Isaiah Bond holds an interesting place in Alabama football lore. On the one hand, he caught the touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe on 4th-and-31 at Auburn to win the Iron Bowl, and was immortalized in a Daniel A. Moore painting.
On the other, he left the Crimson Tide immediately after Nick Saban’s retirement, not waiting out the 72 hours Greg Byrne asked players for before the hire of Kalen DeBoer. Bond even stayed in the SEC, landing at Texas.
Speaking to reporters Friday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Bond was asked about his relationship with Alabama. He had nothing but positive things to say.
“It’s all love from Alabama,” Bond said. “At the end of the day, I was there for two years. I follow my brothers. Like I said, I went there for coach Saban and I have a lot of respect and love for that guy. Like I said, going to Texas, it was the next step and I had a great experience there and a great time there.”
Bond said another familiar name to Alabama fans, Texas head coach and former UA offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, was his reason for making the move.
“Playing for coach Sark, that was my goal,” Bond said. “I know he’s probably one of the best offensive coordinators ever to (coach) in college, so that was my goal, to go play with him.”
Bond said Texas was the only team he talked to while in the transfer portal. He finished his lone season in Austin with 34 catches for 540 yards and five touchdowns.
The Buford, Ga. native doesn’t lack confidence as he moves through the NFL Draft process. Though, it’s hard to believe he was being anything besides sarcastic when asked what he anticipated he would run in the 40-yard dash.
“I’m going to break the record tomorrow, for sure,” Bond said. “I anticipated running 4.2, or possibly, if I’m feeling great, I might run a 4.1.”
Bond’s speed was his greatest asset throughout his college career. At the combine, he said he’s trying to show NFL teams that he’s more than that.
“People underestimate my hands,” Bond said. “I only had two recorded drops my whole college career, which, there’s not a lot of receivers out there or in the past who have ever done that. And also, route running, if you really wanted to watch the tape, people say I’m just all speed, but I have really crisp and clean routes.”
Bond and the rest of the wide receivers at the combine will go through drills Saturday in Indianapolis. The NFL Draft is scheduled to begin April 24.
