Player Development at Alabama Intrigues 2023 OL Miles McVay: "They Have a History of Winning"
At Alabama's OL/DL camp in Tuscaloosa last weekend, one prospect stood out among the rest, 2023 offensive lineman Miles McVay.
It was the East St. Louis, Ill. product's first visit to Tuscaloosa and he had the opportunity to work hands-on with Crimson Tide assistant Doug Marrone and Coach Nick Saban.
"It was very good," McVay told BamaCentral. "There were a lot of interesting names out there. I went up against the No. 12 player in the country in the 2023 class, James Smith, so there was a lot of competition out there. Everyone was playing their hardest and Coach Nick Saban and all the coaches were out there watching. The competition and coaching was my favorite part of the trip. It was a lot of fun."
McVay's performance landed the 6-foot-7, 360-pound lineman an offer from Saban himself inside his office.
"We were in Coach Saban's office," McVay said. "In his office, he's got all the rings and trophies and stuff. It's kinda nerve-wracking because you wanna look at them but then he's talking to you so there's a lot going on. Coach Saban told me he liked my feet and that I was an overall nice player and that they wanted to offer me. It was a blessing."
Being coached for a day by Saban and Marrone, one of three former NFL head coaches on the Crimson Tide's staff, was a moment that will last in McVay's memory for a while.
"I don't know how to really say it other than it was special," McVay said. "Coach Marrone pointed out a lot of things I needed to work on and he helped me out. He is a great coach. Then having Coach Saban move me around on the line was just fun so overall it was a great experience."
Missouri, Georgia, Michigan State, Florida, Tennessee and Ole Miss are just a few of the other schools that have offered McVay. He will take a visit to Columbia on Thursday followed by a trip to Gainesville over the weekend.
However, his relationship and communication with the Alabama coaching staff is just getting started.
"I'm expecting to start talking to the coaches a lot more," McVay said. "Alabama has a way of developing players and sending them to the league. They have a long history of winning. Everyone's end-goal when you make it this far is to go to the league and they do a great job of doing that so that's one thing that intrigues me."
A cut in McVay's top schools will likely come after his junior season of high school football.
"I have a feeling I will have a great junior year," McVay said. "So after that, I will probably make a top-seven list later in the fall."
