Kenyan Drake shaves ‘A’ in head for Alabama (UPDATED)
How is this for school pride? Hillgrove RB Kenyan Drake with the "A" for Alabama
How strong is the commitment of one of Georgia’s top running backs to Alabama?
So strong that he’s wearing proof of it on his head.
Hillgrove High School’s Kenyan Drake recently had the Crimson Tide’s “A” logo shaved into the side of his head.
Is that loyalty or what?
“I went to the barber and gave him my Alabama hat,” Drake explained to the AJC. “He looked at it, and used it as the inspiration to draw it on my head. It really turned out great.”
Drake had his new hairdo in time for “The Opening” — Nike’s new summer training competition this past weekend which featured some of the nation’s top college football prospects.
Drake was like a walking billboard for Alabama recruiting. “If someone didn’t know my name, they would say ‘Hey, Alabama’ to get my attention.”
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Drake surprised many by committing so early, picking Alabama last February among his six offers, including both Georgia Tech and UGA. He would’ve likely doubled or tripled his offers had he remained a free agent farther into the spring. Drake was happy with the Alabama offer, and didn’t see the need to wait any longer to commit.
Like with most top prospects, other colleges continue to recruit Drake and committed players until they officially sign the papers in February. Drake said he hasn’t had much contact with any other schools since talking with UGA coach Mark Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo last month.
“I talked to them right after school ended, and they wanted to know if I would be able to come up for a visit to Georgia,” Drake said. “I told them I would have to talk to my Dad, but that it was unlikely because of my hectic schedule for the summer. I told them that I probably wasn’t going to make it.”
Is Drake 100-percent committed to Alabama? “I’m 110 percent,” he said. “I’m sold on everything that Alabama has to offer. I’m comfortable with the situation. I really like the coaches, the football tradition and the overall atmosphere. That’s my school.”
Hillgrove RB Kenyan Drake picked Alabama out of 6 offers, including Georgia Tech and UGA (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)
With Drake headed to Alabama, he is trying to recruit other top prospects to commit to the Crimson Tide, include his buddy Geno Smith, the St. Pius cornerback who has Alabama and Auburn as his co-leaders. At the Nike event, Drake said he worked hard on safety Landon Collins of Geismar, La.
“He said LSU and Alabama are his top schools,” Drake said. “I had frequent conversations with him. He was walking around with an Alabama hat on the whole time. I told him to quit playing around and go ahead and make that decision. He wanted to sport that ‘A’ on his head; I told him to sport that ‘A’ on his heart.”
After all, Drake is sporting the “A” on his head.
BREAKING NEWS: Coffee County QB Will Gardner commits to Louisville over Alabama, Mississippi State and Southern Miss (click on story link)
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– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog Got a recruiting item? mcarvell@ajc.com
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218 comments Add your comment
Paul N Destin
July 11th, 2011
3:01 pm
Drake will be at the correct school. Nick Saban is the man and you can make any joke that makes you laugh but denial isn’t a plan. Bama will get the #1 QB Keil, the #1 receiver Beckman-Green and one of the #1 RB’s in the country within the next 3-4 weeks. Auburn will get real bad news within weeks so any kid that has the cheating tigers on their list will look elsewhere or they have no other choice.
JB
July 11th, 2011
3:01 pm
Nash…………Really? Tech over Bama? I like your enthusiasm though.
JB
July 11th, 2011
3:04 pm
Mr Destin…….Kudo’s for being a big Bama Fan, but are you slinging mud about AU or do you know something……excuse me, heard something?
Theo
July 11th, 2011
3:04 pm
Johnson’s running backs pile up numbers BUT DOES NOT TRANSLATE to the NFL game. Dwyer was the best he ever had and he is barely holding a roster spot in the NFL. Top noth RB’s are not going to Tech.
Bull
July 11th, 2011
3:18 pm
Saban is going to take 2 more RB probably this class. If saban gets a whiff that a kid won’t produce he’ll cull the roster for “management”. Wouldnt get too worked about this one.
Buzz
July 11th, 2011
3:32 pm
I love how his talent is downplayed by thoses who supports schools other than the one he selected…. I suspect if he had chosen your school he would be the greatest thing since one of the Herschel Walker’s was running the football
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
3:35 pm
@ Dawginit
It isn’t my definition of elite that I’m using…it’s Nick Saban’s
@ Bull
Every elite level program has major roster turnover every year. Look at UGA this year. I think at least 8 players have left for what ever reason that you would like to believe. Don’t take my word for it. Go do the research yourself. You might be surprised at what you discover. All of the schools have MAJOR turnover every year.
bigtime
July 11th, 2011
3:44 pm
Mr. Alabama facts….apparently spelling is not one of your facts… Who would think that people would actually come on a recruiting blog and talk about college football teams? You are one of the whining idiots that I was referring to earlier. But hey, if my football team wasn’t any good, I guess that I’d make up bogus non-football facts as well to cover the stinch that they left on the football feild.
What kind of dog barks constantly but has no bite whatsoever? A Jawja Bulldawg. woof woof. Your game is as weak as your football team, little girl. If you can’t run with the big dogs, go to UGA.
Tossed Salad
July 11th, 2011
3:47 pm
@anijahsdad If Saban did, in fact, say that, then he committed a major recruiting violation. Think before you post your lies.
Bama in Atlanta
July 11th, 2011
3:58 pm
I’m a big believer in time management so most of you (and you know who you are) can save the below messages and just cut and paste as appropriate depending on whether or not the latest recruit picks your school (usable for any school):
(If recruit picks your school):
YES!!! I told you that we would land (insert name of recruit) because I have inside information and know what’s going to happen even before the coaches do. He will be a great addition and will make an immediate impact. This is the recruit we really wanted all along and not any of the others who didn’t sign with us. BCS championship is in the bag…….BOOK IT!
(If recruit did not pick your school)
What a loser, we never wanted him anyway! Let (insert name of school he picked) have him and sit on the bench for four years. (Insert name of school he picked) is on a downward spiral anyway because they lost all their big playmakers from last year. If he wanted to get some playing time and have a legitimate shot at going pro he would have signed with us. I guess (insert name of school he picked) made him an offer he couldn’t refuse ($$$$$$)!!!! Just hope he doesn’t take a pay cut after going pro! Loser!
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
3:58 pm
@ Tossed Salad
Talking about the fact that Nick Saban is recruiting the kid. That’s what makes him elite. Bama doesn’t go after average kids. It’s only a violation for a coach to speak publicly about a recruit. Never said a word about a public comment. You be careful about whom you call a liar, Salad Tosser.
1eyedJack
July 11th, 2011
3:58 pm
He’s gonna get lost in the crowd and end up at South Alabama.
Real Problem
July 11th, 2011
4:03 pm
Paul….not sure your wish list is going to fall in place. Boy, if it does my hat will be off to Alabama.
I would agree with other Dog fans that Drake is not a big loss at running back, we are trying to fry bigger fish. I for one do not think he can play RB at Alabama, but I do see him as a WR or DB. And yes, I believe he is someone who would have played at Georgia..
P_The_Ricker
July 11th, 2011
4:04 pm
The kid appears to have made his decision. Good for him! Who wouldn’t want 10 kids like him already verbally committed and attempting to recruit other high school talent to their selected school?
The title is interesting though, in that it puts UGA out there as the primary school that Drake is denying. Anyone doubt that Carvell knows who is primary audience is?
Michael Carvell
July 11th, 2011
4:05 pm
@P_The_Ricker, thanks for your comment. Drake said that UGA was the last school to make a serious effort to recruit him away from Alabama. When something involves Georgia Tech or UGA, yes, that would be our primary audience, along with Atlanta and Georgia kids recruited by out-of-state colleges. Thanks
Dawginit.
July 11th, 2011
4:14 pm
anijahsdad, so every kid that gets recruited by Saban is elite? I guess that makes lots of players at UGA elite as well then.
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
4:19 pm
Boy…it’s some serious hate on here. Instead of hating on Kenyan Drake, why don’t you guys put your heads together and see if you can figure out why UGA over the last 10 years is the ONLY school in the country to be ranked in the top ten in every recruiting class (per Rivals.com) but still has the results they do. There is an article on Rivals.com that ranks the top 25 schools as far as recruiting over the last 10 years. Don’t think you Bulldogs fan want to read it. It seems as if UGA coaches are very good at taking elite level talent and making it very average. Holla
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
4:22 pm
@ Dawginit
See my comment at 4:19pm.
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
4:28 pm
For all of you jokers on here who can look into the future and see how good a kid is going to be and what position their going to play and things of that nature, why don’t you use that gift that you have and give me tonight’s lottery numbers.
Dawginit.
July 11th, 2011
4:34 pm
anijahsdad, Way to avoid the question. You must be a politician they way you deflect them. No one on here has said he’s awful, he’s just not elite. I’ve seen him play live several times and broken down his game film, he’s a great back but he’s not elite.
Lasso
July 11th, 2011
4:37 pm
@anijahsdad, Did you read the article? UGA’s winning percentage over that time period is still top 10 in the nation, despite a losing record last year thrown in the mix. Top 10 is your definition of “very average,” is it?
And, by the way, “Nick Saban says he’s elite” is referencing a spoken comment. As in, it came out of his mouth. And, it’s one you wouldn’t have known about unless it was public. Since you obviously didn’t hear him say it, your point would have been better made using, “Nick Saban thinks he’s elite.”
Watch Dakota Ball’s tape if you don’t think Saban recruits average players.
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
4:42 pm
UGA players are elite. All of the top schools in the country recruit elite student athletes. What makes him not elite? The fact that he doesn’t play in some crappy private school league and runs for 2500 yards. What game film have you broken down and when have you seen him play? I’m calling your bluff.
dap01
July 11th, 2011
4:44 pm
Is Saban 110% committed to you? That oversigning EVERY affects several players who thought that Saban was COMMITTED to them!
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
4:53 pm
@ Lasso
My point is that it takes so pretty lousy coaching to take top 2 talent and go backwards with it. You can accept top 10 while other teams in your conference win National Championships.
Let’s see what the Ball kids looks like in 4 years.
Deployed Iraq Dawg
July 11th, 2011
4:58 pm
Tide’s Duron Carter, Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze are on the 2011 Biletnikoff Award watch list
Deployed Iraq Dawg
July 11th, 2011
4:58 pm
Five members of Alabama’s defense are named to Nagurski Trophy watch list
Deployed Iraq Dawg
July 11th, 2011
4:59 pm
Tide’s Barrett Jones, William Vlachos named to 2011 Outland Trophy watch list
Proud-Dawg
July 11th, 2011
4:59 pm
This is hilarious….I have not seen one UGA poster bash this kid, but somehow the undereducated Bammers want to believe we have crucified him. I’m sure Kenyon is a great player, but Alabama is a football factory, so playing time may be sparse. Here’s an idea, first please get a job and stop living off our hard earned tax money. Two, enjoy the success of your program, and stop bashing others. If my memory serves me correctly, Alabama was losing to LA-Monroe and hovering at .500 every year. There wasn’t a Bama fan to be found before Saban. UGA is a sleeping giant, and all the SEC fans know this. It’s only a matter of time before things are fixed and we are winning again. When this happens, I will guarantee we won’t be on the Alerbamer newspaper talking crap. @Carvell, you are a great writer, but how is this newsworthy?
Deployed Iraq Dawg
July 11th, 2011
5:00 pm
Tide’s Trent Richardson on the watch list for college football’s Maxwell Award
Deployed Iraq Dawg
July 11th, 2011
5:01 pm
Tide’s Mark Barron, Robert Lester and Dre Kirkpatrick on 2011 Jim Thorpe Award watch list
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
5:06 pm
@ Proud-Dawg
A sleeping giant? I think that giant is in a coma. LMFAO
Dawginit.
July 11th, 2011
5:10 pm
Sorry man, I’m a Cobb Co coach and I’m not about to give up my school. I’ve seen him play against us, which he had a fantastic game and I broke down the two games he played before us. Like I said before, your definition of elite and mine is different. The kid is a great back, but in my opinion, “elite” is only for the top 2 or 3 in the nation, which Drake is not.
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
5:13 pm
@ Proud-Dawg
I’m not a Bama fan. I’m a Kenyan Drake fan. UGA is just as much a football factory as the other SEC schools. They just haven’t been good at the football part recently. I see you use the word we. Do you play?
Vince Dooley
July 11th, 2011
5:14 pm
Paul N Destin reminds me of most Alabama fans….very weird…The state of ALA sucks…that is all he needs to know
Charles
July 11th, 2011
5:16 pm
Meh, he’s a nice player but Marshall’s the jewell. Go get him CMR. I predict Drake will be two-and-out at Bama before Saban cuts him loose. But he’s definitely helping himself here with Geno, which I suspect is his main intention. Smart guy. Ruthless, but smart.
dawglife
July 11th, 2011
5:23 pm
Anijahsdad, your Drakes father so dont you think your a little biased?
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
5:26 pm
You keep hiding behind your username then. He is as elite as any back in the country. Who do you think is an elite back if Drake is not?
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
5:29 pm
@ dawglife
What makes you think I’m that kids father?
dawglife
July 11th, 2011
5:32 pm
Is Drake a good back yes, is he the best SENIOR back in the state this year, maybe. Is he one of the best back in the country NO WAY.
dawglife
July 11th, 2011
5:33 pm
Only a father or close family member would defend him like this, I would do the same if it was my son
Whiskey Breath
July 11th, 2011
5:35 pm
Bobo will the next whippin boy. I’m not sure he deserves it, but that is how CMR plays. It is always the asst coaches fault instead of the guy that hired them. Bobo is the only one left isn’t he?
observation
July 11th, 2011
5:35 pm
b/c your comments are that of a fool or a father
GrantParkGator
July 11th, 2011
5:36 pm
Drake made a great choice in Bama..UGA fans are finally seeing what most state(outside of Texas,OH and Miss)go thru yearly when the top players will leave for other states. The Top 2-3 OL,RB,LB and DB are all leaving the state. CMR better produce this season or it will take years to stop the bleeding after he gets the ax.
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
5:37 pm
@ Charles
I hope Marshall does go to UGA. That way UGA will have the supposedly top 2 backs in the country 2 years running. Lets see what the excuses will be after that. I tell you what, UGA needs to stop hemorrhaging lineman. That’s where you win. Holla
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
5:39 pm
@ observation
This is just healthy conversation. I don’t think I have said one thing that can be considered foolish.
Dawginit.
July 11th, 2011
5:40 pm
Yeah, because it’s always a wise idea to put your identity out there on a message board. I get that you’re close to him and you don’t want to hear that there might be other RBs better but this year there are a few, like Johnathon Gray, Keith Marshall, Mario Pender, and TJ Yeldon. I
dawglife
July 11th, 2011
5:40 pm
Its funny how you quoted the rivals article about UGA’s recruiting rankings the last 10 years. UGA has played in 3 SEC championships winning 2. Thats something that they can control. No team in the country has control over playing in BCS championship.
Delbert D.
July 11th, 2011
5:41 pm
“had he remained a free agent”
Interesting choice of words, Michael.
Les W. Moore
July 11th, 2011
5:42 pm
Let’s all remember that it was a BAMA fan who poisoned trees because he was mad at losing a football game played by teenagers and twenty-year olds. Row Tard!
anijahsdad
July 11th, 2011
5:44 pm
@ dawglife
Not defending. Just conversation. In reality your opinion means absolutely nothing. I just like to challenge people on their opinions. Just trying to see if your a blow hard or if you know anything about football. He may not be the best back in the country…but Nick Saban sure does like him.
I’ll be back later. Holla