Mississippi State defensive line commitment Nathan Pickering was set to visit Alabama this past weekend, but since the Crimson Tide, along with other programs, opted not to host official visitors the first weekend out of the Dead Period, the visit needed to be rescheduled.

A new date is now locked in.

The Seminary (Miss.) product is expected on campus at the Capstone Feb 1-3, the final weekend before National Signing Day on Feb. 6, according to his mother.

This means Alabama will get the last elongated, in-person contact with the Top50 recruit prior to making it official with a school.

All along, Pickering has maintained he is firm with the Bulldogs, a commitment he made last summer during an unofficial visit to Starkville, but the constant outside of that is Pickering's interest in the Tide. Since September, the 4-star defensive lineman has maintained Alabama as the No. 2 team in his recruitment and the school he would choose if he were to decommit from MSU. The Magnolia State native also took in three games at Bryant-Denny Stadium this year.

Pickering was in Starkville this past weekend and has other set trips to LSU and again to Mississippi State in the coming weeks.

At 6-foot-3.5, 286 pounds, Pickering is rated the No. 6 defensive tackle and the No. 65 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.