GameDay Edition of All Things CW: Texas A&M at Alabama

Bryce Young's injury hurt Crimson Tide in ways that aren't obvious, Bill O'Brien is a popular coach again, and why tackles by Jahiem Oatis was so big.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban being vague about quarterback Bryce Young's status was predictable on Monday for a variety of reasons, including that he doesn't want to tip off Texas A&M about what to expect.

It's due to numerous reasons including the nature of the shoulder sprain, Saban being coy with nearly everyone's injuries this season, and, well, all's fair in love and SEC football. The more Texas A&M has to prepare for Jalen Milroe, and now has to somewhat, the less it can focus on the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

However, Young's injury impacts Alabama beyond his ability to throw a football.

Arkansas was a significant barometer regarding the Crimson Tide's status and growth, not only because it was the fist SEC road game, but the Razorbacks were the first division opponent faced in 2021 — i.e. a team Alabama faces every season.

Plus, Sam Pittman's squad is pretty darn good despite having fallen out of the AP Top 25.

Granted, last year's game came later in the season, the Saturday before facing Auburn, so the Crimson Tide was almost two months more into its development, which can be a lifetime in this sport.

But it was the same coaches, the same quarterbacks, same schemes, with very different personnel, especially for the Alabama offense.

Saban came off the field after the 42-35 victory last year and said "We left a lot of points on the board" after Young was 31-for-40, 77.5 percent, and had five touchdowns. His 559 passing yards were the second-most in SEC history (Mississippi State's K.J. Costello, 623 yards against LSU in 2020). He shattered the Crimson Tide mark of 484 set by Scott Hunter against Auburn in 1969.

Jameson Williams had eight catches for 190 yards and three touchdowns, including one for 79 yards. John Metchie III also gained 173 yards on 10 catches with a touchdown.

One has to wonder if Arkansas got exposed by Alabama. The Razorbacks went on to beat Missouri and Penn State in the Outback Bowl, but the secondary has been porous this season.

The Razorbacks were ranked 41st in the nation in pass defense last year when Young lit it up and really started his Heisman Trophy run. Coming into Saturday, Arkansas was 126th in pass defense, which is a little misleading as they're 83rd in pass-efficiency defense.

Young was carving up the Razorbacks, again, before he got hurt. The numbers (7-for-13) didn't truly show it because for every big gain there seemed to be a corresponding play in which things didn't click.

On the interception, the receiver was pulled off his route, and then tipped the ball to the defender. Dropped passes. You get the idea. Young had the Razorbacks on their heels, yet the passing game still only had about a 50-50 success rate.

Normally, Monday's practice would have been spent cleaning up those mistakes, not just mentally, but physically.

How does a passing game do that and improve? Usually it's with reps, and going through it again, and again, and again, and doing the play to the point that the receivers don't have to think about what they're doing.

It takes the quarterback throwing the receivers the ball.

Young is considered day-to-day. Mental reps? No problem. Physical ones? We don't know. Saban hinted that the quarterback wouldn't throw Monday, although it was a good sign during the game that Young did a fist pump off that shoulder in celebration when a teammate scored a touchdown.

Alabama's leading receiver at Arkansas, Kobe Prentice, is a true freshman. Second in yards gained, Isaiah Bond, also a freshman. Sophomore Ja'Corey Brooks, who set career marks against Vanderbilt, didn't have a reception against the Razorbacks. Neither did tight end Cameron Latu (although both were targeted).

Junior Traeshon Holden got drilled a couple of times running routes over the middle. Coming off an injury, sophomore JoJo Earle played his first game of the season. Transfer Jermaine Burton is fifth in team receiving while Tyler Harrell has yet to play.

True freshman Aaron Anderson remains out as well.

So who's going to throw a ball over and over to them this week?

Practices are closed and Saban isn't going to tell us, which is his prerogative. He did say on Saturday that Young could have returned to the game, but didn't have the same zip on the ball, which indicates an injury that needs rest.

So how much does Alabama scale back his throwing? Not just for Texas A&M, but Tennessee and Mississippi State before shutting him down during the bye week?

The quote by Saban from his postgame press conference that got the most attention came from when he was asked about the offensive approach in regards to Young's injury.

“I don’t know, I was gonna call Jimbo [Fisher] afterwards and tell him exactly what we would do," he said, and then echoed the comment on Monday.

But then Saban talked about the thing that may have been his biggest concern, what if Young can't really practice? That will affect both the game preparation for Texas A&M and the development of the receivers, and offense as a whole.

Look at this quote from Saban with the the part about how Young should have thrown the ball away taken out:

“You guys just see him throw the ball. He got us in the right protection every time so we could block their blitzes, which was critical ... He does a really good job of reading coverages, [is] accurate with the ball. If we get people open, he’ll get it to the right guy.”

Even if Young doesn't miss any playing time, some damage was done to the 2022 Crimson Tide. 

Coaching Carousel Could Be Bill O'Brien's Wheel of Fortune

The Nick Saban Coaching Rehab Facility otherwise known as the Alabama Crimson Tide may be on the verge of another success story, which should surprise absolutely no one, anywhere.

Next up is offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, whose name is already being bounced around like a roulette table ball as the coaching carousel is already spinning in a cruel fashion this year.

On Sunday, Paul Chryst was let go at Wisconsin despite having an overall record of 67–26, 43–18 in the Big Ten, with three Big West division titles and was twice named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Also getting pick slips have been Scott Frost at Nebraska, Herm Edwards at Arizona State, Geoff Collins from Georgia Tech, and Karl Dorrell at Colorado.

Chryst was the biggest surprise, though. This was a program that Alabama was paired with to open the 2015 season at AT&T Stadium (won by the eventual national champions, 35-17), but they're set to play a home-and-home series in 2024-25.

Oddsmakers have O'Brien listed second among the most likely candidates to replace Chryst, only behind interim head coach Jim Leonhard, the defensive coordinator now tasked with trying to salvage the season following a 2-3 start.

It's one of those places you look at and think "Oh, that could be a good fit," especially since O'Brien was once the head coach at Penn State. He already knows the conference, and had success.

However, he's also reportedly on Nebraska's short list of top candidates.

Don't overlook Georgia Tech, either.

In college, O'Brien was a defensive back and linebacker at Brown University, where he also served as an assistant coach for two years. His first job outside of his alma matter was at Georgia Tech.

From 1995-2002, he rose in the ranks from graduate assistant to running backs coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and finally assistant head coach.

He left to be Notre Dame's offensive coordinator before the whole George O'Leary fiasco unfolded.

From 2007-20, O'Brien worked mostly in the NFL, including as the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots in 2011, and as the head coach of the Houston Texans (2014-20). During that time period he only had one collegiate job, head coach at Penn State 2012-13, replacing Joe Paterno after the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Some criticized him for leaving after two years, but O'Brien kept the Nittany Lions afloat when the NCAA was dropping the hammer.

Specifically, Penn State's wins from 1998-2011 were vacated and the school was levied a $60 million fine. The NCAA also banned the Nittany Lions from the postseason for four years, reduced football scholarships from 25 to 15 for four years, and placed the program on probation for five years.

After being sued, the NCAA later rolled back the penalties in 2015, but in the meantime the NCAA granted immediate eligibility to any player who wanted to transfer out of Happy Valley.

Even with all that, O’Brien managed to coach Penn State to back-to-back winning seasons, which hasn't been forgotten.

Which leads to the question that only O'Brien knows the answer to, and could determine his fate: Would he rather coach in the NFL or at a prominent college?

Financially, there's not that much of a difference nowadays. Have you seen some of the buyouts the schools are paying for people to not coach their teams?

2021 coaching buyouts:
Orgeron: $17M
Mullen: $12M
Patterson: $12M
Helton: $10M
Lake: $9.9M
Fuente: $8.7M
Wells: $7.4M
Carey: $4M*
Diaz: $4M*
Addazio: $3M
Holtz: $3M
Bell: $940K
Lundsford: $800K
Lindsey: $700K
Arth: $640K
Edsall: $400K
(*estimate)

Total: $94.4M

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 6, 2021

O'Brien's name came up with some NFL opportunities last year, including with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Patriots as offensive coordinator, but to no avail.

“My understanding is that Bill O'Brien would have been amenable to coming back here,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said via NBC Sports Boston. “He was going to let Bill [Belichick] and Nick handle this. And ultimately, Bill Belichick didn't want to bring Bill O'Brien back because he was afraid he might lose him after a year.”

Throwing another wrench into things is that with the early-signing period schools are beginning their coaching searches earlier than ever, and most will be looking to fill their vacancies around December 1, when Alabama could be in in the midst of another title.

At least that's nothing new for Saban and the Crimson Tide.

However, it's only Week 5 of the NFL season. There will be some coaching vacancies, but probably not for a while even though 22 teams have hired new coaches over the last three years.

So we're left with only one conclusion, and its the same one that SI's Pat Forde just made with Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin, yet for a very different reason:

This is probably now a “when” question, not an “if.” 

Why 8 Tackles by Jahiem Oatis at Arkansas Stood Out So Much

Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Pete Golding tried to warn everyone.

He wasn't even asked about Jahiem Oatis during his lone press conference of the regular season, during Alabama's media day back in early August. All someone had to do was mention the interior defensive line and he went on talk about DJ Dale, Byron Young, Jamil Burroughs and then the true freshman.

"Jahiem has got a lot more wiggle than you guys think he’s got," Golding said. "So he’s a guy internally that if you leave one guy on him, good luck. But we’ll package that."

He's done more than that as Oatis has proven to be one of those guys who is already too good not to play. He's started the last three games and already amassed 15 tackles including 1.5 for a loss.

He had eight tackles and his first sack last week at Arkansas, which wasn't just impressive due to the number, but also the opponent.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but here's how that compares with some of Alabama's recent defensive linemen, including the three second-round selections in the past three NFL drafts:

Phidarian Mathis: Last season had 53 tackles, including 12 for a loss and nine sacks. The Louisianan's career best was nine tackles as a senior against LSU in 2021, including 1.5 for a loss and sack. It was the only time he had eight or more tackles.

Christian Barmore: His final season was as a sophomore, when he recorded 37 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss and a team-high eight sacks to rank second, and in the SEC. He had five tackles in each of his last three games as a sophomore in 2020, against Florida in the SEC Championship Game, Notre Dame and Ohio State, when he was the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the CFP National Championship Game.

Raekwon Davis: When Alabama landed Oatis as a commitment, the player Sports Illustrated director of recruiting John Garcia Jr. compared him to was Davis. As a freshman, Davis saw time in seven games, recording four tackles including one sack. He stayed through his senior year, but posted his best numbers as a sophomore with 69 tackles, including 10 for a loss and 8.5 sacks. His career-best for tackles was nine against LSU in 2017.

As for Alabama's recent first-round draft pick at the position, No. 3 in 2019 ...

Quinnen Williams: He redshirted his first season, and then had 20 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2017. As a sophomore All-American, Williams had 70 tackles, including 18.5 tackles for loss that ranked second in the SEC and in the top 10 nationally, and seven sacks. Only once did he have more than eight tackles in a game, 10 against LSU in 2018, when he tied his career-high with 3.5 tackles for loss.

Those are high benchmarks, but it helps put into perspective just how impressive Oatis' numbers were last week.

The really scary thing (in a good way) is that when he arrived in Tuscaloosa as an early enrollee in January, Oatis tipped the scales at 416 pounds. he's been playing at a listed weight of 348.

Yes, the SEC is That Good Again From Top to (Almost) Bottom

We're still a month away from the first College Football Playoff rankings, but all anyone has to do to see the SEC's continued prominence is check out the latest polls.

With the LSU Tigers having cracked the AP Top 25, 10 SEC teams have been ranked at some point this season. The four that haven't are Auburn, Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, and two of those have received votes in multiple weeks.

Seven teams are in this week's Top 25, and Arkansas isn't among them, with four in the top nine including Alabama at No. 1 followed by Georgia, and they've flip-flopped twice already.

The latest was caused by the Bulldogs struggling at Missouri last week, not considered one of the better teams in the league this season.

Overall, SEC teams are 38-5 in non-conference games so far. The winning percentage of .878 is on pace to be the league's third best since 1992, trailing just the 50-6 mark (.893) in 2018, and the 32-4 (.889) season in 1997.

What really stood out about that 2018 season was that all six conference losses came in bowl games, so it didn't have a stinging loss like Appalachian State over Texas A&M that season.

So far that seems to be an aberration.

The other four non-conference losses this season have been two to ACC teams (LSU to Florida State; Vanderbilt to Wake Forest), one to the Big Ten (Auburn to Penn State) and the other to the Big 12 (Missouri to Kansas State).

Regardless, the overall conference record will obviously help the league with bowl assignments and possibly land two playoff spots, again.

It also helps put some of Alabama's impressive defensive numbers into perspective even though the Crimson Tide is just getting into the heart of its league schedule (see video).

Texas A&M Offense vs. Alabama Defense

Number in () is national rank in that statistical category

Scoring Offense 21.8 (108); Scoring Defense 7.2 (1)

Rushing Offense 129.6 (98); Rushing Defense 62.5 (2)

Passing Offense 205.4 (101); Passing Defense 138.8 (3)

Total Offense 335.0 (105); Total Defense 201.2 (1)

Former Alabama Players Again a Force in NBA

In addition to the heart of the college football season, and postseason baseball, October also means the start of the NBA season, which will tip off in just under two weeks.

How different is it for Alabama fans to actually have numerous players to root for and follow? For years they had the likes of Robert Horry or Mo Williams, but it's been a long time since the Crimson Tide produced multiple players making an impact in the league like this.

Collin Sexton inked a four-year deal for $71 million as part of his sign-and-trade deal to Utah, where he'll have a chance to do what every basketball player dreams of, become a star in the NBA.

Meanwhile, the low-key Herb Jones is becoming one in New Orleans by basically just being Herb Jones.

Consider what was written about him in a recent profile piece of NBA.com:

"Jones has only been in the Crescent City for 14 months since being selected No. 35 overall by New Orleans in the 2021 draft, but his popularity has soared to a level unmatched for a pro entering the league with relatively little fanfare. Fans developed an immediate love for Jones’ defense-first game, as well as his quiet, unassuming approach on and off the court."

“They’re never overly aggressive,” the University of Alabama product said. “It’s more like they’ll look at me and say, ‘Are you Herb?’ It’s not like, ‘Oh my God! It’s Herb Jones!’ I respect the fans. The majority of people will just say, ‘How are you? You good?’ Or low key say, ‘Can I get a picture?’ I’m cool with that.”

After being a second-round draft pick, Jones almost made the league's All-Defensive Team as a rookie. He played in 78 games last season, averaging 9.5 points on 48 percent shooting.

This year he's going in as a starter, and one who is still getting better.

"I don’t think the world understands how special he is," Pelicans big man Zion Williamson said.

Alabama Players in the NBA

Name, Pos., Height, Weight, Team

• JD Davison, G, 6-3, 195, Celtics
• Keon Ellis, G, 6-6, 175, Kings
• JaMychal Green, PF, 6-8, 227, Warriors
• Herbert Jones, SF, 6-6, 206, Pelicans
• Braxton Key, SF, 6-8, 230, Pistons
• Kira Lewis Jr., PG, 6-1, 170, Pelicans
• John Petty Jr., G, 6-5, 186, Pelicans
• Joshua Primo, G, 6-5, 190, Spurs
• Collin Sexton, PG, 6-1, 192, Jazz

5 Things That Got Our Attention This Week

We start in the same place as we often do, Mississippi.

1) Mike Leach’s Ambitious Plan to Fix NIL: ‘Are You a Professional or Are You Not?’

The Mississippi State coach told Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated: “This should not be a masquerade party of professionals. Are you a professional or are you not? Instead of sitting here and having 17-year-olds lecture everybody that they are professionals, well, let them be professionals. It’s one or the other. Right now, we’ve got this whole mysterious stratosphere of people wiggling all over back and forth. … With professionals comes responsibility. Yeah, you will potentially make more money. But you are drafted and can be traded. That’s what professionals do. This college football group [of administrators], they are all shocked by that. Why are you shocked by it? Name one league of professionals who don’t do it that way.”

Regarding a potential congressional solution, Leach said: “They can’t even solve their own problems. They don’t know the first thing about football, and we’re going to defer to a bunch of people who don’t know what they’re doing? What is the time frame? I don’t think they get it accomplished, but in the event they do, we’ll all be dead.”

It's hard to argue against that last point.

2) NCAA Considering Bigger Championship Brackets

CBS Sports reported that the NCAA Transformation Committee is considering an idea that could allow as much as 25 percent of a sport's teams to be able to qualify for its NCAA bracket, “and at its extreme, this would mean college basketball's 363-school population could one day, theoretically, allow for as many as 90 teams in March Madness.”

However, the potential change could focus more on sports like baseball, lacrosse and soccer.

"They've thrown the concept out there for the commissioners to consider and go back to their ADs," an anonymous league commissioner explained: At this point they're talking about baseball, they're talking about all [sports], it's not just a basketball conversation. But everyone knows basketball will be the thing that moves the needle the most."

Another source noted that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey “was frustrated with how baseball went this past year” even though Ole Miss won the national title.

3) NCAA Gives Thumbs Up to a Girls High School Basketball Academy

The DI Council approved bringing back NCAA-sanctioned summer basketball academies and recruiting events for high school boys as well as the creation of a girls high school basketball academy.

The Council also passed a proposal for women's college basketball to have an “NIT-level” secondary postseason tournament with a target start date of March 2024. It still must be approved by the Board of Directors.

4) Help Wanted

The NCAA is actively looking to hire an Associate Director of Enforcement for NIL. The position is “primarily responsible for identifying potential NCAA violations while maintaining current knowledge of and monitoring trends associated with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) specific to recruiting and college athletics."

Front Office Sports reported that the role will “serve as a resource to members and others who are concerned about potential violations of NCAA rules,” and that the NCAA is already working on numerous cases related to NIL.

5] Former Auburn Athletic Director Allen Greene May Not Go Far

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the former Auburn AD is potential candidate for the same job at Georgia Tech, along with Army's Mike Buddie and Georgia State's Charlie Cobb.

Tide-Bits

• The A-Club Alumni Association announced that Lillie Leatherwood will be the Grand Marshall of this year's homecoming parade on campus. She's an outstanding choice. In 1984, Leatherwood became the first University of Alabama female athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. She went on to be a police officer and for years headed the Tuscaloosa Police Athletic League.

• Joe Lunardi of ESPN has updated his preseason bracketology for the upcoming season, and has Alabama basketball facing a familiar school in the first round: UAB. He has them playing in Columbus, with the winner facing the team to advance out of Duke vs. Colgate.

• Going back to the NBA, FanSided did top 25 series of players under the age of 25. Jones was No. 25. At No. 24 was Sexton. However, in the Sports Illustrated Top 100, Jones was No. 85.

"The Pelicans struck second-round gold with Jones, who entrenched himself in the lineup in the absence of Zion Williamson and earned league-wide respect as a top-flight, versatile defender. He also displayed real offensive growth from his college days, shooting the ball better than expected and fitting in effectively. Assuming last year was the baseline thanks to Jones’s intrinsic value, his future looks extremely bright, particularly if his three-point percentage ticks upward."

• Cam Newton has the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in his first 25 starts with 18. Jalen Hurts has scored 17 in 23 starts.

• Running back Brian Robinson Jr. wasn't the only former Crimson Tide football player to return to practice this week in hopes of making his NFL debut soon. Fellow rookie Christian Harris is back with with the Houston Texans after being sidelined with a hamstring injury. It actually took the linebacker longer to get back from his injury than Robinson, who was shot twice during a botched robbery on Aug. 28.

Did You Notice?

Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde on early-season coaching changes: "It’s all just silly money in the sport at present. The media rights deals are skyrocketing, the salaries are skyrocketing, the facilities never stop being built and modernized, and now the NIL collectives are kicking into high gear. And what comes along with that is a desperation to win that is leading to an epidemic of in-season firings. ...

As for where the sport as a whole is heading? Deeper into the shark tank. Someone else will be dismissed next week. But at least they’ll say nice things about the freshly fired guy in the release. It’s the college football way."

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Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW appears every week on BamaCentral 

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