Trending: Former Lockdown Corner for Alabama Football Elite Takes Shot Against Auburn Rivalry 2024 Offseason: “I’m Going to Alabama, I Ain’t Going to Auburn” following the recruitment reveal
The Alabama football program will start the next season without head coach Nick Saban on the sidelines after 17 years. Saban went 206-29, won six championships, and qualified for the College Football Playoffs eight times while leading the SEC program.
A ton of talent passed through Tuscaloosa, including corner Kool-Aid McKinstry, who is projected to be selected in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. The three years that the standout defensive back played for Saban included two CFP appearances with the team.
But McKinstry’s tenure with the Alabama football team was on the verge of termination. The Auburn Tigers, the Crimson Tide’s fiercest opponent and another SEC school, were on the verge of accepting the former five-star prospect.
In an interview with AL.com on Tuesday, Kool-Aid McKinstry, a former top prospect and star football player for Alabama, discussed his recruitment days.
Many were surprised when McKinstry nearly chose the Auburn Tigers with his exceptional skills, but after three days of thought, he informed his mother that Alabama would be his home for the next three seasons.
“I had publicly committed to Auburn, I had told them. Three days later, I woke up and thought, “Hell no, I’m going to ‘Bama.'” I said to my mother, “I’m
McKinstry, who scored as the top corner in the class of 2021, would have been Auburn’s dream recruit. Rather than acquiring a five-star recruit, the Tigers had to make do with seven four-stars. McKinstry played for Auburn for three seasons in college, but the team did not finish with a winning record.
After joining the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2021, McKinstry stayed there for three years. His first season in Tuscaloosa saw him log 26 tackles and one interception.
The next season, McKinstry had an incredible performance, recording an SEC-high 15 passes defended, 35 tackles, two TFLs, a sack, and an interception. He also gained 332 yards by returning 21 punts. But in terms of production, the once-great prospect who will be selected in the first round of the NFL this season took a slight step back.
In 14 games, he finished the 2023 season with 32 tackles, two TFLs, and seven passes defended.
During the three times McKinstry faced Auburn in his career, Alabama had a perfect record. In 2021, he took out quarterback TJ Finley of Auburn, and the following year, he recorded four tackles. During the 2023 season, McKinstry had one tackle.
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