Jumbo Package: Dallas Turner named Freshman All-American

Happy Tuesday, everyone. OLB Dallas Turner was selected to the FWAA Freshman All-America team yesterday. Check out these stats.

Seems like Dallas is already very #good at football and has two more years before going pro. He and Will Anderson will be terrifying together with a full spring and fall on the first team, and adding Eilas Ricks to an already talented and experienced secondary is going to make passing the ball very challenging for opponents.

Michael Casagrande examines the impact of those who left.

Considerable talent/experience returns almost everywhere but receiver where there’s skill among young and still unproven talent. It lost a similarly large chunk of the receiving offense last year and still broke records. Outside help seems crucial to equal that rising phoenix of a fall since Williams’ 1,572 receiving yards changed the math in Young’s first season starting.

Nobody is backing off of early preseason rankings with Alabama on top after eight players hit the portal and nine went pro in the past week.

So, exodus or not, expect another eight months of hype before Utah State visits Tuscaloosa on Sept. 3 for Year 16 of the Saban era.

Wide receiver is a big question mark going into the season, and it really shouldn’t be considering the class signed in 2021. Still, there is plenty of raw talent on hand. Hopefully they are able to build rapport through spring camp and summer 7 on 7s. Returning receiving production has been a pretty decent indicator in recent years, and that’s one area that Alabama doesn’t have going for it this year.

Finebaum is bullish on 2022 Alabama.

“I don’t think (my opinion) has changed at all … Alabama will likely begin next season No. 1 in the country and they should,” Finebaum said Monday on McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning. “It starts at the quarterback position, it goes over to the best player in football on the offensive side, the best coach in the country and a lot of young players who I think will step up next year.

“We all saw what happened a week ago tonight, but it’s a long way between now and the beginning of the season and I know there’s a little bit of a panic when you see players popping up and down, but we still don’t know where Alabama finishes in recruiting, but perhaps more important than that is who else will end up at Alabama in the portal and I think that’s where I would keep my eye.”

Dennis Dodd looks back on some of the wackiness.

Brian Kelly affecting a Southern accent at halftime of an LSU basketball game and Lincoln Riley looking over his shoulder at the Los Angeles Coliseum during a press conference marveling at USC’s tradition. In the space of three days, a pair of mega coaches at Notre Dame and Oklahoma each left top 10 jobs ... for other top 10 jobs. The winningest coaches at both programs, who had combined for five CFP appearances, departed ostensibly for better access to the CFP.

The nation’s No. 1 high school prospect, defensive back Travis Hunter, committing to play away from the bright lights at Jackson State in the FCS for a coach in Deion Sanders who defined the position. Sanders snatched Hunter away from his own alma mater, Florida State.

Kelly’s Foghorn Leghorn was the best.

Mel Kiper thinks that Jameson Williams could be a good fit for Mac Jones and the Patriots.

“Unfortunately Jameson Williams was injured in that game with the ACL,” Kiper said. “He was well on his way to being a guaranteed top-10 pick. He was sixth overall on my big board. I think Todd (McShay), when we talked last week, said he was No. 6 on his big board as well. Now, it’s gonna be interesting with Jameson, where do you put him? OK, do you put him in the second round or do you put him in the first round? The New England Patriots? You know the Bill Belichick, Nick Saban connection, right? It was pretty obvious against the Buffalo Bills, they needed weapons in the passing game for Mac Jones. You got Jameson Williams if he drops all the way down to where New England’s picking at the 21st pick now in Round 1. OK, you got a guy who would have gone in the top 10. Maybe even top five, six or seven. (Now), he’s there at 21. Can you wait it out for Jameson Williams to get back to 100%? I think you have to think about that at that point. So I really think Jameson Williams is in play and I think if he plays and finishes that game against the Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama may win that national title.”

Last, it sounds like Javon Baker may be a Gator.

Baker has some obvious connections to Florida, too. The Gators were involved in his recruiting process out of high school. In fact, UF landed quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson in the 2020 class, a guy that Baker is quite familiar with, having played with him in high school at McEachern High School in Georgia.

“Everything good,” Baker said. “Everything’s always been straight-on with Florida, though, because my brother Carlos, he go there. ... I like everything. Coaches and everything, I like everybody here.”

That’s about it for now. Have a great day.

Roll Tide.