Three months ago, Kristian Fulton went with his heart and selected LSU over Florida and Arkansas on National Signing Day, headlining a 2016 class that finished No. 3 nationally and No. 2 in the SEC.
Now May, although content with his decision, Fulton — a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 overall cornerback in his class — admits that the Tigers weren’t his first choice when his recruitment first began to take off. He grew up an Alabama football fan, and was hoping that the Crimson Tide would be one of the firsts to extend an offer.
“To be honest, I wanted to go there,” Fulton told SEC Country. “That was my team in school, way back in eighth grade. I took a visit there, and I figured that (I’d get an offer) because I had an offer from every other school in the country … I met with coach (Nick) Saban and he said he’d watch my film. I had gotten an offer from every other school, so I was disappointed because I felt like I was better than that.”
He waited. And waited. And waited. And eventually, he couldn’t wait any longer. By the time Alabama finally pulled the trigger, it was too late — Fulton had already moved on from the thought of playing college ball in Tuscaloosa.
“They offered me with like two weeks left in the recruiting process,” Fulton said. “I was in the mall and they called and offered me, but I felt like I should have gotten that offer a little bit earlier.”
Though Alabama wasn’t able to capitalize on Fulton, it did end up signing the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, which included the likes of four corners — three of which held 4-star ratings.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
