All Things CW: Holiday Season, Alabama Early Signing Period Edition
This is the combined version of this week's All Things CW notes column by Christopher Walsh which appeared in five parts.
We'll start with 15 things we're thinking at the beginning of Christmas week:
1) Yes, like most Crimson Tide fans I'm stunned that the Alabama Crimson Tide hasn't had any opt-outs for the Kansas State game. The last two times the Crimson Tide played in a Sugar Bowl that didn't have anything to do with the national title picture, the team didn't exactly play like it wanted to be there facing either Oklahoma or Utah. It speaks volumes about Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. especially, as they could potentially go 1-2 in the 2023 NFL Draft.
2) Here's how important bowl games can be: That 2014 loss to the Sooners was when the light went on with a freshman running back named Derrick Henry. After being plugged in, Henry led the team in rushing, rushing for 100 yards on eight carries and a 43-yard touchdown, and also turned a short pass into a 61-yard touchdown.
3) That the Crimson Tide's team leaders are all playing in the Sugar Bowl, and Alabama has had 15 players transfer out, makes it obvious that there was either a division on the team, or just not everyone was on board. History will be the judge, but we already know which way they'll be judged.
4) Say what you will about Qatar, and how it never should have hosted the World Cup, the final was nothing short of phenomenal. I've never seen a game in which both sides simply shed tears after it was over.
5) Someday I hope I get the chance to ask former Crimson Tide defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson about what it was like to be part of the biggest comeback in NFL history.
6) Someday I hope Patriots quarterback Mac Jones can laugh about this.
7) If I'm running back Brian Robinson Jr., I'm flat-out mad about this:
8) A mark of a good team is when it takes something extreme to happen for it to lose. Alabama football has been that way for years, and now it's true of men's basketball this season. Gonzaga shot 74 percent in the second half, and 57 percent against the Crimson Tide, which even after giving up 100 points in the game is still No. 21st defensively according to KenPom.
9) Coaches never like to talk about a "good loss," but they know how to use it to their advantage. Think Nate Oats is talking a lot about turnovers this week? Even if Alabama only gets a little better in this area it'll be in the running for the SEC title.
10) Alabama's going to have to make some adjustments after losing guard Nimari Burnett to a wrist injury, but here are three points of optimism about the Crimson Tide heading into league play next week: guard Jahvon Quinerly has only played nine games with his new teammates after coming off a knee injury, forward Brandon Miller's 36 points are the most by a Division I freshman this season, and the roster is deep, including players like Charles Bediako and Noah Clowney.
Alabama became the first team since the 1965-66 season to beat two teams ranked No. 1 (North Carolina on Nov. 27 and Houston on Dec. 10) before New Year’s Day, and yet is still coming together. In short, this young team's potential is enormous.
11) Alabama's biggest moment over the weekend may have happened behind the scenes. Prize offensive line prospect Kadyn Proctor made an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa and there's a lot of speculation that he might flip his commitment at the last moment from Iowa.
One has to wonder if all the offensive line transfers inadvertently made Proctor think twice about the Crimson Tide.
12) Let there be no doubt what the NCAA considers its top priority, and to the surprise of no one it's not the students. By naming Charlie Baker, the former Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (yes, like Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, it calls itself a commonwealth and not a state. The distinction is in name alone), as the organization's president, it's to lobby Congress for an antitrust exemption. He's in for a very tough fight.
14) Opendorse has compiled an “NIL Book” that has earning expectations for college athletes. It's also a guide for collectives on how much a player will cost.
Here's what Ohio State coach Ryan Day had to say about NIL last week: “It was never part of the conversation, then it became part of the conversation, and it's trending towards being the conversation for a lot of folks. So just as time has gone on, it's become more and more of a priority for folks. And so navigating those times and adapting is important. [...] But I will say, there are times where you ask that question, ‘What are we doing?’ I'll just leave it at that right now.”
Day had previously stated that he thought the Buckeyes needed $13 million to compete at the highest level: "That's the goal. I mean, that has to be it. And, you know, we're all in."
Regardless, athletes have already been reduced to essentially 'blue book" value, and recruiting to a price tag.
14) Speaking of price tags, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gave his entire offensive line (including Landon Dickerson), reserves and even those on the practice squad, Louis Vuitton travel bags as holiday gifts.
We're a long ways away from Dan Marino doing ads for Isotoner gloves and saying "Protect the hands that protect you" in the late 1980s. They go for $20-$60 nowadays. If he got the Keepall Bandoulière 45 model, they go for $3,700 each.
Dickerson, you may remember, once bolted a block of wood to the front of his truck. We can't wait to hear what he uses the bag for.
15) Leach Tribute: Mississippi State held public memorial service honoring his on Tuesday, inside Humphrey Coliseum.
College Football Won't Be the Same Without Its Pirate King
I honestly don't wish I had a Mike Leach story that I couldn't wait to tell, at least in the traditional sense.
It would have probably been drowned out amongst the sea of others that have been recalled since the Mississippi State coach left us way too early last week at the age of 61.
Don't get me wrong. I loved listening to Leach talk, especially when he verbally took a left turn away from football and would go on about things like neckties, aliens or Halloween candy.
When almost all you hear is non-stop coach talk and cliches, he was more than a breath of fresh air. Fox example, after the recent Oct. 22 loss at Alabama, 30-6, he talked about his players being scared of the Crimson Tide, his receivers players having dinosaur hands, and his long-term evolutionary concerns for Starkville.
So this is now my wish and instant regret: That I could have met up with Leach for an evening at either his favorite bar in Key West (Captain Tony's) or mine (Green Parrot) sans microphones, cameras or the spotlight that comes with being a college football coach nowadays.
I would have even offered to buy assuming we didn't get into the super-expensive stuff, but that didn't seem to be Leach's style.
The sweatshirt and flip-flops guy who owned a house on the Florida island was probably the most interesting man in college football, an attorney turned coach, who along the way coveted becoming a pirate.
The master of the air-raid offense, Leach was also the ultimate underdog, and the king of comebacks.
On eighteen occasions, Leach led his unranked team to victory over a team listed in the AP Top 25, the most in the poll era. Fittingly, his last game was among them, the win at No. 20 Ole Miss to close out the regular season in the annual Egg Bowl.
Over the last six seasons, Leach's teams defeated 11 ranked opponents. Since he arrived at MSU in 2020, Leach's seven top-25 wins are tied for fifth nationally.
Five were away from home, or at neutral sites: Then-No. 6 LSU (2020), vs. then-No. 22 Tulsa (2020), at then-No. 15 Texas A&M (2021), at No. 16 Auburn (2021), and at No. 20 Ole Miss (2022).
Along the way, the Bulldogs broke the school record for the largest comeback twice in 2021. In the season-opener against Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State trailed by 20 points in the fourth quarter before pulling out a one-point victory.
MSU subsequently scored 40 straight points to erase a 25-point deficit at No. 17 Auburn.
Leach’s Texas Tech team once overcame a 31-point deficit in the 2006 Insight Bowl, which is tied for the largest comeback in a bowl game in FBS history.
They kind of became par for the course from the man whom one never knew what to expect.
He was an innovator, a pioneer and a heck of a quarterbacks coach.
During his first Southeastern Conference stint, as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Kentucky in 1997-98, he helped make Tim Couch the No. 1 pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.
He then moved on to coach Josh Heupel at Oklahoma, who a year later nearly won the Heisman Trophy despite not having much of an arm. Heupel's now the head coach at Tennessee.
At Texas Tech Leach made Kliff Kingsbury the starting quarterback, and he broke the NCAA record for career completions. Kingsbury is now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
B.J. Symons subsequently set the NCAA single-season record for the most passing yards (5,833). Sonny Cumbie, Cody Hodges and Graham Harrell, who set the NCAA single-season record for completed passes, followed at Texas Tech.
However, the quarterback who might have demonstrated Leach's coaching prowess the most, though, may have been Gardner Minshaw at Washington State. The quarterback began his college football career at Northwest Mississippi, winning the NJCAA national title, and played his next two years at East Carolina, where he graduated early with a year of eligibility remaining.
Minshaw committed to spending his final season with the Crimson Tide and being the fourth quarterback alongside Tua Tagovailoa, Hurts and Jones. That was until Leach called and asked: ""You want to come lead the nation in passing?"
He completed 70.7 percent of his passes, for 4,776 yards while setting Pac-12 season records for passing yards and completions, and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Ironically, Minshaw is now Hurts' backup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Leach navigated the rough waters of college football like none other, and didn't care what anyone else thought, even his bosses.
He was the winningest coach in Texas Tech history with 84 victories from 2000-09 when he was abruptly fired. The school claimed he mistreated a player who had suffered a concussion, while Leach disagreed.
More than a decade later he was still fighting the allegation in court.
Overall, Leach was 158-107 while doing more with less at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State, but he'll be remembered even more for being such a character and a personality.
For example, here's what he had to say about the officiating during a loss at Texas in 2007:"It's a little like breakfast; you eat ham and eggs. As coaches and players, we're like the ham. You see, the chicken's involved but the pig's committed. We're like the pig, they're like the chicken. They're involved, but everything we have rides on this."
There was also this gem, which a lot of people have forgotten was his way of poking a little fun at the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets:
"How come they get to pretend they are soldiers? The thing is, they aren't actually in the military. I ought to have Mike's Pirate School. The freshmen, all they get is the bandanna. When you're a senior, you get the sword and skull and crossbones. For homework, we'll work pirate maneuvers and stuff like that."
The one thing that Leach seemed to never forget was that college football was first and foremost a game, and supposed to be fun. For that alone we should all be thankful for the Captain Mike.
Suspense, Drama, Excitement? They've Become Scarce on Signing Day
There were four things that came to mind with the early-signing period getting under way, and none of them were much of a surprise:
1) Nick Saban has managed to top himself again with another incredible recruiting class for the Crimson Tide that on paper may be his best yet. He inked 12 players in the SI99, including three of the top nine, and the group included major additions at all key spots.
However ...
2) National Signing Day used to be like a holiday for college football fans. Many would take the day off, and spend hours watching announcements and ceremonies.
No longer. This year's early-signing day was a mere formality for most prospects, to the point that perhaps the most impressive thing may have been high school teammates Qua Russaw and James Smith keeping a lid on where they were going until the very end.
3) The importance of signing a big recruiting class has been diminished by the new transfer rules and NIL.
Simply put, it's tough for fans to maintain their excitement when they know half of the players in the signing class may be gone within a couple of years.
4) It's ridiculous that we're doing this just four days before Christmas.
Hopefully the powers that be will make some changes soon for the better, but we'll probably never go back to the age of Fax Cam Girl again (Ok, yes, it was sexist, but no more than NFL teams using cheerleaders as part of their schedule announcements).
Yes, there's still some excitement in the signing day anticipation. Yet, wouldn't it be great if we could get back to something like when fans couldn't sleep the night before, and would wear out the refresh button on their keyboards looking for updates?
Make no mistake, recruiting is still the lifeblood of any college football program, and for years it's been the key to the Crimson Tide's incredible success. It's not Saban's problem that his signing classes have been so consistently outstanding that signing day has almost become boring to even his own fan base.
It just knows that the class will be good, year in, and year out, and that the Crimson Tide has an unparalleled record of developing players.
You may remember that last August we did a statistical breakdown on consensus five-star players from 2008-17, and found that not only did Alabama land the most prospects with 42, but no other school had signed more than 30.
Of those 42, 30 had already been drafted, or 71.4 percent, including 10 in the first round. That worked out to 45.2 percent, which was way ahead every other program in college football.
See: Alabama Unmatched at Developing the Best of the Best Recruits
But there are still no guarantees.
Every year on signing day I'm always reminded of the 2008 recruiting class, the one that Saban always calls special and was really the ignition for the dynasty. The group was loaded with the likes of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram Jr. , safety Mark Barron and his cousin Dont'a Hightower, defensive linemen Marcel Dareus and Terrence Cody, and one of the most decorated players in program history, Barrett Jones.
Alabama signed three players who were considered consensus 5-star, can't miss talents: Julio Jones, Tyler Love and B.J. Scott. Jones could be heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Love never started a game on the offensive line and Scott ended up transferring — after really being the first big addition in the class and then helping recruit others.
There were a lot of players in that signing class who didn't pan out. That's just part of it.
Consider the top prospect in every Alabama recruiting class under Saban, including 2007, when the coach was hired essentially a month before National Signing Day:
- 2007: Michael Ricks, safety
- 2008: Julio Jones, wide receiver
- 2009: Trent Richardson, running back
- 2010: Dee Milliner, cornerback
- 2011: Cyrus Kouandjio, tackle
- 2012: Landon Collins, safety
- 2013: Reuben Foster, linebacker
- 2014: Cam Robinson, tackle
- 2015: Calvin Ridley, wide receiver
- 2016: Ben Davis, linebacker
- 2017: Najee Harris, running back
- 2018: Eyabi Anoma, linebacker
- 2019: Antonio Alfano, defensive end
- 2020: Bryce Young, quarterback
- 2021: J.C. Latham, tackle
- 2022: Jeremiah Alexander, edge
Overall, it's an impressive group even with some players who didn't fully take advantage of their opportunity.
But if recruiting as a whole wasn't difficult enough, nowadays coaches have to make earlier assessments, deal with financial issues, and do so while still having some coronavirus pandemic restrictions that for a while severely hampered the assessment process.
The hiring-and-firing season for coaches has also accelerated to beyond reason, complicating things even more.
Yeah, signing day just isn't what it used to be. Here's hoping the NCAA will try and go back to some of what made it fun before, beginning with moving the early-signing period (or do away with it), and try to make it a little more fan-friendly.
It Wasn't Just Another Top Recruiting Class by Saban, But an Answer
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
If you haven't seen this before from Saban, or Alabama during his tenure, you're either really young or haven't been paying close attention.
Over and over it's been the same thing. Doubt Saban? Fine. Write off the Crimson Tide, ok. Claim, again, that the dynasty is over, and this time you really mean it. ... whatever.
Every time Saban and Alabama have come back strong.
He's like the college football version of the drinking bird toy, remember those? As soon as things start to dip down a little, he springs right back up and somehow looks even more upright than before.
Try imagining one with a straw hat.
The pattern, though, is there, and impossible to argue against.
Recruiting rules were altered to curtail the coach. They didn't slow him down.
The game was geared to favor offenses. Saban adjusted.
The transfer portal became a thing and many believed would level things out somewhat. He used it as well as anyone, filling key gaps in his lineup.
Every time there's been a significant change, Saban has stuck with what's worked for him while essentially asking "Ok, is this the way it's going to be?" and then figures out the best way to use it to his advantage.
That's why this recruiting class was so important for Alabama. The vultures and energy vampires were beginning to circle again because, gasp, the Crimson Tide only finished fifth in the CFP rankings.
It was also the first early-signing day after the offseason dust up with Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher after Saban said the Aggies "bought" all their players last year.
My how things have changed since Fisher called Saban's comments "despicable." The Aggies went 5-7 and missed out on playing in a bowl game, and have had scores of transfers.
And then Fisher actually had this to say after not having one of the best recruiting classes this year:
"I knew eventually there would be pay-for-play, but I did not know it would be NIL like it came about. The problem with all of it is that there is no consistency and rules. And then when you get into the (transfer portal), there is so much tampering going on. It is utterly ridiculous. It is a joke. It’s an absolute joke. We are only in college football."
I don't even know where to begin on that. Neither did Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who comments on everything. He simply went with a tweet of a facepalm emoji.
We won't know for years, but Alabama's latest signing class has the potential to be as good, if not better, than any in history.
Take a quick look at how this year's class looks on a depth chart and you'll get a feel for just how impressive haul this was for Saban, with Alabama named the 2023 national recruiting champion even before one the best cornerbacks, Desmond Ricks, committed and signed on Thursday.
The players who were rated as being 5-star talents by any of the major services, or the among the top 32 players on the SI99, are bolded:
- QB: Eli Holstein, Dylan Lonergan
- RB: Justice Haynes, Richard Young
- WR:Malik Benson, Jalen Hale, Jaren Hamilton
- TE: Ty Lockwood
- OL: Kadyn Proctor, Olaus Alinen, Wilkin Formby, Rock McElderry, Miles McVay
- DL: James Smith, Edric Hill, Hunter Osborne, Jordan Renaud
- LB: Keon Keeley, Qua Russaw, Justin Jefferson, Yhonzae Pierre
- DB: Caleb Downs, Desmond Ricks, Jahlil Hurley, Brayson Hubbard, Tony Mitchell
- K: Conor Talty
On paper it's not just an epic class, but an all-star team. It's like an NFL team having nine first-round draft picks.
Some of these players the Crimson Tide had rated higher than the services, as well, especially one of the quarterbacks.
But also look at the measurements of the offensive linemen before they spend a single day in the Alabama weight room: 6-6 315, 6-7 295, 6-3 350, 6-6 358 and 6-7 330. Take a guess at which one is for the player SI's John Garcia Jr. had listed as the No. 9-overall player in the nation (it's the last one).
With all that in mind, there were three telling things about Saban's press conference on Wednesday regarding this year's signing class.
1) He didn't single anyone out.
Had Saban commented on player he probably would have had to mention at least 15.
2) The coach immediately talked about the character of the class.
It's everything nowadays, especially during the NIL era.
One thing that Saban's know for years is that there's nothing stopping someone who had his hand out as a recruit from doing so again. That's the kind of player who often becomes a distraction, and knows he has leverage over the coach.
However, money is obviously a factor nowadays with NIL. Alabama has numerous advantages on top of whatever is being promised elsewhere.
Among them is Alabama's NFL success. Players have a greater chance of seeing a lot more money on the other end if they play for the Crimson Tide.
But Saban can pretty well say the same of the active players through NIL deals.
For example, the latest On3 NIL Valuations have Young at the top at $3.5 million, with Anderson fifth at $1.7 million, and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry in the Top 25 at $796,000.
The highest valuation of a player from Kansas State, Alabama's upcoming opponent in the Sugar Bowl, is running back Deuce Vaughn at $293,000. The quarterback, Adrian Martinez, as at $138.000.
3) Saban still loves recruiting.
He's that rare coach who's great at recruiting, at coaching and at being sort the CEO of the team (although he refers to it as being like a bus and he's driving). He's still outworking the competition, and that's not going to change.
"I like it all," he said. "I watch every player that we recruit. I make an evaluation. We come to an evaluation and an agreement as a staff. And then I love the relationship-building process. I love when guys visit here and you get to visit with them and develop relationships with them, see what's important to them in recruiting. And also the recruiting process when you go out on the road, meet their high school coaches and their families. And when their families come here and visit.
"There's nothing about the recruiting process that I don't really enjoy. I enjoy it all."
So the next time you hear a critic or opposing fan talk about the demise of Saban or the Crimson Tide, here's all you need to tell them: Go read a shampoo bottle.
10 More Things That Got Our Attention
Sports Illustrated NFL writer Albert Breer was asked this week if the Houston Texans end up with the first-overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft as expected if they would be better off taking a quarterback like Young or a defensive standout like Anderson or Georgia's Jalen Carter.
His answer wasn't surprising. From a philosophical standpoint he likes the defensive players for the Texans, as "both are physically superior players at important positions that you can plug in and hope for a decade’s worth of Pro Bowls."
What got our attention was the comp he got from an AFC executive, who started by saying that physically, Anderson is built like Von Miller, while he plays a little like a smaller version of another star edge guy.
“Will Anderson is a less athletic Myles Garrett—not as long or quick, but just as powerful,” he said. “Heavy-handed, more consistent motor than Myles coming out. … And Jalen is a unicorn. Probably the closest thing to [Ndamukong] Suh since Suh, just a total, freakish blend of size, power and athletic ability.”
Also getting our attention this holiday week:
2) We have to say that we're a little confused by the line oddsmakers have had on the Sugar Bowl. The game opened Alabama -6 and the over-under total at 55½. It dropped down to -3, even after reports indicated that the Crimson Tide wouldn't have any players opt out, including Young and Anderson. SI Sportsbook has the line back at Alabama -6.5, with an over-under of 56 points.
3) Speaking of oddsmakers, Saban's ad buddy Deion Sanders is the new coach at Colorado, and BetOnline has put the over/under for wins next season at 5½. It's also laying odds at whether he'll still be the head coach for Week 1 of the 2004 regular season (yes -200 or 1/2; no +150 or 3/2).
4) According to Fanatics, sales of officially licensed Colorado products are up 700 percent since Sanders was hired on Dec. 3.
5) Remember the recent comment here that the NCAA made its top priority known by hiring a former politician to be its next president? The Sports Buisiness Journal reported that three of the final four candidates had notable backgrounds in politics “either as a governor or senator,” plus one traditional profile “who previously was an AD.”
The NCAA is going all-in on getting help from Congress.
6) In an interview with Sports Illustrated‘s Ross Dellenger, Archie Manning explained his grandson’s decision to play at Texas over Alabama and Georgia. Apparently it came down to Arch and Steve Sarkisian hit it off the moment they first met.
“You could say that Sark was his first love,” Archie said. “He started talking to Sark on Zoom calls when Sark was at Alabama. Kirby [Smart] and coach [Nick] Saban recruited him hard. They checked every box in Arch’s mind.”
Schools started recruiting Arch when he was in middle school, but Arch really first started looking at schools in 2020, when Sarkisian was still the offensive coordinator at Alabama. Once he took the job at Texas, Sarkisian used the relationship he had with Arch to bring him over to Austin.
Archie said that Arch also considered Alabama and Georgia, and “it was hard for him to say no” to those two schools. In total, Arch made 20 college visits, 12 of which were to those three schools.
As a footnote, remember that Tagovailoa was initially the same way about Sarkisian, both at USC and then Alabama.
7) If we had the 12-team playoff this year, Alabama's first-round opponent would have ben USC, for a showdown between last year's Heisman Trophy winner Young and this year's Caleb Williams. The winning team would have faced Michigan.
8) Former Alabama quarterback Paul Tyson is on the move again, and this time to Clemson. Granted, the Tigers have lost DJ Uiagalelei and Billy Wiles to transfers, still have Cade Klubnik and just signed Christopher Vizzina. Just thinking out loud here, but If Tyson left for playing time, and never got into a game at Arizona State, why did opt to spend his last year of eligibility at Clemson? Sometimes that kind of move can signal an interest in coaching.
9) Speaking of Clemson, we're still trying to wrap our brains around Dabo Swinney's early-signing comment comment that “we built this program on NIL. We really did. … We built this program in God’s name, image and likeness.” Incidentally, Clemson finished 11th in Sports Illustrated's team rankings for the Class of 2023.
10) D1.ticker compiled a database with links to every DI football program’s social media approach for the Early Signing Period. Among our favorites was East Carolina played up Jimi Hendrix and the Purple Haze Experience.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Get your Crimson Tide tickets from SI Tickets HERE.
