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Long before the NFL whiffed on Alvin Kamara, he was the one who got away from Alabama.

Kamara's breakout rookie year with the New Orleans Saints never should have been this big of a surprise. He signed with the Crimson Tide in 2013 as one of the top-rated recruits in the country (No. 32 overall on ESPN's 150 list and No. 2 among all-purpose backs by Rivals.com). He probably should have left there as a national championship star.



But Kamara's freshman season was derailed by a minor knee injury and some disciplinary issues, which buried him on a depth chart that also included current NFL backs Derrick Henry, T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake, among others.

So he decided to leave, spending a year at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before transferring to Tennessee and winding up as a third-round draft pick to New Orleans.

Now the dynamic dual threat is on pace for more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns in a timeshare with another former Alabama star, Mark Ingram.

"I just had a gut feeling, like, 'This isn't where I'm gonna play my college ball at,'" Kamara said recently. "So I made a decision, and I feel like it was the best decision I could've made ... just the way everything played out.

"I enjoyed my time, I enjoyed my teammates. I just decided that I felt like it wasn't for me."

You might think this is a common story, since Alabama has been piling up star-studded recruiting classes along with national championships during the Nick Saban era. But Kamara is actually one of a kind.

AL.com did a detailed breakdown last year of every Saban recruit who transferred away from Alabama since 2008 -- and none had ever been drafted before this year.

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foreverfan

They will just have to

hagan714

Took the safe out with this pick. In SP I Trust

K Major

Plays like this (see GIF) are reasons why AK was picked by SP. Vision, balance and patience. He's been deadly & his running style is so smooth.

RailBoss

He pops through holes and just keeps going.

AsylumGuido

For the third time this season ... so far ...

dizzle88

And yet, many of the so called "analysts" don't even bring his name up for OROY.

How great would it be if we got DROY in the Lattimore and OROY in Kamara!

vpheughan

OROY IPSO FACTO GOAT DILLY DILLY AD NAUSEUM

SmashMouth

AsylumGuido

I heard someone say that very thing on NFL Network this past week. I can't remember who or which show (I watch them all), but I know it was a former player. He said that he felt like the Saints would sweep the ROY honors with Lattimore and Kamara.