Friday, Alabama confirmed that four Crimson Tide football players were headed to the NFL. This weekend, a fifth joined that quartet.
On his personal Twitter account Saturday, Saivion Smith wrote that, "[e]ven though this was a tough decision, I have decided to forego my senior season and will declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.” The cornerback joins running back Josh Jacobs, tight end Irv Smith Jr., offensive lineman Jonah Williams and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams as Crimson Tide players who have made such decisions thus far.
#PathToTheDraft2019 pic.twitter.com/whTpLQWj6l
— Saivion Smith (@Saivion_1k) January 12, 2019
Smith began his collegiate career as a four-star member of LSU’s 2016 signing class, but transferred in late May of 2017 and spent that season at a Mississippi junior college. In December of 2017, he announced he would be transferring back to the SEC as a member of Alabama’s 2018 recruiting class.
In his lone season with the Crimson Tide, Smith started 12 games and led the team in interceptions with three.
The Tide’s early personnel losses might not be over as at least one other player, star safety Deionte Thompson, is rumored to be doing a heavy lean toward declaring. The deadline for such declarations, incidentally, is Monday, Jan. 14.