{"id":4206,"date":"2023-05-04T01:32:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T06:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=4206"},"modified":"2023-05-04T01:32:55","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T06:32:55","slug":"alabama-targeting-pennsylvania-lineman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/alabama-targeting-pennsylvania-lineman\/","title":{"rendered":"Alabama targeting Pennsylvania lineman"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of\u00a0Alabama signed an outstanding\u00a0offensive\u00a0line class in 2023 led by the nation\u2019s top offensive\u00a0tackle, Kadyn Proctor<\/a><\/strong>. Great offensive\u00a0lines are not built overnight. Successful\u00a0recruiting\u00a0year after year is important. The Crimson Tide has its eyes on several targets in the 2024 class including Pennsylvania native, Kevin Heywood<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Heywood played his freshman season\u00a0at Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote before the school closed. He followed head coach Mike Watkins to Archbishop Wood in Warminster where he attended during the following two seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coach Watkins had an opportunity to accept a position as the head coach at The Pennington School in New Jersey. Heywood transferred\u00a0to Pope John Paul II in Royersville which is within walking distance to his home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a unique high school journey so far, and it will end with Heywood\u2019s choice of just about any college in the country. His first scholarship offer was earned from UConn last summer. The offers continued with each camp- Penn State<\/a>, Rutgers and Michigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Bama in the Keystone State: Tommy Rees visits offensive commtiment<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Alabama offered Heywood during spring tour<\/h2>\n

Several offers were delivered throughout the fall, and also from programs he had not seen in person. Heywood spent most of his time in the Northeast where college coaches were able to see him in camp or available to visit his school.<\/p>\n

Programs in the Southeast, and other areas of the country, were eager to get Heywood on campus this spring. He took a Southeast swing in April which included trips to Alabama, Auburn<\/a>, Kentucky<\/a> and Tennessee<\/a>. Alabama was the only school, of this group, not extending an offer at this point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think any time you have an opportunity to play for Nick Saban<\/a><\/strong> and a program with the history of Alabama it will shell shock you,\u201d said his former head coach, Matt Watkins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just a lot to process. Kev can play at any school in the country. Alabama came in a little later than others, but he camped at a lot of other places. It\u2019s easy for schools to pull the trigger when they see him in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heywood has taken a step back from the recruiting limelight. His family has provided information and permission to Coach Watkins to provide information regarding his recruitment.\u00a0 He noted Heywood is patient with the process while trying to collect as much knowledge on each program in consideration for an official visit. Alabama hopes to secure one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Offensive line coach Eric Wolford<\/a><\/strong> visited Heywood\u2019s new school on Tuesday. Alabama likes for players to compete in a camp setting, but after seeing Heywood a few times in the less than a month the focus is more about bringing the heavily recruited lineman in for an official visit rather than a work-out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a humbling offer,\u201d Coach Watkins said regarding the Tide\u2019s interest. \u201cHe has an opportunity to play for Nick Saban. He is considering them, but he\u2019s gonna give each school the same opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he really enjoyed his time down there. He really enjoys Coach Wolf (Wolford) and everything they do down there. It\u2019s big-time football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Miss: Five recruiting storylines to watch in May<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sky is the limit for the massive lineman<\/h2>\n

Coach Watkins raved about Heywood\u2019s competitive spirit and how he plays with a nasty streak. He expects he will play left or right tackle at the next level. He also did not start until his junior season. Coach Watkins said Heywood\u2019s ability to bend, to go along with his athleticism, is what has college coaches lining up for a signature.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis ceiling is so high,\u201d he said. \u201cHe has a lot of tread left on the tires. He is still raw from a skill set. Forget his frame- he just wants it. He loves to compete and approaches everything that way. He has a great attitude towards the game. That what separates him from a lot of players.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loves the process. He loves getting developed, and loves to be recruited. You now add in the frame to his competitiveness and that\u2019s what coaches love to see. He\u2019s pretty damn good at pushing people around. Coaches see a huge upside. I think he is someone who can compete and play early.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heywood is described by his former coach as a no-nonsense type player. He is not interested in top school graphics, announcing a decision with hats on the table or wasting anyone\u2019s time. Heywood has a great support system behind him including his mom and stepfather who have also been on all the visits.<\/p>\n

Must-Read: Five prospects who could commit to Alabama next<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Heyward open to leaving the state<\/h2>\n

Penn State has long been thought of as the leader in Heywood\u2019s recruitment. He earned an offer from the Nittany Lions last summer. He has visited a few times, and there is pressure to remain in state for one of the top overall recruits in the Keystone State.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people thought he would be committed by now,\u201d Coach Watkins said. \u201cHe is sticking with his plan though. He wants to give complete consideration to each program recruiting him and make the best decision for his future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see why people expect him to go to Penn State. He has built a great relationship with Coach (James) Franklin<\/a><\/strong> and Coach (Phil) Trautwein<\/a><\/strong>. He spent a great deal of time on campus. He\u2019s one of the top recruits in the state. I know he enjoys Penn State, but he\u2019s going to go through the process and not get too overwhelmed and not get too emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Alabama targeting Pennsylvania lineman<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of\u00a0Alabama signed an outstanding\u00a0offensive\u00a0line class in 2023 led by the nation\u2019s top offensive\u00a0tackle,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}