BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Former Alabama safety Vinnie Sunseri said Nick Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart did "everything they could" to try to persuade him to return for his senior season, but it wasn't enough to change his mind. Sunseri, speaking Monday on the "Archer and Bell" show on Atlanta's 790 The Zone, said he's feeling healthier and remains confident in his decision to enter the NFL Draft.
"Coach has his process and how he wants to handle certain things," Sunseri said on the afternoon radio show. "He really wanted me to stay. Him and Coach (Kirby) Smart did everything they could to keep me to stay. For me, it's not about the money. I just want to be as successful as I can and I feel like I'm ready to take that next step and prove myself in the NFL."
Sunseri, who is finishing up his knee rehabilitation in Tuscaloosa before he heads to Florida for further training, declined an interview request from AL.com on Friday after handing out roses at the end of an Alabama gymnastics meet.
Unlike what it did for the four other Crimson Tide juniors who opted to leave a year early for the NFL Draft, Alabama's
athletic department never acknowledged Sunseri's decision, which went down to the wire. At a Senior Bowl practice last week in Mobile, Saban didn't mention Sunseri specifically when he was asked about the hard-hitting safety's surprising decision.
"We try to give every one of our players the best opportunity to make a good decision about whether they should stay in school or come out for the draft," Saban said. "My philosophy is very clear to our players. If you're a first-round draft pick, we're very, very supportive of you coming out for the draft because of the business decision, the amount of money. But if you're not one of those guys, we certainly feel that you should come back to school, graduate from school, use your senior year to develop as a player and try to enhance your draft status for the next year. That's the advice we give to each and every one of our players.
"This year, we had a couple of guys that probably don't fit that category, made the decision to do it and we'll be very supportive of them."
Sunseri, who missed the second half of his junior season with a torn ACL, said he received a fourth-round grade from the NFL Draft advisory board. He said he's already started running, plans to attend next month's NFL Combine in Indianapolis and will be ready to perform at his Pro Day sometime in April.
In an interview last month with AL.com, Sunseri's father, Sal, said Vinnie was two months ahead of schedule in his
recovery.
"I feel great about how my knee is," Sunseri said. "I feel great about my process and how I'm coming back from this. My game film is something really special so I'm ready to go take that next step."
While breaking down what he would bring to an NFL team, Sunseri praised Saban and the Alabama program for how they "helped me and will make me really successful in the NFL."
"No. 1 thing I learned from Coach was film study. We learned a lot from film study; tips, techniques, all kinds of stuff you can gather from watching people on film," he said. "Another thing I got from coach Saban is the work ethic you need to get to and have to be successful in the NFL."
Click here to listen to the full interview.
Read More Here...
"Coach has his process and how he wants to handle certain things," Sunseri said on the afternoon radio show. "He really wanted me to stay. Him and Coach (Kirby) Smart did everything they could to keep me to stay. For me, it's not about the money. I just want to be as successful as I can and I feel like I'm ready to take that next step and prove myself in the NFL."
Sunseri, who is finishing up his knee rehabilitation in Tuscaloosa before he heads to Florida for further training, declined an interview request from AL.com on Friday after handing out roses at the end of an Alabama gymnastics meet.
Unlike what it did for the four other Crimson Tide juniors who opted to leave a year early for the NFL Draft, Alabama's
athletic department never acknowledged Sunseri's decision, which went down to the wire. At a Senior Bowl practice last week in Mobile, Saban didn't mention Sunseri specifically when he was asked about the hard-hitting safety's surprising decision.
"We try to give every one of our players the best opportunity to make a good decision about whether they should stay in school or come out for the draft," Saban said. "My philosophy is very clear to our players. If you're a first-round draft pick, we're very, very supportive of you coming out for the draft because of the business decision, the amount of money. But if you're not one of those guys, we certainly feel that you should come back to school, graduate from school, use your senior year to develop as a player and try to enhance your draft status for the next year. That's the advice we give to each and every one of our players.
"This year, we had a couple of guys that probably don't fit that category, made the decision to do it and we'll be very supportive of them."
Sunseri, who missed the second half of his junior season with a torn ACL, said he received a fourth-round grade from the NFL Draft advisory board. He said he's already started running, plans to attend next month's NFL Combine in Indianapolis and will be ready to perform at his Pro Day sometime in April.
In an interview last month with AL.com, Sunseri's father, Sal, said Vinnie was two months ahead of schedule in his
recovery.
"I feel great about how my knee is," Sunseri said. "I feel great about my process and how I'm coming back from this. My game film is something really special so I'm ready to go take that next step."
While breaking down what he would bring to an NFL team, Sunseri praised Saban and the Alabama program for how they "helped me and will make me really successful in the NFL."
"No. 1 thing I learned from Coach was film study. We learned a lot from film study; tips, techniques, all kinds of stuff you can gather from watching people on film," he said. "Another thing I got from coach Saban is the work ethic you need to get to and have to be successful in the NFL."
Click here to listen to the full interview.
Read More Here...
