Jumbo Package: Bryce Young still listed day-to-day as Aggie drags its $95 million bagman to town

Ed. Note: Just like last week, Saban’s weekly Wednesday presser, and articles relating to those comments, are in a second piece rather than being crammed into the same JP. And, like last week, it will be in a story that posts right before the Jumbo Package. The JP was just getting far too unwieldy and engagement was down. (Average read time is less than 7 minutes. So, anything that approaches 2000 words just gets glossed over).

This is for the betterment of your Gumping, trust me.

For a decade, Jimbo Fisher was not a blip on my radar when it came to top coaches. During that time, he was what he has always been: dirty as hell, hypocritically and judiciously selective about player discipline, a terrible game day coach, a guy who unapologetically runs his mushmouth when he perhaps should stop catching flies. A buffoonish Bobby Bowden-type with fewer scruples and far fewer coaching chops.

Then, after destroying Florida State, he decided to 1. destroy the coaching market, and 2. do far worse to the fabric of SEC recruiting. At its heart in both instances: payola. Cold hard cash. You can’t blame him for the former. If someone wanted to throw a decade of guaranteed money at White Kevin Sumlin, and, you are in fact that guy, then you take it and run.

The latter, however, has been inexcusable. It’s a program so patently dirty that even Lane Kiffin has called him out for it...and that guy coached under Pete Carroll. And, when he did get caught (implicitly and otherwise), he unleashed CTE-level emotionally-labile press conferences, casts aspersions on the character of a man who’s had a 40-year reputation of integrity, doubled-down, lied some more, and through it all not once had self-reflection, second thoughts, regrets, or the impetus to change his ways of doing business. Much less has he shown a desire to make it right.

So, really, f’ that guy. It’s personal now.

No, Jimbo. You’re not an offensive genius or a program builder or a guy to get teams over the mountain top. You’re a bagman who kisses the right ass. You’re a talking wallet. You’re an uncivil clown. You’re an unrepentant mendicant. You’re a simpleton and emotional toddler. You’re a doltish Gene Chizik figure with more teeth and less actual ability. You’re a promiscuous prevaricator. You’re a would-be Icarus who can’t even get off the ground. You’re a man making a career as the beneficiary of an improbable Alabama Iron Bowl loss in 2013. You’re a cheater. You’re a liar.

As a fellow hillperson, you know exactly what this means: You’re upjumped.

And, most importantly, you’re a bad coach.

Unfortunately, Alabama may have to wait on that whole Revenge Tour thing. Its triggerman, Bryce Young, is participating in a “few things” in practice, but is still very much day-to-day.

“I’m sure that everybody wants an update on Bryce, so I’m going to give it to you. He’s doing some things in practice and he’s still listed as ‘day-to-day.’ No decision is going to be made until he decides, and we decide, from a medical staff standpoint, whether he can go out there and functionally do his job.”

There’s no timetable for Young’s return after he sprained his AC joint in the second quarter at Arkansas last week. Scrambling near midfield, Young was sacked as he tried to throw the ball away and appeared to jam his arm on the sideline.

I don’t think we’ll see Young, honestly. Nor would we need to. This game is going to be old school football, where the Tide front four has to focus on shutting down Achane, while on offense winning the line of scrimmage and dominating with its running game. I suspect we’ll see a lot of option football, a lot of two-man routes, plenty of RPOs, and a very short game.

Do you miss Joyless Nick Saban Murderball? We saw it against Arkansas. We’ll see it again on Saturday.

Because the Tide needs Bryce Young far more for a difficult stretch run of Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU and Tennessee. (Seems like I’m forgetting someone here. But they probably suck.) But ‘Bama certainly doesn’t need to get Young hurt, and they don’t require his services in this game against a poorly-coached, poorly-developed also-ran.

Even A&M fans see through you.

Feel free to yell at Jimbo below. Let’s make this a hateful Thursday.

It’s a pity that A&M is struggling this year, and that Alabama has uncertainties in its lineup. This game has been pre-hyped practically since the final gun of the Tide’s self-destruction in College Station last season.

With Young questionable (and I’d guess out), and with Aggie staring down two losses already, the bloom is off this rose, and Fisher is desperately seeking some momentum.

Is Fisher about to become the Bloody Sunday victim? Highly unlikely.

Still, it’s worth asking how much patience is left after that Mississippi State loss. Fisher has yet to find a consistent quarterback. Starter Haynes King was benched after a slow start. Backup Max Johnson is now injured and day-to-day for Alabama.

It’s complicated. Fisher inherited the Aggies’ career passing leader, Kellen Mond, when he arrived in 2018. Backup Zach Calzada beat Alabama last year and now is on the bench at Auburn

Fisher left the door open to the reality of five-star freshman Connor Weigman playing Saturday.

“What do you want me to do, call Nick and tell him?” said Fisher when pushed on the issue.

Another player almost certainly out is the solid Justin Eboigbe, who suffered a neck injury in Fayetteville (man, I can’t think of a single trip there where a critical piece of ‘Bama’s team did not get hurt — Hightower, Tua, Eboigbe, Bryce, etc.)

Alabama football isn’t taking any chances with an injury to a veteran defensive lineman.

Justin Eboigbe was held out of the game at Arkansas with a neck injury, Nick Saban said Monday. The senior had appeared in the four previous games but was not on the field for Alabama’s 49-26 in over the Razorbacks.

Saban said they’re referring him to specialists “to make sure we manage it correctly.”

“We’re not going to allow him to play until we get the exact,” Saban said Monday, “most expert plan of action for him and his future.”

He’s not an all-star, but for a rotational starter tasked with setting the edge for the linebackers, Justin’s putting up solid numbers in his own right: averaging 1 QB hurry, 1 QB hit, and 3 tackles per game. He is the definition of a “force defender.”

Alabama’s No. 1 recruiting class isn’t just taking the top spot this year, it’s running away with it.

1. Alabama (Ranked No. 1 in September)

Verbal Commitments: 23

SI99 Recruits: 8

The Crimson Tide have been atop these rankings for months and it has begun to create more separation at the top of the list after a big month of September on the trail. Not only did it edge Lone Star State programs for its top uncommitted wide receiver in SI99 selection Jalen Hale, but it bolstered the defensive line with another Texan in emerging talent Jordan Renaud.

Mike Leach, the most interesting man in all of college football has thoughts very close to my own about the sham of NIL that has become nothing but pay-for-play: If athletes want to be paid as professionals, then slap a professional designation on them.

That includes the possibilities of trades, a cap on earnings, behavioral and disciplinary requirements, and a whole host of attendant responsibilities and contractual demands that come with being a professional — including being drafted.

Mr. Five-Star running back may want to go to Columbus, but his ass could wind up at FIU.

Football seems trivial to him, almost like a hobby at which he excels greatly. He’d rather opine on current affairs and transformational issues. And in the world of college sports, there is no bigger national debate than the one raging over athlete compensation.

Naturally, he’s got some ideas on how to fix what stakeholders say is a festering problem that is impacting their game. Leach believes players should have a choice when entering college: You either join as an (1) amateur or you join as a (2) professional.

“With professionals comes responsibility,” he says. “Yeah, you will potentially make more money. But you are drafted and can be traded. That’s what professionals do. This college football group [of administrators], they are all shocked by that. Why are you shocked by it? Name one league of professionals who don’t do it that way.”

Banged up Mac Jones looks to get on the field Sunday vs. the NFL’s best offense — bet you thought I was going to say Bills or Chiefs, right? Maybe even the Eagles.

Nope. The Detroit Lions.

LOINS!

Bill Belichik, for the love of God, please get Jones a few decent wideouts and a playbook tailored to his skillset. You’re Tua’ing Mac.

One guy that has been cleared to play is presumptive Commanders starter, and member of Alabama’s All-Heart team, BRob.

Robinson was shot in the preseason during a botched robber, and after a strong camp that saw him elevate to the starting role. He has yet to get on the field.

The Commanders placed Robinson on the NFI list to ensure that he had ample time to make his recovery without having to worry about being back at practice or how many games he would miss. However, Robinson attacked his recovery with same ferocity he attacked defenses in the 2021 college football season.

Eighteen days after the shooting and successful surgery, he was seen doing agility drills.

This should be a much bigger deal than it is, but late Wednesday afternoon the NCAA announced some commonsense adjistment to the Portal window in Spring:

Buried deep within an announcement about women’s basketball, the NCAA dropped this:

The (Division I) Council voted to move the spring notification-of-transfer windows in both Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision football to April 15-30, rather than May 1-15.

The belief here is that moving the spring window up 15 days will put it closer to the end of spring football, which will then give transferring players more time to sort through the transfer process and get acclimated at their new school before summer workouts and classes begin.

Players do not have to complete their transfer during that window, but moving forward they will have to wait to enter the Portal during that time in order to maintain eligibility for the following season.

We’ll have more for you later, including some previews, Giving Away Money, and whatever else we feel like.

Roll Tide