The University of Michigan is only 260 miles from Indianapolis, the city where Emil Ekiyor transformed into a star offensive lineman.

For more than a year, Ekiyor imagined playing college football in Ann Arbor and facing the Big Ten's best on cold, overcast days in the fall that had become so familiar to him.

But there was the allure of Alabama -- the program that had always been the sport's pacesetter since he could remember.

In February 2017, almost five months after he committed to the Wolverines, the Crimson Tide had offered him a scholarship.

Ekiyor didn't want to renege on his pledge to Jim Harbaugh's team. He also liked the idea that Michigan appeared to be building something special. But what appealed to him even more was the certainty Alabama represented. There was no disputing the Crimson Tide was a dynasty in living color. Alabama didn't need to climb any more steps to the top. It was already at the apex, staring down at everyone else as the national champion.

"Just the opportunity to play for the best is always great and to learn from one of the best coaches of all time in Nick Saban is an honor," Ekiyor said.

Ekiyor's classmates at Cathedral High buzzed his ear, telling him to go to Alabama. His father -- a former NFL defensive end who worked under Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Rod Marinelli -- became seduced by the Crimson Tide's structure and business-like culture.

"Everything seemed like a pro program," Emil Sr. crowed.

Emil Ekiyor was convinced. Alabama was where he would play. He signed in December and settled in Tuscaloosa last weekend to begin his career. Ekiyor, an aggressive player with a hankering for run blocking, has designs on playing early and there is a chance he could realize that goal after both Dallas Warmack and Brandon Kennedy announced this off-season they were leaving the Tide. Both are interior linemen and so too is Ekiyor, a former four-star prospect who is 6-foot-3 and weighs 335 pounds.

Brent Key, Ekiyor's position coach at Alabama, was in contact with him during the months preceding his arrival.

"He told me to be ready to come in and take a spot," Ekiyor recalled.

First, Ekiyor will have to adjust. It's something he learned to do well at Cathedral, where he played all five positions on the offensive line and also moonlighted as a fullback. But college is something entirely different, as Ekiyor has already realized. According to his father, Ekiyor was surprised to find out professors can deliver two-hour monologues that make the 45-minute high school class periods he endured seem like a breeze. There is also the unpleasant introduction to high temperatures and humidity Ekiyor has faced.

Before heading to Tuscaloosa last week, he wondered how he would fare in sweaty Alabama.

"I am not sure," he said. "I don't know if I can deal with the heat. It's like nothing I ever experienced. It's something I'll definitely have to get used to."

So too is the intensity that is part and parcel of playing at Alabama.

But that is also one of the alluring aspects of joining a program that commands respect.

"It's been like a dream for him to be there," Emil Sr. said.

"Sometimes you got to pinch yourself," Ekiyor said. "It's exciting and it's a privilege to be a part of the team."

Approximately 530 miles from Indianapolis, Ekiyor's Alabama indoctrination has begun.

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin