When there’s an Alabama offer waiting, not many risk it by choosing its archrival as their home. Former Tide and now New Orleans CB Kool-Aid McKinstry had quite the dilemma at the time of his recruitment. But after some last-minute theatrics, he took a leap of faith with Nick Saban, giving Auburn a miss.

“I ain’t never talked to them again, I ain’t gonna lie,” McKinstry said on the January 15 episode of Closed on Sundays. “I had told them I was going to commit to them, but then I just knew I couldn’t go there.

Out of high school, McKinstry committed to Auburn. However, the 5-star player opened his recruitment and flipped to the Tide.

“I always said if I would have went to Auburn, I probably would have transferred right to Alabama.”

The momentous decision turned out to be the right one for the talented cornerback. McKinstry emerged as a Bednarik Award semifinalist in his rookie season. He went on to become a two-time first-team All-SEC honoree and a first-team All-American. The CB helped Alabama win the SEC Championship in 2021, and also played in the 2023 edition against Georgia.

Auburn had already begun its downfall by the time the CB was making his decision. Former head coach Bryan Harsin replaced Gus Malzahn but couldn’t impress. Auburn went 17-21 from 2021 to 2023, the years that Kool-Aid McKinstry played. Alabama, on the other hand, was 46-6.

McKinstry was selected in the 2024 draft in the second round by the Saints, where he is still laying the foundations of a promising tenure.

One bad Auburn visit had Kool-Aid McKinstry retreating from Auburn

The Tigers had a significant advantage in recruiting McKinstry. He was coached by Auburn icon Patrick Nix during his high school years, which is why the program appealed to him. The Tigers’ front office scored a commitment from him in October 2020. But after visiting one game, Kool-Aid McKinstry was so disappointed that he backtracked from his would-be home.

“We are watching them play somebody, and I am just sitting there looking at the game like ‘I don’t think I want to be a part of that,’” he said on RGIII and The Ones. “I was a winner in high school. I won three state championships in football, I was around great players all the time. I was like, ‘I don’t want to be a part of that.’ They got beat worse than the score was.”

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McKinstry made his choice at the right time. Patrick’s son, Bo Nix, gave his all to Auburn for three seasons but left for Oregon in 2022. The Tigers couldn’t get back to winning ways despite having elite talent. In Alabama, McKinstry found the standards that matched up to his level. This was a blueblood program, where a crisis like Auburn’s was rare.

Hilariously enough, Kool-Aid McKinstry’s mother “knew” he was going to change his mind, he told Robert Griffin III. No matter what one calls this dramatic turn of events, it ultimately proved to be the best decision that he could have made at the nick of time.