After a successful career at Alabama before declaring for this year’s NFL Draft, Kool-Aid McKinstry etched his name on the long list of elite defensive backs under former head coach Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa.
But, according to McKinstry himself, the Pinson Valley native’s legendary Alabama career almost never got started and he had originally told Auburn he was going to commit there.
McKinstry talked about his recruitment in the first episode of AL.com’s “Road to the Pros” series:
Former Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry said he originally told Auburn he was going to commit to them publicly.
“I woke up three days later and was like, HELL NAH! I’m going to 'Bama.” #RollTide pic.twitter.com/WkIUQCnuK4
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) April 16, 2024
“I had told Auburn I was gonna commit to them publicly,” he said. “But then, I had woke up probably like three days later and was like ‘Hell Nah! I’m going to Bama.’ I called my mama and said I’m going to Alabama mom, I ain’t going to Auburn.
“She was like ‘I knew that sh*t was coming!'”
McKinstry was a high school teammate of former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix at Pinson Valley before each went their separate ways at the next level.
Both players are now NFL Draft hopefuls, with a decent chance that both can sneak their way into the first round.
But with McKinstry, who will be remembered in Alabama lore for years to come, it’s fascinating to find out he was just days from committing to Auburn.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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