re: Bama Football Tidings

I think Cole tries to be fair with his predictions. Last year he said Alabama was way ahead of everyone else with "superman" at quarterback and we know how that turned out. He is just guessing like everyone else.

Womack was starting Right Tackle the last NC season, last season he plays several positions (he lost his RT position while he was out with a Jones Fracture in his Foot) Jedrick came in and has not left except for a short injury of his own, when Womack sat in for him.

But agree, this could be deepest Oline I have ever seen with the Tide.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa speaks with the media at the 2019 College Football Playoff media day on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019. Sean Meagher for AL.com
LINK ]What Alabama’s offense needs isn’t on paper By Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com

quote:

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Alabama’s freak show of an offense has the potential to be the best in the history of college football.

There is no reason to dance around those lofty words. Not after what we saw last season, and not after taking a look at Alabama’s depth chart on Monday.

It never ends.

Start with this, which caught everyone’s eye when the depth chart was released.

The Freak Show offense listed Jerry Jeudy, voted the best receiver in the country last season, as a co-starter. He is great, and a potential top 5 pick in next year’s NFL draft, but Jaylen Waddle might be better.

And Waddle isn’t the fastest at his position group.

That designation goes to receiver Henry Ruggs.

Jeudy, Waddle and Ruggs are the best trio of receivers in the country, but they’re not who quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went to on 2nd and 26 to make college football history in the 2017 national championship game.

That was trusty, sure-handed Devonta Smith, who is Alabama’s other starting receiver this season.

There are options out wide for Tua, in other words, and there is a former top-ranked running back recruit behind Alabama’s quarterback, too. Najee Harris will be the featured back for Alabama against Duke, but at times this preseason backup Brian Robinson has looked better.

The backup to Robinson, redshirt freshman Jerome Ford, is the fastest of the three running backs.

So, The Freak Show will fill up a few box scores this season.

To be the best ever, though — and it might take just that to beat Clemson — a team needs something more than a glut of skill players and stats on a page. There has to be an internal meanness, a nasty edge to go along with all that talent.

Nick Saban knows exactly what that looks like. He has seen it before. It ran his defense into the ground on the way to a national championship.

I’m not talking about Clemson’s offense circa 2018, although freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence was spectacular and Clemson, like Alabama, could put up some huge numbers this season.

Lawrence handed Saban arguably the worst defeat of his career, but it wasn’t the biggest.

Not even close.

In 1995, Saban was not the terrifying emperor at the center of the college football universe. No, he was just a first-year coach at Michigan State with big plans.

He landed the job at MSU after crushing his interview with their search committee. He was so prepared. He laid everything out, his entire plan and process. They loved him.

Saban had been waiting for that opportunity his entire career.

Then, in his first game on the job, nothing could prepare him for the marauding, apocalyptic hellfire that tore through East Lansing, Michigan.

Tom Osborne’s Nebraska ripped limbs and life away from Sparty, and then worse. Final score: Nebraska 50, Michigan State 10. That was the first game for the best offense in the history of college football.

And it remains the biggest defeat in Saban’s coaching history.

Michigan State fans in attendance probably thought Saban’s new squad had a chance when they knocked Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier out of the game early in the second quarter. Nope.

Backup Brook Berringer ran the I-formation power option just fine. As Alabama knows, it’s good to have depth at quarterback.

Led by running back Lawrence Phillips, Nebraska outrushed Michigan State 552 to 45.

No one ever came close to beating that team. From beginning to end they dominated everyone.

Nebraska 1995 averaged over 63 points in its first three games, but that team had a bloodlust for pain from beginning to end. Revenge wasn’t a motivator either. They won the national championship in 1994.

The Cornhuskers destroyed rivals Missouri and Oklahoma by a combined score of 94-0, and then beat Steve Spurrier’s Gators 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl. They were an angry, self-motivated team, and that’s what it takes to be the best in this brutal sport.

It takes a jagged blade of hate for hate's sake.

The most important things don’t show up on paper.

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Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

Alabama tight end Giles Amos explains “Trailer-park Jesus” nickname
8:17
BamaInsider - Alabama Football
Published on Aug 27, 2019
Alabama tight end Giles Amos explains “Trailer-park Jesus” nickname

Raekwon Davis talks about entering his senior season with Alabama Crimson Tide
7:32
BamaInsider - Alabama Football
Published on Aug 27, 2019
Raekwon Davis talks about entering his senior season with Alabama Crimson Tide

LINK ]Alabama Football: The fastest risers among Tide freshmen by Ronald Evans
Going back to the 2018 Signing Class it was claimed Nick Saban had lost his recruiting edge. The 2019 class is quickly disproving that premise.

When Nick Saban unveiled his first 2019 Alabama football depth chart it was loaded with freshmen. Since many players are still battling it out in the two-deep pecking order, the latest chart had lots of names listed.

Even with the abundance of names, to have 15 true freshmen listed is almost mind-boggling. Throw in the redshirt freshmen and the Alabama football depth chart is loaded with players who have no or little playing experience.

At another school, another coach in a rebuilding mode might have such a depth chart. But this is new for the Alabama Crimson Tide. We suspect it also rarely happens to teams who go 14-1 in a preceding season.

No, Nick Saban is not panicking after losing a national championship game. The Alabama football coach has long believed the best players should play, even if they are summer enrolling freshmen.

But it takes special players to step into key roles so quickly. And it takes a coaching staff willing to suffer some growing pains. The 2019 Alabama football schedule allows Nick Saban to play the long game. South Carolina should not be ignored and going to College Station in mid-October offers plenty of challenge. Southern Miss is a better team than many Alabama football fans realize. Still, until November, the schedule allows for ample on-the-job training for Crimson Tide freshmen.

Bama Hammer will carefully follow the development of the ’19 class throughout the season. There will be some ebb and flow as players rise and slip back. Going into week one, we believe there are six freshmen most likely to make the most positive impact this season. The six are Will Reichard, D.J. Dale, Christian Harris, Evan Neal, Justin Eboigbe and John Metchie.

Four of the six might start against the Duke Blue Devils.
Will Reichard – Placekicker

Reichard could have a huge impact in 2019 with his strong leg and consistent accuracy. He is the best Alabama Crimson Tide placekicker prospect in many years. He could also win the starting punter role.
D. J. Dale – Nose Guard – Defensive Tackle

An immediate replacement for Quinnen Williams was not expected in 2019. Dale has blown past that lack of expectation. He is not Q and will not be as good as Q as a freshman, but when healthy, he is good and potentially very good.
Christian Harris – Inside Linebacker

Harris is big and fast, two attributes well suite to linebacking duties. Nick Saban says the youngster is an aggressive player. He will make mistakes as he learns but by the season’s second half, Harris could be solid.
Evan Neal – Guard

Many Alabama football fans believe Neal will start at left tackle next season. Until then he may start at guard. He is big, physical and already has power and quickness. Probably only injury can stop him from All-American honors in his Crimson Tide career.
Justin Eboigbe – Defensive End

Eboigbe has an injured foot and is questionable for Duke. He should recover quickly enough for game two. He already has an upper classmen’s body. Look for him to be a key member of the Tide’s d-line rotation.
John Metchie – Wide Receiver

Even with the depth the Crimson Tide enjoys at wideout, Metchie stood out in the spring game. He is far better than his recruit rankings portrayed him. He may not get many snaps behind the best quartet of wide receivers in college football, but he has a bright future.

Other freshmen, who could also make strong impacts are Shane Lee, Keilan Robinson, Jordan Battle, DeMarcco Hellams and King Mwikuta.

LINK ]Alabama's freshman defensive backs show preseason potential By Charlie Potter

quote:

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama’s secondary is one of the most-experienced position groups on its 2019 roster. But when the Crimson Tide released its depth chart Monday, less than one week before the opener, there were four true freshmen among the two-deep at cornerback and safety.

Marcus Banks and DeMarcco Hellams were listed as backups at right cornerback and strong safety, respectively, while Scooby Carter and Jordan Battle were co-starters at left cornerback and free safety, respectively. That’s four of the five freshmen Alabama signed in 2019 with the lone exception being Brandon Turnage, who missed part of the preseason with a twisted ankle.

Nick Saban was asked about the freshman defensive backs, and the head coach shed some light on where the newcomers truly stand as the start of the 2019 regular season inches closer.

“We think all those guys have the potential to be really good players,” Saban said in a press conference. “I think Jordan Battle has sort of played really well and is probably going to have a chance to play on some special teams. DeMarcco Hellams is a guy that I think is going to contribute to the depth at safety, as well. A couple of the young guys that are fighting for backup cornerback role positions, there is still a lot of competition there. I don’t think anybody has really ever sort of stood out, even though we like their ability. We’re just going to keep working with them and hope that they can mature and develop into guys you can depend on at that position.

“So, I guess to sum it up, we’re not disappointed in anyone. We’re encouraged by the ability that all these players have. We’re not totally satisfied with how they can -- and we expect them to -- develop in the future so they can contribute to the depth of our team. And we do think some of those guys can contribute on special teams.”

Three of the five defensive back signees from the 2019 recruiting cycle were Top100 prospects, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. All five were considered 4-star recruits.

In recent practices, especially during nickel formation drills, Banks and Battle have worked with the second-team defense at corner and safety. Carter has also been in the mix with the twos at times this preseason, and among the defensive backs, he was the only one that enrolled early.

Battle is one of the new defensive backs that has generated the most buzz, as he intercepted a tipped pass in the second of two scrimmages. While Hellams was the only freshman that Saban mentioned when asked about the secondary’s versatility, saying he can play safety and Money.

The pair of freshman safeties have also impressed veteran Xavier McKinney.

“I think they’re coming along,” McKinney said. “I think they’re doing really well. I think they’re trying to get better each and every day. They give a lot of effort. They play well. They’re young, of course, right now, but they’ve still got a lot of room for improvement just like everybody else.”

As a leader in the defensive backfield, McKinney said it is his job to make sure the younger guys in the secondary don’t get sidetracked or distracted ahead of the season. And so far, so good.

“The younger guys have done a great job through camp and through the last couple practices of kind of just making sure they were focused and making sure they were ready to play at all times,” McKinney said. “I feel like a lot of the young guys have done a good job of trying to learn the system, trying to learn the plays and making sure they’re doing all the right things to be successful.”

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Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

Saw a twitter post that Najee and another RB were suspended for the first half vs Duke. Any truth to it?

Thanks. It popped up on my feed and was just checking