Jumbo Package: Gump Day!

Collin Sexton selected for NBA All-Rookie second team

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton is a member of the NBA All-Rookie second team after he joined Larry Bird and Stephen Curry as the only rookies in league history to average scoring at least 16 points per game while shooting at least .400 from 3-point range and .800 from the free-throw line.

Leading off with a little hoops news, Collin Sexton made second-team All-Rookie— pretty good for someone that people were trying to call a massive failure only a little way into the season. The most interesting part is that the five players on the All-Rookie first team were the top five draft picks in last year’s NBA draft. Whoever heard of a bunch of GMs actually getting things right?

Jonah Williams gets first look at left tackle with Bengals

When the Cincinnati Bengals lined up for their first 11-on-11 drill of their offseason program on Monday, rookie Jonah Williams stepped in at left offensive tackle and Cordy Glenn, a seven-year NFL veteran who manned that position for the team last season, went to left guard.

“That’s typically what happens with those first-rounders,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said about Williams. “And, you know, he’s taken it all in and been really sharp with it.”

Speaking of Tide alumni proving pundits wrong, here’s Jonah Williams already working at left tackle— not guard. It’s been quite a kerfuffle around the internet the last few months about whether or not Jonah should be a guard. Everyone’s already said their part at least seven times each, so feel free to rehash it today.

Anonymous coaches raise concerns about Alabama for 2019 season

“I think Tua needs to humble himself,” the anonymous coach said. “I think he did some bad things in the bowl game that cost the team because he put himself ahead of the team. He needs to understand Alabama won national championships by playing great defense and special teams and not beating itself. In the national championship game, the quarterback play was atrocious, and some would say the play-calling, too.”

“They’ve got holes in the defense,” the coach said. “I can see them losing 2-3 games. They lost (linebacker) Mack Wilson. They’re missing guys up front. Raekwon Davis didn’t play that well last year.”’

Hooo boy, now that’s a #hottake if I’ve ever seen one. There’s a lot to take in with those two quotes, so I won’t wax poetic and you can just let it marinate for a minute.

That said, thank goodness the Tide is finally getting some good locker room material. Who wants to bet Saban himself is the “anonymous” coach, just to give his team something to rally against?

Or maybe it’s Hugh Freeze or someone really random that lost to the Tide 5 years ago and got fired.

Who could commit to Alabama next?

Jaquelin Roy, 4-star DT, Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab

The Top100 defensive tackle reopened his recruitment by decommitting from LSU earlier this spring, but still has the Tigers in the mix. In fact, this could turn into one of those annual Alabama-LSU battles we’ve seen for top defensive linemen from the Bayou State in recent years (Ishmael Sopsher, Phidarian Mathis, Isaiah Buggs).

Man, what I would give for Alabama to take yet another elite defensive tackle right out of Baton Rouge. The LSU fan meltdowns are something to behold. However, they ought to be getting numb to the process by this point, so it may not be quite as satisfying as it used to be.

This article is a good read if you haven’t started paying attention to the next cycle of recruits yet. 247 spends some time talking about 10 different players who are likely at the top of Alabama’s list.

AL.com All-Access: What’s the most outraged you’ve ever been over an official’s call?

1983 Alabama vs. Penn State: The Preston Gothard game

Ray Perkins’ Crimson Tide had rallied from 27 points down to trail by six at 34-28 against the defending national champions, and faced fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard-line with eight seconds remaining. Quarterback Walter Lewis threw to a lunging Gothard in the back of the end zone, but the Alabama tight end was inexplicably ruled out of bounds. Later, it was revealed that one of the officials on the crew (but not the one who failed to make the call) was the uncle of former Penn State star Mike Guman. Here’s video, and it’s still incredible this call was made.

Obviously, the 2017 championship loss to Clemson with the pick in the endzone made the list. Some other more recent ones include the TD-ruled-interception against LSU when TE Michael Williams caught a pass from Marquise Maze and had it ripped away late or the time Ole Miss got away with all their linemen running down field and their QB crossing the line of scrimmage before throwing a touchdown. Also that time Chad Kelly threw a bounce pass touchdown off of a dudes helmet mid-sack after fumbling the ball. I don’t know what the referees could have called, but there’s no way that play was legal in the laws of the universe.

But the most conflicted I’ve ever been was on the final play of the 2013 Iron Bowl. Not that I thought Chris Davis should have been called out of bounds (I still don’t blame the refs for not calling that... It was just too close to tell for sure). I was conflicted because I don’t think Alabama should have ever gotten that 1 second at the end. At first I was elated that the refs gave the Tide the shot to win it. Then it turned out to be a snake in the rushes as the play we never should have had was the play that improbably gave Auburn the win.