Jumbo Package: Friday, 16 January 2015

FWAA: Freshman All-America Team Includes Alabama's Cameron Robinson and J.K. Scott

Oregon tailback Royce Freeman and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett stood on opposing sidelines on Monday night but will be forever be reflected together among the 30 players selected.

Alabama punter J.K. Scott and LT Cameron Robinson were named Freshman All-America by the Football Writers of America. Seriously, check out that list; easily the most impressive collection of freshmen I think I've seen: Chubb, Freeman, Barrett, Scott, Robinson, etc. Congratulations to both of these young men.

Reggie Ragland and Jarran Reed to Return to Alabama for Senior Seasons

Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive lineman Jarran Reed announced on Thursday they will return for their senior seasons at the Capstone in 2015 after choosing to bypass early entry into the NFL Draft.

But, you surely knew this after reading CB969's piece earlier this morning, right?

NFL Draft Watch: Ranking the 2015 underclassmen by position | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports

From Yahoo Sports: Here's a position-by-position look at the top underclassmen who decided to enter the 2015 NFL draft.

Here's the complete list of all 75 juniors who decided to forgo their eligibility and chase NFL dreams. Most of these guys will never be heard from again; and, that's the sad reality of the numbers game in professional sports.

No. 6 Gymnastics Faces No. 12 Arkansas Friday in Fayetteville

After opening the 2015 season at home with a win over Arizona, the No. 6 ranked Alabama gymnastics team takes to the road in week two to face off against Southeastern Conference foe No. 12 Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.

Big win for Coach Duckworth last week, but the road only gets harder from there, however. Arkansas will be a big test.

Coming for the Cats: Alabama basketball returns home to host unbeaten No. 1 Kentucky

Grant has lacked a signature win for his tenure at Alabama. Under the Miami native’s direction, Alabama has defeated just three ranked opponents, and never one ranked in the top 10. His team’s best win came at home against a Kentucky team then ranked No. 12 in the nation.

More on this game later today and certainly tomorrow. Parker will have your preview at noon CST, and we'll have Saxon's Previewing The Tide with your advanced numbers and predictions at 10 am CST. The Crimson White piece above tries to present as positive a spin as possible, but I think most realize this will be an exceptionally difficult challenge. BTW: Don't even think about trying to (legitimately) get a ticket for this one: It's been sold out forever. And, if you're thinking about the Auburn game next Saturday, best act quickly. A call to the ticketing office shows very few seats remain. Let's sell it out and reacquaint Bruce Pearl with Tuscaloosa.

Future DI men's, women's golf regional, championship sites announced | NCAA.com

I know that March and May of 2016 may be a bit off, but Alabama's men and women's golf teams were awarded National Regionals for next year in Tuscaloosa and the Shoals, respectively.

Frozen Tide 2014/2015 Schedule

Finally, if you're the Birmingham area, or can't score a Kentucky ticket, here's another reminder that tonight begins the Iron Cup -- the annual Alabama-Auburn hockey series. This has been as one-sided an affair as you could possibly wish for: Alabama has not lost a single game, much less a series, to the Tigers in the team's history. Game times are 8 pm CST tonight, 7 pm CST tomorrow, and 2 pm CST Sunday. Tickets are just $5 at the Pelham Civic Complex. Head on out; it's a great sport and the most fun you'll have for five bones. And, as always, FAU.