Grant Admits to "What-If" Thoughts About Gators

He said he did this before he knew Billy Gillispie was out at Kentucky. Grant said there was widespread speculation that he was delaying saying yes to Alabama to see if Gillispie was out at Kentucky and if his former boss, Florida's Billy Donovan, was in, so he could go to the Gators instead, as he almost did two years ago when Donovan took the Orlando Magic job for a few days.

"I was fully aware of the different scenarios going on. I'd be lying if I didn't give a thought to the 'what-if,'" Grant said. "But it came down to the commitment they made to me. There was the chance to play for a championship and a chance to blaze my own trail. That was too good an opportunity to pass up. That's what I wanted."

Grant said he has no issue going against Donovan and former fellow Florida assistant John Pelphrey, now the head coach at Arkansas. He said when Donovan got into the SEC, he was matched up against his former coach Rick Pitino at Kentucky and a former fellow UK assistant, Tubby Smith at Georgia.

Grant also said football coach Nick Saban's influence was huge in the decision process for him. He said Saban's passion for wanting all the sports at Alabama to be successful spoke volumes to him. Grant said he doesn't anticipate any defections from the Tide roster.

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