Punt Return Is The "Kool-Aid" Show

The cornerback impresses even his teammates whenever he is back deep

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Kool-Aid McKinstry is a punt unit's worst nightmare.

As a punt returner, the sophomore cornerback is difficult to bring down, using his speed and ability to shift defenders to have large returns. His teammate Will Anderson Jr. said during Tuesday's press conference that guys will be on the sideline anticipating a big play whenever McKinstry is back deep.

"Everybody gets up and goes looks like: ‘Let’s see what Kool-Aid is going to do on this drive,'" Anderson said. "He actually has a little shake and bake to him believe it or not, so when we watch him, everybody is on the sideline laughing all the time. He actually gets out and he actually can move very well. He’s very athletic."

McKinstry doesn't hear the cheers all the time, mainly because he's "locked in" as he said during the press conference, but he understands the value of his teammates that create opportunities for him.

"I'll say the blockers that I have, they do a good job all week of working hard and making sure that I have the lanes that I have to be able to take and I just take them and do the best I can for the team," McKinstry said.

Outside of the excitement that a big punt return can bring, it can also provide a boost to the offense as Bryce Young and Co. prepare to take the field. Young even said as much on Tuesday, explaining how it can change the initial expectations at the start of the drive.

"I mean, it definitely gives us momentum," Young said. "You know, whenever you get an explosive return, something that’s 30 yards, to change the field position, which we’ve seen Kool-Aid do several times."

The best example of this was during the game against Louisiana-Monroe, where McKinstry had 136 return yards on five attempts as the team totaled a school-record 262 yards returning.

"When you see something like that, the whole momentum changes. We're always in attack mode, but it just raises it even more. We know we're just that much closer than we thought we were going to be to the end zone," Young said. "So I think it's really just that momentum, that confidence boost that he's been able to give us on multiple occasions that really sparks us as an offense.”

McKinstry will have his next opportunity against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Kickoff is Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. CT