Two apparent number swaps for spec teams units - Jerrell Harris wearing 10 and Chris Rogers is now 1 -- another sign BJ Scott may redshirt.
That comes straight from the Twitter page of Gentry Estes.
The news on Scott really is not a surprise, but we should all pay VERY close attention to the news on Harris. It really surprised everyone when he didn't play a single snap on Saturday, and the number change likely indicates one of two things. It could either be that (1) we're going to play both Harris and Upchurch on special teams this weekend at the same time, and thus they would have to change Harris' number in order to avoid a penalty, or (2) Harris is now going to redshirt and he's just sporting a different number as part of his scout team duty (a common practice).
It's either one or the other. Harris has worn #5 his entire life, including in his days at Gadsden City High, so he's not just changing his number to change it. There's a reason for it...
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Also, one more point...
With Chris Rogers changing his number to #1, he gives up his previous #8 that he shared with Julio.
So why do that? Gentry speculates that assures that Scott will redshirt, and while that’s another nail in that coffin, we’ve known for a month now that Scott would redshirt this year. So, again, why do that?
My thought is that we are changing his number for the same reason that we are changing numbers with Harris, i.e. to avoid a numbers conflict on special teams. I imagine this means that we are planning on using both Julio and Harris on special teams, most likely in the return game.
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Oct 20, 2009 4:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
u mean
julio and rogers together?
by Thomas Walker Esq on Oct 20, 2009 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ovs...
Typo on my part.
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Oct 20, 2009 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Woohoo
I like how Saban is turning into a wiley ol’ fox.
by Go Hide in the V-berth on Oct 20, 2009 5:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
"You have to create 6 seconds of hell each play..."
Coach Nick Saban
by LittleSis on Oct 20, 2009 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Redshirting
I am pretty sure you cannot get a redshirt year if you were declared ineligible. I could be wrong, but think I have heard that before.
by Kenny483 on Oct 20, 2009 7:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Well...
… to the best of my understanding, that is a bit of an unsettled point with regard to the NCAA rules.
It is a well-established point that any player who is suspended for the season is ineligible for a redshirt in that particular season. For example, this is what happened with former ‘Bama defensive end Todd Bates in 2003 when he tested positive for some sort of banned substance that he got from something he took from GNC. There’s no question about that.
However, from what little I’ve been able to ascertain, the question of eligibility for redshirt seasons when players are only suspended for a portion of the season does not necessarily have a definite answer at this point. And in fact, if we make it to Atlanta, Harris’ six-game suspension will mean that he wasn’t even suspended for half of the year, so I suppose it’s possible he could get a redshirt year even with the suspension.
I’m not sure we would want to risk that and take a chance mind you, and for the record I think he’ll play on Saturday, but he didn’t play a snap last week, and if he doesn’t play this week then you are probably looking at a redshirt for him. I think it’s unlikely at this point, but still a legitimate possibility.
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Oct 20, 2009 10:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Counterintuitive
It would seem counterintuitive that a player could regain his eligibility, which is what would essentially happen if you lost playing time due to being declared ineligible for an NCAA infraction. If you think about it, essentially there would be no penalty only the loss of playing time for the year.
You are correct though, that there seems to be no strict penalty regarding whether a player is eligible for a redshirt after missing part of the year. The only other thing I could find is that it appears to be possible to redshirt if you are missing the season due to academic eligibility requirements. Of course, there is a big difference between academically ineligible and being ineligible due to NCAA rules infractions.
by Kenny483 on Oct 21, 2009 7:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It would seem counterintuitive…
We’re talking about the NCAA, where all bets are off when it comes to making sense.
by Nico2.0 on Oct 21, 2009 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am not surprised by the number
change and susepct Harris and Upchurch will both play on kick off coverage. Frankly, we need Harris to be in the game at linebacker as well.
I hate the NCAA more than UT & AU combined. At least with UT & AU you got a fighting chance.
by 5026 on Oct 20, 2009 7:40 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
IT could be just an attempt
to get the best 11 on the field for ST’s…i personally think every player should have a different #…that would make this a lot easier.
Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler
by bammer on Oct 20, 2009 7:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
It's all part of the process
As silly as it is, it makes the recruits happy to get to keep their own number. This alone didn’t get the good players to come here (obviously), but its the combination of dozens of little things like that that make the idea of coming here an even easier sell. My guess is now that Saban has the machine going, promising numbers to players won’t be as important as we are now a machine that people WANT to play for, but in these first few years, we needed every advantage we could get in recruiting, and obviously all the little things paid off. If we wanna have a punter, a running back, and a defensive lineman all wear number 00, I don’t really care. It would sure make the CBS broadcasts even more fun/ridiculous to listen to.
by bamabrian on Oct 20, 2009 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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