Pleased Monday, everybody. In case you missed it, Nick Saban was in a automotive accident this weekend. He’s high quality although, it was apparently only a minor fender bender. The NFL Draft was a reasonably profitable one for Alabama gamers with seven going within the first 4 rounds, but it surely additionally confirms that the 2021 Alabama workforce was nicely behind most within the Saban period when it comes to premium upperclassman expertise. That this workforce led late within the nationwide title sport, and will have gained with higher palms on offense, speaks volumes about this system.

The potential switch of Biletnikoff successful Pitt WR Jordan Addison, who was given Jameson Williams’s trophy thus far has by no means been confirmed to have entered the switch portal, has shook the school soccer world. Alabama is reportedly within the combine for him as they are going to be with any high expertise, however the entire smoke is round USC and an apparently huge NIL deal. Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi is just not amused.

“It is a actually fascinating scenario that’s all of the sudden thrust itself to the forefront of being the most important story in all of faculty soccer,” Thamel stated. “Jordan Addison gained the Biletnikoff [Award] final yr. He was a first-team All-American. The Pitt soccer workers has basically accused USC of tampering on this scenario. They really feel strongly like USC is a doable vacation spot.

“It’s to the purpose the place Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi a number of occasions known as USC coach Lincoln Riley yesterday and had some pointed conversations with him to precise his displeasure. I actually assume we could look again on this as one thing in school soccer that’s a bit of little bit of a pivot level. You might have one of the established stars within the sport who will discover out within the subsequent 18 hours whether or not or not he might go on the open market.”

This has turn out to be an enforcement nightmare, as anybody with a modicum of foresight would have predicted. It’s not throughout the guidelines for coaches nor boosters of a program to achieve out to a participant who isn’t within the switch portal. There doesn’t appear to be a rule in opposition to the participant’s agent purchasing for potential NIL offers from the boosters of different colleges, nonetheless, and there’ll by no means be a rule in opposition to gamers from totally different groups speaking with each other. QB Caleb Williams, who Sleazy Riley (critically, take a look at the dude and inform me you couldn’t see him promoting audio system out of a windowless van) recruited to USC from Oklahoma regardless of Williams’ standing because the returning starter in Norman, apparently has a relationship with Addison from their highschool days. Each are from the DMV space. This isn’t one thing that’s going to cease, and whereas NIL is a giant a part of it, I blame its predecessor: the one time switch waiver for all gamers.

We’ve had this argument many occasions over in these components, but it surely bears revisiting contemplating the present panorama. The primary argument in favor of waiving the one yr residency requirement was that coaches might transfer freely with out penalty, put forth by twits who apparently by no means heard of a buyout. Just like the residency requirement, buyouts are a deterrent to coaches breaking the contracts, and so they typically work. Thad Matta would possible be teaching Alabama’s basketball workforce if not for his buyout. Whereas a college official would by no means publicly acknowledge it, you’ll be able to wager that there have been situations the place coaches haven’t been thought-about as a result of the receiving faculty didn’t have the finances to cowl buyouts of their present contracts. Since school athletes don’t receives a commission by the establishments, the residency requirement made sense as a deterrent. That is very true after the grad switch exception was handed, the 4 sport redshirt allowed gamers to keep up eligibility after taking part in a bit position, and the Blake Barnett precedent was set permitting a participant to be eligible for sport one after leaving Alabama following the fourth sport of the earlier season.

In fact, the loudest voices arguing for the one time switch have been additionally probably the most emphatic ones saying that gamers have been being exploited by not attending to take part in huge income as a result of the colleges owned their likenesses. I agree with this stance, however since coaches rigorously handle contact in follow now the overwhelming majority of profession threatening accidents come within the video games. It might appear that transferring with out the power to play immediately hurts the receiving faculty however advantages the participant who will get the training, room and board, and coaching with out having to danger his physique on the sphere.

Until, after all, the publicity of taking part in within the video games is definitely good for the participant which throws a little bit of water on the entire exploitation angle. With NIL now within the image, maybe precise monetary buyouts needs to be in play. The most effective factor the NCAA might do at this level is to cease the charade altogether. Make it clear that NIL could be an inducement to come back to a specific faculty, and permit the boosters providing the NIL cash to barter no matter buyout phrases they like in case the participant transfers. There’ll nonetheless be transfers, particularly amongst gamers like Jahmyr Gibbs and Addison who flew considerably underneath the radar out of highschool then proved themselves to be high stage skills at mid-level FBS applications, however no less than the dudes who get seven determine offers as 17 yr olds will pause earlier than giving again the cheddar required to switch.

Until some type of buyout is in place or the residency requirement is revisited, the consolidation of upperclassman expertise will solely proceed. Being that solely 18% of 5 stars who don’t go to Alabama find yourself as first spherical picks, there are fairly just a few busts on the market. It doesn’t take too many seven determine ego fueled “investments” going south earlier than boosters cease giving cash so freely to excessive schoolers. It’s solely logical that the “good” cash will as an alternative stream to the extra confirmed Gibbs and Addisons of the world. Regardless of your ideas on the matter, you’ll be able to’t blame the participant for getting all he can underneath present guidelines.

Oh, and if Addison did come to Tuscaloosa, which I don’t count on, Alabama would carry the present Heisman, Nagurski and Biletnikoff winners into subsequent season plus after all the opposite {hardware} Bryce introduced house. That has by no means occurred.

That 2017 Alabama workforce was actually good, y’all.

The Crimson Tide made historical past in day two of the 2022 NFL draft on Friday. When the Commanders drafted Phidarian Mathis at No. 47 within the second spherical, he grew to become the thirty ninth participant taken from Alabama’s 2017 workforce.

With Mathis’s choice, the 2017 Crimson Tide broke the tie with 2001 Miami for probably the most draft picks from a single school soccer workforce. Earlier than the second and third rounds on Friday, each Miami and Alabama have been tied at 38.

Simply unimaginable. 45.9% of the scholarship gamers on that workforce heard their names known as within the draft.

In installment 2,345,978,379 of “why elite prospects ought to play for Nick Saban,” the Houston GM shares a bit in regards to the reverence for Nick across the league.

In accordance with Texans normal supervisor Nick Caserio, Saban helped give an in-depth take a look at how Metchie was dealing with the harm.

“I might say I’ve numerous respect in Nick,” Caserio stated. “Everytime you ask him a few participant, he’s very trustworthy. He has perspective as a result of he may give you a comparative view of — he has coached numerous actually good gamers. I believe you higher be ready whenever you speak to him. You higher know what the Hell you’re speaking about. He doesn’t wish to waste numerous time.”

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That is how two receivers who blew out ACLs late within the season, and thus couldn’t work out for NFL groups, nonetheless get drafted in the identical vary that they have been anticipated to go pre-injury.

Blake Toppmeyer remembers Barry Sanders efficiently petitioning to be draft eligible as a junior when he appears at Will Anderson.

Barry Sanders had nothing left to show in school soccer when he determined in 1989 to problem the NFL’s rule that prohibited school juniors from coming into the draft.

The league allowed Sanders into the draft moderately than danger a lawsuit from the Heisman Trophy winner, who had damaged the NCAA single-season dashing file as an Oklahoma State junior.

Not everybody agreed with the NFL’s determination, and a few questioned whether or not the ruling would pave the way in which for freshmen and sophomores to enter the draft.

“This could not have been my ruling,” Dallas Cowboys President Tex Schramm instructed the Dallas Morning Information after the NFL’s determination.

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If you wish to learn some response from the fanbases who landed Alabama gamers, right here you go:

Giants followers are ecstatic about Evan Neal

Lions followers are loving Jameson Williams

Texans followers love the velocity of Christian Harris

Final, Rece Davis deserves some form of award for this quip.

The ESPN analyst referenced Thibodeaux, a first-round draft decide of the New York Giants, throughout Saturday’s NFL protection and the sting rusher’s use of “stigmatism” when speaking about Alabama in January.

“When you miss on excessive draft decisions early there’s definitely a stigma that sticks with you, however you’d need to have some kind of actual astigmatism to not see the expertise from Kayvon Thibodeaux,” Davis quipped.

Fortunately the stigmatism of Rece’s Alabama training, moderately than Kayvon’s clearly superior one from Oregon, didn’t preserve him from touchdown a reasonably good TV gig.

That’s about it for now. Have an excellent week.

Roll Tide.