A busy spring set the tone for an even busier summer for one of the country’s best safeties.
Rivals250 Defensive Defense C.J. Jimcoily is at Stanford, Tennessee, LSU and Alabama. After visiting each program in early spring, Jimcoily is scheduled to make official visits to each in the coming weeks. This includes trips to visit Stanford (May 31-June 2), Tennessee (June 7-9), LSU (June 14-16) and Alabama (June 21-23).
“This spring has been a lot of outreach to schools that have offered and getting back to new teams that have offered to me again,” Jimcoily told Rivals of his core group of programs. “A lot of schools came through here and I had a good opportunity to talk to them and get used to them.”
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The 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy took a trip to Palo Alto in January.
Jimcoily has his eye on the Cardinal from an academic standpoint. He called the football program the “cherry on top.”
“The academics speak for themselves,” he said. “It’s a very prestigious school, with so many opportunities to take advantage of it. I went into it (the January visit) to look into the academics and what else I could get out of it, from what they’re offering to talking to the coaches and also academic advisors, and I talk a lot about business, I really valued that, and to Stanford, football would be the icing on the cake for academics, because that’s probably what interests me the most.”
The sought-after security guard will be back in Palo Alto on May 31st for his first official visit.
“The plan is to see what else there is for football, because I am already convinced of what they can offer academically,” he added.
Jimcoily, the 18th-ranked candidate in his position, is a top priority for state volunteers, who are working hard to keep him close to home.
“They are making it very difficult to leave,” he said of Tennessee, which will host him for an official meeting on June 7. “I like their coaching style and they are very personal, which attracts my attention. I have a lot of teammates there and it’s their home state so they’re showing a lot of interest. Guys like Edwin Spillman, Nate Spillman, Kaleb Beasley. .. There are so many players who vouch for Rocky Top, and when it comes to the real question, players are the best to go. It’s the home state with teammates and coaches who love you, with a program that’s on the rise. -e coming, and I recognize what they have achieved under the coach (Josh) Heupel. I value the change and the standard it provides.”
Jimcoily will return to LSU in mid-June for the second time this off-season, which is a homecoming of sorts for the four-star safety who has family in and around south Louisiana.
“My paternal family is from Louisiana, so we grew up LSU fans and it’s crazy to have an opportunity like this,” Jimcoily said. “The new team has a family atmosphere and being there is a dream come true to play for the team your family grew up supporting. On my recent visit to LSU, I was ready to be amazed. by watching them grow and the talent they produce. They also have great academic opportunities for an SEC school.
“The new team feels like an extension of the family. Talking to players, the recurring theme is family. I have family living there and the whole place is very personal. Brian Kellythe vibration. When we sat down in his office, he asked me what I’m passionate about and what I look for in a program, and I appreciated that along with the family atmosphere and standard of excellence they have there.”
The Crimson Tide entered Jimcoily’s recruitment last week after making a stop in Tuscaloosa earlier this month and receiving an offer from assistants Christian Robinson It is Colin Hitschler. Now, Alabama is planning its last official visit in June — potentially before making a decision.
“Recently, Alabama got into it and it was crazy and I didn’t see it coming,” Jimcoily said. “The new ‘Bama staff has been working around the clock. In my eyes, Alabama is the pinnacle of college football, the most decorated program in history, so to have the offer to play for them is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That immediately appealed to me. I attended, and besides the name and the program, Coach Hitsch is a really nice, kind guy, and I was impressed with the move from the Big Ten to the SEC. Coach C-Rob’s sister is a teacher at my school (Lipscomb Academy. ) and I’m close with him, and I had the opportunity to talk to him at Auburn and Baylor.”
“The official visit is a little late in the process,” Jimcoily added, “but I hold Alabama in such high regard that I am looking to find out more about such a decorated program.”
