Nick Saban and Alabama flip 4-star LSU commit on Signing Day

Nick Saban and Alabama football were able to flip 4-star Keanu Koht away from LSU football.

Nick Saban’s Alabama football team closes better than most programs do on National Signing Day.

Alabama was able to flip 4-star edge rusher Keanu Koht away from division rival LSU on Wednesday morning. Though the Alabama Crimson Tide were in Koht’s top-five throughout the recruiting process, the Vero Beach, Florida native had initially committed to the reigning national champion LSU Tigers back in the summer. His flip will help give Alabama another top-five class.

What type of player is Alabama football getting in Keanu Koht?

According to the 247Sports Composite, Koht is the No. 12 weak-side defensive end in his recruiting class, the No. 30 overall player from Florida and the No. 198 player nationally. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, has the quickness as a track athlete to become an excellent speed rusher in Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s system. Look for him to make an impact shortly.

Losing a player like Koht is troublesome for how things are going on the LSU side of things. The Bayou Bengals became the first reigning national champion to not finish above .500 the following season in a lifetime. They will not play in a holiday season bowl and are certainly trending down after the greatest season in program history. Alabama is on the precipice of winning it all in 2020.

Overall, top recruits like Koht want to go to where they perceive to be the best programs in the country, especially if they are looking to go out-of-state for college. Though some Florida natives may be loyal to the Florida Gators, the Florida State Seminoles or the Miami Hurricanes, Koht clearly wants to go to a pro football factory like Alabama to get the most out of his talent.

Will Alabama or anybody else be able to flip a recruit as significant as Alabama did with Koht?

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