Last July, Theodore High School standout Demouy Kennedy committed to play for Gus Malzahn’s Auburn program. After backing off that pledge this spring and reopening his recruitment, Kennedy ultimately decided to play for Alabama over Auburn and LSU.

What was the deciding factor for the four-star linebacker from Theodore?

During a recent visit to Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban pulled out all his championship rings to compare his accomplishments to Malzahn’s. That was all Kennedy needed to see.

The 2020 linebacker prospect was recently a guest on WNSP 105.5 FM radio program “The Opening Kickoff” to explain his decision to pick the Tide. While he offered up the usual praise of Alabama’s campus and the people there, his final decision was made after Saban pulled him aside next to two tables.

One of the tables had all of Saban’s championship rings. The other had nothing on it, which obviously represented Malzahn’s championships since taking over the Auburn program. (Quote via Mark Heim of AL.com)

“I liked when [Saban] said, ‘Would you rather gamble on this table (pointing to the ring table) or the other table?’ I said, ‘I’m gambling on the ring table.'”

Saban makes a good point, when you compare the two programs based on that criteria, they clearly don’t stack up.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Kennedy ranks as a top 100 prospect in the nation and the state’s No. 2 prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle by 247Sports Composite Rankings.

To see what Alabama is potentially getting in Kennedy, check out his junior season highlight reel with Theodore High School: