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GREENSBORO — Guilford County's top two safeties won't end up at safety schools.

Less than 24 hours after Northern Guilford's Keenan Allen committed to Alabama on Saturday, Dudley's David Amerson announced that he'll head to N.C. State next fall.

"I felt a lot of relief," said Amerson, whose team opens the playoffs Friday against crosstown rival Smith. "Now I don't have to focus on recruiting, I can just focus on playing."

They are the two crown jewels of this Guilford County recruiting crop and were among the most sought after prospects in the country. Amerson is rated the 10th best player in North Carolina by Rivals.com, which calls Allen the top cornerback and No. 9 player in the nation. Both had received more than enough scholarship offers, and Allen said one of the biggest challenges of the process was making a choice without hurting the feelings of the passed-over coaches.

"Most of them are good guys," he said.

Amerson didn't start playing for Dudley until last season but recorded nine interceptions en route to the state championship. He said his choice came down to the Wolfpack and Notre Dame, and that he didn't make up his mind until his first official visit to State this weekend.

"They had a tight bond, a family. They knew each other like the back of their hand," Amerson said. "That really stood out to me. I want to be a part of that."

The Wolfpack probably wish he could suit up this Saturday, having allowed more than 30 points in each of their last six games. They've now wrapped up four of this class's top 10 prospects from North Carolina according to Rivals.

"I just realized this is where I want to be," Amerson said.

Allen made up his mind a month ago but waited until this weekend to make it public after watching the third-ranked Tide beat No. 9 LSU.

"I tried to see myself down there," he said. "If I had the ball, what would I have done?"

Even he wouldn't have believed this is where he'd end up two years ago, when he first visited the Alabama campus the summer before his junior season.

"I really didn't want to go," Allen said. "I had never heard of Alabama. I had no intention of going there. Then I saw it and was like, 'Wow.'"

Allen primarily plays safety and wide receiver for the Nighthawks, the top seed in the 3-AA West bracket. He said the Crimson Tide have given him the option of playing either position, but that he's leaning toward offense.

"I'd rather have the ball in my hands," he said.

Allen said he's excited for a playoff run at Northern, but the next level of competition is already calling him from Alabama.

"It's the best chance for me to be a better player and a better man," he said.

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com