Rodney Orr on The Joe Gaither Show: Episode 25, June 23, 2023

Friday's focus was on football recruiting as the NCAA mandated dead period approaches, who's coming to Tuscaloosa this weekend for the cookout?

Let's close out the week in style on "The Joe Gaither Show on BamaCentral". The Friday program welcomes Rodney Orr from TiderInsider.com to talk all things Alabama football for 2023.

Orr has been covering the Crimson Tide since 1996 and his experience brought an invaluable perspective to today's show. 

The conversation kicked off with comments from Kirk Herbstreit who recently said his pick to win the national championship in 2023 is the Crimson Tide because so many pundits have written them off.

Mr. Tider Insider let the audience know that even with questions at the quarterback position there are still many pieces of this Alabama team to love. 

The discussion continued as we talked about new-comers offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, quarterback Tyler Buchner and wide receiver Malik Benson.

Orr spent a moment discussing a book project he's undertaken, detailing his life and history of covering the Crimson Tide with some of the challenges he's overcome along the way.

The conversation concluded with a portion on this weekend's recruiting event. The Tide is hosting a number of key prospects as the NCAA-mandated dead period begins on June 26. 

Alabama already has a quarterback and a few receivers in the 2024 class, which is an area the Alabama coaching staff needs to shift its focus to.

We said goodbye to Orr and turned our attention to last night's NBA draft. The Crimson Tide celebrated two players selected in the first round, putting Alabama into the upper tier of NBA production since Nate Oats was hired. However it wasn't all good news as Alabama's Charles Bediako went undrafted. What caused Bediako to choose to stay in the draft? Would he have been a lock for next year's draft if he came back to school?

Recruiting Rundown: Crimson Cookout Ahead of Summer Dead Period

The Joe Gaither Show on BamaCentral: Episode 24, June 22, 2023

Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. Puts Ink to Paper, Officially Signs Rookie Contract with Texans