I wanted to get on his level. It's second-and-eight early in the first quarter, Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams takes the snap. Xavier McKinney, lined up at free safety, could bite on tight end Parker Swaringen's go route but spots the play, simultaneously back-peddling, swivelling his hips and analysing the trajectory to beat Darius Ramsey to the ball for the pick on the hash marks. Granted, the Alabama star faced more taxing challenges in than a blowout against the Catamounts, but this was a nice play.
A glimpse of the on-field intelligence and smooth footwork that attracted the New York Giants to him. Elegance to his footwork is matched by a burst at the line of scrimmage and brute force to his hits. Fail to block him at the blitz and there is little room to escape.
NFL Academy launches virtual tryouts. McKinney's versatility is a reflection of a work ethic well-aligned to the expectations of six-time National Championship-winning head coach Nick Saban, whose reputation alone demands production and commitment of the highest standard at Alabama. It didn't take long for the iconic college coach to set the bar for a young man coming out of Roswell High School.
That's what definitely pushed me and took me to another level in terms of my mentality and how I prepare for the game, how I looked at certain things. First-year Giants head coach Joe Judge offers a sense of familiarity for McKinney having worked alongside Saban as Alabama's special teams assistant from When I got to talk to him it was the same feeling that I had for coach Saban, he was on a strict game plan, somebody I could tell I would really click with.
When I talked to him I was very happy, excited because from that moment when we actually got on the meeting and I actually got to talk to him, that was a coach that I would have loved to play for.
