Jumbo Package: Freddie Roach returning to Tuscaloosa?

Alabama alumnus, and all-around good dude, Freddie Roach is expected to make a return to the Capstone as ‘Bama’s new defensive line coach.

“Roach,” as most around Tuscaloosa call him, has been with Ole Miss the previous three seasons coaching their defensive lines. He is an outstanding recruiter, a very good position coach, and one of the profession’s true young up-and-comers.

This has the added benefit of dinging Lane Kiffin’s staff significantly too, just two weeks from the close of NSD2020 — Kiffin had retained Roach just last week.

It was rumored that Bo Davis was the choice to return and take over the DLC position, but Greg Sankey vetoed that — Sankey has been remarkably, strongly consistent about keeping NCAA problem cases out of the conference. Not only was Davis vetoed, but Hugh Freeze is persona not gratis, and Lane’s brother (another good recruiter and DLC), Chris Kiffin has been informally banned as well.

The lesson in Sankey’s SEC is don’t get caught — and if you do, come clean. All three of those men lied about their infractions, and that was probably the dagger in their further SEC careers.

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You hate to see it — Dave Aranda has fled LSU for his own program. And, honestly, he deserved a shot. That leaves a gaping maw at one of the most important positions on staff.

The Tigers, however, are looking at Bo Pelini to take that spot. Pelini is a very good DC. He also has experience in Baton Rouge, serving on The Hat’s staff from 2005-2007.

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Stick around for CB’s Recruiting post later this morning...a certain Ennis Rakestraw highlights the news as we draw closer to crunchtime.

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And, on heralded recruits, here’s this from Rivals re Mr. Football, Kristian Story:

Lanett senior Kristian Story – the Alabama signee who was named Alabama’s Mr. Football last week – headlines the list of state players picked for various high school All-American teams selected by MaxPreps.

Story was named to the overall All-American Team as an all-purpose back, and he was also named to the Small Schools All-American Team as a defensive back.

I really hope he knows he’s going to be playing DB and not quarterback. That is my only hesitation about Story.

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Jalen Hurts will be one of the many MVPs at the Senior Bowl this Saturday. And, in a very nice gesture to both programs, Senior Bowl officials crafted a special helmet for him:

Jalen Hurts registered quite the legacy for himself during his collegiate career as the starting quarterback for both Alabama and Oklahoma, helping lead both programs to berths in the College Football Playoff. On Saturday, Hurts’ skills will be on display for NFL scouts in the state where his college career began when he takes part in the Senior Bowl as a member of the South team. On Monday, officials presented the former Crimson Tide and Sooners signal-caller with a special helmet that reflects his time with two of college football’s most storied programs.

The helmet features an Oklahoma logo and a Sooners shade of crimson on one side, while the other side boasts the Alabama crimson with Hurts’ No. 2 on it, paying homage to his three seasons in Tuscaloosa.

Oklahoma may have rented it for a year, but Jalen’s heart always belongs in Alabama.

Sing along, ery’body:

Yet, most do not see Jalen’s pro prospects as very bright — the same issues that plagued him as a freshman were still apparent last season (indeed, he actually regressed in a much simpler offense.) So, the self-anointed draft gurus are taking a dim view of Hurts-as-pro (and doing so with varying degrees of snideness.)

I still say that if you can’t find something to do with a player with his unique brand of athleticism and toughness, then you’re not much of a coach. Be that as a Taysom Hill-type role, an Antwaan Randle-El utility player, or even finding a position change for him (H-Back, for instance), there has to be room on a roster for Jalen.

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If you are staying abreast of the offensively-minded trend in basketball, the modern game is about maximizing the points you get per-possession. And, if your team shoots 45-50% from the floor versus 35-39% from deep, it’s really a no-brainer: You launch at any time you get a decent look at the basket. And, buddy, is Alabama ever launching them. It’s on pace to shatter its school record for attempted and made threes:

Alabama has now attempted 500 three-point shots on the season, tied with Virginia Tech for the most among major conference schools this season and 30th among all Division I teams. The Hokies (18) have played one more game than Alabama (17).

Oats’ squad is on pace for 912 three-point attempts through its 31-game regular season. Even before any SEC tournament games, that would shatter the program record of 763 three-point attempts from 2015-16.

Not surprisingly, Alabama is also on track to easily eclipse its school record of 259 made three-pointers set the same season.

God, I love Nate Oats. I would take a bullet for him.

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Kristy Curry has done quite well versus the Lady Vols. However, the Tide had their guts ripped out last night, losing 65-63 on a Tennessee buzzer beater :(

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Alabama famously doesn’t have a depth chart. But, that doesn’t stop us from opining about what one would look like on January 20th!

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And, finally, during ESPN’s Coaches vs. Cancer week, there was this remarkable moment last night where Holly Rowe was absolutely blindsided with love.

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We have some more for you today, including a data deep dive on passing offenses and CB’s recruiting piece. Have a great morning. Roll Tide.