The five-star rating checks out.
Since enrolling early at Alabama seven months ago, Kool-Aid McKinstry has already passed the eye test. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defensive back has the length the Crimson Tide covets at the cornerback position. The short-area quickness that saw him excel on the basketball court during high school is just as evident on the football field, as is his ability to keep up with speedy receivers on deep balls.
As for his in-game prowess, he’s already shown that off, too. McKinstry dominated Alabama’s annual A-Day game this spring, recording an interception, a fumble recovery, a pass deflection and three tackles, including one for a loss.
In short, the Birmingham, Ala. native has arrived as advertised since signing with the Crimson Tide as the No. 1 cornerback in this year’s class. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise to defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who knew what he was getting when he helped recruit McKinstry to Alabama. However, even he has been taken back by the freshman’s seamless transition to the college game.
“The one thing that I was most impressed about from Kool-Aid in the spring was the ability to come up and put his face on you,” Golding said. “So we get a lot of times those type of kids, especially in that position sometimes are hesitant to come put their face on you. And when they saw the coverage principles that we're playing, a lot of those times those guys were cornering the fit. We're using them. We're spilling the ball out to them where we're gonna blitz them. So I thought in the spring, yeah he's athletic enough. We knew that. He is what we thought he was, but I thought he was more physical.”
McKinstry’s physicality shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who have followed him from high school. The flamboyant defender was known for carrying around a doll of the horror character Chucky because he too fancied himself a killer on the field. That aggressive instinct isn’t hard to spot at practice.
“He’s very physical,” said outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr., whose own hard-hitting nature earned him the nickname ‘The Terminator.’ “He has fun. He likes to put his nose in any play that we have. He finds the route and has fun doing his job. I mean, that’s what football is about, and that’s what coming to Alabama is about — having fun, flying around and hitting people.”
Less than a week into fall camp, the hype surrounding McKinstry is already beginning to heighten. Last week, the defensive back made an appearance on CBS This Morning where he was presented with the USA Today’s High School Sports Award for Male Athlete of the Year award. McKinstry has also already had his name brought up more than a handful of times during media availabilities as coaches and players have both spoken glowingly of his potential.
“Kool-Aid is a great player,” safety Jordan Battle said. “He’s very smart on the field. He’s very disciplined. He wants to learn, and he's a great player. He’s going to be a great player for us in the future, and I only see him getting better.”
While McKinstry’s play has garnered plenty of praise, he still has a ways to go before he steps into a starring role for Alabama. During practice, the freshman has been seen working on the Tide’s second unit as Josh Jobe and Jalyn Armour-Davis currently occupy the two starting spots at cornerback on the first-team secondary.
Alabama still has more than three weeks until its season opener against Miami on Sept. 4. That leaves plenty of time for McKinstry to play his way onto the field. Until then, he doesn’t appear afraid to tackle the expectations — or anything else that crosses his path — during camp.
“I think he’s been handling it very well,” Anderson said. “He’s humble. He comes to practice hungry every day. He’s enthusiastic. He brings a lot of energy, and he’s very coachable. He takes coaching and he keeps his head up high and always goes to the next play. He just wants to work and get better.”
