The Jumbo Package | 10.30.13

Manziel, Winston, Mariota, McCarron all Maxwell Award semifinalists | CBS Sports

The Maxwell Award, presented annually to the the most outstanding player in college football, has released a 16-player list of semifinalists for the prestigious award. The group includes two repeat semifinalists from 2012; Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Honestly, there is probably little chance of AJ walking away with this trophy. While stats are staggering in the areas that really matter (TD/INT and wins), his raw stats simply aren't going to be close to those put up by the guys he's up against.

UCLA LB Barr, Alabama LB Mosley headline Bednarik semifinalists | CBS Sports

Six different conferences are represented in the group of 16 candidates, with five players coming from the ACC. Twelve of the players are seniors, and USC sophomore defensive end Leonard Williams is the only underclassman.

The winners will be named as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 12.

Auburn's rise revives Iron Bowl rivalry | ESPN

Alabama has a major hurdle in No. 13-ranked LSU in two weeks, but neither Mississippi State nor Chattanooga in the following two weeks should prove an obstacle on the way to the Iron Bowl.

Auburn, meanwhile, should be favored in its remaining three games against Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia. The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, as the Georgia-Auburn game is affectionately known, will be played at Auburn.

With LSU and Texas A&M currently sporting two losses, the West is either Alabama or Auburn's to steal.

FAU.

Alabama linebackers coach calls himself a ‘Johnny Manziel groupie' | Yahoo Sports

Count Alabama linebackers coach Lance Thompson as a fan of Manziel.

"I’m a Johnny Manziel groupie because we’ve watched him so much," Thompson said to a football club in Mobile, Ala.

Galldangit, Lance. First, you leave for Tennessee and talk trash, and now this?

Bradley Sylve, Cyrus Jones 'in competition' for Alabama starting cornerback job | AL.com

Sylve, who did not play Saturday against Tennessee, is locked in a competition with sophomore Cyrus Jones for the starting spot on the opposite side of the field as senior Deion Belue, Alabama coach Nick Saban said Tuesday.

"When Bradley gets back, we'll evaluate how he is and see who's playing the best and who we think will give us the best chance to play well in the next game," Saban said after Tuesday's practice, the Crimson Tide's first of its bye week. "Hopefully by the end of the week, Bradley will be able to go and be 100 percent and we'll be able to start making that evaluation."

It sounds like the oft-discussed disappearance of Eddie Jackson is attributable to struggles with retaining game plans from week to week, rather than a nagging injury, as many speculated. That explanation certainly makes sense given the complexity of Saban's system, but man, I wish Eddie could get that together, because he represents a physical presence that we just don't have otherwise.

Da'Shawn Hand discusses Bama visit | ESPN

Food is a big part of his recruitment and he won’t even say which school had the best food on his visits.

"It was a great visit. We got there, you saw the game for yourself, they crushed Tennessee," he said. "After that we went to Chuck’s Fish and the food was amazing. We hung out with the players for a while and then back to the hotel."

St. Paul's offensive lineman Josh Casher commits to Alabama | AL.com

Four-star St. Paul's offensive lineman Josh Casher committed to Alabama on Tuesday, Saints' head coach Steve Mask confirmed late Tuesday night.

"The situation has been a drain on Josh," Mask told AL.com in a phone interview. "People have been asking him constantly about it. He felt like enough was enough. He had an opportunity to go to Alabama so he went ahead and committed."

This offensive line class is like "whoa", you guys. Casher is the seventh offensive line commit, and the second center.

Videos

Nick Saban Press Conference

C.J. Mosley

Offensive Line

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