Story by
The Tuscaloosa News
Why 4-star RB Kevin Riley flipped to Alabama football from Miami
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Why 4-star RB Kevin Riley flipped to Alabama football from Miami
NORTPORT — Just a few months ago, it seemed that Kevin Riley was pretty locked in with his commitment to Miami.
The four-star running back out of Tuscaloosa County High School committed to the Hurricanes in June, but as early National Signing Day on Dec. 20 approached, it became apparent Riley still had a big decision to make — stick with Miami or flip to coach Nick Saban and Alabama football .
Advertisement
The whole time since Riley was committed to Miami, he still remained in contact with the Crimson Tide. He attended three games throughout the regular season (Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss and LSU ) and was even on campus last weekend for an official visit.
On Wednesday at his National Letter of Intent signing ceremony in the Tuscaloosa County High School gym, Riley, with his mom and brothers by his side, he announced his final decision that he will be going to Alabama .
"Really over the last couple of weeks closing into signing day, me and my mom at home at night did just a lot of thinking into the main colleges that I was looking at," Riley said. "Like I said, it was Miami and Alabama the whole time really back-to-back. It came down to a point where I felt like my heart was wanting me to be here at Alabama. So, I felt like Alabama is the best place for me to be at throughout the journey and for me to play football."
KEVIN RILEY TO ALABAMA: Alabama football flips 4-star RB Kevin Riley on Early Signing Day
Advertisement
ALABAMA SIGNEES: Alabama football recruiting class 2024: Meet Crimson Tide's early signees
Riley becomes the first running back in the Crimson Tide's 2024 class, which is rated at No. 2 in the country per 247Sports Composite . He also is the second Tuscaloosa native in the group, joining Brookwood's William Sanders (OL).
Riley said he decided officially to commit to Alabama just the day before he revealed his decision. TCHS coach Adam Winegarden said he found out about Riley's decision on Tuesday, but Riley's mother, Janae Riley, said she did not know until the morning of his signing.
"We kept going back and forth at home," she said. "He was telling everybody, but no, we kept going back and forth. Literally this morning it was like, 'Ok, this is what we're doing.'"
Advertisement
A few things played a factor in Riley's decision to flip from Miami to Alabama. One of those, Riley said, was his relationship with Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie.
"He really just got the thought in my head of all the stuff I really could be doing while I'm at home," Riley said. "Like I said, all the nights of me and my mom just thinking and talking about it, everything he was telling me kind of fell into place like the plan he has set for me, and I just made my final decision that I was going to Alabama.
"(That plan) is really just me being developed into a better human than I am today."
Another big factor in Riley's decision was the distance between Tuscaloosa and his hometown of Kosciusko, Mississippi, where most of his family lives. Instead of a near 14-hour drive, Riley's family, aside from some direct family in Tuscaloosa like his mom and brothers, will only have to travel two hours to watch Riley play at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Advertisement
"Most of my family stays in Mississippi," he said. "... So that excites me a lot that they will be able to make it to a lot of my games and to see me play in my college career."
Riley will not be enrolling early at Alabama, but he will be taking online classes at TCHS for his final semester of high school. He finished his final season of high school football appearing in eight games and running for 769 yards and seven touchdowns while adding eight receptions for 43 yards and one touchdown.
Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com . Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kevin Riley: Why 4-star Tuscaloosa native flipped to Alabama football
