TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban says top recruit Antonio Alfano “basically quit.”
Alfano’s father, Frankie, posted on Twitter on Friday that his son’s grandmother was “very ill and is still fighting on life support.” He said Antonio had not attended classes or practices.
Saban says the defensive end for the second-ranked Crimson Tide stopped coming to class and the football building. He says Alabama tried to set up counseling for him and that it remains available.
“Well, I don’t really know much about that. I just know that the guy basically quit,” Saban said. “He quit going to class, he quit coming here. We tried to encourage him, we tried to help him. We had tried to set up counseling sessions with him to help him every way we could. And all those things are still available to him if he wants them, but he didn’t respond to any of the things, so until he responds, you just have to assume the guy quit.”
The 247Sports composite rankings rated the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Alfano as the nation’s No. 5 overall recruit and top defensive end.
It’s unclear if Alfano intends to transfer, though Frankie Alfano posted that he had asked to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Saban says he doesn’t “really know much about that.”