Henry To'o To'o talks transfer to Alabama, playing vs. Tennessee

Henry To’o To’o, one of this offseason’s hottest transfer portal commodities, had a relatively simple answer when asked why he chose to continue his college football career at Alabama.

“Definitely Coach [Nick] Saban,” To’o To’o said Tuesday. “You know, who doesn’t want to play for Coach Saban? And the culture. The guys around here, how they are so eager to win. It’s just a pleasure for me to be here.”

The Crimson Tide are lucky to have the former Tennessee linebacker. In last weekend’s Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, To’o To’o had seven tackles, second on the team behind fellow linebacker Will Anderson’s nine. The Crimson Tide rolled to a lopsided 44-13 victory over No. 14 Miami.

Alabama’s defense held dynamic Miami quarterback D’Eriq King to just 178 yards and a touchdown, and they forced two interceptions. Miami totaled just 266 yards of total offense, a stark drop from the 440 yards they averaged per game last season.

To’o To’o is a former Top-50 recruit from Sacramento, California. He is one of five Californians on the team, including quarterback Bryce Young, demonstrating the reach Alabama has and how national their team has become in recent years. He chose Alabama over Ohio State, Washington and Florida.

He was named Second Team Preseason All-SEC this year.

To’o To’o stays in touch with his former teammates

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker started all 10 games for the Volunteers last year as a sophomore and all 12 games as a freshman as well. He led their defense last season with 76 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He also had two quarterback hurries, two pass break ups, a sack and an interception. The now-junior has 10 career games with eight or more tackles.

While the linebacker is no longer in Knoxville, he stays in touch with his old teammates.

“Those are my brothers, man,” To’o To’o said. “Been to war with those guys. Those relationships that you built aren’t just going to fly away. I definitely keep in touch with my Tennessee guys. I watched them play last week. I was truly happy that they got a win.”

Tennessee beat Bowling Green 38-6 in new head coach Josh Heupel’s first game. The Volunteers have a tough schedule before the “Third Saturday in October,” Alabama and Tennessee’s annual cross-conference rivalry game. They play Pittsburgh, at No. 13 Florida, at Missouri and No. 20 Ole Miss before traveling to Tuscaloosa.

Alabama has won 14 consecutive games against the Volunteers, and they lead the series 57-38-7.