Roll Tide Nation

Alabama head coach Nick Saban appeared on NFL Network on Thursday to recap the 2019 NFL Draft and discuss his current Crimson Tide team. Below is everything Saban said during an interview with Andrew Siciliano, including an update on his return from hip replacement surgery.

Does it ever get old seeing the young men that are in your building, that go to class, that work so hard every day -- both on and off the field -- hearing their name called and having that journey take them to the NFL?

“No, not at all. A lot of the guys that we recruit here and a lot of guys when they’re in high school and they play, a lot of them have dreams, regardless of what they play -- football, basketball, baseball. They all want to be professional athletes some day. And these guys put a lot into it. They work hard. They really mature and contribute a lot to our program. I know it’s their dream, and I’m always happy to see them have success at the next level. I mean, that’s one of the goals of our program here.”

Let’s talk about Quinnen Williams, if we could, who went third overall to the Jets. Coach, what makes him so special?

“His initial quickness and his ability to play with his hands, play with leverage, get off blocks quickly. He’s athletic, so he’s a really good pass rusher. He’s not a huge, gigantic, overpowering guy, but the rest of it is perfect for this day and age in football. And I go back to the initial quickness, the use of his hands. And this guy is a really smart, instinctive player, and I think sometimes people overlook how that impacts someone’s production -- and his production here was fabulous.” 

ByCharlie Potter 7 hours ago

A total of 80 University of Alabama student-athletes are slated to receive degrees during this weekend's commencement activities, including 14 All-Americans, three NCAA champions and four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. The Crimson Tide's tally also includes 15 master’s degrees.

Crimson Tide All-American and Baltimore Raven Marlon Humphrey is among the 10 football players set to graduate. Others include SEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year Hale Hentges, who is getting his master’s degree this weekend after signing with the Indianapolis Colts last month, as well as CoSIDA Academic All-American Keaton Anderson.

Other Alabama football players include Kyle Edwards, D.J. Lewis, Milo Lewis, Xavian Marks, Scott Meyer, Chris Owens and Matt Womack.

MLB draftees Josh Rutledge and Geoffrey Bramblett both earned their degrees this month, putting them among the nine UA baseball players receiving degrees in the spring, along with football and baseball standout Keith Holcombe, who finished his master’s degree this semester. Rutledge, a 2008 Freshman All-American, was drafted in 2010 and played for the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox during his pro career.

ByCharlie Potter 8 hours ago

Former Alabama defensive lineman Joshua Frazier is hanging up his cleats.

On Thursday, Frazier announced via Twitter that he was “done with football.”

“I’m done with football. I’ve decided...I’ve got a lot going on right now in my life personally and can’t put my 100 into the game I love. Made some great memories with my teammates at Harber And @AlabamaFTBL and was blessed with the opportunity to be drafted to the @steelers

“Thank you everyone who helped me on my journey.”

It was a big deal — make that a REALLY big deal — when sports gambling, including gambling on college sports, was expanded from Las Vegas. Now, only the most naive would suggest that there isn’t gambling on Alabama football in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham and everywhere else in the nation regardless of the presence of a gleaming casino with a sports book. There is not in Alabama, but projections are that sports books will be available in some 30 states within five years. (Alabama will probably become No. 50 a few years after Utah makes it 49.)

With the expansion, there is more than ever a concern about corruption, to the extent that according to a report by CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd something called the NCAA Gambling Working Group will propose that schools reveal the status of injured football players each week — “available,” “possible,” or “unavailable” — but without revealing the type of injury.

Obviously, a coach could announce “possible” on all of them without revealing much of anything.

The point, though, is that sports injuries never seem to be that much of a secret. The NFL routinely has a reveal each week (“probable,” “doubtful,” or “out”). As for the college game, no one ever seems to be caught off guard by the absence of a key player on Saturdays.

 At Alabama, Coach Nick Saban has an almost weekly announcement regarding injuries and some expectation of a player’s availability. (Of course, his most notable injury announcement concerned his own recent hip replacement procedure.) Many coaches nationwide have spoken out against the suggestion that injuries be revealed as giving away the game plan to the opposition.

Alabama welcomed seven new assistant coaches to Tuscaloosa this offseason, and plenty was said about more of them during the Crimson Tide’s 15 spring practices from March 8 to April 13.

We didn’t hear from any running backs or outside linebackers, so there are no quotes on either Charles Huff or Sal Sunseri, but below is what Nick Saban and Alabama’s players said about offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, defensive line coach Brian Baker, safeties coach Charles Kelly, offensive line coach Kyle Flood and wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins in the spring.

STEVE SARKISIAN

Nick Saban: “My experience is the guy did a really good job when he was here. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him for what he did before he came here as an offensive coach. I don't think it's fair to criticize when a guy takes over a job one week before a game and has to go try to implement something because the circumstance we were in. I think if you look at the body of work with the Falcons, they were like sixth in the NFL in offense or whatever so there's got to be some level of expertise to allow them to do that. The players that I talked to there thought he did a really good job and was a good coach. He's, I think, a tremendous asset on our staff and we're very pleased and happy to have him. We had a whole list of people we went through to hire and I feel like we were really, really fortunate to get a guy that was offered the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator job to come to Alabama and had a successful stint in the NFL.

“We're going to run our offense do the things that we do. I'm sure that there are some things that they did in Atlanta just like there were some things when Brian Daboll came here that they did in New England that we implemented in the offense and those things were very helpful. We'll do the same thing. If Sark's got things that he thinks are going to be beneficial and fit in with the things that we're doing then we'll implement some of those things. He's got great knowledge and experience and the biggest thing is he's well organized and he's got good relationships with the players and he's a good teacher.”

Tua Tagovailoa: “Well, I think you can’t really compare all the coaches. you look at it more so as these guys have their own way of coaching, these guys have their own style and you just got to learn to go with it because at the next level it is not always going to be the same person. So, you’ve got to be able to adjust and you’ve got to be able to go with it as well. So, they all have different styles. Coach Locksley was one way. Coach Daboll was another way and with the offense we’re running now it’s different, too. It’s just getting used to what they’re doing and what they like and going with it. 

ByHank South 16 hours ago

It's a three-team battle between Alabama, Clemson and LSU for the top spot in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings, with each program spending time at No. 1 in the standings in recent weeks.

The Bayou Bengals currently claim the No. 1 spot with the Crimson Tide coming in at No. 2, but with how narrow the margin is between the three teams in the standings, one commitment or decommitment could change the entire order.

Affecting that order is the 247Sports Composite Rankings, an industry-generated average. Those rankings were updated this week with several Alabama commits moving up in the standings.

Here's a look at where they currently sit, along with the latest in their recruitments.

Alabama landed a preferred walk-on commitment from 2019 quarterback Jayden George of Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central on Wednesday evening.

"It’s been a long process and I’m excited to announce I will be continuing my dream to play football at the University of Alabama next year!" George Tweeted. "I can’t wait to be a part of something special! All glory to God! #RollTide."

The 6-foot-3.5, 205-pounder signal caller has taken several visits in recent weeks to programs like Georgia and Miami, but it was Alabama where he saw the best fit.

George passed for 3,100 yards and 42 touchdowns last season, helping lead Warren Central to the Class 6A state championship win. 

Jayden is the son of former Illinois quarterback and No. 1 pick in the 1990 NFL Draft Jeff George, who had stints with the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears. The elder George led the league in passing yardage in 1997, and for his career threw for over 27,000 yards. Jayden's older brother, Jeff Jr., played for Illinois before transferring to Michigan and then Pitt. 

The offseason has arrived, and the countdown to Alabama’s 2019 season is getting shorter and shorter. But what are some of the things the Crimson Tide coaching staff and players need to do before the upcoming season arrives in order to get back to the College Football Playoff?

Below, BamaOnLine takes a look at bullet points on Alabama’s offseason to-do list.

Hip hip hooray?

Head coach Nick Saban underwent hip replacement surgery last week, and less than 48 hours after the robotic procedure, the 67-year old was back at work. An avid golfer, Saban was forced to withdraw from the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge and will likely miss the Regions Pro-Am next week, though he still might make an appearance. It’s not surprising that the 13th-year head coach was adamant about getting back on his feet as quickly as possible, but it’s also important that he heals properly in order to be ready for the season.

“It’s more than he just wanted to get back to work. He’s back to work with a purpose,” head trainer Jeff Allen told ESPN’s Chris Low. “He feels like he owes this place and his players his total effort. He demands way more of himself than he does of anybody else.”

Stay healthy

Speaking of surgeries, Alabama will also look to avoid any injuries this offseason. Last year, the Crimson Tide lost linebackers Terrell Lewis and Christopher Allen to ACL injuries before the 2018 campaign even started. Saban mentioned some players could have shoulders scoped after spring practice, and freshmen Darrian Dalcourt and Jeffery Carter were possibilities there, BamaOnLine has learned, along with redshirt senior Matt Womack. But between now and the start of preseason camp later this summer, staying healthy will be a top priority for the Tide.