Bama Central

Oh Yeah! Kool-Aid Lands Deal With Kool-Aid

Alabama freshman Ga'Quincy "Kool-Aid" McKinstry has signed a name, image and likeness deal with his namesake.

Christopher Walsh

To the surprise of no one, Alabama freshman Ga'Quincy "Kool-Aid" McKinstry has signed a name, image and likeness deal with his namesake. 

Kool-Aid is now officially promoting Kool-Aid, the kids' drink. 

"Honored to partner with Kool-Aid the Brand … I will be sharing the OH YEAH title with the Kool-Aid Man," the cornerback posted on his Twitter account, along with the Kool-Aid brand logos. 

Kool-Aid, the player, had Alabama change his roster to reflect the nickname he's known by in June.  

While Ga'Quincy is still McKinstry's legal first name, his nickname of Kool-Aid was given to him due to his eccentric personality. 

Considered a top prospect in the recruiting Class of 2021, McKinstry is already challenging for playing time at the cornerback spot opposite Josh Jobe. He's been mostly working with the second-team defense during fall camp. 

“Yeah, obviously I think Kool-Aid is a very talented kid," defensive coordinator Pete Golding said. "Coach does a really good job from an evaluation piece and determine the critical factors to be successful to play corner. So he's got the length that we want. He's got the shorter quickness. He can run. He's got top-end speed. Obviously he's played all offense, returns, plus so he's got the ball skills. 

"The one thing that I was most impressed about from Kool-Aid in the spring was the ability to come up and put his face on you. So we get a lot of times those type of kids, especially in that position sometimes are hesitant to come put their face on you. And when they saw the coverage principles that we're playing, a lot of those times those guys was cornering the fit. We're using them. We're spilling the ball out to them where we're gonna blitz them. So I thought in the spring, yeah he's athletic enough. We knew that. He is what we thought he was, but I thought he was more physical."

Maybe not run-through-a-wall physical, but McKinstry does wear No. 1 for the Crimson Tide. 

Anthony Sisco
Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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