Flanked by his parents in a silent church meeting space surrounded by a hundred plus teammates, Justice Finkley knew what he was about to say.
The four-star defensive lineman at Hewitt-Trussville made his decision two weeks earlier so Thursday’s announcement was just the public unveiling. There was excitement in the air though everyone sat silently as Finkley went through the interview that aired live on CBS Sports HQ that only he could hear.
They went to a commercial and still nobody spoke.
When they came back, Finkley surveyed the three hats on the table — Colorado, Alabama and Texas. The Trussville church where he sat was a little more than an hour from Tuscaloosa where three former Hewitt-Trussville teammates wear Alabama crimson.
Finkley, it turns out, will not.
He admits he wasn’t quite sure how the room would reach when the Longhorn logo appeared on the screen behind him as he scooped the Texas hat. The response was largely positive as whispers of “I knew it” circled the room.
“It was kind of a mix of both but whichever way it went,” Finkley said afterward, “it was for me and it was my decision and I know it was good for me.”
The scene after Justice Finkley announced he’d be going to Texas.Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com
This was about more than football as Finkley said when reaching for the Texas hat. He mentioned he’d be continuing his “academic and athletic career” in Austin because he’s got plans beyond the field. Finkley wants to pursue a career in medicine, possibly as a neurosurgeon or plastic surgeon and the medical school at Texas impressed him.
“Everybody expects a kid in Bama to go to Bama,” Finkley said, “but nobody expects me to go to a different state and play for a team.”
He admits he doesn’t mind being the guy who bucks the trend and tries something different. And he was happy to see the positivity in the room when Texas was the verdict instead of Alabama.
“It was good to see that want to see me win,” he said.
Hewitt-Trussville coach Josh Floyd on Monday told AL.com that even he didn’t know at that moment where his star defensive lineman was headed.
“He’s a unique kid, so nothing would shock me,” Floyd said. “I’ve talked to his mom several times. I know he’ll have a lot of support wherever he goes.”
Finkley smiled when asked about the external forces out there trying to sway him to Tuscaloosa instead of Austin.
“Oh yeah. There was definitely a lot of pressure,” Finkley said. “You can’t walk 10 seconds away from this place without seeing people with Alabama stuff on.”
And he won’t get away from that when he heads to Texas.
One year and one day from Thursday, Alabama is scheduled to play the Longhorns in Texas Memorial Stadium before Texas plays in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2023.
“I’m very excited about that,” Finkley said.
Former Hewitt-Trussville players currently on the Alabama roster include offensive lineman Pierce Quick, backup quarterback Paul Tyson and starting defensive back Malachi Moore.
AL.com reporter Ben Thomas contributed to this report.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
