Jordan Battle reveals why he came back to Alabama instead of turning pro

When a blue-chip prospect commits to any university out of high school, they tend to let the public know that for the next three to four years, they’ll be attending this college or that college – the key word being three to four years. For Alabama standout safety Jordan Battle, he could have been drafted into the NFL by now, but instead has committed himself to finishing his degree before taking his talents to the pros.

“Obviously, the most motivation to come back was the national championship – trying to get that national championship back,” Battle said at SEC Media Days. “But obviously getting a degree for my mom and for myself as well. That’s the big thing in the family, a mom and my dad got a degree, so I’d like to [earn my] degree as well.”

It’s no wonder head coach Nick Saban has called Battle one of the best leaders on his team. Instead of playing football for millions of dollars as a highly-touted rookie, he’s instead relying on NIL until he earns his degree sometime over the next two semesters. Luckily for Battle, his NIL Valuation is $617,000 which comes in at No. 37 in the NIL 100 and No. 27 in college football.

On the field, however, Battle notched 85 tackles during his junior campaign with the Crimson Tide – good for fourth on the team last season. He also proved to be one of the better ball-hawking safeties in the SEC last season with three interceptions (two of which Battle returned for touchdowns) and three pass deflections.

Having NFL-caliber defensive backs – and defenders in general for that matter – in Tuscaloosa is a yearly occurrence, and Battle is no exception. He chalked it up to the litany of wide receivers he’s had to face over the years every day in practice that have already made names for themselves in the NFL.

“I feel like every receiver we go against is tough,” Battle said. “Every day in practice, we go against tough receivers. We compete day in, day out on the field in practice, so I feel like that helps us on the field when we’re going against other teams. The fact that we compete every day in practice.”

“Burton, Brooks … Tyler Harrell, they’re all fast guys,” Battle continued. “They’re all great route runners. Practice is going to be fun. The competition in practice every day is going to be fun. We have a great offense, we have a great defense. So just competing on scrimmages, practice every day is going to be fun. I just can’t wait for it.”