Bama lands 'The Deuce' Nick Saban's decision on Saturday night to accept the Miami Dolphins head coaching position opened the door for the Crimson Tide staff to get a late Christmas present.
"I'm going to Bama," star safety/linebacker Chris Keys of North Jackson said just minutes after Saban announced that he was taking the Miami position. "I don't know that I would've switched to Alabama had Coach Saban stayed a LSU, but now that he's gone I'm going to Bama." Last summer Keys made an early commitment to Saban's LSU Tigers. But after being dismissed from his high school in Port Barre, LA before his senior year, Keys transferred to North Jackson where he has lived the past six months with the family of Ali Sharrief, a running back who recently switched his commitment from Auburn to Alabama. Unfortunately, before the season Keys was ruled ineligible to play his senior year at North Jackson by the Alabama HS Athletic Association. In spite of that ruling, the 6-2, 212-pound Keys remained in school at North Jackson. "At first I had every intention of signing with LSU because Coach Saban had stuck with me through my problems I had here [in Louisiana]," said Keys, who is at home in Port Barre with his family for the holidays. "But during the season I went to some Alabama games and I couldn't believe it. The coaching staff was great. The facilities were great. And the atmosphere at the games was just awesome. I mean, awesome. I was like, 'Wow, I really like Bama a lot.' "So when these rumors started about Coach Saban leaving, I just told my family that if he left that I was going to Bama. My family felt that since Coach Saban had stuck with me that I should stick to my commitment. But when I came home for the holidays, I told my mom and everybody how much I liked Alabama. They told me to do what was in my heart. So when Coach Saban announced tonight that he's leaving, I de-committed from LSU and I'm now committed to Alabama." Keys credited Tide assistant coach Chris Ball as instrumental in building his interest in Alabama. "Coach Ball is a great coach and a great guy," Keys said. "He's one of those guys that you can go to and talk about life. You can tell him what's on your mind and ask for his advice. He's also a great coach. He's stays on you, but he gives you respect." In Keys, Alabama is getting one of the nation's top prospects. Some services rate him among the country's top 25 prospects regardless of position. Given that he's already 6-2, 212 pounds and that he'll probably get bigger, some project him as a linebacker in college. "Alabama recruited me as a free safety and that's the position I want to play," Keys said. "I've been a safety since I played pee-wee ball and I just love playing the position. I love hitting people." At the time TI spoke with Keys tonight, the Tide staff was not aware of their late Christmas day gift. "I've tried calling Coach Ball and Coach Shula on their cell phones, but all I get is their voice mail," Keys said. "I know they're getting ready for the bowl and stuff. I've left them messages to call me as soon as they get my message. I just want to let them know that I've decided to commit to Alabama." Keys said that he'll wear number 2 at Alabama. "That's always been my number and Alabama has told me that it's open for me," he said. "It's my grandfather's my favorite number. Plus, my nickname is 'The Deuce'." Is Nick Kyles next? On Saturday afternoon star receiver Nick Kyles of Baldwin-Milledgeville, GA said that he was on the verge of making his announcement. After his official visit to Alabama two weeks ago, the 6-2½, 190-pound Kyles was ready to commit to the Tide. But coaches from Georgia and Auburn asked him to hold off until after he took official visits to their schools in January. But Kyles said earlier today that he might go ahead and make his decision. "As of now, I'm thinking about committing this coming Tuesday afternoon," Kyles said. "Alabama is definitely my favorite." Over the past two seasons Kyles caught over 100 passes for more than 2,000 yards. _______________________________________________ RTF mailing list RTF@rolltidefan.net http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net
