Jumbo Package: Jayden George, son of NFL standout Jeff George, commits to Alabama

Yesterday, Alabama picked up the commitment of walk-on quarterback, Jayden George. That unusual last name should tip you off as to his pedigree — the son of former NFL occasional star/journeyman Jeff George.

Here are the highlights from Jayden’s senior season in Indianapolis.

George the Elder was an interesting player. He had one of the quickest releases, strongest arms, and best play-fakes you could wish for. The physical skills were there for a true Hall of Fame career. Unfortunately, the 1990 No. 1 overall pick also had an ego to match, intermittent injuries, and a penchant for bratiness that made his tenure uneasy with just about every team he played for over a 13-year career. George probably had his most memorable moments for Alabama fans during his time as the signal caller for the (very fun) run-and-shoot Atlanta Falcons under June Jones.

Anyway, Jayden has not been evaluated by any recruiting services, but he has been invited to several campuses — including Georgia most recently. You can tell he has had some coaching from the old man too. He is a throwback for sure: a true dropback passer with nice play-action out of the Ace sets. His arm is live, but he doesn’t appear to have the quick release of his dad. He is an interesting player. In an era of athletes-as-quarterbacks, Jayden is a pure throwing quarterback; a guy from another time and place.

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On the topic of quarterbacks, Alabama still has its star for one more season at least. But, let the tanking begin. Tua Tagovailoa is the overwhelming favorite to be the first player taken off the board in next April’s NFL Draft.

Days after releasing odds that had Tagovailoa as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy next season, the Westgate Las Vegas sportsbook tapped Tagovailoa as the extremely strong favorite to hear his name called first during the 2020 NFL draft.

2020 NFL Draft - 1st Overall Selection:

Tua Tagovailoa 1/3

Jake Fromm 7/1

Justin Herbert 7/1

Chase Young 16/1

Jerry Jeudy 30/1

Derrick Brown 30/1

Raekwan Davis 40/1

Andrew Thomas 40/1

Walker Little 40/1

#TankForTua began in January, and we’re about to see a Zion-esque race to the bottom for several teams, with the Dolphins’ roster moves in particular indicating they are not at all coy about their intentions.

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Post-Spring Top 25s are rollling in. Sports Illustrated has the Tide positioned at our favorite spot — anywhere but the very top (No. 2), with Clemson earning post-spring honors.

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The NCAA is having to deal with the effects of legalized sports betting, and one of the proposals to do so is the adoption of the pro model: a standardized injury report.

The NCAA Gambling Working Group will propose the first-ever standardized national player availability report for college sports, two sources told CBS Sports.

Later this month, the working group will propose a pilot program that would have coaches list players as “available,” “possible” or “unavailable” for that week’s game without mentioning a specific body part or injury.

If passed, the proposal would go live beginning this season. Next week we’ll break this one down a bit more.

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On the diamond, the baseball team heads to Auburn for the penultimate road trip of the regular season. The Tigers (27-17, SEC 10-11) were swept this past weekend by Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide are in a three-way race for the 12th spot and a trip to Hoover next week. A series win would be a big step towards inclusion in the SEC tournament. For softball, the stakes are a little higher. The softball team travels to Baton Rouge to face the No. 9 LSU Tigers. These rivals bring out the best in one another, in basically every sport, and this weekend should be not different: The winner takes home the SEC crown.

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The Patriots believe they got the steal of the draft — and they certainly got one of them when they selected Damien Harris in the third round.

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Women’s basketball announced the hiring of Coach Adrian Walters to its staff. Walters was a long-time assistant at Auburn and served as their development coach.

In his seven seasons at Auburn, Walters helped the Tigers to three NCAA Tournament appearances and two berths in the WNIT. The 2018-19 season saw the Tigers post their best season in a decade, finishing 22-10 overall and 9-7 in SEC play, earning its third NCAA Tournament bid in four seasons. Auburn set numerous program records in 2018-19, including single-season 3-pointers, single-game 3-pointers, fewest turnovers in a season and SEC road victories.

Let’s hope this works. Lord knows, women’s basketball could use some sign of life. any sign of life.

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Yesterday PFF dropped some seriously dank stats about the Tide’s returning SEC production. How about the best returning coverage corner (Shyheim Carter), and the top two returning wide receivers (Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy).

That Tua guy is decent too.

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Alabama has posted its highest finish ever in the Capital One Cup. From the email presser.

After a competitive winter athletics season, the 2018-19 fall Capital One Cup standings have officially been announced, and Alabama is currently ranked 8th in the Capital One Cup men’s standings with 43 total points due to their recent success in swimming & diving and indoor track & field.

And, about that TF success?

The Alabama track and field women are No. 6 and the men are No. 7 in this week’s NCAA Division I Track & Field National Rating Index, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced. It is the highest ranking of the outdoor season for the Crimson Tide women.

#TrackSchool

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And, finally, we leave you with Deionte Thompson’s final Road to the Pros series. I don’t think this road ended the way he wanted to. Rumors of pre-arthritic knee degeneration and a late-season slide hurt his stock, and represented an incredible fall from grace for a player who last October seemed destined for a possible first round selection.

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Have a good day. Roll Tide.