Getty Image / Kevin C. Cox
The rich just got richer after Nick Saban picked up a 26-year-old former active-duty member of the United States Marine Corps turned walk-on tight end at Colorado State.
Coby McNeal is transferring from Colorado State and was a redshirt freshman during he 2022 season at the ripe age of 26 years old, older than many Ph.D. students. He’ll immediately be impactful for Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide where the 26-year-old brings immeasurable life experience to the locker room and squad.
Nick Saban’s new tight end, Coby McNeal, was recently featured in an AL.com article by Mike Rodak and his future looks bright in Tuscaloosa. As a redshirt sophomore, he measures 6’5″ and 250 pounds. An absolute unit.
Coby’s got that dawg in him too. He was a 3 sport athlete in high school and excelled at football, basketball, and baseball.
Then he made the decision to join the United States Marine Corps because according to an article on Colorado State’s website, Coby says “I don’t think I would have passed college if I had gone to college. So, I went into the military and got myself in order. I got good order and discipline in my life. I went there and did six years in the military. It was awesome. I loved it.”
During his time in the Marine Corps, Nick Saban’s new tight end was “an aviation electrician and crew chief on a V-22 Osprey.” Speaking about his time in the military he talked about how enabled him to stay competitive.
Coby said “It’s a big ol’ family. Everybody that I met, I grew close with. Everything was like a competition. Competing constantly. I could always walk down the hall, knock on a door, ‘You want to go play football? You want to go play ultimate Frisbee? You want to go play basketball?’ It was awesome.”
He’ll certainly get the opportunity to compete in Tuscaloosa. The Alabama Crimson Tide is the 2nd favorite to win the next College Football National Championship. Their odds only trail their rival Georgia Bulldogs.
Nick Saban’s new 26-year-old tight end Coby McNeal will also get the opportunity to compete for playing time because Bama is stacked, as they are at every position.
McNeal is an Alabama native who grew up in Dothan, AL near the Florida border. The town is about a 4-hour drive from Tuscaloosa which will make it easy for family and friends to come and watch him play at Bryant-Denny Stadium, assuming they can score tickets.