Phillip Dorsett recalls hosting Amari Cooper on recruiting trip

A Miami product from Fort Lauderdale, Phillip Dorsett wouldn't have many obvious connections to Alabama. He wasn't a Crimson Tide recruit and he never encountered Alabama on the field.

But he's crossed paths with two of the biggest names in the 2014 Tide offense at different points in his life. Dorsett's been training with former quarterback Blake Sims in Boca Raton while he hosted Amari Cooper on a recruiting visit.

This week he's sharing the Senior Bowl's South team roster with Sims. After the second practice Wednesday, he's impressed with what Sims is showing after his one year starting.

"We already had a chemistry before we got here," Dorsett said. "He's got a lot better and our chemistry got a lot better from our first two practices. I'm glad I get to play with him and get in the game with him."

Sims appeared to improve on his Tuesday practice performance when the South team worked out at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, site of the 3 p.m. Saturday Senior Bowl.

Though there is chatter of Sims potentially being more marketable as a running back, he is fully committed to the job of a passer. Dorsett, one of the fastest receivers in the draft who is getting strong Senior Bowl reviews, agrees with that.

"I think he's a quarterback," he said. "He takes command of the huddle and throws a really good ball �a really nice ball. If he gets in the right system, I think he could play quarterback."

Dorsett was familiar with Sims' game from watching another former acquaintance play. He knew Cooper, a Miami native, from his time in South Florida.

Dorsett distinctly remembers being Cooper's host on an official visit the Coral Gables campus just minutes from his home.

"I knew he wasn't coming to Miami. I knew he was going to Alabama," Dorsett said with a chuckle. "We went to somebody's house and we were playing video games, NCAA, and he picked Alabama. So I was like, yeah, he's not coming."

But he followed Cooper's career closely and the now-former Alabama player is projected as the draft's top receiver. Dorsett remembers being blown away by Cooper in a camp coming off an injury in his junior year of high school.

"I knew he was going to be good," Dorsett said. "That's one of those special guys who comes around every 10 years. He's going to be good."


(al.com)