Pennsauken star Kahlil Ali forges his own path as he carries on a football legacy

Kahlil Ali had a few options when it came to deciding where he would play high school football. One option was following in the footsteps of his older brother, Kareem Ali Jr., and attending Timber Creek High School.

Kahlil had seen how attending Timber Creek had helped Kareem take his game to the next level, as he earned a scholarship to play for Temple. The 5-foot-11 cornerback spent four years at Temple before transferring to Western Michigan for his fifth year.

Ali was close with his older brother and grew up training with Kareem and his friends. The time he spent training helped Ali realize he was fully committed to doing what was necessary to reach his goals.

“Once he surrounded me with all of them, it was just me seeing how focused they are and how bad they all wanted [to play at the next level],” Ali said. “That’s how I was growing up, working out with my brother and his peers.”

Those training sessions initially set Ali on an path toward attending Timber Creek. But there also were a few factors that made the idea of playing for his hometown team, Pennsauken, an appealing choice.

At the time when Ali was considering his high school options, his mother, Tasha, was completing an internship at Pennsauken. Paired with Ali’s knowledge of the school from living in the township, his mother’s internship helped the family learn about everything the school had to offer academically and athletically.

Pennsauken coach Clinton Tabb built an early relationship with Ali and his parents. Tasha Ali ran track at Temple, and his father, Kareem Sr., played football for the Owls from 1996-98. Although athletics were important, making sure that Kahlil would have academic opportunities was a priority for Ali’s parents.

Tabb answered their questions about the school and its opportunities. Recognizing the talent Ali and his teammates had, Tabb also had attended many of Ali’s youth football games.

“He just showed mad love to us,” Ali said. “Not just him, but actually the whole Pennsauken community all showed love to us because we were actually that class that they said was a special class.”

The chance to continue playing alongside his youth teammates and help take his hometown team to the next level was enough to convince Ali to stay home. The 6-foot-1 safety wasted no time showcasing that talent Tabb had recognized.

“I let him know I played safety, [and] I’m going to teach [him] how to play this game at safety because he’s such a smart kid, and he’s a student of the game,” Tabb said.

Ali played primarily at safety as a freshman, steadily adding reps at wide receiver as he worked his way into being a two-way player. Although he transformed into a player who rarely left the field, it was on defense that Ali had his largest impact. Even as an underclassman, Ali started to become a leader for the back half of the Pennsauken defense.

“We just clicked from the start and have just clicked from there on out,” Tabb said. “He takes coaching well, and you have some kids that can’t take coaching. … He knows how to make those adjustments.”

The three-star safety became a top player in New Jersey and one of the highest-rated recruits to come out of Pennsauken in recent history. He also started collecting offers from Power 5 programs, including Michigan State, Florida State, and Mississippi.

“I think it really sunk in once these ratings and rankings came out,” Ali said. “I’m not a fan of the rankings and ratings, but just seeing that and then seeing the hometown Pennsauken, it was like, ‘This means a lot.’

“I’m the highest recruit there in a long time, and I can say that, but I’m humble about it. That feeling also feels really good, like I put my hometown back on the map, even though we’re still doing it because the plan’s not done. The original plan is to bring a championship back home. That’s the plan. But I’ve done part of that plan, and it feels amazing.”

As Ali navigated his recruiting process, he considered the same factors he used to choose his high school program. Ali wanted to commit to a program that would help him grow as a football player, student, and person.

One program seemed to check all the boxes for the three-star safety: Jeff Hafley’s Boston College Eagles. Despite being several hours away from New Jersey, the program had local ties that appealed to Ali.

Hafley is a Montvale, N.J.,native, and the Eagles feature several former New Jersey high school standouts on their roster. Redshirt freshman defensive back Jalen Cheek played at Winslow Township, redshirt freshman running back Xavier Coleman played at Lenape, and sophomore defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku played at Williamstown.

“Those three guys are like my big bros,” Ali said. “Those three definitely helped me all my teenage years, especially growing up, and they definitely played a part in this recruiting as well.”

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