At the GISA All-Star football game at Mercer, Giles Amos didn’t know. During basketball season, there were still uncertainties.
As winter turned to spring, the Amos family finally found out that the youngest sibling is getting a chance to play football at the next level. It doesn’t get any better than the defending NCAA Division I national champions.
Giles Amos, called the best athlete ever to be a part of The Westfield School by his former head coach Ronnie Jones, is going to walk-on to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa with preferred status. That means the 6-foot-4 receiver/safety has a guaranteed spot on the Crimson Tide roster for the 2016 season, no try-out needed.
“It’s been a real thrilling experience,” said Amos about the process that led to his offer from Nick Saban’s program. “I’m thankful for it, more than anything. I think it’s a real big honor even to be considered a preferred walk-on, to get an opportunity to play for the Crimson Tide, to compete for a position and battle for a national championship. I hope to do my best when I get over there.”
Giles said his father William Amos sent his film to Alabama asking the coaches to review his abilities. The response: come on over. Giles said he went for an official visit, heard how much Saban’s people liked what they saw and received the offer.
“They gave me a workout program,” said Amos about his preparations now for the Southeastern Conference. “It’s really been tough, but I’ve seen improvements already. Eating a lot of steaks and everything. Taking a lot of protein in.”
The training will soon step for Amos in the summer. He played in some big game atmospheres when Westfield took on a rival like Deerfield-Windsor or played for the GISA championship at Mercer. At Alabama, it’s a big-game atmosphere every Saturday.
“It’s the Crimson Tide. The tradition. They expect excellence,” said Amos. “The part about going out and having to perform at the best of my ability every day, that’s what makes me anxious. I’m looking forward to that. My first game, it might take a little while to actually hit me that I’m running out for the Alabama Crimson Tide.”
“I think he’s the best pure athlete to ever walk these halls,” said Jones, who saw Amos take part in record-breaking offenses for the Hornets, especially in the 2014 season. “He’s the only person I’ve had in my 40 years who started as a ninth grader and started four years of football. Walking on at Alabama is certainly a tough task where they have the very best of the best right now. But if anybody can do it, I think Giles can.”
It was in 2014 that Amos both caught eight touchdown passes and intercepted eight passes on defense. That season he made 31 catches in all for 693 yards.
“I’m going to miss my coaches the most,” said Amos. “They’ve helped me the most. I’m going to miss the faculty, the student body. Every time I’m asked about it, I talk up my school because I love it so much. Mainly, I’ll have to say I’ll miss Coach Jones.”
“He worked very hard for this,” said Jones. “I can’t wait for when he does prove himself, to be able to tell some schools, ‘I told you so.’”
In school, Amos plans to study broadcast journalism.
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