Alabama Football: Texas misses out as Tide lands first 2021 commit

Alabama football went deep into Longhorn country to nab a 4-Star defensive back for the Crimson Tide’s 2021 recruiting class.

How deep did Alabama football dip into the Longhorn Nation? The first Alabama Crimson Tide verbal commit for the 2021 class lives only 10 miles from the University of Texas.

New 2021 Alabama football commit, Latrell McCutchin received an offer from the Longhorns. But the offer was too late. McCutchin attended a Texas camp in the summer of 2018. The Horns did not extend an offer until early June of this year. The delayed offer to McCutchin came only a few days before he attended a recent Alabama football camp in Tuscaloosa.

Insiders report Latrell McCutchin committed to Nick Saban before he left Tuscaloosa for a return to Texas. The Crimson Tide offered McCutchin in mid-May. Soon after the 4-Star defensive back added offers from Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Arkansas, Baylor and Texas. They were all too late to the party.

McCutchin spoke about his respect for and relationship with the Alabama football coaching staff.

"Coach (Nick) Saban, he’s like a really straightforward guy, he told me I’ve got to keep working, don’t change who I am or anything like that. So like, that’s one of the things I appreciated about everybody, they always keep it real. It just made me feel at home because I’ve never had anything handed to me. They’re not going to lie to you and feed you lies like telling you you’re going to start your freshman year or anything like that."

McCutchin has also developed a close relationship with Crimson Tide defensive backs coach, Karl Scott. Speaking of Scott, Latrell said,

"Coach Scott is the GOAT. That guy coaches really different from other coaches. I just appreciate how he keeps things real with us."

The area recruiter for McCutchin is Crimson Tide special teams and tight ends coach, Jeff Banks. McCutchin’s high school coach, Jahmal Fenner, was coached by Banks his senior season at Texas-El Paso. Both Fenner and McCutchin discussed their respect for Banks. McCutchin said,

"Coach Banks is a cool dude. He just recruits different. He’s always going to show you love. He’s never going to lie to you."

Not only does Latrell McCutchin come across as a grounded and focused young man, but he also sounds like a player who can lead others.

Without being too much of a homer, we suggest looking back at four words in his comments about Jeff Banks, “He just recruits different.” That “different” says something about Banks and even more about Nick Saban. The promises to potential Alabama football players are about opportunity – to work hard and earn a chance to achieve greatness. Little else is promised and that is how it should be. Many (maybe most, possibly almost all) go about recruiting quite differently.

The battle for Latrell McCutchin’s signature in November 2020, is far from over. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and others will try to flip him from the Crimson Tide.