Happy Monday, everyone. We’ll open with Alabama football’s tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today we honor the life & legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.#MLKDay pic.twitter.com/c5cXey6gq3
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) January 18, 2021
Hopefully one day the state will get around to fixing the way this day is officially recognized in Alabama.
The Gym Tide came up just short in Gainesville yesterday, though there were some cries of home cookin’ from Alabama faithful. Lexi Graber closed out the floor exercise with this 9.925.
Lexi Graber, WOW @BamaGymnastics
— espnW (@espnW) January 16, 2022
: ABC | #ThatsaW pic.twitter.com/JwjfRY9IOU
I am admittedly no expert, but that looked pretty flawless.
Alabama and Auburn have apparently been at a recruiting disadvantage thanks to a NIL law passed last year.
“It’s just a straight repeal of what we did last year,” sponsor Rep. Kyle South, R-Fayette, told Alabama Daily News. “We were thinking that the NCAA last year was going to go in one direction and they ended up adopting basically a different rule that was kind of a blanket for everybody.
“And it left us in a place where our state law was more restrictive than what the NCAA adopted,” South said.
So, states that adopted nothing, including Michigan and Texas, are now at a recruiting advantage for college athletes now because they’re working solely off the NCAA guidelines, South said.
You mean to tell me that government needlessly delved into something and ended up screwing it up? Well, I never. Yeah, let’s get that thing repealed, shall we?
A few more Alabama transfers have committed to their new programs:
Best of luck to all.
Arch Manning has narrowed his choices to a top five of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas.
Barring any major setbacks, Young will likely declare for the NFL Draft after the 2022 season. This would likely create a scenario where Manning would have to battle five-star quarterback and Alabama signee Ty Simpson for the starting job. Not an easy task, but it wouldn’t be impossible for Manning to win the job as a freshman.
Legendary coach Nick Saban should still be in charge. But with the amount of NFL interest O’Brien has already received, he will probably have moved on before Manning arrives. Regardless, given Saban’s track record for scooping up high-caliber offensive playcallers, the system Manning would fall into should be able to maximize his talents.
Ty Simpson is the reason that I believe Arch goes elsewhere, and I’m not at all convinced that he isn’t a better player.
Gary Cosby at the Tuscaloosa News wrote about Saban’s impact on the community.
So many benefit directly from their presence here it almost goes beyond the ability of an opinion column to quantify it. The Sabans’ influence on the Tuscaloosa community has been absolutely profound and will last beyond the span of their lives.
If you doubt this, simply look at the 18 houses built for Habitat for Humanity, representing each of the national championships the school lays claim to. I know that number infuriates Alabama opponents, but don’t bring that up to a homeowner who has a house because of those championships. I hope they win one every year for no other reason than that someone gets a new house, an accomplishment that changes not only the life of the homeowner but helps create generational change for the entire family.
The impact that the Sabans have had on the school and community is immeasurable, and I’m old enough to remember when he was just using Alabama as a springboard to a better job.
Last, this is one of the dumbest plays you will ever see to end a playoff game.
What a way to end the game! #SuperWildCard pic.twitter.com/esKKpbkrQn
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2022
Dallas was in desperation mode at that point and odds of victory were slim, but a QB draw with no timeouts and 14 seconds left, from the 40?
I can’t imagine what would possess someone to call such a thing.
I'm told OC Kellen Moore called the QB run and Mike McCarthy was on the headset to OK it. Not either's finest hour. Dak should have checked off. I don't get any of it.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 17, 2022
I don’t think anyone does. Crazy.
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.