Luke Del Rio Turns Down Scholarships, Commits to Alabama as Walk-On

Luke Del Rio held scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Oregon State and UCLA just to name a few.  However the prep quarterback from Denver, Colorado will not head to the Big 12 or Pac 12 to accept an offer from one of its institutions-he will take his talents to Tuscaloosa,Alabama to accept a spot as a preferred walk on for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Del Rio, the son of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio had long been a commitment to Oklahoma State, but reevaluated his options after coaching staff changes in Stillwater. It was in those weeks when Del Rio made a trip to Tuscaloosa to examine his options, deciding on the Crimson Tide Saturday morning.  He joins commitments Cooper Bateman (4/5 star from Salt Lake City,UT) and Parker McLeod (3 star from Marietta,GA).

Del Rio is considered a three star prospect by most major recruiting services. In fact, Rivals has him rated 6 slots higher than McLeod in its pro-style quarterback rankings. The 6-foot-2, 190lbs quarterback from Valor Christian threw for over 2300 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2012 (182-260, 2311 yds, 28-5 TD to INT).

Without question this is a special circumstance as not all athletes across the country can pay their way for a year in hopes of earning a scholarship, but it is an instance that gets your attention.  Unlike other top prep quarterbacks, there will be no special treatment or extra acclaim when Del Rio arrives on campus, just the opportunity to compete.  However for Del Rio, a quarterback who made a name for himself this summer parading around quarterback camps, that is all he’s ever wanted.

At this time it is unclear if Del Rio’s commitment to Alabama as a preferred walk on will have any impact on the two other quarterbacks in this class, Bateman and McLeod. Del Rio made Saturday’s announcement via his twitter account.