In-state 2024 DL reacts to Alabama offer: “I’ve been a Bama fan all my life."

In our late December piece that looked ahead to the 2024 class, BamaInsider listed in-state defensive lineman Malik Blocton as a name to watch out for. Not only had Blocton’s recruitment taken off in the previous few months during a stellar junior season, but he was also very much on Alabama’s radar.

Following Nick Saban’s stop at his school — Pike Road High School — last week, Blocton collected that anticipated offer from Bama.

“It felt great,” Blocton said. “I’ve been waiting on it for so long. That’s the one that I was waiting for. Them and Georgia.”

Hailing from Pike Road (Ala.), Blocton has plenty of ties to Alabama. His former teammate, Khurtiss Perry, plays there, with Blocton also being familiar with Anquin Barnes, Tim Keenan, and 2024 pledge Sterling Dixon.

Blocton also has several family connections to the school itself.

“I’ve been a Bama fan all my life,” Blocton said. “My aunty went to Alabama. My cousins, they go to Bama right now. I’ve got a lot of family ties with Bama. It’s just a school I’ve been wanting to go to since I was a little kid.”

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With the Tide being a program he’s wanted an offer from, are they the team to beat in his recruitment?

“It’s them and Georgia,” Blocton replied.

Malik Blocton talks relationship with Alabama staff, competitiveness at Bama

Malik Blocton’s primary recruiter at Alabama was previously Charles Kelly, who he admittedly had a close relationship with.

Now, his No. 1 person of contact from the staff is offensive line coach Eric Wolford.

“Coach Wolf and I have a good relationship because he was recruiting me at Kentucky. Him and I have a strong bond,” Blocton said. “I feel like he’s a good coach. When I went down to camp, he was telling his offensive linemen the right stuff and how to block me. When I went down there, he didn’t make it easy for me.”

Blocton, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, is also in communication with potential future position coach Freddie Roach.

“Coach Roach is a very high-energy coach,” Blocton said. “When I went to camp, he taught me some stuff that I never knew or heard of. I feel like I would be in good hands if I want to play at Alabama for him.”

Connections aside, part of the appeal to Alabama for Blocton is their defensive lineman development. His goal is to get to the NFL, and he mentioned Bama’s track record with d-linemen as something he’s taken notice of.

Blocton would also relish the opportunity to compete against Bama’s massive offensive linemen on a daily basis.

“That’s what I want. I want to go against the best every single day,” Blocton said. “I know that if I go against the best every day, either I’m getting dogged out every day or I’ll compete with them. If I compete with some of the best offensive linemen every day, then when I get in the game, it’s going to be second nature.”

There’s plenty of time left in Blocton’s recruitment

It’s easy to see why Blocton has hauled in nearly a dozen Power 5 offers since the start of his junior season. Last fall, he racked up 109 total tackles (70 solo), 27 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks.

Blocton proved himself capable of holding things down for Pike Road following the departure of senior Khurtiss Perry.

“Last year, I had KP flushing the quarterback to my side. So, I didn’t pass rush that much because I just sat there and waited for the quarterback to come to me,” Blocton said. “This year, I didn’t have that. I had to really get after the quarterbacks and set up my other teammates to get them some flush outs.”

Click HERE to watch Malik Blocton’s junior season highlights!

While he does have a top 12 that he released in November, that list has changed with new schools entering the mix since then. Blocton isn’t close to a decision, but is looking for a place where he would have a chance to play early, be developed, and get to the NFL.

“I’m not trying to make a decision too soon,” Blocton said. “But, at the same time, I don’t want to make a decision too late. So, I plan on committing sometime during the football season next year.”

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