Patrick Surtain Sr. Reflects on His Son’s Recruitment

Patrick Surtain Sr. appeared on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin Friday to reflect on his son's decision to attend Alabama.

"It was a tough decision," Surtain Sr. said. "I remember we were grinding the midnight oil the night before and it came down between 'Bama and LSU. Obviously, a lot of people thought he was going to LSU, but it didn't work out. But I think he just wanted an opportunity to go play for the guy who a lot of people think is the greatest coach ever. Obviously, Nick played DB in his college days and he trained the DBs at Alabama. He's with the DB's more than any other group. So I think that itself, he just wanted the opportunity."

Surtain II came to Alabama as a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked as the top cornerback nationally by all major recruiting outlets in 2018. As a senior at American Heritage high school in Plantation, Florida, Surtain II was a Second Team All-American selection by MaxPreps and First Team All-USA Florida selection by USA Today. He helped lead his high school to back-to-back 5A state titles in his junior and senior seasons.

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As a freshman, Surtain II made his first career start against Texas A&M and would go on to start 38 consecutive games for the Crimson Tide. He earned Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team honors. He finished the season with 37 tackles, 1.5 for loss, seven pass breakups. and one interception. The Florida native totaled 42 tackles, three forced fumbles, eight pass breakups, a fumble recovery and two interceptions as a sophomore.

Last season, Surtain was a unanimous First Team All-American selection and earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also a finalist for the Bednarik, Lott, Nagurski and Thorpe awards.

"I think it's different in just the simple fact he has me to lean on, a father who's played in the league and been through the process, so he can kind of knock questions off to me that he doesn't know," Surtain Sr. said. "And obviously, I was there to help him and support him through it. But it's basically the same with the combine and everything, the pro days, the picking the agent and everything like that."

Surtain Sr. played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. He was a three-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro selection. In his career, Surtain Sr. recorded 37 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and 7.5 sacks.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Surtain II going to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 12 in his latest mock draft. The NFL draft will begin next Thursday, April 29th and air on ESPN.