All Things CW: Measuring the Potential of Running Back Jahmyr Gibbs at Alabama
When the preseason All-SEC team was released last week following media days, one of the more notable selections was at running back, where a player who had never participated in a conference game was named to the first team.
It was Jahmyr Gibbs, the former Georgia Tech transfer who will play this season at Alabama.
As for why it was so significant, consider the player he shared the honor with, and the one he was selected over.
Tank Bigsby was also first team. The returning starter tallied 1,099 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in 2021. He's already 20th on the Auburn all-time rushing list with 1,933 career rushing yards (and 15 rushing touchdowns), which considering some of the running backs the Tigers have had over the years is pretty impressive for someone heading into his junior season.
The running back relegated to second team was Chris Rodriguez Jr. of Kentucky. He was first-team All-SEC at the end of last season (media, second-team coaches), and was second in the league is rushing yards (1,379), rushing yards per game (106.1), and rushing yards per carry (6.13).
Rodriguez was even named a team captain, and is sixth on the Kentucky all-time rushing list with 2,740 yards.
Gibbs? In his only career game against an SEC competition, Georgia last season, he was completely shut down. The Bulldogs limited him to two carries for 1 yard, a reception for a 4-yard loss, and a kick return for 6 yards,
It was his final game with the Yellow Jackets, who lost 45-0 to the eventual national champions, who had eight defensive players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft including five in the first round.
After Georgia Tech finished 3-9, after going 3-7 during the 2020 Covid season, Gibbs entered the transfer portal having yet to even experience a bowl game.
Despite that, any mention of a record watch with Alabama this season should also include Gibbs, and not just because his teammates have been raving about him since his arrival.
Specifically, the categories are in all-purpose yards.
Granted, Gibbs still has to win the starting job and Alabama is so loaded at running back with Trey Sanders, Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams (plus freshmen Emmanuel Henderson and Jamarion Miller) it seems unlikely that anyone will approach 200 carries like we've seen nine times during the Nick Saban era — unless someone is just that good.
For a point of reference, Clemson 12. had 271 carries last season. Clemson 12 had 251 the year before, and 209 in 2019. Clemson 12 had 150 in 2018.
But Gibbs is a real threat in the passing game as well, and already a proven kick returner.
Nevertheless, here are three reasons why he could potentially challenge some Crimson Tide records:
1) He isn't a flash in the pan
Gibbs was in the SI99 for the recruiting Class of 2020, and Georgia Tech's lone representative. He was rated the No. 44 recruit overall and the fourth-ranked running back in the country by 247Sports, and No. 76 overall by the 247Composite. Rivals had him at No. 70, and ESPN at 178.
2) The player some compare him to in terms of style and potential is Alvin Kamara, who of course started his collegiate career with the Crimson Tide.
Granted he didn't finish it with the Crimson Tide, but you get the idea.
3) Gibbs has game-breaking ability
If your eyes didn't convince you during A-Day, consider that his 1,805 total yards last season were the second most Georgia Tech single-season history (143 carries for 746 yards and four touchdowns, 36 receptions for 470 yards and two scores, and 23 kick returns for 589 yards and one score).
Call us biased, but the blocking figures to be a little better with the Crimson Tide.
Plus Alabama has more weapons, so defenses can't key on him, and the Crimson tide offensive coaches won't be afraid to line him up in different spots in the offense guided by the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
With that context, go back and listen to what Alabama said about Gibbs at media days. It really stands out, especially since Saban almost never heaps praise on a new player until he shows what he can do during a game or two.
With that in tow, compare his numbers to what Alabama players have previously done in all-purpose yards, both during the Saban years and all-time.
Last year, wide receiver Jameson Williams, a transfer from Ohio State who went on to be a first-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions, knocked Najee Harris (1,891 in 2020) out of the top five for Saban-era all-purpose yards in a season.
Three of the four players ahead of Williams won the Heisman, and the other guy was "just" a finalist and finished third.
Saban-Era All-Purpose Yards, Season
- Derrick Henry, 2015 (2,219 rushing, 91 receiving), 2,310 yards
- DeVonta Smith, 2020 (1,856 receiving, 237 punt returns, 52 kickoff returns, 6 rushing), 2,151
- Trent Richardson, 2011 (1,679 rushing, 338 receiving, 66 kickoff returns), 2,083
- Mark Ingram II, 2009 (1,658 rushing, 334 receiving), 1,992
- Jameson Williams, 2021 (23 rushing, 1,572 receiving, 352 kick returns), 1,947
Saban-Era All-Purpose Yards, Career
- Najee Harris, 2017-20 (3,843 rushing, 781 receiving), 4,624
- Trent Richardson, 2009-11 (3,130 rushing, 730 receiving, 720 kickoff returns), 4,580
- DeVonta Smith, 2017-20 (3,965 receiving, 237 punt returns, 52 kickoff returns, 6 rushing), 4,260
- Javier Arenas, 2006-09 (2,166 kickoff returns, 1,752 punt returns, 86 interception returns), 4,006
- Mark Ingram II, 2008-10 (3,261 rushing, 670 receiving, 45 kickoff returns), 3,976
Alabama All-Purpose Yards Per Game, Season
- Bobby Humphrey (2,016 yards in 12 games), 1986, 168.0
- DeVonta Smith (2,0151 yards in 13 games), 2020, 165.5
- David Palmer (1,961 yards in 12 games), 1993, 163.4
- Shaun Alexander (1,796 yards in 12 games), 1999, 163.3
- Bobby Humphrey (1,781 yards in 11 games), 1987, 161.9
Alabama All-Purpose Yards Per Game, Career
- Bobby Humphrey (4,958 yards in 35 games), 1985-88, 141.7
- Jameson Williams (1,947 yards in 15 games), 2021*, 129.8
- Shaud Williams (3,310 yards in 26 games), 2002-03, 127.3
- David Palmer (3,916 yards in 32 games), 1991-93, 122.4
- Siran Stacy (2,780 yards in 23 games), 1989-91, 120.9
* Williams only played one season for the Crimson Tide
The 2,310 all-purpose yards by Derrick Henry may stand for a long time, assuming the season doesn't get longer due to CFP expansion, yet Gibbs is only a junior in terms of eligibility. He could challenge a couple of these marks before he's done in Tuscaloosa.
Besides, do you think Saban would let just any new player switch his jersey to No. 1?
Julio Jones Signing About More Than Numbers
A telling quote from the press conference introducing Julio Jones with the Tampa Buccaneers stemmed from what the former Crimson Tide wide receiver said about quarterback Tom Brady.
"It’s kind of like when I talk to him, it’s kind of like I’m talking to myself, in a way," he said. "Just with the leadership, what we expect, things like that, we’re on the same page, and how we hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard than probably most do."
As former Crimson Tide quarterback Jay Barker reminded me on his radio show Thursday, Jones and Brady come from the same football DNA with Brady having spent most of his NFL career with Bill Belichick, and Jones obviously a Saban product at Alabama.
That kind of connection and influence can be huge for both the players involved and the team as a whole. For example, defensive lineman Jonathan Allen has been with the Washington Commanders for years, yet during his first press conference of the season spent time talking about his former college coach.
“Coach Saban would always say as long as you give 100 percent you can always live with the results, the times you can’t live with it are the times you don’t give 100 percent because you’ll always be questioning what if,” Allen said.
Allen was drafted in 2017. Saban's influence more than stuck.
Tampa Bay isn't hyping the addition of Jones like it could, but the Buccaneers obviously wanted to fill the void left tight end Rob Gronkowski — who followed Brady from New England, and could still rejoin him again (you never know). The Buccaneers threw 166 passes in his direction over the past two regular seasons, resulting in 100 catches for 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns.
"If you look at last year, we got beat up pretty good in the receiver room and we kind of limped to the finish line at the end," head coach Todd Bowles said. "If you wait until midseason you're not going to get a good football player, you're going to be grabbing guys. [General Manager] Jason [Licht] is very smart. We're going to do the smart thing and try to get a lot of depth now so we don't have to stumble or hit a rock on the way, trying to win some ballgames. We've got people that can step in that know how to play."
Seriously, does anyone think Jones won't be starting when the Bucs open the season?
But regardless of the numbers, Jones fills his locker room absence, which is why the "talking to myself" comment was so important. Without having played a preseason down, Brady already has an important ally.
Greg Auman, who covers the Buccaneers for The Athletic, pointed out another overlooked connection that ties with Jones signing with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay's receivers coach is Kevin Garvver, who started out as a student assistant/grad assistant at Alabama when Jones was a player with Crimson Tide (2008-10).
They won a national championship together in 2009, and that's obviously what the signing is fundamentally all about. Oddsmakers have Tampa Bay listed as the team to beat in the NFC, and like the Buffalo Bills from the AFC to reach the Super Bowl.
5 Things That Got Our Attention This Week
1) Just no ...
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde he didn't drive his car for two years after multiple deaths threats stemming from the initial fall 2020 decision to not play a football season due to COVID.
"Among the threats that were turned over to law enforcement by the Big Ten office: one fan who posted on social media that he was putting a $5,000 bounty on Warren’s head; another said that if he had three bullets and the chance to shoot Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler and Warren, he would use all three bullets on Warren. All because of football."
Warren also had this comment about SEC commissioner Greg Sankey: "Greg and I are more alike than we are not alike, which I respect. He doesn’t think like a long-term college administrator. … He’s not scared. He does not care what people think about him."
2) Follow the money ...
Arizona State’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is partnering with the NIL Education and Information Center, to form an independent database which aims to track NIL deals.
“Without data, everything becomes apocryphal," former NCAA Executive Vice-President and West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck said. "It’s anecdotal, and naturally, people will focus on the most interesting claims. The $12 million quarterback, or whatever. But is that true? Is it not true? A lot of this is going to be mundane, but that’s also important, because that’s a data point.”
3) The truth hurts ...
Anyone surprised by Alabama sudden surge in the 2023 recruiting class rankings needs to take a look at the On3 survey of 85 high school prospects who all ranked in the top 200 of its rankings to see how NIL is impacting recruiting.
Only 30 percent said they would be willing to go to a school that’s not a perfect fit for a NIL deal.
Overwhelmingly, the recruits identified coaching staff and NFL development as the most important factor when choosing a school.
Academics were second, scheme fit/early playing time was third, tradition/history was fourth, facilities were fifth, NIL was sixth and distance from home was seventh.
Additionally, 31 percent of respondents said they’d been contacted by a collective, with one offensive player acknowledging he had been offered $3.7 million.
4) He doesn't like orange, either ...
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz had some fun at Tennessee's expense while on the Jim Rome Show (yes, he's still around) this week.
"I thought you were going to introduce my record, but with the latest allegations against Tennessee, let’s hold up on what my record is because I expect them to vacate some wins and that’s going to help my record a little, OK?"
He was just getting warmed up, at took aim at former head coach Jeremy Pruitt and his wife Casey, who used to work in compliance.
"I mean, me personally, I’ve got to question my wife’s commitment to winning, you know? I don’t know how much she’s committed if she’s not engaging in some of these things. I didn’t know that was fair play. So, you know, it was a little bit surprising to see the in-depth nature of what was going on there. But I am sure glad that Tennessee was taking some ownership of it and we’ll see what the results are. It’s pretty interesting for sure."
Missouri visits Tennessee on Nov. 12. The Vols won last year's game 62-24.
5) Be careful what you wish for ...
Remember Tom Mars, the Arkansas attorney who was determined to change college athletics and especially the transfer rules? Check out out what he told Dan Wolken of USA Today about last week’s DI Council decision to essentially allow “unlimited free agency” as long as transfers occur between set calendar windows: “
This is a really, really bad idea. That was never my intention to help go from one end of the spectrum to the complete other end of the spectrum. I’m almost apologetic. As a fan, observer, lawyer in college sports, whatever hat I put on, I think I’d rather go back to these chaotic waiver requests and irreconcilable decisions than to deal with what I think is coming down the pike. … As passionate as I’ve been about freedom for college athletes, I just don’t think this is sustainable. There’s no serious organized sports that generate any revenue in the world that doesn’t have some limitation on transfers, some guardrails. I don’t know if you can even do that in Pee Wee football.”
Bama in the NFL Thoughts
• When DK Metcalf agreed to a three-year extension worth $72 million this week with the Seahawks, at $24 million annually, he became the sixth-highest player at his position in the NFL. Anyone want to go back and ask Jerry Jones again about the five-year, $100 million extension he gave Amari Cooper in 2020? When the Cowboys traded him to the Browns, Jones was quoted as saying, "We made a decision that that allocation should be better spent."
• While Julio Jones signed with the Buccaneers for $6 million, and can make more than $8 million this season, the impact of his old contract is still being felt by his former teams. The Falcons have $15.5 million in dead money this year, and Titans have $4.8 million with another $8.4 million in 2023. When Tennessee traded for him last year it took a $23 million cap hit.
• Former Alabama running back Damien Harris on Patriots teammate Mac Jones: “Mac and I have a special relationship. It goes back years and years and years. Mac is just an infectious guy that everybody gravitates to. He’s a great leader, he’s a great football player, he’s an incredibly hard worker and he’s an even better friend. Whenever you take all of those attributes and you put them into one person, it’s easy to see why so many people gravitate towards him, why so many people want to be around him and want to follow him. ... I mean, he’s the hardest worker. He works incredibly hard. He always comes out here to do his best, not only to be his best but to make everybody around him better. When you put all those things together, man, he’s a special guy. I know that I feel so fortunate to share this field with him for the second time in my football career."
• We try and stay away from politics as much as possible, but the news that Minkah Fitzpatrick was placed on the non-football injury list with a wrist injury after falling off his bike during vacation — and had just become the highest-paid safety in NFL history when signing a nearly $73 million, 5-year contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers — I mean how can you not think of this:
Tide-Bits
• When Alabama landed a commitment from running back Richard Young on Friday, he was the 18th player considered a consensus 5-star talent to say yes to Alabama since 2020. The breakdown is as follows, four in 2020 including Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr., seven in 2021, three in the last class, and now four in the Class of 2023 with another nine slots still open. Granted, not all of those 18 players are still on the roster (the departures include Camar Wheaton and Drew Sanders), but over the same time period here's how that compares:
- Alabama 18
- Georgia 15
- Ohio State 13
- Clemson 12
- Texas A&M 11
• Freshman defensive lineman Jaheim Oatis on his physical changes since arriving at Alabama (Note: He was listed at 370 pounds in high school, but no one thought that to be accurate).
• Shane Lee was one of two players representing Southern California at Pac-12 Media Day on Friday. The other was quarterback Caleb Williams, who followed coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma. Both said the "culture" difference in the program since they first arrived has been eye-opening. "Seeing the progress from the spring until now has been amazing," the former Crimson Tide linebacker said. "Guys have been willing to change, and wanting to change."
• Congratulations to former Alabama softball All-American Kaylee Tow, who was inducted into the inaugural Hopkins County Hall of Fame in her hometown of Madisonville, Kentucky this week.
• When the media voting was announced at SEC media days, Alabama landed 177 out of 181 votes cast to win the Western Division. Texas A&M got three votes and Arkansas one. Do you think the reality of the situation had more to do with Jimbo Fisher backtracking on calling Saban a "narcissist" or the video of the Aggies staffer basically promising NIL money to recruits?
• The most impressive thing about the following social media post may be that the survey was done before Alabama and Fanatics announced their partnership before Monday, which is being hailed as an NIL game-changer.
The Mark Ingram II Dance Party
Think he did this at Alabama (yes) ... in front of Coach Saban (maybe after winning the Heisman)?
Did You Notice?
• Remember Sarah Fuller? After dealing with depression this, the soccer goalkeeper who moonlighted as a kicker for Vanderbilt in 2020, has become an advocate for better mental health resources at colleges.
• Las Vegas is one of seven finalists in contention for the 2027-2031 Final Fours, and the only Western site. The official word is expected in mid-November.
• Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen is set to become the chairman of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee in September
• Auburn High School head football coach Keith Etheredge has been selected to serve as head coach for the Alabama All-Star football squad for the 36th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic to be played December 10 at South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium.
• Stanford AD: School Has Had ’No Formal Overture’ From Other Conference
• Ranking the Best QB Moves of the 2022 NFL Offseason
• The Unbreakable Bond of Stefon and Trevon Diggs
Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW appears every week on BamaCentral.
