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Xavier McKinney on why he came to Alabama: “I grew up fast here. It made me a better person”

One of the biggest recruiting tools Nick Saban has, aside from having players get drafted, is seeing individuals talk on their experience at the University of Alabama. Xavier McKinney, former Crimson Tide safety, spoke on Monday about how the program made him better.

A native Georgian, he arrived in the Tide’s 2017 recruiting class as a four-star.

He took notes from leaders such as Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison, Levi Wallace and Deionte Thompson. McKinney observed the quartet of young men navigate Alabama’s secondary to a national championship. In the following season, McKinney became a starter at strong safety and totaled 74 tackles – including six tackles for loss with 3.