Kevin Riley flipped from Miami on signing day as Nick Saban promised him greatness. After two years, he has now become a reliable weapon in Kalen DeBoer‘s offensive arsenal. It was on display as he rushed for two amazing touchdowns in Alabama’s 56-0 demolition of Eastern Illinois. The search for greatness demands sacrifice, which is visible in every step, touchdown, and run he makes on the field.

Kevin Riley opened up on the sacrifices on the way when he appeared on the Nightcap podcast on Nov 23. “I had to make sacrifices, man, because I’m a hometown kid. literally only 15 minutes away from the facility. So it’s like I had to separate myself from friends, certain situations, and a lot of stuff like that. It was just a lot of sacrifices. And I’m going to be honest, those sacrifices were hard. But once I put that in front of me and realized that I’m not a regular person, and I actually gotta do something in life,” Riley said while talking to Shannon Sharp and Chad Johnson.

With breakthrough performance against ULM, where he led with 11 carries, to the one against Eastern Illinois, where he had two touchdowns and 73 yards, Kevin Riley has propelled himself into Alabama’s backfield rotation through his performances. His stats speak of an individual playing with singular focus. He has compiled 222 total yards on 56 carries, three touchdowns. Demonstrating his ability to function as both a downhill runner and a pass-catching weapon. Everything he has done and accomplished is a testimony to the dedication he has to establish himself as the next best thing.

“I just had to tell myself that going home every day like this is what I chose to do. Like this is what’s desired, like what’s designed for me. And, with all the coaches yelling and all the messing up plays, like, yeah, you have days like that, Riley said. 

Even though NIL deals and the perks that come with them are constantly available, he has chosen a different path. Major brands pursue players like him relentlessly, offering deals that could secure his future before he even sets foot on an NFL field. Yet Riley shows up with the same intensity and preparation, prioritizing his development in DeBoer’s offense over the distractions that typically pull talented young athletes away from their core objective.

Meanwhile, Shanon Sharpe joined in with his take on the sacrifices asked of an athlete of Riley’s calibre.

Shanon Sharpe speaks on the sacrifices needed to become extraordinary

Those who reach the top aren’t more talented but they are the ones who don’t let anything hinder their goals. Riley could have chosen to go to LSU; it would have been easier but he didn’t. He chose to get rid of the distractions while staying close to his loved ones, and now he thrives. And if he manages to continue on this path, he is destined for great things.

“If you want to be extraordinary, you can’t be ordinary. Now ordinary isn’t extraordinary, there’s an extra. So in order for you to get to where you need to be. You need to be extraordinary, which is extra. And sometimes that means you have to trim some fat, which is family, friends, and loved ones, in order to get to the destination that you desire,” Sharpe said. Who better to tell this than the man himself, who reached the highs of NFL nights from a farm in rural Georgia. Sharpe speaks from experience, having lived a similar like and experienced a similar journey.

Kevin Riley and his teammates will now be focused on the next game and making it to the playoffs. While sitting tight at No.10, Alabama can’t afford another slip-up after the Oklahoma loss. They face Auburn next, which won’t be an easy match-up either. But if they manage to pass the hurdle, they will have a huge chance to make it to the SEC championship game. A victory there would seal their playoff fate, but losing it would make things hard even after consistently winning against ranked teams this season. Head coach Kalen DeBoer would bank on players like Kevin Riley and Ty Simpson to get them over the finish line.