Jordan Battle Represents a Slice of Alabama's Recruiting Success in South Florida

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama's week one opponent in Atlanta is the Miami Hurricanes. Crimson Tide junior safety Jordan Battle just so happens to be from that area of the country. Battle played at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, just around 30 miles from the University of Miami campus.

"They recruited me very hard," Battle said. "My dad grew up a Miami fan, so I used to always grow up watching Miami. Of course, they have a great tradition over there, great history, so all love for Miami."

Battle is just one of several players on the Alabama roster from the Miami region including fellow DBs Daniel Wright and Josh Jobe, DL Braylen Ingraham, freshman LB Dallas Turner, freshman WR Ja'Corey Brooks and WR Thaiu Jones Bell.

"It’s an area that we recruited for many, many years, so we had a lot of good relationships with a lot of good people," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "We’ve had a lot of people come here from that area and be very, very successful in their careers. Become first-round draft picks, have successful NFL careers, graduate from school. The program has created a lot of positive outcomes for guys that have come to school here."

Some of those first-round successes from south Florida are guys like Patrick Surtain II, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley and Amari Cooper. Several other top players have come from the Sunshine State including Derrick Henry, Ronnie Harrison, Eddie Jackson and Mac Jones.

"I think players see that and I think that’s why they’re interested in the culture that we have here in terms of what we do to help players develop personally, academically and athletically," Saban said. "I think the fact that there’s a lot of good players there, a lot of good programs, a lot of good coaches – and we’ve done it for a long time, have a lot of good relationships – is probably the foundation to the whole circumstance."

Ultimately, Battle said that even though Miami recruited him heavily, that's all in the past now, and he is focused on the start of the season while he still has love for his hometown.