Keon Sabb (born September 18, 2002) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

. He previously played for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

, winning a

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

in 2023.

Early life and high school

Sabb attended multiple high schools starting at

Glassboro High School Glassboro High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Glassboro, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of the Glassboro ...

, then transferring to Williamstown High School for his junior year then finishing at IMG Academy for his senior season. In Sabb's freshman season he totaled 46 tackles, seven pass deflections, and six interceptions. In his sophomore season, Sabb defensively had 31 tackles and five interceptions. Offensively he had 29 receptions for 376 yards, and six touchdowns, while also throwing a touchdown pass. In Sabb's junior season, he played both ways making 19 catches for 358 yards and three touchdowns, while also notching 19 tackles. Coming out of high school, Sabb was rated as a four-star recruit and held offers from schools such as Georgia, Clemson, Texas A&M, Penn State, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Michigan. Sabb initially decided to commit to play

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...

. However on December 6, 2021, he decided to de-commit from the Tigers and flip his commitment to play for the

College career

Michigan

In 2022, Sabb enrolled at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and in his first season he appeared in four games, but did not record any statistics. As a sophomore in 2023, Sabb started five games for the Wolverines. Including his first career start week one versus East Carolina, and a start in the National Championship Game. In total, Sabb recorded 28 tackles, a shared sack and two interceptions. One interception was returned for a touchdown versus Minnesota on October 7, both career firsts. After starting in five of 29 games in his first two seasons behind Rod Moore and Makari Paige, Sabb entered the NCAA transfer portal after both Moore and Paige returned to Michigan for their senior seasons in 2024.

Alabama

On February 19, 2024, Sabb transferred to

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, becoming one of the first recruits to join the football program following the hire of

Kalen Deboer Kalen Douglas DeBoer (born October 24, 1974) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Washington. DeBoer served as the head football coach at the University of Sioux Falls from 2005 to 2009 and California S ...

, and retirement of

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...

. He played both Alabama and Deboer in the

2023–24 College Football Playoff The 2023–24 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the tenth edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) and invo ...

, the Crimson Tide in the

2024 Rose Bowl The 2024 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2024, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The 110th annual Rose Bowl was one of the semifinals of the 2023–24 College Football Playoff (CFP) and featured two of t ...

, and Deboer as head coach at

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

in the national championship.

References

External links

Michigan Wolverines bioAlabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabb, Keon 2002 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football players American football safeties Glassboro High School alumni Williamstown High School (New Jersey) alumni IMG Academy alumni Michigan Wolverines football players People from Glassboro, New Jersey Players of American football from Gloucester County, New Jersey