keith holcombe

Holcombe committed to Mississippi State on July 19. (Photo courtesy of 247Sports)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Just 11 days after committing to Mississippi State, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa linebacker Keith Holcombe has flipped his commitment to Alabama.

"Since I've grown up here in Tuscaloosa and my dad played at Alabama for Coach Bryant, my ultimate goal has always been to play for the Crimson Tide," Holcombe said in a text message to AL.com. "When that opportunity presented itself, it was one I couldn't refuse. To put on the same uniform my dad did is something I can't even put into words."

The 6-foot-3, 208-pounder also has offers from Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, N.C. State and Southern Miss. He becomes Alabama's 17th commitment of the 2014 recruiting class.

He tallied 116 tackles last season for the Patriots in Class 6A. He added two sacks, nine pass break-ups, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble.

Holcombe thanked the coaching staff at Mississippi State for the opportunity to play for the Bulldogs.

"They really did a good job in the recruiting process," Holcombe said in the text. "I want to thank Coach (Geoff) Collins and Coach (Dan) Mullen and the staff for all they did to make me and my family feel welcome. I made some really good friends and met some great people."

"He has all the intangibles," Hillcrest head coach Scott Martin told AL.com back in May. "He's football smart, he has great range and a great arm span. What's making these colleges drool is that he's big enough size-wise to play in the box, but he can also line up and cover a wide receiver or a running back.



"He's a hybrid type of player, and that makes him unusual and special."

Holcombe also thanked his family, teachers and coaches and added his focus now shifts to his senior season. He is rated by 247Sports as a four-star prospect at linebacker. Check out his highlights in the video below.