The Saban 250: 91-100 Jahmyr Gibbs or Henry To'oTo'o, Which Transfer Do You Have?

From 0 to 100: Kenyan Drake

Kickoffs have seemingly always defied time, especially the way they hang in the air as everyone waits for the football to spin through its arc and finally return to earth. There’s a lot going on underneath each, until it finally begins to plummet into the eager hands of a returner who then starts carrying it in the opposite direction.

That’s just with a normal kickoff.

Nobody wanted the one opening the 2015 collegiate season to be struck sooner or land faster than Alabama’s Kenyan Drake. 

He fielded it at about the 4-yard line of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, hesitated at about the 20 and was then promptly dropped by two Wisconsin players. Drake had probably dreamed of reaching the end zone, but being tackled had never felt so good.

Not only was it his first play since suffering the gut-wrenching leg fracture and dislocated ankle at Ole Miss 11 months previous, the question of how he would react to taking a hit no longer loomed.

“It was great, obviously,” Drake said. “I haven’t played since October of last year, so it was kind of nerve-wracking initially, but the butterflies kind of went away. It was good to be back out there with my teammates playing.”

As excited as Drake was to be on the field again the Crimson Tide was just as thrilled to have him back. Not only was he arguably Alabama’s most explosive player following the departure of wide receiver Amari Cooper, but a team leader as well.

That role was especially crucial that season, as they were in short supply with the offense. Alabama had nine new starters on that side of the ball for its opener, and even though technically Drake wasn’t among them he was one of the three players to represent the Crimson Tide during SEC Media Days in July.

“Kenyan is a huge part of this team,” center Ryan Kelly said. “If you were at the Ole Miss game, and you see him doing sprints, running and cutting, and all those things in the springtime and it’s just amazing. I think it shows you the kind of man Kenyan is and the kind of guy he’s become.”

Yes, there was something different about Drake in 2015, which is pretty normal for any senior, but there’s no way to go through an experience like his and not be changed as a person. The Alabama coaches and medical/training staffs were all cautious with him physically, just in case, and the extensive rehab arguably made him stronger than ever.

The sense of perspective, though, that was life-altering.

“There was nothing for me to do but grow, physically and mentally,” Drake said. “Other people have told me that they’ve seen it.”

One thing that may be surprising to some was that Drake never had a problem watching the play during which he got hurt. If the visual part of it wasn’t unsettling enough, the sound of him screaming in pain made the entire experience nothing short of horrific.

Yet shortly after it happened Drake asked to relive it all, even the part when his leg and foot were sticking out in odd directions.

“I’m completely comfortable with it,” he said. “I actually wanted to see it. I heard it was pretty crazy. I know they didn’t show it on the scoreboard so I wanted to see how loud I was screaming on national TV.”

It made one wonder what Drake might shy away from, but on the field there wasn’t much he didn’t do for the Crimson Tide. In addition to being the speed option out of the backfield, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin sort of used him like he did Reggie Bush at Southern California, lining No. 17 all over including at wide receiver.

“I really pride myself on being versatile,” Drake said. “I have the ability to play running back, to play receiver, be in the backfield, or line up outside. I try to give coaches the ability to put myself in a position to really help my team out in any way I can.

“With that being said, I always look forward to anything Coach Kiffin comes up with. He’s a mastermind of play calling and puts his players in the best position to be successful so with that I would want to make sure that I can be trustworthy so he can put me in the best position for our team.”

One of the wrinkles that Wisconsin discovered was the way Alabama put Drake into motion, which with his speed teammate Denzel Devall compared to tracking a “little jackrabbit.” Even a perfectly-timed pre-snap step or two could be disruptive and move a defender out of position, like what occurred on one of Derrick Henry’s long touchdown runs against the Badgers. 

 “You can spread him out, put him in the backfield, throw him a little slant and if that first guy misses he might go all the way,” linebacker Reggie Ragland said.  

A perfect example was the first snap against Florida in 2014 as Alabama had noticed in certain situations the Gators almost always put a linebacker on a running back when he shifted out wide. If the defender played off him Kiffin wanted a slant pass, but if he moved up the call was a slant-and-go because there was probably no way the linebacker could keep up with Drake.

When Antonio Morrison gave Drake a 10-yard cushion quarterback Blake Sims couldn’t get the ball out fast enough. The result was an 87-yard touchdown that let the Gators know they were in for a long day.

“It obviously worked to perfection,” Drake said.

What he ended up being best known for at Alabama wasn’t an offensive play, though, but a play on special teams. During the 2015 national title game, his 95-yard kick return for a touchdown was crucial in the 45-40 win.

It also landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

See Also: The Saban 250: No.101-110 Features a Bo, a Boss, and Title-Winning Quarterback

Next up: No. 81-90