King Mwikuta wants his name to be on the list one day.

One of the reasons the 4-star edge rusher from West Point, Ga., chose Alabama was because many consider it to be “LBU” -- “Linebacker University.” The summer enrollee wants to keep that tradition and consideration alive when his Crimson Tide career ends because of his play on the field.

He reflected on why he signed with Alabama in an exclusive interview with BamaOnLine.

“It was really just a business decision, like who could set me up in life for me to be great in doing something I love to do,” Mwikuta said. “Maybe it’s football or something in school. There’s a lot of great people that come out of Alabama. Who wouldn’t want to go there and play and win championships and get coached by the greatest coach alive? There was a lot of stuff that played into that. And then they specialize in my position. That’s ‘Linebacker University.’

“The best of the best linebackers come from there. When that conversation comes up in 20 years, I want to be talked about in that conversation. Like, ‘He was a dog, too. You can’t forget about him.’ I mean you had C.J. Mosley, you had Reuben Foster, you had Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson, and the list goes on. I just want to be a name on that list.”

Mwikuta will move into his dorm in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Monday, May 27, and will share a room with running back Trey Sanders and Brandon Turnage. When he arrives on campus, he has a list of things he wants to accomplish before even taking part in his first collegiate practice his fall.

“First of all, I just want to make sure all my grades are good going into the fall. I want to have all As and be on the All-Academic list or whatever,” Mwikuta said. “And secondly, I just want to learn the playbook so I can have a chance at seeing the field in something -- if it’s like special teams or field-goal blocking or something. And then I want to get faster, stronger and work on my movement, just like secondary movement and not just rushing the passer.”

Alabama signee King Mwikuta

Ranked as the nation’s No. 8 weakside defensive end in the 2019 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports, Mwikuta will play outside linebacker at Alabama under new position coach Sal Sunseri, who the incoming freshman said he talks to every day -- sometimes 2-3 times per day.

“The funny thing is Coach Sal was trying to get me to come down to Florida and just take a visit or whatever,” Mwikuta recalled. “I told him, ‘No, I’m good. I’m committed to Bama. I ain’t taking no more official visits.’ He was like, ‘If I can’t get him to come to Florida, I’ll just come to him,’ and so he came to Alabama. And we’ve been close ever since then.”

The Troup County (Ga.) High School product was first recruited to Alabama by former defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley. Then Josh Gattis and Tosh Lupoi took over his recruitment. None of those assistants are coaching for the Crimson Tide any longer. And while Mwikuta would like to see coaches uphold their commitments like the players, he put his trust in Saban and “The Process.”

“Coach Saban knows what he’s doing,” Mwikuta said. “He ain’t going to bring in no B.S. He’s only going to bring in the best. … I know Coach Saban isn’t going anywhere.”

Mwikuta said he is up to 243 pounds after weighing close to 230 at the end of his prep career. He successfully spent his final semester of high school trying to keep his weight up before he joins the Alabama football program next week. While he didn’t drop any pounds, Mwikuta does want to shed any immature mindset or thoughts he might have had before he starts his next chapter.

“I realized that had to just take another step ahead in life and leave all the childish games and stuff alone because it’s time for me to grow up, it’s time for me to be on my own,” Mwikuta said. “I can’t turn around looking for somebody to be there because, at the end of the day, it’s just going to be me. … I can finally go and not come home. I just want to see what that’s like, what the culture’s like.

“I’m ready to go work out and start getting some work in.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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