re: Ale Kaho, transfer from UW enrolling at UA

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“He could get into school at most other institutions. So, he had opportunities to go other places. He didn’t want to sit out and continue to take other classes so he could go to the school he signed at and we were one of the people that recruited him. It came down to the wire in terms of whether we got him or not. When he got his release, we let him know that he had an opportunity to come here. We’re glad to have him. We’ll think he’ll be a good player.”

The 6-foot-1, 218-pound prospect was a longtime BYU commit during the recruiting process before flipping his commitment to the Huskies just prior to the early signing period last December. He signed with Washington last year and arrived in Seattle this summer, but he never enrolled while wrapping up required coursework. Huskies head coach Chris Petersen cited “personal reasons” for the release of the program’s highest-rated incoming freshman.

The Crimson Tide was heavily involved in Kaho’s recruitment last year and was considered to have finished in a runner-up position. While committed to BYU, Kaho traveled to Tuscaloosa to camp with Alabama and promptly landed a scholarship offer from Saban. Kaho returned to town for an official visit to campus the weekend of Nov. 4 and saw UA earn a victory over LSU.

Wearing No. 10 on Saturday, Kaho’s long recruiting journey ended at UA. He is immediately eligible to play, but the true freshman will have to catch up with the rest of his new teammates that have already participated in week’s worth of practice, including one scrimmage.

As someone that has already endured a freshman year at Alabama, how long did it take Wilson, another former 5-star recruit, to feel comfortable during his first season in Saban’s system?

“It’s definitely going to take a while,” Wilson said. “It took me, like, almost a year and a half to learn the playbook, so it’s going to be kind of tough on him with him coming in halfway through fall camp. But we’re going to find a way to get him comfortable and get him down to learning the stuff so that he could maybe -- if Coach Saban feels comfortable with him playing him or he continues to go along and do good, if he catches up -- come in and play, at least have a role on special teams.

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