Elite EDGE Jordan Renaud makes the call for Alabama

Jordan Renaud made one of the biggest decisions of his life in June.

Renaud confirmed it on Wednesday and went public on Monday; he’s rolling with Alabama, which beat out Oklahoma for the No. 65 overall player in the On300 for the 2023. The four-star Florida native and current defensive standout for Tyler (Texas) Legacy believes he was thorough in his process and the Tide proved to ultimately be the better fit.

“I made the decision earlier in my mind and now its coming to the forefront,” Renaud told On3. “It’s been very tough and when I went on my official visit to Oklahoma, it rebooted how I thought about certain things and how I saw both schools. On my Alabama visit I gained perspective and after the Oklahoma visit, I was secure in my decision.”

Numbers don’t lie

Renaud brought his mother along for both official visits. She felt Oklahoma fit her son’s personality, but the statistics engraved in Alabama’s history were hard to ignore.

“She loved Alabama,” Renaud recalled. “She loves both schools, but she loved Alabama more. They talked about facts.”

“She’s not a football mom,” Texas’ No. 14 overall player continued. “She’s into pen and paper. Numbers don’t lie. She’s business-minded and she liked how everything at Alabama was orchestrated.”

Like mother like son. In this particular case, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as Renaud envisioned himself coming out of the tunnel at both programs. One certainly stood out.

“Bama said what they said and they make you make a decision,” Renaud said. “Alabama sells itself, so there’s not much you can say about someone you’ve been watching for 10 years. It’s history. If you flip through the last five, 10 years of national championships, who do you see consistently.”

Saban, culture push Tide over the top

Renaud carefully determined the timing of his Alabama visit to gain his own perspective of Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the program. By Sunday he was at Saban’s kitchen table firing off questions on an array of topics, including his feud with Jimbo Fisher.

By then, Renaud drew his own conclusions.

“What they say about Nick Saban is a lie,” he said. “They don’t show you how compassionate he is. You won’t catch him smiling in the athletic center, but when you do cherish it. He shoots it like everyone else. He is who he is, but he’s still human and humble, down to earth, and not as opinionated as everyone paints him to be.”

As Renaud weighed the idea of playing for Brent Venables with playing in Bryant-Denny, he noted that the culture in Tuscaloosa was among the catalysts.

“When I’m in the league, where do I see myself representing my school, representing my brand, representing my coaches the most? It came down to where I see myself fitting in and who do I tie in the most with,” he explained.

With Alabama, it was “winning, determination, grit and championships.”

Renaud is tabbed as the No. 9-ranked EDGE in the 2023 cycle according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.