PREP FOOTBALL: Grant picks Alabama

Corey Grant, who has spent his entire life in the heart of Tiger country, declared his intention to leave it Thursday.

The Opelika senior running back announced his commitment to play at the University of Alabama next season at a noon press conference at the high school’s gym.

After a brief introduction from his coach, Brian Blackmon, Grant rose from his chair, stood behind the podium and thanked God, his parents, Ike and Debra, coach Spence McCracken and Blackmon and the universities that recruited him.

Then, without any fanfare, Grant made his choice — “the University of Alabama” — and sat back down to the applause and a couple of “Roll Tide!” shouts from those congregated in the gym.

“I felt most comfortable there,” Grant said. “The coaches, just everything there. It seems like a good place to be.”

At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Grant is a four-star recruit and the best running back prospect in the state, according to both rivals.com and scout.com.

He ran for nearly 700 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, adding nearly 200 yards and two scores on punt returns.

But the numbers aren’t what caught the scouts’ eyes the most.

It’s his 4.27 speed in the 40-yard dash, which Blackmon said is the fastest in program history, the burst that has helped him win back-to-back Class 6A 100m state championships in track and has him .12 seconds away from the state record in the event.

Not to mention his ability to shed tacklers and the 10 pounds he’s added to his frame since last football season.

And those intangibles.

“You never question whether he’s giving you all he’s got,” Blackmon said. “He gives you that on every rep, on every play.”

Grant’s recruitment reached a fever pitch over the last month and a half, after he narrowed his choices down to Alabama, Auburn and Florida and said a decision would come before the start of the season.

So Alabama fans and coaches were not the only ones excited when the process came to a close.

“It’s a relief,” Grant said. “A very big relief.”

Grant said the college choice was something that weighed heavily on his mind.

And his coach could see it taking a little bit of a toll.

“It was very stressful for him,” Blackmon said. “You could see it on his face. Any time somebody wanted to talk about it, he would change the subject. He does not like the focus to be on him when you’re talking. He’s a humble kid.

“When you’re at the caliber of recruit he is, the phone never stops ringing. It just becomes a distraction. And today was about eliminating some of those distractions.”

Ike Grant, Corey’s father and the head football coach at LaFayette, said he was happy for his son and proud of his accomplishment.

But Grant, who played at Alabama State and in the NFL, also said the pressure on his son is far from over.

“I think the general public is going to expect him to do great things this football season at Opelika High School,” Grant said. “And I think he’s prepared for that.”

The younger Grant made a conscious effort to have his decision out of the way before practice started so he could focus on his senior season with the Bulldogs.

And after that, it’s off to the excitement of signing day, his first training camp and suiting up for the first time on a national stage.

Blackmon, who has known Grant since the back was in pre-K, said it couldn’t happen to a much better person.

“Here’s a kid who’s done everything right,” Blackmon said. “He’s done what he’s supposed to in the classroom, he’s worked hard in the weight room. And he deserves a chance at success.

“And to see that is just a real source of pride.”

dmorrison@oanow.com | 737-2568