Jumbo Package: Robert Foster, Levi Wallace turning heads in Buffalo

Happy Monday, everyone. Today’s tidbits:

Jay Skurski with The Buffalo News brought up the former Alabama receiver during a recent mailbag. When Skurski was asked about an early sleeper pick to make an impact for the Bills in 2018, this was his response:

“I’ll give you two — both from Alabama. Receiver Robert Foster and cornerback Levi Wallace both have the physical attributes NFL teams look for. Foster plays a position of need and ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine at 6-foot-2. He also has a brief history with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll from their time together last season.”

It sounds like both Foster and Wallace have a great chance to make the roster, and there is opportunity to compete for time in both position groups. Best of luck to both.

Chavis Williams, a 3-star recruit out of Dora (Ala.) High School, developed in ways he didn’t think he could, and this was in large part to the structure of Cochran’s program.

“The thing that separates those guys down there,” Williams said, speaking of Cochran and his staff, “is the mental part that goes into strength and conditioning. It’s not only about getting bigger, stronger, faster, it’s training the mind from the neck up. Everybody’s good from the neck down, but what separates them is from the neck up. And they do an excellent job of, not only strength and conditioning, but the mental part as well.”

Pieces about “The Process” have become a dime a dozen, but this longform by Al Blanton is a great read and worth your time. He goes all the way back to the recruitment of Mark Ingram out of Flint.

“I just think there’s some myths about Alabama football that we sort of fight all the time in recruiting,” Saban said. “Things like, ‘it’s no fun; it’s all business,’ and that’s not true at all. I think Minkah [Fitzpatrick] said it best. He said, ‘I didn’t come to Alabama to have fun, but I had more fun there than any time in my life.’ So, I think we just try to show the other side.

“Our players do have a lot of fun. We have a lot of togetherness, a lot of camaraderie in what we do. Alabama is a special place, and when you go there, you find that out and you relate to it. People have a lot of pride in it. We’re just trying to show that side of the program a little bit more, but we’re still committed to the same things in terms of helping players be more successful in life for having been involved in the program.”

As usual, the outside perception of the program differs greatly from the inside perception. If Saban was really the iron fist tyrant that many in the media have portrayed, he probably would have been long gone by now.

Alabama received 167 points, including two second-place votes and 11 first-place votes.

There is a quarterback controversy and six new assistant coaches are on staff. Twelve players were drafted off the team that won the 2017 national championship.

Whatever. This is still Alabama and the machine in Tuscaloosa just doesn’t stop. It certainly won’t this year with an offense that looks ridiculously powerful and a defense that could be ferocious on the edges. A quick glance at the schedule won’t exactly dissuade anyone from picking the Tide to win its sixth national title in ten seasons.

Oh, to be an Alabama fan.

We won’t lie, it’s pretty nice.

First-team RB: Damien Harris, Alabama

Harris (5-11, 216, Sr.) has a chance in 2018 to become Alabama’s all-time leading rusher and the first Crimson Tide back to total three straight 1,000-yard seasons. He ran for exactly 1,000 yards with 11 touchdowns last season, averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

Alabama has three players on the first team and none on the second team, but something tells me that will increase by the postseason. The Tide will likely have some representation at QB and WR, and more than one at OT, OG, and RB.

Coach Avery Johnson’s roster is complete.

Newcomers Jared Butler (11), Diante Wood (22) and Javian Fleming (13) are included, while Texas transfer Tevin Mack changed from No. 11 to 34 and walk-on Lawson Schaffer took over No. 2, which was left vacant by Collin Sexton. Below is the Crimson Tide’s roster.

Butler and Mack are the two to watch. If Butler can be a solid, pure PG while Mack replaces most of Sexton’s scoring, this could be a very dangerous squad.

Hey, another crown for UA:

“I’m truly on Cloud Nine right now. This is a dream come true,” Walker said just minutes after she was crowned. “I’m so grateful to this organization, to this amazing group of women that I have been able to spend this week with. I couldn’t ask for anything better than this. It’s been amazing.”

Walker, 20, is a Birmingham native and musical theatre student at the University of Alabama. Her platform for the pageant is “Let’s Talk Trash!” -- Green Kids for a Green Planet.

Walker’s mother, Angela Tower Walker, was Miss Alabama 1985.

Congratulations to Callie, and there are clearly some good genes in that family.

Last, this is a pretty cool highlight:

Fantastic play. The event was the Feis Bowl, a charity event pitting Marjorie Stoneman Douglas alumni vs. current football players honoring Aaron Feis, the truly heroic football coach who died while shielding students from gunfire, along with the others who lost their lives.

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.