No. 22 Laurence Jones picks Tide
— -- Two days after a dramatic loss at Auburn, Alabama has rebounded quickly on the recruiting trail with a commitment from ESPN 300 No. 22 Laurence Jones (Monroe, La./Neville).
The four-star recruit and No. 2 safety chose the Crimson Tide over LSU on Monday.
Jones continues Alabama's dominance in northern Louisiana, following ESPN 300 recruits such as No. 3 Cameron Robinson (Monroe, La./West Monroe), No. 63 Cameron Sims (Monroe, La./Ouachita Parish) and No. 221 O.J. Smith (Bossier City, La./Airline).
LSU was thought to be the favorite for Jones heading into the season. But Nick Saban and his staff chipped away by getting the defensive back on campus three times since August, and they received quite a bit of recruiting help from Robinson after his commitment.
Jones hosted Saban and LSU's Les Miles on Sunday for in-home visits before deciding.
For Alabama, the nation's top-ranked class gets even stronger. The pledge gives the Crimson Tide 23 verbals, including 18 ESPN 300 commits. Also included among those 18 are five-stars Robinson and DE Da'Shawn Hand (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge).
Saban has commitments from No. 1 offensive tackle Robinson, No. 1 offensive guard Ross Pierschbacher (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls), No. 1 outside linebacker Christian Miller (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley), Nos. 1 and 2 centers Josh Casher (Mobile, Ala./Saint Paul's Episcopal) and J.C. Hassenauer (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge), No. 2 defensive end Hand, No. 2 safety Jones, No. 2 athlete Bo Scarbrough (Tuscaloosa, Ala./IMG Academy) and No. 2 pocket passer David Cornwell (Norman, Okla./Norman North).
The class could get even better, as the Crimson Tide remain in the mix for five-star recruits such as No. 1 Leonard Fournette (New Orleans/Saint Augustine), No. 9 Marlon Humphrey (Hoover, Ala./Hoover), No. 11 Tony Brown (Beaumont, Texas/Ozen), No. 12 Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County) and No. 13 Lorenzo Carter (Norcross, Ga./Norcross).
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