Kool-Aid McKinstry has played his final down for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The cornerback is reportedly heading to the NFL Draft, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low.

McKinstry, rated as one of the top defensive backs in the country throughout his three seasons, is the latest Alabama player to opt for the pros, joining Dallas Turner and JC Latham.

Low also reported on Thursday afternoon that Terrion Arnold will opt for the NFL. Meanwhile, starting nickel cornerback Malachi Moore and middle linebacker Deontae Lawson will return to Tuscaloosa for an extra year.

McKinstry is the third-rated cornerback in Mel Kiper Jr’s latest ESPN rankings, updated on Dec. 29, 2023. In his overall player rankings, McKinstry was ranked 22nd with his “great length and recovery speed.”

Yet, as Kiper and evaluators are sure to note, McKinstry only snagged two interceptions in college. Though, some of that is a byproduct of teams avoiding McKinstry’s side of the field.

A former elite, five-star athlete at Pinson Valley, McKinstry won a trio of Alabama high school state championships. He lived up to expectations quickly, being named to the All-SEC coaches freshman team. In 42 career games, McKinstry made 92 tackles, five for a loss, had two sacks and defended 25 passes.

McKinstry also returned punts for a majority of the previous two seasons. He averaged 15.8 yards per return as a sophomore, but that dropped to 6.1 yards this fall, leading to Caleb Downs replacing McKinstry on punt return in the second-to-last game of the regular season.

“You know, he’s done a good job. He has a lot of confidence in what he’s supposed to do and I think he’s starting to see the importance of how influencing other people can actually create value for himself,” Saban said in October regarding McKinstry’s growth as a leader. “But that’s a little harder to do at corner than it is when you’re playing safety or STAR, because you’re in the middle of things and you’re making calls. But he’s done a good job of that.”

With both Arnold and McKinstry gone, that leaves Moore, Caleb Downs, Jaylen Key, Trey Amos, Antonio Kite, DeVonta Smith and a set of other freshmen. Depth pieces Earl Little II and Kristian Story entered the transfer portal on Wednesday.

ALABAMA FOOTBALL PORTAL TRACKER

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].