Alabama's Loss Only Raises the Stakes for Crimson Tide Players: All Things CW
The All Things CW notes column by Christopher Walsh will appear in five parts this week, one each day leading up to Saturday's game against Mississippi State.
This is ...
Take 5
Alabama's setback at Tennessee squandered any margin for error for the Crimson Tide tho season as it knows with another loss it'll almost certainly be out of the running for the national championship.
It goes a lot deeper than that, though.
For example, the 52-49 loss was lousy timing in that a lot of media outlets subsequently named their midseason All-American teams and the Crimson Tide probably squandered the opportunity to get some more players recognized.
The Athlon selections were pretty typical: Jahmyr Gibbs as an all-purpose player, and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. on defense. That was it for first-team honors.
The second team had quarterback Bryce Young, and Kool-Aid McKinstry on punt returns. Safety Jordan Battle was third team.
Some others who might have a chance to impress voters from here on out include interior linebacker Henry To'oTo'o, and offensive linemen J.C. Latham and Emil Ekiyor Jr. But, like with Young (especially), their fate in terms of accolades figures to be tied to the team's success.
The same won't be true in regards to the 2023 NFL Draft, or at least on the same level. Granted, NFL teams love players from winning programs, however there are additional opportunities to stand out at the combine, Alabama's pro day, during individual workouts and even at all-star games.
Here's where NFL Draft Bible ranks eligible Crimson Tide players at each position heading into the second half of the college football season:
QB: Young, second
RB: Gibbs, second; Roydell Williams 19th; Trey Sanders 27th; Jase McClellan 34th
WR: Jermaine Burton, eighth; Tyler Harrell (who hasn't played yet) 24th
TE: Cameron Latu, third
G: Javion Cohen, fourth; Ekiyor 12th
C: Seth McLaughlin 13th; Darrian Dalcourt 17th
DT: DJ Dale 10th; Byron Young 11th; Justin Eboigbe 16th; Tim Smith 41st
DE/Edge: Chris Braswell 34th
OLB: Anderson first
ILB: To'oTo'o third
S: Brian Branch second; Jordan Battle third; Malachi Moore seventh; DeMarcco Hellams 16th
CB: Eli Ricks fifth
On the Big Board, Anderson is second overall, Young has dropped to 11th, Branch is 17th, Gibbs is 24th, and To'oTo'o is 31st. Seven more players are listed in the top 100.
So yes, the Crimson Tide has a ton of talent, but each game from here on becomes that much more important as the opportunities become fewer and scarce.
5 Things That Got Our Attention This Week
• SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey expressed some his thoughts about potential NCAA tournament expansion during SEC media days in basketball this week: “I think there’s ways for us to think about creating access points that bring more people into the game, which I always think can be healthy if done the right way.”
Part of his thinking stems from the way Ole Miss baseball won the national title last season after being the last team in the tournament (over Alabama, which swept the Rebels in the regular season), and Texas A&M not making the basketball tournament last year.
The upcoming additions of Oklahoma and Texas to the league are weighing on him as well.
“What I’ve been through is a set of conversations at the national level about people being fearful through this NCAA transformation process that things would be taken away. My advocacy was, rather than worrying about taking things away, why don’t we take a step back and think about how we grow. The division has grown over time, the number of members, the quality of basketball, the commitment, the expectations that are upon any number of programs nationally. So why don’t we facilitate those opportunities?”
• The Athletic reported that the NCAA’s NIL subcommittee will send additional NIL rules to schools as early as next week. The rules will specifically address which activities are permissible and impermissible when it comes to institutional involvement in NIL activity.
The idea is that the "rules" will be mostly to clarify, and offer some guidelines about what's permissible and impermissible.
• Look for non-playing safety to be a hot topic during the offseason in regards to fans rushing the field, and teams coming out of the same tunnel at football games.
For those who might have missed it, there was some serious sniping between Penn State and Michigan players at halftime last week.
"The one tunnel is a problem," Penn State coach James Franklin said per Per Football Scoop. "It’s a problem, and it has been. To me, we need to put a policy in place from a conference perspective in my mind that’s going to stop...we’re not the first team to kind of get into a jawing match in the tunnel. For me, I want to focus on getting my team into the locker room and not jawing back and forth. … All there has to be is a two-minute or minute buffer in between the two teams.”
• Speaking of UT, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt signed an NIL deal with the apparel company Breaking T, for a 'Gimme 5' T-shirt and hoodie. The youth T-shirts are available for $30, while the adult shirts cost $34, and hoodies are $57.
• Something to keep an eye on in gymnastics is the new Utah collective, called "Who Rocks the House," which is aiming to be sport specific. One of the leaders, Mary Beth Lofgren, told Extra Points: "There may be 14,000, 15,000, even more fans in the building for a meet. It has never occurred to most of them to donate to the Crimson Club before. If we can get half of these people, or even a third of these people, to sign up for even modest donations ... you can make a significant impact." Lofgren expects small donors, not corporations or businesses, to be the "lifeblood" of the collective, which is registered as an LLC and not a 501(c)3, so all the money has to go to the student-athletes.
Tide-Bits
• Here's what the voting committee said about Alabama's offensive line when naming it among 22 teams on the midseason honor roll for the Joe Moore Award: “Much improved group from a year ago. [The center] does a nice job helping inside and working up to second level. He makes stuff right a lot. A group that generally handles movement and stunts well. [Tyler Steen] from Vandy can bend and is a welcomed addition. [Ekiyor jr.] brings his feet underneath and can generate tremendous power. Scheme and elite skill help pass pro and rush production, but competitive group that gets it started and gives the plays a chance.”
• With last week's loss at Tennessee, Alabama "fell" below .800 against ranked opponents since 2008. The Crimson Tide is 73-19 (.794) against AP Top 25 teams during that span. It went 6-1 last season.
• Alberto Camargo of NCAA Digital calls Alabama the surprise of women's soccer this season, with Syracuse on the men's side. He's touting both Riley Mattingly Parker (top 10 in nation in goals), and Felicia Knox (leads country in assists) as strong candidates for player of the years honors, after Reyna Reyes was the Crimson Tide's lone representative on the preseason watch list.
• Alabama soccer's seeding in the NCAA Tournament figures to be crucial in determining its ultimate fate, especially with the neighboring ACC having such a strong season. It has six teams in the top 10 that the selection committee will have to spread out in the brackets, but not all are going to end up as No. 1 or No. 2 seeds.
Did You Notice?
With the NFL encroaching onto Black Friday, the scheduling problem of expanding the playoff is becoming increasingly complex.
• CFP Leaders Frustrated As NFL Encroaches on Scheduling Battleground
• CFP Expansion Timeline Unclear Despite Commissioners’ Progress
• Behind the Scenes, and Closed Doors, That Led to College Football Playoff Expansion
• After a Shooting at His School, He’s Trying to Find a Way Back
See Also:
Take 1: Alabama's Penalty Problem Isn't Just Bad, But Horrendous
Take 2: Which Alabama Players are Getting the Most Penalties
Take 3: Are Penalties the First Real Crack in the Alabama Dynasty?
Take 4: Everyone, Not Just Alabama, Should Be Upset About Non-Targeting Call
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