Alabama’s tradition of getting prominent speakers to address the football team during fall call continued with head coach Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide welcoming Hunter Pinke. He was a tight end and team captain for North Dakota before breaking his back in a skiing accident in 2019. The spinal-cord injury left Pinke paralyzed from chest down. He was subsequently a member of Arizona’s wheelchair basketball team and is now a motivational speaker.

“I don’t actually know for fact that y’all are gonna win a national championship this year, but the direction has been set. It’s to be a champion everyday,” Pinke said in reference to the comparison between the two percent chance he walks again and the uncertainty of the future in anything, such as football. 

DeBoer had Pinke, who has a ‘No Bad Days’ mantra, speak to his team last year at Washington. Former head coach Nick Saban was known for brining in speakers during fall camp and DeBoer wants to continue the custom. 

“We will certainly have some guys. I think first year especially, It’s important to me to lay that culture, make sure it’s right where we want it,” DeBoer said during a recent post-practice press conference when asked about if guest speakers would be invited during his time in Tuscaloosa.

Former Alabama standout cornerback Terrion Arnold was being evaluated for a concussion after taking a big blow from opposing lineman, Andrew Thomas, during a joint practice between the Lions and Giants. Arnold was selected 24th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by Detroit. He’s is vying for a starting corner position.

Incidentally, there were more than 10 fights during the joint practice. Lions head coach Dan Campbell said “I told them, man, like we always do, we’re competing. We’re not pulling back. But this will be evaluated like a game, so if you do something that’s going to cost us in a game that’s part of the evaluation.”

• Morgan Dennis Morris was named the new director of operations for the gymnastics program. The former Crimson Tide gymnast was the 2007 floor exercise national champion. Robin Kelley retired earlier this week after serving in the role for 20-plus years.

• Former Alabama defensive lineman Braylen Ingraham, who transferred to Syracuse to give football another shot, suffered an Achilles tear that will likely end his playing career. “He will not be playing at Syracuse anymore,” head coach Fran Brown told reporters, adding that he hopes to get him into coaching after surgery. The injury didn’t happen during fall camp, with Brown only saying it happened “a while ago.”

• On August 4, former Alabama softball pitcher, Kayla Beaver, started her first game in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball League.

• Former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback, Jalen Hurts, was named ambassador for Global Flag Football.

• Former Alabama kicker Will Reichard drilled a 58-yard field goal in practice. Among the rookies especially he’s been the buzz of training camp with the Vikings.

25 Days

August 6, 1968: Former Alabama running back Siran Stacy was born in Geneva, Ala.

August 6, 1986: On the opening day of practice, Coach Ray Perkins said his team was a top-five squad if it can overcome one of the nation’s most challenging schedules. ‘We play Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame, Penn State, LSU and Auburn. That’s a real challenge,” Perkins said. 

“I was down in Geneva, Alabama, at a place called ‘The Bottom.’ I saw it on black and white TV one Saturday morning. You had to twist the antenna just to get a signal. I saw a man standing under the goal post and a whole bunch of guys running on the field wearing red jerseys. That ignited a dream inside me. I said from that moment on, ‘I’m going to play for that man.’”

–  Siran Stacy

Let’s kick off the month of August on “The Joe Gaither Show on BamaCentral” by talking about what we’ve seen through the first four days of the Crimson Tide’s fall camp. We play our final two interviews from our time in Dallas at SEC Media Days and discuss the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll as it relates to the College Football Playoffs.

The show opens with our interview with Nick Kelly of Al.com from our time at SEC Media Days. Kelly discussed Nick Saban’s comments about the Crimson Tide, offensive and defensive concerns and Kalen DeBoer’s move to morning practice.

We then returned to the desk to talk about the first four days of Alabama’s practice as we got to enjoy media viewing for each of the first four practices. The Crimson Tide team looked like a collection of players going through individual drills early in practice each of the first four days. What can we really take away and discern with such a slight glimpse into each day’s exercise?

The show continues by discussing the Coaches Preseason Poll that had the Alabama Crimson Tide selected No. 5 overall. While the preseason poll was dismissed as unimportant for various reasons it is still utilized to project the future College Football Playoff field and the hurt feelings that will come.

We finish with our discussion with Peter Rauterkus from Al.com as we discussed the Auburn Tigers at SEC Media Days in Dallas. Can Hugh Freeze make his second season on The Plains more succesful and challenge the Crimson Tide at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium?

The show can be seen on the BamaCentral YouTube channel. Keep up with each show on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Shows can also be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

For the first time since the 2009 preseason, Alabama football is not in the top three of the preseason Coaches Poll.

The 2024 edition was released Thursday morning, and the Crimson Tide came in at No. 5 in the preseason poll in the first year under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Alabama finished last season at No. 5 in both the Coaches and AP polls.

Alabama is the third-highest rated SEC team behind Georgia (No. 1) and Texas No. 3). There are nine total SEC teams in the preseason top-25. Alabama is games scheduled against five of these eight teams (Georgia, Missouri, LSU, Tennessee and Oklahoma.)

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, points received)

1. Georgia (46), 1364
2. Ohio State (7), 1302
3. Oregon, 1228
4. Texas, 1223
5. Alabama, 1077
6. Ole Miss, 1019
7. Notre Dame, 969
8. Michigan, 944
9. Penn State, 889
10. Florida State, 867
11. Missouri, 808,
12. LSU, 742
13. Utah, 665
14. Clemson, 657
15. Tennessee, 621
16. Oklahoma, 609
17. Kansas State, 416
18. Oklahoma State, 359
19. Miami, 292
20. Texas A&M, 273
21. Arizona, 230
22. North Carolina State, 216
23. USC, 199
24. Kansas, 186
25. Iowa, 148

Others receiving votes: Washington 123;Louisville 95;Virginia Tech 64;SMU 47;Memphis 44;Boise State 30;Auburn 25;West Virginia 22;Wisconsin 17;Liberty 15;Iowa State 15;Kentucky 12;Florida 11;South Carolina 10;North Carolina 6;UNLV 5;Maryland 5;UCF 4;Texas Tech 4;UTSA 3;Tulane 2;Texas State 2;Nebraska 2;Colorado 2;Appalachian State 2;Troy 1;Syracuse 1;Miami (OH) 1;James Madison 1;Air Force 1