Jumbo Package: Nate Oats “likes” his roster, Alabama football at Texas sold out

Happy Friday, everyone. Sorry we’re a little late today. Coach Nate Oats seems pleased with his team headed into year 4.

Speaking in Birmingham as part of the CM Newton Classic announcement, Oats updated the latest on where the 2022-23 Alabama basketball roster stands.

“We have the one open scholarship that, as of right now, we’re not going to fill it,” Oats said. “But it’s there if we happen to stumble upon someone who makes a lot of sense. But the 12 guys we’ve got are who we’re planning on rolling with and I like them a lot.”

If nothing else, this team will have more length on the perimeter. There is loads of potential, but their fate will be determined by how they jell. Such is life in the modern game.

The schedule is daunting once again.

Much like last year, Alabama’s non-conference slate for the 2022-23 campaign is shaping up to be a challenge. In addition to facing Oklahoma, the Tide is set to face Gonzaga (Dec. 17) and Memphis at home and Houston and South Alabama on the road in the second halves of home-and-home series. UA will also play in the Phil Knight Invitational from Nov. 24-27, along with Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oregon, Portland, UConn and Villanova.

That slate will very likely end up as among the toughest in the nation again.

This is a cool story about how the Alabama vs. Gonzaga series started.

The quasi-home-and-home was the result of a friendship established in one of the more unique settings of recent college basketball history. Alabama coach Nate Oats said he got to know Gonzaga coach Mark Few while in Indianapolis of the 2021 NCAA tournament inside the bubble. Neither coach enjoyed being cooped up in the hotel so they took every opportunity to use the nearby minor league baseball park set aside for team recreation.

“Next thing I knew, he was asking if we would play them out there,” Oats said Thursday. “I don’t shy away from playing big games. I’d rather play a bunch of big games than a bunch of guaranteed wins. So, let’s go for it. It worked out well, we got the win and now they have to return it.”

Will Anderson is getting ready to take souls.

Anderson has been working with new outside linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler, who spent 2021 as special teams coordinator at Ole Miss. Hutzler is also Alabama’s special teams coordinator.

“It’s been good, he’s full of energy,” Anderson told the Tuscaloosa News at the Nike Football Skills Camp at Hillcrest High School. ”He pumps the room up. He brings that younger feeling to the room a little bit more. He’s like a fireball. He has so much energy, but it’s been great.

Last, Texas has managed to sell out the Alabama game, but still has season tickets available.

The highly anticipated Texas football game versus Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is officially sold out! The only way to secure tickets for the game is by purchasing 2022 football season tickets, which include seven home games for the first time since 2010. Along with Alabama, Texas will host non-conference opponents ULM and UTSA, as well as Big 12 Conference foes Baylor, Iowa State, West Virginia and TCU.

If you are into ticket flipping, you can get a pair of season tickets for about $1100 total, go to the Bama game and have four conference games to sell.

That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.

Roll Tide.