Dre Kirkpatrick gets front-row seat as son intercepts pass at Alabama's A-Day

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp04/13/24
A-day Memories: Looking back on some memorable spring games at Alabama

It’s not every day you get to watch your son play on the same field you once starred on in college, but that’s exactly the position Alabama great Dre Kirkpatrick found himself in on Saturday at the annual A-Day game.

It gets better, too.

Not only did Kirkpatrick have a front-row seat to watch his son play, he also got to take in an impressive interception down in the low red zone, though the play would be called back.

With Alabama facing fourth-and-1 from its own 10-yard line, quarterback Austin Mack appeared to try to call timeout. Only officials didn’t seem to blow the whistle. So the ball was snapped and Mack snatched it up off the turf, firing a missile into the end zone.

Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. jumped a route over the middle intended for redshirt freshman tight end Ty Lockwood, sneaking in front and picking it off in the end zone.

He then ran over to celebrate with several teammates on the sideline, receiving a turnover chain in the process.

A couple of Kirkpatrick Jr.’s teammates came over to congratulate him, even though the play was overturned due to an offside penalty. All in all a pretty neat moment for the Kirkpatrick family.

Dre Kirkpatrick originally played for Alabama from 2009-11, making the All-SEC team twice and claiming a pair of national titles. He was a first-team All-American as a junior and would go on to a lucrative and lengthy NFL career.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Kirkpatrick in the first round with the No. 17 overall pick, and the talented defensive back quickly made it count.

Kirkpatrick played eight years in Cincinnati, appearing in 99 games and starting 67 of them. He later signed on with the Arizona Cardinals an d San Francisco 49ers, playing with each of those franchises for a single year before retiring.

Now he’s living the life, soaking up the love on the Alabama sidelines while simultaneously showing some love to his son.