Kool-Aid McKinstry heads to medical tent in SEC Championship game
For all of the weapons Carson Beck has on the Georgia offense, Alabama has a great counter with their outside cornerbacks. Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold have been great all season when going up against tough SEC opponents. The same has been true early in the SEC Championship game against the Bulldogs.
However, there was a collective holding of breath from the Alabama sideline when McKinstry went down with an injury. He was attempting to tackle when taking a shot in the head or neck area. The medical staff helped the cornerback off the field before taking him into the medical tent.
Shortly after McKinstry came off the field, Alabama was able to force a field goal. However, when Georgia came back out for their next offensive possession, McKinstry was not seen on the field. He was walking back to the locker room and did not even have his helmet in his hands.
Not a great sign for Alabama, who is attempting to close out Georgia with multiple defensive stops. Having your best cover corner in the locker room instead of out there on the field is a massive loss.
At the time of posting, there has been no official work on McKinstry’s status from the CBS broadcast. Alabama will be hoping their star defensive back can get back into the game. If not, Jaylen Key will have to be the guy at corner for the rest of the game.
Kool-Aid McKinstry long-term health important for Alabama
Of course, figuring out the exact problem with McKinstry is Alabama’s top priority right now. They will just be hoping it’s nothing long-term, with there still being plenty to play for moving forward.
Taking care of business against Georgia is first up, with Nick Saban looking to earn another head-to-head SEC Championship over Kirby Smart. While their last matchup resulted in a national championship heading back to Athens, Saban has dominated the series in Atlanta.
A win would then put Alabama square in the College Football Playoff race, having an argument to be one of the top four teams in the country. If included in the CFP, McKinstry not being out there would be a massive loss for the defense. Plenty of NFL-caliber receivers will play and McKinstry might be the best lockdown corner out there.
Once tests can be done on McKinstry in the near future, everyone will be hoping nothing serious pops up.