Alabama Football G11 vs WCU 2014
Alabama running back Altee Tenpenny (28) chews up yards during the fourth quarter of the Nov. 22, 2014 win over Western Carolina.
(Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Arriving at Alabama two years ago, Altee Tenpenny was among the top high school running backs in the country.
He turned down home-state favorite Arkansas and the soon-to-be ground-heavy attack that would come with the Bret Bielema era. Instead, the North Little Rock product came to Alabama's crowded backfield in the same signing class as Derrick Henry.
By Sunday, he announced via Twitter he was leaving Alabama "to start a new chapter." The next destination is still unknown. The move would end two years of limited playing time for Tenpenny with more experience on the scout team than the playing field.
Three weeks before announcing his departure, Tenpenny spoke to AL.com about his time at Alabama and his future with the program. Asked specifically about his plans moving forward, transferring didn't sound like part of his plan.
"No, I haven't really been focusing on that, not really because right now I'm a running back for Alabama, No. 28," Tenpenny said at Sugar Bowl media day. "That's what I plan on being and that's where I plan on making my legacy."
Tenpenny also spoke candidly about his shortcomings at Alabama, early conflicts with running backs coach Burton Burns and dealing with high expectations. But as he wrapped up his second season at Alabama, Tenpenny said he "couldn't ask for a better coaching staff and even better players" at Alabama.
The rising junior running back said it was "time for my light to click on" after two years of unfulfilled expectations. He ran for 218 yards on 48 carries as a freshman and sophomore.
"I mean, I feel if I come in and go with the program 100 percent the way I can, and with the talents I'm blessed with, then no more scout jersey for me," Tenpenny said. "But scout, I ain't never going to knock scout neither. Because scout humbled me and it's helped me give the defense a great look. So when they're out there playing good, I feel good."
Looking back, he said his relationship with Burns came a long way since the beginning of the 2013 season.
"Yeah, it was clashing of personalities," Tenpenny said. "I felt like he didn't understand me or where I was coming from. But like I said, we traded stories and grew to know more about each other and he gave me a better respect of him and his job and what he needs to do. He brought me to a place where I'm a player. I still have a lot to learn. I don't know it all just yet."
Burns declined to speak about the early conflicts with Tenpenny before the Sugar Bowl, but was looking forward to working with him moving forward.
"Sometimes young guys don't even know they're getting better," Burns said. "And that's the way I see him. This guy is really improving. He's really improved from day to day and sometimes it takes time for these guys to see it."
That can be where the hype machine comes into play.
247Sports' composite of recruiting rankings had Tenpenny as the No. 7 running back in the country. Rivals ranked him eighth and both had the 5-11 runner in the top 55 overall.
That can mess with a young mind.
"Yeah, it was tough coming in because, I mean, the media ... you're 16-, 17-, 18-years old, but you're a celebrity at a young age," Tenpenny said. "So to come in and then be bumped back down to that level, it was a humbling experience. It was frustrating at first, but you understand the process and you work with the process, and when you work with the process, you get it more."
Burns understands that.
"They don't always meet the hype of recruiting when they first come in," he said. "And it's a hard deal for these kids to understand that. It really is."
College life can also be a factor. Tenpenny acknowledged his March 24, 2014 arrest for marijuana possession in North Little Rock as an example.
"I was just trying to focus more so on the field and have a wild life off the field but I found out those two go hand in hand and you can't do it," Tenpenny said. "You have to buy in fully."