The Carmel (Calif.) standout will arrive in Tuscaloosa on Friday and spend the entire weekend on campus with his parents and younger sister. Bama247 checked in with the four-star offensive lineman ahead of the return trip.
“I wanted to go out there for a game,” he told Bama247 this week. “I didn’t even have an offer when they were playing last season. Just going out there to check out that game day environment and all of that.”
Lloyd, who will be joined by his parents and younger sister on the weekend long visit, caught up with Bama247 for the first time since his summertime commitment.
He first made his commitment status with Alabama clear and reflected on his decision.
“100% it was the right call,” Lloyd told Bama247. “I am still 100% committed. From the relationships at Washington, (those) obviously played a big role. Just getting to know them and the love they showed me. Once they got to Alabama, nothing changed and we just kept growing the relationship.”
There was one thing that was different from one trip to the next though. Scott Huff was no longer the offensive line coach and Chris Kapilovic was a new name for Lloyd.
“With coach Huff leaving, at the time I didn’t know how it would affect me because I didn’t know the new coach,” he explained. “Then (Alabama) brought in coach (Kapilovic) and I love coach (Kapilovic). It really didn’t change as far as my love for them and the entire coaching staff. Right when (Alabama) hired him, I was on the phone with him a couple days later. He came out (to California) to meet me in person. I came out there to see a spring practice. He’s just a super down to earth and good guy. Every time I talk with him, I don’t know, I just like him a lot.”
Does Lloyd still refer to the new coaching staff being paired up with the resources at Alabama as “best of both worlds”?
“100%. Obviously the history of Alabama, no one can match that. It’s still like that and nothing has changed. You bring the coaching staff who is obviously my favorite or else I wouldn’t have committed to them, I couldn’t think of a better fit.”
The No. 2 overall recruiting class is an added bonus, and even more so when Lloyd looks at his position group of five-star Ty Haywood (OT), four-stars Michael Carroll (IOL)and Micah DeBose (IOL) as well as three-star Mal Waldrep (IOL), which is “arguably the most talented offensive line group in the country” according to 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Cooper Petagna.
“It’s super cool,” Lloyd told Bama247. “Obviously, the number two recruiting class but we still need to go in there and do the work once we get there. We haven’t done anything yet, so just going in there with that mindset of everyone still has something to prove still, I think that is going to be big.”
The Lloyd family is set to arrive in Tuscaloosa on Friday night and will stay until Monday morning. Carmel (Calif.) has a game on Thursday night, so this is the best week to make the long trip over.
“Bryant-Denny Stadium seats over 100,000 so it’s obviously going to be crazy,” the younger Lloyd told Bama247. “I have heard nothing but good things about the fans and how passionate are they about Alabama football. I am excited to see that.”
“I really want to see what the coaching staff is like on game day,” he continued. “I went to Washington and saw coach DeBoer and all of them. I haven’t seen coach (Kapilovic) yet, so I want to check that out. I am going to be there Sunday (too), which is another chance to hang out with everyone, be in position meetings and stuff like that.”
Lloyd’s parents are equally as excited to be back on campus and for their son’s future.
“They are extremely comfortable with (the staff),” he told Bama247. “After I committed, they said if they were in my shoes, that’s where they would go. They both said I made the right decision.”
“It’s definitely super exciting. As of last year, I wasn’t looking at schools in the SEC or anything. Now that I have a couple of SEC offers and I am committed to arguably the best team out in the nation right now, it gives you a lot of confidence to prove everyone wrong.”
Are any other schools still in contact with Lloyd?
“I am talking with USC and Ohio State a little bit, but I am still 100% committed to Alabama.”
Lloyd added that he doesn’t think that any other schools other than the Crimson Tide will get a game visit either. The plan is to be an early enrollee.
