If ever anyone had a justifiable reason to transfer, former Georgia Tech tight end Colin Peek would seem to have had it: the spread-option offense Coach Paul Johnson brought to Georgia Tech has no tight end.

So Peek transferred to Alabama, where his grandfather and namesake used to play. Now he’s the starting tight end for the 7-0 Crimson Tide, which this week moved ahead of Florida into the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll.

Entering Saturday’s game against Tennessee, Peek is tied for the team lead in receptions (19) and second in receiving yards (213).

The move was understandable. The results are undeniable. And things haven’t worked out too badly for Tech either, which is 6-1 in Johnson’s new system and No. 12 in the BCS.

But that doesn’t mean Peek’s transfer was easy either. Peek said when Tech first fired Chan Gailey, who used a pro-style offense, and brought in Johnson, who uses a run-oriented scheme, he tried to keep an open mind.

Peek said he held out hope maybe Johnson would tweak his offense, given the talented athletes at Georgia Tech, or maybe he would create some kind of hybrid slot receiver/tight end position such as Urban Meyer did at Florida.

But Peek said he knew his time at Tech was over when Johnson told him he wanted him to lose 20-30 pounds and convert to receiver.

“I’m not a receiver, I’m built to play tight end,” said the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Peek, who had played tight end in high school at The Bolles School in Jacksonville and envisioned an NFL career at tight end.

He asked Johnson to draw some plays, so he could see what his role would be. There was no sugar-coating all the run-blocking.

“It was just all me basically at receiver, cracking down and blocking people,” Peek said. “I was a big, physical guy who could block the smaller [defensive backs] and safeties and linebackers that would help him get the run around the end. Once you realize that, it made it a very simple decision for me.”

He said after teammates found out about his transfer, his phone started ringing with friends on the team assuring him they understood.

Peek still dealt with his share of awkward moments, such as the day he went to the Tech athletics building to say some good-byes.

“You go back there and no one wants to shake your hand anymore, some of the coaches and things like that,” Peek said “... You know it’s sort of ‘as soon as you’re gone, you’re gone.’ That’s when I realized it’s a business.”

The next step in the process wasn’t so simple either, even though choosing Alabama was. His grandfather had played on the Rose Bowl team at Alabama in 1946. It was a school he nearly went to out of high school. He bonded with Coach Nick Saban.

But by NCAA rule, he would have to sit out a year and have only one year of eligibility left. The son of two lawyers, Peek fought the NCAA for eight months, applying for a hardship waiver and appealing multiple times when it was denied.

Georgia Tech athletics director Dan Radakovich wrote a letter to the NCAA on Peek’s behalf.

“We wanted to make sure we’re doing what’s right for our program and what’s right for the individual,” Radakovich said. “And this was a case where we could accommodate both ... Colin had made up his mind to go and pursue his career elsewhere. And it was a unique circumstance.”

But the NCAA didn’t want to set that kind of precedent.

After one season of starting at Tech, all he had left was one more season at Alabama, and he had to wait for it.

“It’s a humbling experience because someone who’s gone from playing for two years and being a starter is now on scout team,” Peek said. “You can either say ‘I’m too good for this’ or ‘I’m going to use this. I get to go against the best defense in the country every day so let’s get at it.’ That’s the mentality I had.”

Even sitting out, he could sense he was in a special place. One day shortly after he arrived on campus, in a summer-school class, the professor got to his name in the roll and stopped.

“He said ‘You’re the transfer from Georgia Tech, right?’ ” Peek said. “You realize when you come to Alabama, you become part of something bigger.”

He’s probably a bigger person now, too. He has had a sense of security ripped out from under him and not only survived the jolt but made the most of it.

“I think it’s shown me a lot about myself and shown other people the type of person I am because some people can let it get you down,” Peek said. “... I’ll never feel like I can be egotistical or cocky because I understand how quickly this can be taken from you.”

Peek will graduate in December with a degree in finance. Then he’ll prepare for as shot at the NFL draft.

In the meantime, he’ll ride Alabama’s run perhaps all the way to a national championship.

Yes, he’ll keep an eye on Tech, too. “I want to see that my boys are doing well,” Peek said, but that’s about as far as it goes.

“I couldn’t be happier than playing under Coach Saban and being a part of Alabama,” Peek said. “For the rest of my life I’ll be a diehard Alabama fan. My mom always said that my grandfather -- he’s in heaven -- but she always said, ‘He’s working his way to try to get you back to Alabama.’ ”

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