4-star TE Ethan Barbour trims list to five schools and sets commitment date

Alpharetta (Ga.) tight end Ethan Barbour was in Charlotte over the weekend as a South Carolina recruit for the North Carolina game. He is looking to visit Tuscaloosa this coming weekend to see Alabama host Texas. The 6-foot-2.5, 225-pound junior may be in Athens (Ga.) on Sept. 16 for the Georgia vs. South Carolina game.

Each of those visits are key because the No. 197 prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings because he plans to be committed by the end of this month. Barbour has set a commitment date for Sept. 22 and he is focused on five schools.

“Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State and South Carolina are my top five schools,” Barbour told On3. “It came down to development and education. I looked at how these schools used their tight ends and how they develop players. Ultimately, the end goal is to make it to the NFL, so that was key, then the education they offer was a factor too.”

Barbour has visited Alabama four times, Auburn three times, Georgia over a dozen times, Ohio State once and South Carolina around seven times. He feels good about each of those schools and one school may have an edge a little less than three weeks from his announcement.

“I have a good idea of where I am going on Sept. 22, but time will tell,” Barbour added.

He mentioned he is still looking to visit Auburn and Ohio State this season as well, but nothing is set yet.

Barbour breaks down his top five schools

ALABAMA: “Alabama bleeds championship pride and has championship tradition. Coach Nick Saban is a legend. The number of NFL players from there is amazing. I like the new offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, who came from Notre Dame. Really, Alabama speaks for itself. The campus, the atmosphere and the fans are special too.”

AUBURN: “Coach Hugh Freeze and Coach Ben Aigamaua have done a great job with tight ends wherever they have been. They produced Evan Ingram, Dawson Knox and others, so I like their history. Auburn has an explosive offense too. They showed it on Saturday. Then I like how close to home Auburn is too.”

GEORGIA: “Coach Todd Hartley is great a guy and he has developed tight ends like nobody else. Georgia uses tight ends differently also. They are in 12 personnel for much of the game, so they use their tight ends and get them the ball. I like Coach Kirby Smart a lot too. He drives his players and he wants to win a three-peat and keep winning championships at Georgia.”

OHIO STATE: “They have a high-powered offense. It is one of the best in the nation. Ohio State used tight ends a lot in game one. Coach Keenan Bailey told me that, then showed that on Saturday. Coach Bailey used to work with receivers and now he is making the tight ends better all-around players. I like Coach Brian Hartline, the new offensive coordinator, then I like how Ohio State can prepare guys for life on and off the field.”

SOUTH CAROLINA: “Coach Shane Beamer is building something special. You saw what they did last year and they are building something. Then Coach Jody Wright is doing great things with tight ends. He used them in a lot of ways on Saturday. South Carolina is like home for me also. My parents grew up in that state and I have a lot of family still there, so that has South Carolina high on my list too.”