your decision?

Bratton: “There was, definitely, because playing in the SEC has always been something that I’ve dreamed about doing and I didn’t know if I’d ever get that chance. It was a definitely a relief when I got an offer from Alabama.”

Q: How do you handle relationships with teams that continue pursuing you after your commitment?

Bratton: "I try to make good relationships with all the coaches who recruit me. I went to Texas A&M this past weekend and I've been to Tennessee. I kind of handle it like any other visit; I go and I check the place out. I'm still just trying to keep my options open and enjoy the recruiting process. At the same time, I'm trying to figure out where home is. Right now, home is at Alabama."

Q: Do you plan on taking all of your official visits?

Bratton: “Yes, I do plan on taking all of them, but I probably won’t end up being able to because of how busy I am. I would like to take all of them because that’s five free visits.”

Q: Coach Nick Saban paid you a visit in January. What was that like?

Bratton: “It was awesome. It made me feel great, knowing that he took time to come by and see me. He really showed me that he wanted me to play at Alabama.”

Q: What is your relationship like with inside linebackers coach Pete Golding?

Bratton: "Coach Golding and I are pretty tight. We always mess around with each other when I visit, talk a lot of football. Ever since he came to Alabama, we’ve built a pretty good relationship.

"It's very important to me, because when I get down there, I'm going to be spending most of my time with him. It's very important that I do have a good relationship with him, so that when I get there, the relationship is already built and we can get straight into business."

Q: Now that you've committed, does it feel like you've taken on a role as a recruiter?

Bratton: “Yes, I try my hardest to get other good players in the country to tag along with us, the other nine or 10 commitments.”

Bratton: “There’s ups and downs to it. It keeps my active, playing a sport all the time. The down side to it is, I could be working out more and doing more speed stuff for football. But I’ve played baseball my whole life, so I don’t want to quit now; this is the last year that I’ll get to play.”

Q: Muscle Shoals is coming off consecutive nine-win seasons. Is the program poised for a breakthrough this year?

Bratton: “We were an experienced team last year, but this year, all but one starter on our defense is going to be a senior. I think we’ll be even more experienced this year and that will help us out a lot.”

Q: Are there any aspects of your game that you would like to improve during your final season?

Bratton: “I’m definitely going to work on getting faster, and work on my tackling skills; I missed some tackles last year that shouldn’t have been missed.”