4 Star LB Set to Visit Alabama

The final stretch of the recruiting process is always difficult as prospects try to decide their college destination by national signing day. Scout.com four-star linebacker A.J. Jones is dealing with his intense recruitment and his father's hospitalization.

"My Pops is starting to do a lot better," said A.J. Jones. "He had another procedure today. He is still in recovery. He suffered a mild heart attack which came from an infection in his body."

"It's been tough for us, but is doing really good right now. We expect him to have a full recovery," Jones added.

Jones will try to take his mind away from the home-front as he travels to his second official visit.

"I am visiting Alabama this weekend," Jones said. "I was scheduled to visit Rutgers. Coach [Dave] Ungerer [Alabama] came to visit me last week. He said this would be one of their biggest recruiting weekends. I wasn't going to take the visit if school was out. When I found out all the students were still going to be there, I knew I wanted to go ahead and take my official this weekend to Alabama."

Alabama head coach Mike Shula called the four-star linebacker last week to offer his concerns for the family.

"Coach Shula called me last week to check on me," Jones said. "He wanted to know how I was handling everything. He wanted to make sure I was doing ok and checking up on my Pops."

When asked a favorite school Jones replied, "Right now Florida is in the top spot. I'm not going to hold anything back anymore. I am going to be straight up about everything from now on. My comfort status with the Florida coaches is better than anyone else. USC was my favorite, but it's very far away. If USC was closer I would probably have committed to them. The situation with my Pops is making me want to stay closer to home."

"Alabama is right behind Florida. I am really looking forward to my visit this weekend. The coaches told me I should have a lot of fun, and it would help me take my mind off of things. I want to check out the school and all the other stuff. When I went out to USC I didn't get out there until Saturday. I missed a lot of the stuff on Friday night. I am not going to miss anything this time," Jones added.

Jones canceled his visit to Rutgers for this weekend, and the Scarlet Knights are out of the race for the Middleton-Tampa, Fla. linebacker's signature.

Jones said, "I am not considering Rutgers right now. I am getting serious with my recruitment, and I am only going to visit the schools I think I may attend. Coach [Chris] Demarest came to the school last week. He is a real cool guy, and I like him a lot."

"Rutgers has a great program. I feel they are definitely a team on the rise. They had a really good year, and they are going to a bowl game. I'm just not interested in them anymore," Jones added.

Jones will take his final three visits in January and expects to make a decision after his last visit.

"I am going to Ohio State (1-7). I will head to LSU January 14, and my final visit is to Florida (1-21). I will evaluate each program I have visited then make my final decision," Jones said.

For a complete list of Alabama's impressive visitors, please click here: