After 17 years, the Alabama football program will enter next fall without head coach Nick Saban patrolling the sidelines. During his tenure with the SEC program, Saban went 206-29, won six titles, and made the College Football Playoff eight times. A ton of talent made its way through Tuscaloosa, including a soon-to-be first-round draft pick in this year’s NFL draft, corner Kool-Aid McKinstry. The star defensive back spent three years playing under Saban, including helping lead the team to the CFP twice.
However, McKinstry’s time with the Alabama football program almost didn’t happen. The former five-star prospect nearly took his talents to another SEC school and the Crimson Tide’s biggest rival, the Auburn Tigers.
On Tuesday, former top prospect and Alabama football star Kool-Aid McKinstry spoke about his recruitment days during an interview with AL.com. In a surprise to many, McKinstry almost took his elite talents to the Auburn Tigers, but after three days of deliberation, he let his mom know that Alabama would be his home for the next three seasons.
“I had told Auburn I was going to commit to them publically. I had woke up like three days later and was like, ‘Hell nah, I’m going to ‘Bama.’ I called my momma, like, ‘I’m going to Alabama, mom, I ain’t going to Auburn.’”
McKinstry would have been Auburn’s ultimate get, as he graded out as the top corner in the class of 2021. Instead, the Tigers were left without a five-star recruit, settling for seven four-stars. Additionally, Auburn failed to post a winning record in the three seasons McKinstry spent in college.
McKinstry spent three years with the Alabama Crimson Tide after landing with them in 2021. He recorded 26 tackles and one interception during his inaugural season in Tuscaloosa. McKinstry shined the following season, tallying 35 tackles, two TFLs, a sack, an interception, and an SEC-best 15 passes defended. He also returned 21 punts for 332 yards. However, the former elite prospect turned future NFL first-round pick took a small step back this season regarding production. He finished the 2023 campaign with 32 tackles, two TFLs, and seven passes defended across 14 games.
McKinstry faced Auburn three times in his career, with Alabama posting a perfect record during that span. He sacked then-Auburn quarterback TJ Finley in 2021 before collecting four tackles the following year. McKinstry had one tackle in the 2023 season.
