Kool-Aid McKinstry explains the impact of Travaris Robinson at Alabama

Kool-Aid McKinstry had a solid year in 2021 as a freshman at Alabama. He’s trying to build on that in 2022 — and he has a new voice in his ear to help.

Travaris Robinson, who starred at Auburn before a brief NFL career, is now the Crimson Tide’s cornerbacks coach after a year as the defensive backs coach at Miami. As training camp gets underway, McKinstry said Robinson is settling in well as a part of Nick Saban’s staff and making an impact on other positions, too.

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“We’ve been good, working with Coach Robinson,” McKinstry said. “He’s brought things to me that helped me get better and other corners, as well. The safeties and other position groups, even on special teams, Coach Robinson has been good to us as a team.”

As a freshman in 2021, McKinstry had 26 total tackles, one sack and an interception to help Alabama to a national title game appearance. He earned freshman All-SEC honors and will compete with players such as Eli Ricks and Khyree Jackson for roles in 2022.

Kool-Aid McKinstry discusses possibility of playing multiple sports

Kool-Aid McKinstry was a two-sport star in high school and was being recruited as such by multiple programs. His decision came down to Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia, with football and basketball coaches putting in work to land the talented athlete.

In the end, Nick Saban and Nate Oats won out, landing a five-star prospect, at least on the grid iron.

The original plan was for McKinstry to play both football and basketball in Tuscaloosa with football as his main focus. McKinstry got to practice with Oats’ squad during his freshman year, but basketball is now off the table. Football will become the cornerback’s sole focus, he revealed to the media on Tuesday.

In high school, McKinstry helped Pinson Valley High School to a 28-4 record, averaging just over 15 points per game. He added five rebounds and nearly four assists a night, proving to also be one of the state’s top basketball players. However, the upside in football was too big to pass up the opportunity.

McKinstry is expected to be a starting cornerback for Alabama this year, being one of two new guys on the outside. However, Eli Ricks and Khyree Jackson are also competing for a spot, meaning McKinstry will have to continue working throughout training camp.