He joins Terrell Lewis as the second draft-eligible junior on defense to declare and the fourth player overall from Alabama football to declare for the NFL Draft.
On Sunday, Xavier McKinney made it official on Twitter that he will not return to school for his senior season.
After arriving in the 2017 recruiting class, the native Georgian turned in a very successful career at safety.
In three years, he totaled 177 tackles – including 13 tackles for loss and six sacks. He would also collect 15 pass breakups, seven quarterback hurries, six forced fumbles, five interceptions and two touchdowns. McKinney led Alabama in tackles (95) for 2019 and had 5.5 stops for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups, five quarterback pressures, four forced fumbles, three picks and one score.
He was part of a Southeastern Conference Championship team in 2018 and a College Football Playoff National Championship squad as a freshman.
RELATED: Breaking: Xavier McKinney announces he will enter 2020 NFL Draft
The All-American safety was given a first-round draft grade by the junior committee.
With him gone, the duo Jordan Battle and Daniel Wright may be called upon to emerge at both safety positions.
Battle, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had a productive season with 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one breakup and one interception through 13 games.
As for Wright, he too hails from the state of Florida.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he posted eight tackles in 12 games and provided depth at safety. The former four-star will enter his redshirt junior season next fall and he possesses the range and ball skills to be special in the secondary.
The Crimson Tide also has Eddie Smith, DeMarcco Hellams, Brandon Turnage and many talented student-athletes in the 2020 class for its secondary. Battle and Wright will get the first crack at it, but Alabama can afford to mix and match at safety, until it finds the best combination.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
