West racks up accolades, previews Stanford visit
2018 Alabama quarterback Jack West added yet another accolade to his extensive list earlier this week when he was recognized for his accomplishments as a chemistry student. West, who holds a 4.5 GPA, has the highest marks for chemistry in his class at Saraland High School.
"It's actually an award given by South Alabama University," West said. "Chemistry teachers are asked to pick a student from their class and I actually had the highest GPA for chemistry. So that's why I got picked and it was definitely a cool award to have."
West, of course, is an equally accomplished football player - he has numerous early offers from top programs. In September, he became the first player in the entire 2018 class to receive an offer from Stanford.
"To get any offer in my opinion is truly a blessing," West said. "But Stanford was really special to me due to the fact that I've always held myself to a high standard in academics. Right now I currently own a 4.5 GPA. And to get an opportunity to play for a school like Stanford, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I'm definitely putting all of my thought into it and definitely calling Coach Taylor a lot and seeing everything I need to know."
West may only be a sophomore, but he's already quite familiar with the Cardinal program. He camped with Stanford after his eight grade and freshman years, and he stays in touch with his area recruiter, Lance Taylor, and Cardinal quarterbacks/receivers coach Tavita Pritchard.
"I'll talk to Coach Taylor and Coach Pritchard really every week," West said. "They just tell me to take everything slow. There's no rush. Obviously I'm still only a sophomore. We just started our spring practice this week. I'm an upcoming junior. The message to me is really just to take everything slow and really soak everything in, because not a lot of kids are blessed enough to make a decision like this. I'm extremely blessed and I'm definitely going to take my time just like they say."
West will return to Stanford's campus for a lengthy trip this summer. He'll spend a week on campus exploring various facets of the Cardinal program and university experience.
"We don't know everything yet," West said. "Coach Taylor and I have spoken about a couple of things. We're going to attend the graduation, which will be really cool, to see kids get that high of a degree from an institution of that magnitude. Also, I'm going to get to attend the service in the church that they have on campus, which is something I've always wanted to do. The last couple of times I've only been there for a couple of days (and haven't been able to), so I'll get to go do that. And really spend more time with the players and see a day in the life for them, and spend more time with the coaches as well."
West expects to be on campus from Thursday, June 9 - Wednesday, June 15. He will also participate in Stanford's quarterback camp during his trip.
What are his general goals for the visit?
"Really, like I've said before, getting to know everything I need to know," West said. "Like I've said, I take a lot of pride in my academics and I would like to if possible maybe speak to some professors and really nail it down. I'd like to study political science - I had a chance to see Dr. (Ben) Carson speak in Mobile and he really changed my viewpoints on a lot o things. Just things like that with academics, and also ball - get to talk ball and get to see what they do. The offense we run down at Saraland is very similar to Stanford's. But overall it's really getting to know absolutely everything I need to know."
The four-star signal caller does not have a timeline for narrowing his list of schools or making his college decision.
"I don't know yet," West said. "Right now, like I said, spring ball just started for us and I'm focusing on being the quarterback for my team right now and that's exactly what Coach Taylor and Coach Pritchard are relating to me every time I talk to them - focus on being a kid, focus on being a quarterback at your high school. I really don't have a timetable for a decision or anything. When the time is right for me I'll make that decision."