Westminster Christian tight end Michael Parker became Alabama's second in-state commitment last week.

The 6-foot-6, 236-pounder picked Alabama over Auburn, Central Florida and Purdue. He caught 43 passes for 812 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games this season after snagging 35 receptions for 561 yards and five TDs in 2016.

A three-star prospect, he follows in the footsteps of his brother, Jacob, who is currently a walk-on tight end for the Crimson Tide.

Parker is one of Alabama's 14 commitments for the Class of 2018, but the Crimson Tide can only accept 22 signees this year, instead of the usual allotment of 25,

Parker is in Hattiesburg, Mississippi this week to prepare for and play in Saturday's Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. AL.com caught up with him for a short question-and-answer session after Wednesday's practice.

1) AL.com: How did you get your Alabama offer, how did you commit and what was the reaction?

Parker: "I got my offer when I went for my visit for the Mercer game. Coach Saban took me into his office at the stadium and offered me. To commit, I called (assistant) Coach (Joe) Pannunzio, and he was extremely excited."

2) AL.com: Did Coach Saban have the button to close the door remotely at the stadium?

Parker: "I don't think so, but I've seen that before. ... Not this past summer but the summer before I went into Coach Saban's office when I went there for a camp. It was pretty cool. He hit the button and he has the rings out on his desk."

3) AL.com: What do you need to work on before you get to Alabama?

Parker: "In high school, I played mostly at receiver, so my blocking on the inside. That's the biggest thing - blocking inside against bigger guys. Playing this week, I can already see it's helping. It's something I don't have as much experience in."

4) AL.com: What do you think of Bama's playoff chances?

Parker: "I think they have a good chance. I think Clemson has a great team. All of the teams in the Playoff are great teams. I definitely think Alabama deserves to be in. I think they can beat Clemson, and I think they can beat the winner of Oklahoma and Georgia."

5) AL.com: Why did you pick Alabama?

Parker: For non-football, it's always been my dream. My whole life I've always been a fan. For football, nobody uses a tight end like Alabama. They basically have two tight ends on the field for almost every play. If you're a tight end, there's no better place to go than Alabama. So, it's really the best of both worlds for me."

Parker said he doesn't plan to sign during the early signing period that begins Dec. 20, but added he doesn't plan to take any other official visits before the traditional National Signing Day in early February.

Josh Bean covers high school sports for AL.com. He can be reached at jbean@al.com.