Of the three high-profile recruits Alabama signed from the Monroe area in Louisiana, one was not recruited very heavily by the LSU Tigers. It wasn’t for lack of talent, but because Cameron Sims from Ouachita Parish High School had already decided where he wanted to play college football.

“Me, I already had my mind set by my sophomore year,” Sims said on National Signing Day. “So I just had my mind made up to come here.”

Sims seems to have made the right choice, as Crimson Tide personnel have raved about his abilities this spring.

“Cam is great,” fifth-year safety Nick Perry said. “Cam is a big threat downfield. He has good speed, has great hands and can use his body real well. I think we’re going to be able to use him this year.”

(See also “Tide players excited for first scrimmage of spring“)

Similar to last year, Alabama is returning plenty of talent to the wide receiver position. Junior Amari Cooper returns with huge expectations after struggling with nagging injuries for most of 2013.

Cooper showed that he might have turned the corner in the Crimson Tide’s first scrimmage on Saturday, as he led all receivers with 10 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Second on the list, however, was the surprising Sims, who notched 48 yards with two receptions.

Sims, no doubt, benefits from his size, as his 6-foot-4-inch frame creates mismatches against smaller defensive backs. That receiver type, Sims said, is right up new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s alley.

(See also “Tide holds 1st spring scrimmage“)

“I just had a talk with him [on signing day],” Sims said. “He said he likes my body and about how when he was at USC, he had a lot of tall receivers and stuff like that.”

Wide receivers from Louisiana are no stranger to the Crimson Tide program, either. Sims will compete with Raheem Falkins, a redshirt sophomore from New Orleans who also boasts a slender, athletic build.

Sims spoke with another Louisiana product, recently departed wideout Kenny Bell, about adjustment from high school to college. As one of eight early signees, Sims was forced to make an abrupt transition to Alabama.

“I keep in touch every day, and he just tells me the ropes and stuff like that,” Sims said. “He told me it’s going to be hard and to keep your eyes on the prize, get your school work and stuff like that.”

The receiver rotation will be deep in 2014, but Sims has already shown he has the ability to make an impact in his freshman season.

(See also “Kentucky basketball mirrors Tide football“)