Chris Black chooses Alabama
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Saying he wanted to focus his senior year on football, Jacksonville (Fla.) First Coast wide receiver Chris Black made his college choice Friday.
That choice will take Black to Tuscaloosa.
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"It's tough leaving the state of Florida, but Alabama is my choice," Black said. "I think it's what's best for me and my family."
Black, a Rivals.com four-star wide receiver, chose Alabama over Florida State Friday afternoon at the First Coast News Studios in Jacksonville.
Black said the timing of his decision was intentional.
"It gives me a chance to play my senior season without distractions," he said. "I am already working on my classes to enroll in January."
Black's high school coach, who didn't attend the announcement due to another commitment, was quick to sing his star receiver's praises.
"Chris is a hard worker, and not only is he a great athlete, he's a great leader. He's very humble. He has not let this whole process go to his head. He's a great football player, but he's a better person," said Marty Lee, head football coach at First Coast. "He is the epitome of what you want in a high school athlete. He's going to enroll in January which is why he made the announcement now."
Lee pointed out that Black would be the second First Coast athlete to play for Saban. Anthony "Amp" Hill signed with LSU when Saban was head coach and played for the Tigers in the 2003 national championship game.
"I just think that he will be a great asset to that program," Lee said. "You can't pick a better program for him than Alabama. It fits the type of athlete that Chris is."
Black agrees.
"The chance to play for Chris Carter and Nick Saban is a dream come true," he said. "I am looking forward to my first spring game."
Black is the No. 7 wide receiver prospect in the nation and the No. 57 overall prospect in the nation in the Rivals100.