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- [00:00]
Mike Rodak
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Bud Elliott
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Mike Rodak
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Bud Elliott
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Mike Rodak
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Bud Elliott
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Bud Elliott
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- [01:26]
Mike Rodak
Indiana can can sort of cement itself as we are no longer this team that's going to be fighting for six wins anymore. Malachi Toney, is he going to be ready?
- [01:34]
Bud Elliott
Dante Moore, he showed improvement, better command. What's going on, y'?
- [01:45]
Mike Rodak
All?
- [01:45]
Bud Elliott
I'm Bud Elliott and welcome back to summer school. It is in session here on the COVID 3 podcast with Mike Rodak, your Alabama expert today. That's right, it's Alabama. Let's go, man. Let's have fun with this.
- [01:56]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, it's going to be fun.
- [01:57]
Bud Elliott
No doubt. All right, so last year, you know, tied pretty good year. Obviously Alabama fans expectations are always sky high. You can do three hours of local radio every day on, you know, the college football team and have like a viable business. Obviously y' all absolutely crush what you're doing for 24, seven sports, 11 and four, you know, lost in the playoff, six and two in the SEC. You lost the SEC title game to Georgia. What's the general vibe right now around where this program is under Kalyn DeBoer?
- [02:28]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, I mean, it was kind of an interesting year in that it started off very badly in a very kind of shocking way. You know, at the Florida State game and losing that, when a lot of people just weren't expecting that at all. And that kind of really put Kaylin to bore behind the eight ball. And there was, you know, stories about booster discontent and just a lot of bad vibes. And, you know, they kind of pulled it together and they were able to go to Georgia and win. They were able to beat Tennessee, and they kind of had that, that winning streak in the middle of the season. You know, they. They did lose that game to Oklahoma in November, but it was really the end of the season that I think you either have to take it one way or the other. You can say they made the SEC Championship game and they made the playoff, which was an improvement from Kaylin Deborah's first year. And those are steps forward. And I think that's really the, the line that, you know, DeBoer is trying to sell right now. Or you can look at the way the SEC Championship game unfolded, which was a pretty resounding win for Georgia. And then you can look at the way the Rose bowl happened for Alabama, which was, you know, probably their most embarrassing bowl game loss in quite some time. And, you know, there's a lot of people that just have a very sour taste in their mouth about that. So there's, there's a lot of ups and a lot of downs. I mean, there. To go to Georgia and win was a huge win. To lose the way that they did against Indiana was bad. To lose the way they did against Florida State was bad. So whatever direction you want to take it, that's kind of where it's at. And I think they're, you know, fans certainly are looking for more consistency, you know, going into year three. And, you know, it's, It's. It's always going to be a very high standard around here, and people aren't going to change. You know, that's. That's the way it is. Like, there's an expectation that every single year you're competing for a national title. And this team last year, you know, didn't look like they were really on the same playing field as Indiana in that game. And so I think they need to improve that. But it's also not a situation where having just made the playoff and having just made the SEC Championship game, like, should there be a, you know, hot seat mentality around Caleb DeBoer? So it's a very tricky season to kind of frame. And again, it just kind of depends on what your expectations are, how high the bar is. And I think for a lot of fans, the bar is very high. And because of that, I think it is a. A big year, as people say, for Kaylin DeBoer for sure.
- [05:01]
Bud Elliott
I. I think it's kind of hard to separate the, like, the saving of it all, you know, like when I look at them, that guy was so ahead of the curve on so many different areas, right? Like, you know, roster construction. I mean, he was in some ways like the genius of like reading the rule book and figuring out what it. What it. What it doesn't say he can't do, right? And like, you know, sports science, nutrition, like just really like massively ahead of the curve in so many areas. And you know, I, I don't know if nil is the reason why he got out, like the sole reason. But like, I don't think Bama was really ahead of the curve on nil. So it took, I don't know, like, I guess what I'm saying here, this is just kind of me stuttering through this. Like, I don't know that what he's doing relative to the resources that it put in is like, is really underachieving. You know what I mean? And I think there are probably some areas that like maybe the only blind spot Nick had was not being ahead of the curve on. On nil. And what was coming with player comp, you know, with the new way to compensate players. I. I don't know. Like, I kind of think Deborah is doing okay in most areas, I guess, relative to like what the resources being spended are and how everybody else has kind of be able to bridge that resource gap in. In some ways. But I get why Bama fans expectations are. Are that high changes on this team, like independent of personnel. Like how are things going to look different from like a coaching or schematic standpoint, if we know?
- [06:25]
Mike Rodak
I mean, it's. It's pretty similar to last year, you know, coaching staff wise. There was no changes among their coordinators, which was, you know, the first time in a while, even going back to, you know, the end of the Saban era where they haven't had any changes. So, you know, you have Ryan Grubb coming back, you know, at offensive coordinator, and that was I think viewed as a pretty big move last year when he got fired by the Seahawks and then came back to Alabama where he was supposed to, you know, come with. With Caleb DeBoer directly from Washington. And that was kind of reuniting, you know, those two pieces of the puzzle that had that great offense at Washington for two years in particular in 22 and 23. And you know, I think because of that there was pretty high expectations for this offense last year. I don't think they ever lived up to those. I think again, there was that period in October where Ty Simpson was just slinging the ball and they look great, but over totality, you look at the offensive numbers they put up, it was actually a little bit worse than what they had the year before with Nick Sheridan and you know, Jalen Milro as the quarterback. So there's definitely some pressure on Ryan Grubb, you know, going into the second year as, as coordinator. And I think the running game is, is really the biggest area where people look at Alabama last year and even the year that's not Alabama, you know, to have a running game average I think was 3.4 yards of carry, their third worst in the last, I think 50 something years. That's, that's not the Alabama identity. And you know, I think that's a big thing where Grub needs to prove that he's able to have an offense that's able to have balance and be able to run the ball. You know, they were effective at running the ball at Washington, but they were known as a pass first offense. That was kind of how they made their name with Michael Penix. And if you can't run the ball at Alabama, then you need to be able to replicate, you know, kind of the passing game. And just consistently they weren't able to do that enough last year. And there's a lot of things that go into that. You know, Ty Simpson was banged up, Ryan Williams had drops. The offensive line was a problem. We'll have to see what they're able to do this year, you know, with the passing game. But I think it's really the running game and people kind of rebuilding confidence and hope in Ryan Grubb. It's a big story. And then, you know, defensively now it's three years in a row that you've had Kane Womack and the defense has been good. I think it's been great at times. It's not quite what people remember in terms of the, you know, stifling Kirby, smart, Jeremy Pruitt defenses in the Saban era. But that's hard to do in college football these days. So, you know, I think people are pleased. They're satisfied with Kane Womack. It's a little bit surprising he's actually here. I think He. He's been a candidate for some head coaching jobs the last couple years, and just. It hasn't quite worked out for him. But, you know, it's. It's. I think the side of the ball right now that's further along for Alabama, and I think that continuity of. Of having the offensive coordinator back, you know, a lot of the offensive staff has changed, but having the defensive staff pretty much intact from last year, yeah, I think that's going to help this team this year.
- [09:29]
Bud Elliott
Also, like in the Rose bowl thing, just, you know, when we were doing our prep for cover three, like, talking to other coaches who had faced those teams, they were like, yeah, we think Bama can beat them. Like, you know, player for player. But, like, styles make fights. And Indiana, like, they're like, they're so good against zone. So, like, is Bama going all of a sudden figure out how to play, man, in, you know, that short period of time, or are they just gonna, like, kind of dance with what, Brunia in some ways? And obviously, like, Mendoza splits against zone were just incredible. Right? You know, so that I. I almost. Yeah, just like, thinking about that. I. I have a hard time totally putting that on Womack, I guess. You know, thinking about that.
- [10:12]
Mike Rodak
Mendoza was what, 14 to 16, I think he had a 250 efficiency rating and 97 QBR. Like, it was. Yeah, it was as good as anybody's played against this defense in the two years that Womack spent here. And, you know, in the running game, too, for Indiana was. Was pretty effective. They really worn them, wore them down over the course of the game. And, you know, it's the front seventh that's really changed over for this Alabama defense. And trying to get bigger and stouter against the run was a big priority, but the secondary is mostly back from last year. And again, they were good on the whole last year, but that Indiana game for the secondary was not great. And, you know, that's. I don't know if they're going to face an Indiana this year. Like, I don't know if that's under schedule, but we'll have to see kind of how things go for sure.
- [10:56]
Bud Elliott
All right, let's hit our first break here, and we come back, we'll dive deeper into the personnel on this Crimson tide offense for 2026.
- [11:04]
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- [12:04]
Bud Elliott
All right, we're back here on summer school. That is Mike Rodack, Alabama expert. So we, we just talked about like scheme change and whatnot or scheme continuity rather on the off side of the ball. Let's get into personnel and we have to start of course at quarterback. So Austin Mack, like I know just from talking to people he had like legitimate interest from other programs based on, you know, prior film, some what he showed in Rose bowl. But the guy decided to bet on himself and come back despite the fact that they have, you know, Keelan Russell, who, you know, just kept getting so much better throughout his high school career. And you know, I think most of the reports, you know, that I read from y' all were that he was, you know, showing some impressive strides, you know, behind the scenes last year, last year and now he's, he's on campus and, you know, looking, looking pretty good so far. It looks like it. How do you handicap this quarterback race and how does the offense potentially operate differently if for some reason it was Mac and not Russell?
- [12:54]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, I think they're, you know, relatively similar and I don't think the offense is radically different. If it is Mack, then I think you're probably doing less quarterback run stuff. I think he's a little bit less mobile. You know, he's, he's 6, 6, 230 plus pounds. He's a big quarterback. I don't think he's going to be taking off and running a whole lot, but he is, I think athletic enough to make a few plays here and there. It's more about his arm where I think Keelan Russell is probably more of that dual threat, you know, where they could run some more zone read things. And it's not a Jalen Milro offense. He's not, you know, run first quarterback like Milro was. But I think there's a little bit more of that running threat. So if they're, you know, if you're kind of looking at the two offenses. I think again, it's similar. I think if you ask Kaylin Deborah and Ryan Grubb, they're going to say like, they can run all the same stuff. But I think you're more likely to see a few more runs with Russell. But, you know, it's still, it's, it's quarterback competition. It's as much as people looked at a day and it was not a great a day for Austin Mack. It was a better A day for Keelan Russell. I don't think that's the entire story. You have to look at the totality of the spring when I think Austin Mack was behind the scenes, you know, doing pretty well. And this is a competition that is, they're not going to call until, you know, probably the middle of August. So you're still looking at at least two weeks of practice in August that will kind of decide this thing. And even then, you know, maybe they can play both quarterbacks in September, who knows? But, you know, I think Austin Mack has been the favorite through the spring, you know, because of his experience. He was the primary backup to Ty Simpson last year. He was the guy who came into the Rose bowl when Simpson was hurt. And this is his fourth year in the system now between Washington and Alabama. So kind of by default, he's the guy who took the first reps of the spring game, the spring scrimmage. Now, if you're asking me who do I think will be the quarterback, I, I think it's going to trend towards Keelan Russell. I think it's a case of you have these two arrows and at what point do they intersect? You have a very steep ascension for Keelan Russell. Coming in as a five star recruit, one of the best in the country, the highest in the 247 database for Alabama. And at some point his line's going to cross Austin Max because his growth curve is pretty steep. That could be happening, you know, in the spring. We saw a very good and very sharp spring game from Keelan Russell. And if that continues through the, you know, the summer workouts and into fall camp, then that's probably where I think it will land. I think if you're Kalyn DeBoer and as we talked about early in the show, this is a big year for you, as people like to say around here. I think you want to kind of, you know, bring your best stuff to the table. And I think Keelan Russell is potentially, if he's everything that we think he can be, he should be A Heisman candidate pretty soon.
- [15:54]
Bud Elliott
Yeah, sorry, you know, go ahead.
- [15:56]
Mike Rodak
So that's, that's where I see it happening, but that's shaking the crystal ball and kind of seeing, you know, the future. I think if it is a situation where you're still a little bit uncertain about Keelan Russell because there's a few mistakes that he's making or turnovers, whatever the case may be, and if you feel like Austin max a safer option, then maybe that's the way that they go. But I do think, you know, Austin has been the favorite through the spring, but I think once we get to the fall, it could certainly flip based on the trends right now.
- [16:26]
Bud Elliott
So I was looking at this, you know, when we were. This is like two years ago now when I was looking to see like how would they operate with Milroe. Right. And like a lot of the exposure to DeBoer was, you know, final year Fresno and then, you know, Washington. Right. But like I went back and looked prior to that, I think more than half the time his quarterback was either his leading rusher or rushed for a thousand yards on the season. So I'm kind of curious. I know Russell's not like, you know, he's not a mill row level runner clear like Milro, especially once he got in the open field was, was, you know, crazy dangerous. But I am curious to see like just how much the mobility factors in, especially with, with some of the run game struggles that they've had. You know, if you add that 11th man you actually have to account for in the run game. Although they fix a decent amount of that stuff with the rpo, I guess that'll be curious. Also, like the other players on the offense might have something to say about this choice. Maybe not vocally but like just, you know, their capabilities and their abilities. So like speaking of that run game, how does this running back room look this year? They've had some transfers out. You know, I know they brought in the kid from App State. Like is there a, is there any kind of signal here as to who's actually going to be the guy?
- [17:35]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, I mean they, they wanted to go in this off season and improve that position because they just weren't explosive enough last year. You know, Jan Miller was a serviceable player. He's. He's now going to the NFL. They just needed somebody more explosive. So they went out and tried to get Hollywood Smothers, you know, from NC State and they thought they had him and then he ends up going to Texas instead. So that was a, an interesting situation, to say the least. You know, at Alabama this off season, very public situation. And, you know, so now they're left with kind of plan B, which is the two main returners being Daniel Hill, who's a more of a big bruising back. We saw him a lot in that Oklahoma playoff game, had a couple big runs. You know, Kevin Riley is another returner who actually got the first snaps or running back in the A day scrimmage. He had, you know, some early runs last year, early in the season. That, that kind of caught people's eye. And then really the wild card in the room is E.J. crowell, the freshman coming in, five star kid in state and a lot of high hopes for him. You know, especially potentially right away. You know, that was kind of the word from coaches that we think E.J. carell can play right away and even, I mean, he's an early enrollee. He's 16, 17 years old. He, you know, ended high school early. The problem there is that he got hurt and so he's been out for the spring with an injury, was in a walking boot for the eight games. You're talking about a, you know, really having to make up some ground this summer to get a, a primary role in this offense. But if he's able to go like, he's, you know, your most talented explosive running back. So that's kind of the big wild card. We'll have to see how that shakes out. I think ideally they would have loved to get Hollywood Smothers in here as a veteran, but the running back position to me is probably not as important as the offensive line because their offensive line was a huge issue. Last year was their biggest issue. And I don't know if it's any better. It could actually be worse. And that's, that's a huge problem for them. And that even goes back to what you're talking about with Keelan Russell. It's how much do you want to be running with Russell with the offensive line? I think it helps actually having a quarterback with some mobility because you, you might very well have pass protection problems. So the offensive line is really a problem. And I think if, if you're able to get at least some pass protection, I think the best route for this offense, the best strategy for this offense is for Keelan Russell to be throwing the ball to your receivers because I think they have a lot of talent in that room and try to minimize how much you're, you're running the ball just because I don't think it's going to be effective based on what we've seen. But at the end of the day, you still need to try and I think, you know, people do want to see improvement from running game regardless.
- [20:11]
Bud Elliott
So let's talk about that offensive line room. You know, Proctor and Brailsford off to the draft. They brought in six office line transfers. Any idea how this is going to shake out? Are there positions that are more solidified than others?
- [20:24]
Mike Rodak
It's probably more volume that they added than quality. To be honest, I don't know if they have a starter where they. At least they do have one starter. I'd say Racing Delgadi, the Cal Poly transfer at center, is on track to start. And I don't know if they have a better option necessarily. We'll have to see how he does in the sec. That's a big jump from Cal Poly, you know. Yeah.
- [20:49]
Bud Elliott
Yes. Okay. Thought so.
- [20:50]
Mike Rodak
Parker Brailsford, you know, came in as a transfer two years ago. He was a little bit undersized as well. He was a three star recruit who, you know, caught on at Washington with DeBoer. He worked out pretty well for them. We'll have to see if this one works out, but otherwise it's. It's probably, you know, we'll have to see. Michael Carroll is their best offensive lineman. So he was a freshman last year, five star, played a lot at right tackle. I think they're either going to play him at right tackle or right guard. We'll have to see kind of what the final decision is. It trended towards guard in the spring, and if he does play guard, then, you know, you're looking at Javen James, another transfer from Mississippi State, playing right tackle, but you're just trying to piece it all together and, and find the best line. I think the big question is that left tackle, you know, with Jackson Lloyd, another freshman last year, didn't play a whole lot. He was kind of the guy who came onto the field at left tackle when Kaden Proctor was out playing wide receiver and catching passes and doing some of those things. But that's, you know. In fact, Ryan Grubb, the offensive coordinator, named Jackson Lloyd his starting left tackle, you know, the first week of spring practice. And a lot of people around here are like, why is he naming a starter? You know, the end of March, really? I think the reason why is like, they don't have anybody else. Like, that's their option. They need Jackson Lloyd to be their starter. And. And so that was. It's like, we're anointing you as a starter you know, please go prove it. And so he's a very big kid, you know, six, seven, you know, two, three, over 300 pounds. And he looks like a left tackle, but he's got to play like one. So, yeah, the offensive line is, is going to be interesting. You know, they, they fired their offensive line coach, Chris Capilla, Vic. They brought in Adrian Clem, who's, you know, pretty experienced both at college and the NFL, but he's not a miracle worker either. Like, he has to come in here and try to figure out, you know, what he can do with these players that they have. And again, I, they tried to get some guys in the portal. I don't know if they got top offensive linemen through the portal. They do have some, you know, talented younger players that they've recruited out of high school, but it's, it's by far the biggest question mark on this team.
- [22:57]
Bud Elliott
For Alabama, that's a huge question mark. Receiver, maybe a little bit less of a question mark due to the quality that, you know, comes back. But also what they brought in. How do you see that room shaking out?
- [23:07]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, there's a lot of options there. Obviously, you know, Ryan Williams, now, Ryan Coleman Williams is, is kind of the big name in the room because of what he did as a freshman. Not nearly as successful the back half of his freshman year and his sophomore year, in part because of the drops. And I think he's obviously the guy that they need to take a step forward this year. And it seems like he's done so in the spring, but obviously you need to consistently show it on the field in the fall. But he has all the tools to be a, you know, top three receiver in college football. Lots here. Brooks was a freshman last year, came on late in the year and I think really impressed a lot of people. He's, you know, probably your top two or three receiver. And, you know, they lost Noah Rogers, who was their NC State transfer coming in. He got hurt in the spring game and he's probably out, you know, a decent amount of the season. We'll have to see how long exactly. So that was, you know, that was a blow to the room. The good news for them is that they, they really like Derek Meadows, who was another freshman, you know, last year, big kid, six five, you know, just really looks the part at receiver and could very well be one of their top three guys. Either him or Rico Scott, another returner. And then, you know, kind of rounding out the rotation there is Sedarian Morgan, who is a very highly rated freshman this Year also a very tall receiver. So they definitely have a lot of talent in the receiver room. I don't know if they have a guy like Jeremy Bernard, who was kind of that very reliable veteran presence for them last year. He was their number one receiver last year. But they have some options. They have a lot of talent. And like I said, I think if this offense is going to be successful this year, it's much more likely it's going to be through the air and through the hands of those receivers than it's going to be, you know, through the running game.
- [24:49]
Bud Elliott
Gotcha. Is there anybody we have not talked about or, like, maybe we talked about a little bit, but, like, if they arrive a year early, you know, earlier than you or I expect, or maybe internally they expect to, like, they reach their ceiling, that this offense, like, changes in a fundamental way.
- [25:04]
Mike Rodak
I think it's Cuin Russell, to be honest. I think if he's there, you know, that potential is very, very high. That ceiling is very, very high. So that difference between being kind of a shaky, younger player on the field, I want to say like a Bryce Underwood last year, like a good player, but not like a Heisman candidate or being like a bona fide, this guy could be in the NFL this year. That's a big difference. And if he is comes out and is like, I'm one of the best quarterbacks in college football, I should be right in the Heisman conversation. I can run, I can pass. I can fit balls in different windows. I can. He's really quick. Like, everything he does is just very visually quick. His release is quick. He can move in the pocket very quickly. His eyes seem to move quickly. You can see the talent with Keelan Russell. It's just a little bit different than what we've seen around here. If that all clicks and comes together, you have one of the best quarterbacks in college football. In theory, that can make up for maybe your deficiencies at some other positions. Obviously, the offensive line being the biggest one.
- [26:07]
Bud Elliott
That'd be huge. All right, let's hit our second break here. When we come back, we'll dive into this Alabama defense.
- [26:15]
Mike Rodak
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- [27:17]
Bud Elliott
And welcome back here to summer school. That is Mike Rodak covering all things Alabama for us at 247 sports. All right, Mike, we talked offense, you know, could be great if Keelan is you know like an absolute stud, especially if he is one early defensively. I think you gotta like, like, like a lot about what they, they have going on and might buy this from time to have this offense round in the form with, with all the new pieces that the offense has, you know, starting up front. You mentioned in, in the intro they're trying to get bigger, more style against the run from a pass rush perspective. There's Pierre and then like who else do we think emerges if they need someone to emerge alongside him?
- [27:56]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, you know, I think there's some different options there. You know, Pierre is probably the guy who's going to be the number one pass rusher he was last year and that was a big get for Alabama if you want to call it that, to get him back because he was, you know, thinking about the NFL draft. I think the, the number two guy I would look at right now is probably Desmond Umazulu who they brought in from South Carolina. He was kind of behind, you know, the Kyle Canards and Dylan Stewarts at South Carolina maybe I want to say lost but like he, you know, he had some great players in front of him and you know I think they're trying to this is his last year of college football. I think they, they have some, some big plans for him to come off the edge and whether he's in a three point stance or standing up, you know I think there's some different ways you can play Umazulu but that's potentially the bookend pass rusher, you know with Yonze Pierre and I think among your big guys the most pass rush potential is probably Devin Tompkins who they're bringing in from USC and probably their best transfer portal addition. You know for this Alabama, another, you know, veteran player fifth year and someone who I think is going to be on the field a lot in a lot of different roles. I think they can slide him inside, you can play more in the edge. You know, he's right around £300, 6, 5. He looks the part and a lot of positive reviews about him, you know, through the spring. So he's kind of the guy that replaces LT Overton, who was in that spot last year. He's now in the NFL draft. He's probably a little bit bigger than Overton, you know, and, and I think if Alabama is lucky, if you will, like, I think they get more pass rush out of him than they did last year. So, you know, he's really the guy. But it's also a lot different on the inside. You know, defensive tackle, they had Tim Keenan last year who was hurt early on and that was a big loss when he was out. And James Smith, who just was a very highly rated recruit, had some very good moments at Alabama, but never seemed to totally put it together and he ended up going to Ohio State through the portal. So they have two new defensive tackles as well and one of those is Terence Green, you know, who they brought in from Oregon, who's 6, 5, 300 plus pounds and again kind of looks the part. And then Kedrick Bingley Jones, who they brought in from Mississippi State, seventh year guy because of a couple waivers. That's a name, right? He's been around for a while and that's another guy who can very well start. So could be a completely new defensive line right across the board in terms of the starters. And maybe they're a little bit bigger, which is again something that they wanted to do and maybe a little bit deeper as well because they do have some, some guys coming back like a London Simmons and Edric Hill and Jeremiah beaming coming off an injury and coming back. And then, you know, Steve Bolo Mbumo is probably another name to watch along that defensive line. You know, Quebec native who went to JUCO for a year and spent last year at Alabama, but has really come on this spring. So they're hoping a deeper defensive line
- [30:55]
Bud Elliott
comes out of that, behind that defensive line, you know, linebacker, obviously. Like, you know, two years ago they had, they had Campbell, you know, like what do you think that they're going to look like this year and what's your confidence level in this group?
- [31:08]
Mike Rodak
It's, it's probably one of the biggest question marks of this defense, I think. You know, they've lost a lot at that position and that's something they knew was going to happen. They had Deontay Lawson come back last year for a fifth year. They had Justin Jefferson come back for Another year because of the Diego Pavia Junior College ruling. And then they had Nakai Hill Green, who they brought in last year for six year. So they knew going into even last season that those three guys were going to be gone after this year, so they could kind of plan ahead. And they went into the portal right away and they found Caleb Woodson from Virginia Tech. So he'll be their main inside linebacker. He's a senior. He was a former captain there. He's probably on a smaller side, probably replaces more of a Justin Jefferson if we're looking at kind of comparisons. And then the other spot, because they played two and really three sometimes is kind of up in the air. They have a lot of young players that have stuck around now in the program for two or three years, and they're really betting on those guys being able to step into bigger roles. And it right now it seems like an open competition between a qb, Reese, Kaden Jones, Luke Metz, Duke Johnson, Abdul Sanders. There's five guys who could play those second and third inside linebacker spots. But that's, you know, you're kind of, I'll say, throwing stuff against the wall, but you're trying to. You're hoping that some of these guys can take a big jump from where they've been and really step into an important role for this defense. Because, you know, those inside linebackers last year I think were on the whole, were pretty good, but there's some games where they weren't and when they weren't, you can kind of see it. You know, the Florida State game, the Indiana game, like, if you're out of position, if you're a little bit slow, it just, you can see it on the field. So they need that position to be better. And yeah, I don't know if it is better, to be honest. I think again, that's the biggest question mark about this defense, but we'll have to see how that comes along.
- [32:59]
Bud Elliott
One thing we're really confident, though, is the secondary. I mean, Xavier Brown, Dejan Lee, Bray Hubbard, Keon Sab, like those guys are all back. Is there anybody, like young guys who they might be threatening to like, take those spots and have more competition? It. If not, like, how is this not one of the best secondaries in the country?
- [33:16]
Mike Rodak
It is. And yeah, I think the players in that room think they are too. And I think they're justified and kind of having that opinion because, you know, that's deep. It's a deep room. It's something where that recruiting is not dropped off from the end of The Nick Saban era to now know Maurice Linguist, who's been their defensive backs coach to former coach in Buffalo, been very good at recruiting, you know, some defensive backs in here. So they have really layered the talent like they used to. It's not true at every position for Alabama, but it is in the secondary. And so at, you know, corner, you feel great about Xavian Brown, who's a potential first round pick next year. I think you feel great about the John Lee who has, you know, stepped into a bigger role as a season went on last year as a freshman. And they even brought in Carmelo o', Neal, transfer from Mercer that they caught their eye on tape last year. Mercer played Auburn and Alabama was, you know, looking at Auburn tape and they said, who's this guy, you know, from Mercer who's making all these plays against Auburn's offense? And so they brought him in and he's one of your top three corners now. And you know, they have even very talented freshmen coming in at that position between Jordan Edmonds and Zion Gibson. So they like what they have there, they like what they have at their slot, you know, Husky position as they call it. Red Morgan coming back after a very strong finish to last year. And it's really the safety position that's very deep and it's almost like I don't know where they're going to find the playing time for some of those, some of the talent they have. That's the deepest position on this roster because they had Keon Sab and Bray Hubbard come back, you know, for their final years of college football. Both of them I think could very well have gone into the draft and been at least mid round picks, but they decided to come back. And so you have those two and then you have Ivan Taylor, who was a pretty highly rated freshman last year, the, the son of the, you know, the former Steelers player Ike Taylor. And you have Xavier Mincy, who was a five star prospect a couple years ago. And you have Jaira Edwards, who was a five star this year. And so you have layers of talent at safety and I don't know where Kane Wambach's going to find time for all of them to be on the field. I think Jair Edwards has a chance to be on the field closer to the line of scrimmage. He's the biggest safety I've ever seen. I didn't cover Mark Barron at Alabama. I know he was big. But Jair Edwards looks like a linebacker playing safety and I think you can probably find a role for him. Pass Rushing or doing something, you know, a little bit closer to the line. But the secondary, the theme of the spring has been like that's the group that they feel the best about. And I think again, they did not have a great game against Indiana, let's make that clear. Like that was not a great finish for them, you know, to last season, but it's still. They got some talent in that room and I think it's, it's going to be like you said, one of the best in the country this year for sure.
- [36:03]
Bud Elliott
All right. Turning to the schedule real fast. I mean it. I, I kind of like the start for them here with all these new pieces on offense, particularly right. You know, East. East Carolina, Kentucky or at Kentucky. Host 4 state. Host South Carolina at Mississippi State. I, I know they lost FSU last year. I, I don't think FSU is better this year personally. Right. Like just my knowledge of the roster, maybe they are. Haven't done summer school yet, so we'll see. That's a pretty soft first five games as like you got to think like the defense should be able to hold up well enough and the offense kind of, you know, rounds into form and then you get a tough stretch. I mean Georgia, Georgia, then at Tennessee and then host A and M and then at lsu, there's a buy between A M and LSU there and then after, after at lsu you got to go to Vandy, which who knows how they'll look this year. Maybe Jared Curtis is a stud by then. Maybe he's still having, you know, freshman, you know, freshman stuff. Right. But like what needs to go right against this schedule for Bama to make the playoff and like looking on the, like the fanduel odds, it if you take out like the house cut, right. They're basically like implied 50, 50 to make it. So like clearly Bama missing the playoffs this year would not be a great outcome for Deborah or, or the program. What really has to go right, I guess for this team to, to make it back to the playoffs and maybe make some noise.
- [37:19]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, I mean, there's different paths, to be honest. I think they've, they've obviously dropped some games that they shouldn't have the last couple years. Where you look at Florida State last year or Vandy two years ago and you know, you can say that they need to not lose those games that they should be winning. You can say that they need to win the games that they, you know, shouldn't win, if you will. Like the Georgia game this past year on the road. Like they probably shouldn't have won that game. They were an underdog, but they did. I don't know. It has to be a combination of those things probably. I think, you know, that Kentucky game's a little bit tricky to me. I think early in the season for Kentucky, to be honest. It's not basketball season yet in September. I think that, that Kroger Field will not be a, it's not, you know, Knoxville or Baton Rouge, but like, I think fans will be into it. Will Stein, you know, the new coach there. And there's probably a lot of unknown in terms of studying film for them. So that's a tricky game, but it's not, you know, on paper it's not daunting necessarily. And I agree, like September is a, a fairly light schedule for them. They don't have that opening road game like they did last year. They beast Carolina at home. That potentially could allow you to play both quarterbacks and kind of extend that competition if you wanted to. You, I believe all four of the first four teams they play have new offensive coordinators. So maybe that makes life a little bit, you know, trickier for Kane Womack and studying this summer and maybe they can throw something at you that kind of catches you off guard. You know, Gus Malzahn probably did some of that last year, you know, in his first and only year at Florida State. But overall, I think you should be 40 by the end of September. If you're not, then, you know, you're really going into October behind the eight ball because those are pretty tough trips. You know, Tennessee is always a tough game. I don't know how good Tennessee will be this year. And A M's, you know, certainly a very good team coming into Tuscaloosa, Georgia coming into Tuscaloosa, you would think at some point. I think Kirby Smarts had better teams in Alabama, you know, the last four years, but the results always haven't shown it for him. You think at some point, you know, they'll be more consistently better against Alabama? I don't know if this will be the year, you know, and that Vandy game in November is very interesting just in the sense that you don't know what Vandy's going to look like. Yeah, and Vandy beat Alabama there two years ago. They played a competitive game. You know, I would say last year they don't have Diego Pavia, but is that a trap game, you know, coming off of?
- [39:51]
Bud Elliott
Right. Yeah.
- [39:54]
Mike Rodak
So I don't know, I, I, I to say, like what they need to do to make the playoffs. I think you probably, you have to win at least one of those Georgia, Tennessee, A M games. And let's, let's add an lsu. Let's say you have to win two out of those four. If you drop two of those and no other games, you're in the playoff. If you go one and three in that four game stretch, then you're probably missing the playoffs. So I think it really comes down to that four game stretch of Georgia, A M, Tennessee, lsu.
- [40:24]
Bud Elliott
That makes sense. You can't have a losing record against likely playoff teams like literally competing for limited spots against and, and expect to make it.
- [40:32]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, exactly.
- [40:33]
Bud Elliott
I like that. Mike. Man, you guys do such a good job. Bama247. I really appreciate the time today and, and we'll see you soon.
- [40:39]
Mike Rodak
Yeah, it's been, it's been great, bud. Thank you. CBS Monday. It's the final season of the Neighborhood with an all new episode. Then you may not love going to the dmv, but you'll love a new episode of the hilarious comedy dmv. And the laughs turn into a night of justice. The hit drama FBI is new, followed by CIA, a high stakes new series from the team behind FBI, starring Nick Gelfus and Tom Ellis. All new all night CBS Monday starting at 8, 7 Central and streaming on Paramount. Plus.