THE SITUATION: There was a top five of Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU and UAB earlier this month. The plan at the beginning of this journey for Tim Keenan III was to take his recruitment to the end, after five official visits, then announce his decision in February.
This year has been different. No official or unofficial visits have been allowed by the NCAA since early March, so the four-star defensive tackle out of Birmingham (Ala.) Ramsay decided to push his commitment up and announce it August 29.
Five finalists were on his list, but it really came down to two — Alabama and Georgia. Nick Saban and Alabama, the in-state school won out.
IN HIS OWN WORDS: "It definitely wasn't an easy decision, because of the great schools recruiting me, but it was not super-hard either because Alabama is Alabama," said Keenan. "I have always liked Alabama, it was the school I watched growing up, so I have always compared every other school to Alabama, and Alabama is the just the best.
"Georgia definitely gave Alabama competition. They came extremely hard at me, and at one point, I was leaning towards Georgia, but then when I stepped back and looked things over again, what I loved about Georgia was the same things I loved about Alabama. Alabama is the home-state school, it is less than an hour away and there is no school better for me than Alabama.
"The expectations at Alabama is what makes them different for me. They expect to win the national championship every year. They push each other. They work hard. They expect to be a top contender. I want to play the best, I want to play with the best, and I want to play fo the best school. That is Alabama.
"I had a talk with my family a few weeks ago about all of that, and that is really when I made the decision. We talked about Alabama, we talked about Georgia, we talked the location, we talked the coaches, and after that talk, I knew it was going to be Alabama.
"I told my recruiting coach, coach Scott about my decision first, then I told coach Roach, and then I talked to coach Saban about it. Coach Roach told me I am a Bama boy, that I need to stay home and they all said it was great news and that they can't wait to coach me.
"When I think about playing in Tuscaloosa, it is exciting. I am thinking it will feel like I am playing at home. It is 45 minutes away, my family will be there, I will be playing for my home state and I can't wait."
RIVALS REACTION: Keenan was a recruit that burst onto the scene very early in high school. He started visiting Alabama his freshman year and grew up a huge fan of the Crimson Tide. Alabama has a great reputation of developing defensive linemen, and Keenan looks forward to that coaching. He is a very strong interior defensive lineman that can anchor the middle of the line. He is tough to move, he has violent hands, he is quicker than most expect and Keenan is a another good pick up for Saban and company.
