Two-Sport Athlete Riley Quick Breaks Down Decision to Commit to Alabama Baseball

The 2022 Crimson Tide commit revealed that his older brother Pierce played a role in his recruiting process.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Coming soon, the University of Alabama will have two members of the Quick family representing its athletics program.

The first you might have already heard of in redshirt-sophomore offensive lineman Pierce Quick, who played in three games last season coming off of the bench behind one of the best offensive lines in recent Alabama football memory.

The new member joining Alabama baseball is right-hand pitcher Riley Quick, who committed to the Crimson Tide on Monday.

I am honored to say that I have committed to The University of Alabama to further my academic and baseball career. Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to this day!#RollTide @CoachBo_Bama @hewitt_baseball @rledits24 pic.twitter.com/6eoT9e4jkf

— rileyquick (@rileyquick12) July 5, 2021

Quick is a two-sport athlete, playing both baseball and football for Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama. Quick started playing both sports at a very young age.

“I’ve been playing both of them about the same amount of time but I started playing baseball first,” Quick told Bama Central. “I think I was four [years old].”

As a baseball player, Quick has built quite the resume while playing for the Huskies. In his junior season in 2021, Quick finished 9-2 along with a pair of saves. With a 0.99 ERA, he also averaged 11.2 strikeouts every seven frames.

His efforts earned him a spot on the Class 7A All-State Team in addition to being crowned as the Class 7A Pitcher of the Year.

“My favorite sport is probably baseball,” Quick said. “I’ve just always loved it. I mean, I love football too — don’t get me wrong — but I just love baseball a little bit more.”

As a football player, Quick is equally impressive. He is widely regarded as one of the top offensive lineman prospects in the state and received a plethora of offers from universities due to his skills, including offers from Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Auburn.

Standing at 6-6 and weighing in at 260 pounds as a rising senior, it's easy to see why so many schools were after him.

At least for now, Quick's recruiting journey has come to a close with his commitment to head coach Brad Bohannon and Alabama baseball. That being said, it wasn't an easy decision for the young athlete.

“What led me to make the decision was just really talking with my brother, my family, my baseball coach,” Quick said. “They really influenced me a lot. They helped me out through the whole process and I really made the main decision choosing one or the other but they definitely helped me out through it.”

Quick attributed Bohannon, Alabama pitching coach Jason Jackson and his brother as three key influences in helping him reach his recruiting decision. For Bohannon and Jackson, there were multiple reasons why he was attracted to the Alabama program.

“I love coach Bo,” Quick said. “He’s a great guy. He’s always texting me 24/7 just like all the other football coaches would do and that’s what really stuck out to me as well I like his personality. He’s just a good coach and then coach Jackson — the pitching coach — he knows what he’s doing and he’s just a really good guy, too.”

Riley Quick said that his older brother, Pierce Quick, told him to choose which sport and which school his heart felt the most at-home with. That being said, Riley said that his brother gave him some typical older-brother love once he announced his decision.

“Nah he didn’t really care,” Quick laughed. “He was very excited for me.”

Once he joins the Crimson Tide, Quick will make a stellar addition to a rebuilding rotation that Bohannon has been tasked with forming. Throwing a fastball that routinely hits the lower mid-90s and a low-80s slider that is tricky for right-handed batters, Quick is a solid piece to add to the Crimson Tide puzzle.

For now, Quick revealed that his focus is solely on baseball. He will finish his senior year this fall with the football program at Hewitt-Trussville, but intends to hang up his helmet and pads for good in exchange for a bat and glove come the spring.

As far as which sport he's better at, Quick can't quite decide.

“I’m not really sure,” Quick chuckled. “I think I’m alright at both.”