Alabama’s culture, standard make big impression on 6-foot-2 RB
Shekai Mills-Knight‘s recruitment took off in a big way this year.
Mills-Knight, a native of Canada, has collected offers from 30 programs since the start of 2024. Alabama jumped into the mix for Mills-Knight following a visit to Tuscaloosa on April 11. Running backs coach Robert Gillespie would later pay him a visit at his school a couple of weeks later.
This past weekend, Mills-Knight returned to The Capstone for his official visit with the Crimson Tide.
“It went great, honestly,” Mills-Knight told BOL. “My host, Amari Jefferson, was my former teammate. He took care of me. The culture was phenomenal. I really got to see what Bama is all about.”
Accompanied by his brother and father on the visit, Mills-Knight says they were impressed by the experience.
“They were blown away,” Mills-Knight said. “They said they only see these types of things on TV. It was incredible for them.”
A strategic move by Alabama’s staff was having true freshman wideout Amari Jefferson be his player-host for the weekend. The two played a season together at The Baylor School, and Jefferson made it known that he’s pushing to get his former teammate on board.
“It was great. I got to spend time with him all weekend,” Mills-Knight said of Jefferson. “He really likes it down there. I know if he likes it there, I have no reason not to like it. He loves it, definitely. He says it’s hard work, but the coaches show love. They check up on you and make sure everything is straight. It’s business down there, but they have fun, too.”
Mills-Knight also spent time around other freshmen over the weekend, such as Dre Kirkpatrick, Jr. and Ryan Williams. Alabama retained most of their 2024 class following Nick Saban‘s retirement, and have put together the No. 6 Class of 2025 under Kalen DeBoer.
Despite the change at head coach, Mills-Knight does not think any less of Bama’s history at his position.
“That’s ‘RBU,’” Mills-Knight said. “It’s definitely ideal for running backs. And they have the No. 1 o-line in the nation right now, per the rankings.”
Bama’s coaching staff earns high praise from Mills-Knight
Robert Gillespie has helped put Bama in a good spot with Mills-Knight in a short amount of time. Part of the reason why is his history of development, which includes Alvin Kamara (at Tennessee), UNC’s Javonte Williams and Michael Carter and, most recently, Jahmyr Gibbs.
“I really got to spend time with him as a person,” Mills-Knight said. “He’s really a family-oriented guy. He means business. He’s developed some great backs. Was going over some stuff in my game and giving me pointers. I know he’s legit and he would develop me. His track record proves that. I can’t go wrong with him, you know?”
Gillespie also spoke with Mills-Knight about the expectations for work ethic and earning your opportunity at Alabama.
“He told me, ‘Nothing is going to be handed out to me,’” Mills-Knight said. “‘Iron sharpens iron.’ He will look out for me, and things like that. I know he’s a great coach already from his track record and hearing his knowledge on the game.”
2025 RB Shekai Mills-Knight with Alabama freshman WR Amari Jefferson during his official visit.
Mills-Knight also had positive things to say when recapping his time with DeBoer over the weekend. He learned about Bama’s new head coach not only from his talks with him, but from the players as well.
“He’s a genuine person, and he cares about people and the relationships,” Mills-Knight said. “That’s important. The players told me that he really looks out for them and he cares. If he sees them in the hallway, he takes the time out of his day to talk with them, ask how they’re doing, and about their families. So, I feel like that’s really important.”
Standing at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, DeBoer told Mills-Knight that he has the physical frame to hold up against SEC competition.
The opportunity to play for DeBoer at the next level is one that MIlls-Knight is strongly considering.
“I feel like he’s a sports genius. He took Washington – they didn’t have that much talent – but he took them all the way,” Mills-Knight said. “I definitely wouldn’t mind him as a head coach at all. I feel like he’s going to do great things at Bama.”
Alabama was a dream offer for Shekai Mills-Knight
With his recruitment blowing up over the past six months, Mills-Knight still wants to enjoy his visits and take things one day at a time. As such, he does not have a specific order for where each school ranks with him right now.
He did, however, detail why Alabama is piquing his interest.
“I feel like Bama is the standard,” Mills-Knight said. “You see programs like Georgia and Clemson doing stuff that Bama did first. Even if they switched it up… there’s something about that scripted ‘A.’ Everyone knows about Bama everywhere you go.
“I feel like I could build my NIL — not just about the money, but my brand — really well,” Mills-Knight added. “As a kid, it was a dream to get a Bama offer. Now, that dream came to reality. “
Mills-Knight is currently on an official visit with Auburn. He’ll then take one to Tennessee this upcoming weekend followed by a trip to Ohio State. Previously having visited Alabama, Miami, and Michigan this month, these are the programs that Mills-Knight is looking at closely in his recruitment.
A commitment is expected to be made sometime over the next couple of months.
“Probably just before the season starts and when I really know that’s where I want to be,” Mills-Knight said of his timeline. “[I’m looking for] depth chart. School, education. The o-line, culture, tradition, and people there. Yeah, you want to go somewhere you’re going to play but, me personally, I want to go somewhere that challenges me and somewhere I would grow.
“If I go to a school where they hand everything out and I’m comfortable, I would play and get exposure… but I feel like being somewhere I would get challenged would have a lot of room for growth.”
Want to talk with the BOL staff and also thousands of other Alabama fans about all the latest recruiting intel? CLICK HERE to join daily conversations about the Crimson Tide and much more on the BOL RoundTable.
The post Alabama’s culture, standard make big impression on 6-foot-2 RB appeared first on On3.
