Leary picks Alabama over Florida, Auburn
RECRUITING
Christian Leary committed to Alabama late Tuesday night, and so the first order of business for the speedy Orlando Edgewater receiver after the big decision was a trip to his go-to latenight food joint.
“Always Philly Cheesesteak with the cheese fries, every time,” Leary said of his midnight run to Mr. Gyros on West Colonial near the fairgrounds.
He washed it down with a fruit punch. Yes, it wasn’t necessarily the usual training-table fare, but this was a celebration.
He was overcome with emotion as he posted his announcement to Twitter on Tuesday night.
“I was just thinking about my life and when I posted it, I could do nothing but cry, literally,” Leary said.
Leary, considered by many to be the fastest 2021 college football prospect in the country, chose the Crimson Tide over Florida and Auburn. It was just 11 months ago when the Gators gave him his first Power 5 scholarship offer, but word got out quickly.
“It’s just crazy how worked out,” Leary said.
In just a year, he went from a player who everyone knew was fast but too small to a dynamic playmaker everyone wanted. He showed this past season that his 5-foot-9, 180-pound frame should not be held against him.
He mulled over his decision for the past month or so.
“Last night I really prayed and prayed on it … I can’t explain it, but I just knew I was supposed to be at Alabama,” Leary said. “It was already my top school, so I just knew. It was pretty close, but Alabama definitely stood out.”
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Simply put, Leary is fast.
His fastest clocking in the 40-yard dash is 4.39 seconds and he ran the 100 meters in a school record time of 10.50 seconds this year before track season was shut down due to coronavirus.
Last season for Edgewater, Leary accounted for 1,586 allpurpose yards. He ran the ball 56 times for 520 yards with eight touchdowns and caught 46 passes for 1,036 yards and eight more touchdowns.
What made Leary’s speed really stand out to recruiters was one play in last year’s Class 7A state championship game against Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas. He took a direct snap in Wildcat formation and saw a huge gap created by his blockers. He split the hole and raced untouched for 80 yards, creating separation from the STA defenders the entire way.
“I think what really set it off was the state game. I guess I just had to show them all that I can compete with the big dawgs,” Leary said. “Most schools offered me just off that play. They said they’d turn on the tape, watch that play, and turn it off.”
Alabama coaches were happy to hear the news, especially his main recruiter and Alabama receivers coach Holoman Wiggins.
“He was jumping around on FaceTime and he said I would talk to coach [Nick] Saban in the morning,” Leary said. “He said they’re losing a lot of speed and that I can be the guy to replace a lot of it. He said I have an opportunity.”
Leary said making the decision was a big relief.
“The weight is just gone, and I can focus on my life right now instead of trying to decide what I’m going to do for the next three or four years,” Leary said.