Childhood Connection with Alabama Coach Driving Factor for Defensive Back Target

Alabama’s 2027 class sits at 35th in the country by 247 Sports. That will change in the coming months as more people start to commit. The coming months will be crucial to that, and the Crimson Tide will have a lot of players on key visits coming up to help round out the class.

One player that they are trying to land is three-star defensive back MJ Burnett from Walton High School in Georgia. Alabama on SI recently caught up with Burnett to discuss where Alabama stands with him going into official visit season.

MJ Burnett talks about the Tide

Burnett’s dad, Morgan Burnett, played in the NFL for a decade, where he spent time with the Packers, Steelers, and Browns. While in Green Bay, he played with now Alabama safeties coach Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. That connection with coach Clinton-Dix is a big driving factor for MJ.

“I’ve been around him since I was little, and we have had a great connection since then," MJ said. "Now, seeing him at the college level and being able to spend time with him is good. His main selling point is our relationship.”

MJ has already been to Tuscaloosa after coming to Alabama in the spring, and he took away a few things from the visit.

“I saw how the safeties communicated and how they flew around," he said. "They were very chatty, and I feel like I am a really chatty safety myself, so I feel like I could thrive in that system.”

He will be back at Alabama for an official visit from June 5-7 and will also visit Georgia Tech May 29-June 1 and Georgia a few weeks later from June 19-21. While he has a connection with coach Clinton-Dix at Alabama, he also has deep roots at both Georgia Tech and Georgia, as his dad played at Tech and his uncle played at Georgia.

While MJ has not set a commitment date, between the three visits, he is looking for a few things to help determine which one he will choose.

“I want to see how I will fit into the defense and how I bond with the coaches and the people, that’s the most important thing," MJ said.

MJ played high school ball with Alabama freshman tight end Jude Cascone.

Last season, in Walton’s opening game, Burnett had three interceptions (one being a pick six), a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, and 11 total tackles. The game was played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the same stadium where the SEC Championship Game is played. In total, he finished the season with five interceptions and 45 total tackles despite missing a few games with injury, as his Walton team would advance to the quarterfinals of the 6A classification in Georgia.

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