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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — If there was a surprise surrounding the press conference to announce the decision of University of Alabama juniors Landon Collins, Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon to declare themselves eligible for the NFL Draft, it was that the subsequent question-and-answer session had to be cut short on Friday morning.
Cooper had a class he needed to attend.
“I don’t like leaving starting something and not finishing and there’s kind of a feeling with what I’m doing in school,” said the Heisman Trophy finalist, “but I want to put a plan into place so I can finish that.”
While Yeldon was planning to catch a flight later in the afternoon to go begin training in Florida, and the other outgoing players are beginning to scatter, Cooper will be staying in Tuscaloosa this spring.
“After these two classes I’m taking, I’ll need 14 hours,” he said about being essentially a semester shy of earning his degree.
Collins, who didn’t disclose where he plans to prep, needs a little more, but also hopes to finish his degree.
“Definitely,” he said. “I’m trying to take some online classes now while I’m doing training. I think I have to come back to take some classes, so I have to do that.”
Most underclassmen elect to spend the months leading up to the NFL Draft, April 30-May 2, concentrating on working with trainers and doing whatever they can to improve their status. There’s also the NFL Combine, the Senior Bowl for some, and individual team workings, all of which can be very demanding time-wise.
“I always wanted to graduate college, get a degree,” Yeldon said. “It’s what my parents wanted me to do. I’m 15 hours away. I’m taking two online classes now. So eventually I’ll get my degree.”
Alabama had 15 players earn their bachelor’s degrees before this past season, with seven more walking at the December graduation ceremony (Trey DePriest, Christion Jones, D.J. Pettway, Malcolm Faciane, Isaac Luatua, Leon Brown and Josh Dickerson), when an additional seven finishing their master’s (Arie Kouandjio, Jalston Fowler, Austin Shepherd, Brian Vogler, Nick Perry, Daniel Geddes and MK Taylor).
The 22 total before playing in a bowl game tied Kansas State and Texas for the most in college football.
As for where the three players kind of hope to end up it’s no secret that Cooper grew up liking the Miami Dolphins, while Collins doesn’t root for his hometown New Orleans Saints.
“I was always a Peyton Manning fan, but my favorite team was the Redskins because I grew up a Clinton Portis and Shawn Taylor fan,” he said. “So it’s always been the Redskins.
Yeldon’s favorite NFL team will immediately become “Whoever picks me up.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
