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"It's just a great opportunity to play for your home state. To try to represent where you're from. It's a good feeling to be able to play here. I've enjoyed my time here. I've tried to leave as best of a legacy as we could. We (Rodney Cooper and I) decided to come here together. We played AAU ball together. Coaches recruited us and we just felt like it was the best place for us."
Their final season certainly didn't go as planned, but let's take a moment to recognize Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper for their efforts along with fellow senior Dakota Slaughter. By all accounts, these young men are not only excellent athletes but outstanding people as well. Roll Tide, gentlemen.
Rob Ezell, a receiver for the Crimson Tide from 2007-10, was hired to the football program's support staff. The Athens, Ala., product spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant under Jim McElwain at Colorado State. Before that, he was a volunteer assistant at Alabama in 2011.
Did someone say Rob Ezell?
SEC pre-spring position rankings: LB - SEC Blog - ESPN
The Crimson Tide also lost a couple key names from last year, but there's still plenty of talent to go around. The star is Reggie Ragland, an All-SEC selection who flirted with the NFL before opting to come back for his senior year. He heads a group that lacks in experience but not in talent. Denzel Devall should be healthy; Ryan Anderson is primed for a breakout season; and Reuben Foster might finally become more than just a special teams ace.
The Tide will have to rebuild on offense, but fortunately there was little attrition in the defensive front seven. Ragland will be counted on to be the senior leader of a LB corps that has a chance to be dominant. The battle for the other starting ILB position will be an interesting one.
10 Best Running Backs Entering The 2015 College Football Season
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State - The crop-topped Elliott burst onto the national scene during Ohio State’s improbable run to the national championship. His long, bursting runs are exciting and seem impossible to stop. Elliott ran for 1,878 yards (third in the country) and 18 touchdowns in Urban Meyer’s offense as a sophomore last season.
Derrick Henry didn't make this list? Seriously?
4-star linebacker Rahshaun Smith likes Clemson, Alabama - SBNation.com
Smith also said he has a great relationship with the Alabama coaching staff. He has no visits planned, but Clemson, Alabama and Pitt are trying to get him on campus.
Dabo has been making some hay on the recruiting trail lately. Sounds like the Tide will have to battle for Smith's services.
Chart! Conference power rankings at each point in college football history - SBNation.com
The numbers say the SEC's the best over the past decade. The numbers always say this, even when it makes the numbers look silly. The numbers say the Big Ten is around the bottom of the second tier over the past decade, yet Big Ten fans have bragging rights to the entire offseason. The numbers do not understand or care about rings, and it's up to you to decide how to feel about that.
S-E-C! S-E-C! ...or something like that.
SEC's Slive leery of making freshman athletes ineligible - Yahoo Sports
''To put a blanket over these student-athletes with a year on the bench doesn't address those individual needs to incentivize academic progress. Many students do come to college prepared both academically and athletically ready to compete in the classroom and in competition, and to penalize those students with a universal policy may create unintended consequences not beneficial to many student-athletes,'' he said.
Well said. For my money telling all freshmen they are ineligible is a ridiculous concept to begin with. Imagine someone like Cam Robinson being told he can't compete because he is too young. Even better, imagine Jadeveon Clowney. Oh, and LeBron James would have been sitting on a college team's bench during his rookie year in the NBA.
Grant announced that starting forward Shannon Hale will miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury he suffered against South Carolina last week. Hale will undergo Friday.
Sigh... this team continues to be snake bit. Ole Miss coverage from Saxon and Bamabrave4 later today.
The Crimson Tide returns to action on Tuesday in the annual Capital City Classic with in-state rival Auburn. The two teams will meet for the seventh consecutive year in Montgomery for the non-conference matchup. First pitch of Tuesday's game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. inside Riverwalk Stadium, home to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can watch/follow this weekend's games via the below outlets:
Gametracker: RollTide.com
Listen: 99.1 FM
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
The Tide looks to rebound from a hard fought series loss to ULL over the weekend. Tonight they play Auburn. Needless to say, this makes the game a must-win.
Soccer Announces 2015 Spring Schedule - ROLLTIDE.COM - University of Alabama Official Athletic Site
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.