Jumbo Package: Gump Day!

Brannon has been ready for Alabama his entire life

"I'm ecstatic," he said. "It's been my dream since I was seven years old to play for Alabama and in about 12 days it is going to become a reality. I'm just so blessed and so thankful for the opportunity. I have been putting in the long hours in the weight room and on the field to try to put my best foot forward when I get down there. I cannot wait.

"I want to listen, learn, and dominate. I have a lot to learn, so I'm ready to be a sponge and soak in all the knowledge and plays. I'll spend extra time in the weight room and building relationships with players and the coaching staff."

BOL got a cool interview with Tide commit Hunter Brannon. The general thought is that Brannon is going to take a grayshirt this fall, but those things can change quickly over the summer. Just look at Bradley Bozeman a few years ago.

In any case, Brannon seems to have the right attitude to come in and compete.

FSU starter reportedly to miss first half of Alabama game after bowl ejection

The 30-minute suspension is a carryover from an ejection for targeting in the Orange Bowl win over Michigan last December. Since it occurred in the second half, Marshall would have to miss the opening half of the next game. That doesn't change even if that next contest is the following season.

Marshall started 11 games last season as a safety and nickelbacker. The rising senior led the team in tackles in consecutive games against Wake Forest (eight) and eventual-national champion Clemson (11).

College football is looking more and more like the NFL.

In any case, I’m happy with FSU not having one of their starting senior defensive backs in Jalen’s first half of the season with a new offensive coordinator. As our old friend Lyle said so eloquently in response to this news:

Here’s to seeing Robert Foster, Calvin Ridley, and/or Jerry Jeudy catching all the bombs down the field.

Alabama AD Greg Byrne on facilities and idea of hiring Nick Saban's replacement

"We have a facility master plan we are looking at right now in trying to decide what our next steps and projects will be," Byrne told me on The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile, Alabama. "We're going to do a dining hall that we are going to get started on pretty soon and actually update our swimming pool as well.

"The reality for all our sports is you have to look into re-investing in your success. We have a lot of really good facilities at Alabama. We have a great footprint. At the same time, you just can't be satisfied with that. You can't saw we have everything we need. Things need to be updated and continue to evolve. Facilities are an important part of that."

Some interview quotes from the new AD. The biggest thing here is that they’re wanting to build a new dining hall. In the past, Bryant dining hall was for the athletes, but as enrollment continued to increase, the general student body expanded into it as well, and getting food from there was always a madhouse. As are all the other dining halls for that matter. Hopefully the addition of a new one will take some of the strain off the others.

Byrne also defaulted to Saban on opinions on the new early signing day. And he expressed his enthusiasm that Saban is staying until he retires.

Eddie Lacy has first weigh-in with Seattle Seahawks

When the Seahawks signed the former Alabama standout as a free agent in March, his one-year, $5.55 million contract included seven weigh-ins worth $55,000 apiece among its incentives.

Lacy's weight goal for May was 255 pounds. Lacy's agency, SportsTrust Advisors, tweeted that Lacy had weighed 253 pounds when he stepped on the scales in Seattle on Monday.

The Seahawks' weight goals for the Lacy for the rest of the year are 250 pounds in June and August and 245 pounds for September, October, November and December.

The media has had a lot of fun at Lacy’s expense over the last four years, but now he’s managed to work in a $55,000 bonus each time he meets a weight loss goal. Crazy. Most people have to pay to have other “experts” set a goal for them.

Anyway, the 253 weigh in is a steep drop down from the 270 that he was rumored to be during free agency a few months ago.

While the Packers were in a constant battle with Lacy to try and get him to play light (they wanted him around 230), his new coach has made it clear that he wants a big man back there.

Inside the numbers: Alabama’s experience, talent in secondary points to more picks in 2017

Kareem Jackson, Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick, Dee Milliner, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Landon Collins and Marlon Humphrey.

All standout defensive backs for the University of Alabama. All named an All-American. All selected in the NFL Draft.

All left Alabama early.

You could add Vinnie Sunseri in that respect as well, minus the All-American part. All but Collins also were first-round picks, but one can make a really strong argument that he should have been, especially since the safety was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl along with Clinton-Dix.

The point is, that’s a lot of talented players Alabama wasn’t able to enjoy when each was arguably at his best. It’s a consequence of continually recruiting top-notch talent, although there were some repercussions for the Crimson Tide.

That’s a LOT of secondary talent. And it also shed some light into the woes of the 2013-2014 secondary.

In any case, the article has some charts with stats on team and individual interception records under Nick Saban over the years that you may enjoy.

Interesting bit of trivia: Which Alabama player under Saban has the most career picks?

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Answer: Robert Lester.