Alabama Summer Enrollee Spotlight: Antonio Kite
After welcoming in a dozen early enrollees in January, the rest of Alabama’s 2022 class arrived on campus over the weekend. The Crimson Tide will be joined by 11 freshmen summer arrivals as well as junior college transfer Miles Kitselman, who committed to Alabama earlier this month.
BamaCentral will break down the arrivals one by one. Next up is the last in-state product in the group, Antonio Kite.
The player
Nick Saban says he likes to have a guy on campus before officially deciding what position he's going to play. Kite played on both side of the ball in high school for Anniston and was listed as an athlete on all recruiting sites. However, he was named a defensive back in the recruiting class by Alabama, and is expected to play on defense for the Crimson Tide.
Kite is a super athletic player who also starred in basketball at Anniston all the way up through his senior year and received scholarship offers to continue playing the sport as well. While he will keep his focus on the gridiron in Tuscaloosa, that athleticism will be useful in the defensive backfield under the watchful eye of Saban.
How he fits into Alabama
Kite has the speed and skills to play either wide receiver on offense or cornerback on defense. While the expectation is that he will play on defense, Saban has never shied away from flipping a player from one side to the other based on need and what best fits a player's skillset. (i.e. Cyrus Jones, Trevon Diggs and Cameron Latu.)
At 6-1, 180 pounds, Kite is right around the typical size (plus a few pounds) of the defensive backs Saban likes to use and develop at Alabama. He will be able to grow and learn behind another former two-sport star from the state, Kool-Aid McKinstry. Sports Illustrated All-American football recruiting director John Garcia Jr. think Kite's length, speed and explosiveness make him a good prospect at Nickel or the traditional corner spot.
What to expect next year
Kite joins a defensive backfield that features returners like McKinstry, DeMarcco Hellams, Khyree Jackson, Jordan Battle, Brian Branch, Malachi Moore plus LSU transfer Eli Ricks. It is the position group that Saban works more closely with than any other.
While it can be difficult for young players, especially as a summer arrival like Kite, to learn the defense and all the terminology required to be an effective DB at Alabama, it is not impossible for young guys to get playing time. For example, Branch said one of the biggest jumps for him from his freshman to sophomore season was getting a better grasp on the plays and schemes of the defense.
Last season as a true freshman, McKinstry saw his playing time increase as the season went on (and also as the Crimson Tide had more injuries among the defensive backs.) Kite is not as highly rated of a prospect as McKinstry was, and I don't expect Kite to start or even be a regular contributor right away, but I do think he will be in the mix and see his role grow as the season goes on.
Key quote
Antonio has maybe the most natural athleticism of all [Alabama DB targets] this class," Garcia Jr. previously said on the All Things Bama Podcast. "He is an outstanding basketball player helping Anniston win a state title but his future is in football and Antonio knows that. He knows he's a football player at the collegiate level."
Alabama Football
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