Lawrence North prospect Monshun Sales’s recruitment has come down to a heavyweight fight between the current national champions and his in-state team in Alabama. The Hoosiers hosted him in April, and this past weekend, Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff got a chance to persuade the five-star wide receiver. On3 recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong provided an update on how the visit went down.

“Well, Monshun Sales, when he was in Tuscaloosa, heard the name Rome Odunze a lot,” Steve Wiltfong said on Wiltfong Whiparound. “That is who this Crimson Tide staff compares the elite wide receiver to. Rome Odunze obviously shined in the Washington Huskies offense under Kalen DeBoer, Ryan Grubb and company, before hearing his name called in the first round of the NFL draft for the Chicago Bears, where he’s already making an impact in the Windy City.”

A comparison to Rome Odunze seems very flattering for a high school recruit who has yet to catch a ball in college football. While Odunze played for the Huskies, not Alabama, his head coach back then was DeBoer. Under his guidance, Odunze had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns in his senior season. Crowning it with a first-round draft pick, Sales would definitely not mind having a college stint like that of Odunze.

And along with the comparison to an NFL wide receiver, Alabama is also focusing on harnessing the in-state pull. While he currently lives in Indiana (which explains the Hoosiers’ edge), Sales grew up in Alabama. In fact, he was a massive Crimson Tide fan growing up.

“A lot of his family showed up for the photo shoot, so he got a cool opportunity to take photos with his family while on the Alabama campus. Spent time with coach DeBoer, coach Grubb, coach Nicks, and that coaching staff. And the Sales camp called Alabama a first-class place. He got immersed into the program over the weekend and continues to love Alabama, his dream school growing up,” Wiltfong added.

With both Alabama and Indiana having some advantages in the wide receiver’s recruitment, top recruiting analysts are giving an edge to Curt Cignetti’s team. The Hoosiers even picked a prediction from Wiltfong after Sales’ April visit to Bloomington. And while the Tide is comparing him to Odunze, Cignetti also has a trump card from the five-star prospect’s high school in Omar Cooper Jr., who was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Monshun Sales comments on Alabama after visit

We have seen players ignore their childhood programs and travel far from home to play football. Alabama is doing its best to ensure the same is not the case with Sales. But one impressive thing they have done so far is to meet all of his expectations.

“It really felt unreal,” Sales told Bama247 after visiting Tuscaloosa. “I grew up in Alabama. It felt unreal. I grew up thinking about that all of the time and it was finally there. It was an ‘I am here’ moment.

“That is who you are going to be with every day,” Sales explained. “You are going to be around the people in the building every day. The people there, that is all you hang around. You don’t want to be around people who are bad. You want to be around people that make it feel like home.”

Sales expressed his admiration for the program and its coaches. He also got to spend time with the athletes, who all worked together to give him a perfect visit.