Jumbo Package: Bryce Young happy to have Bill O’Brien back, Trey Mullinax notches a win

Happy Monday, everyone.

Former Tide golfer Trey Mullinax won himself a golf tournament and subsequent invitation to a couple of majors.

Mullinax earned the last spot in the British Open at St. Andrews, with that tournament starting Thursday. The former Alabama player also gets spots in the 2023 PGA Championship and Sentry Tournament of Champions.

It marked the Barbasol Championship’s sixth consecutive finish determined by 1 shot or a playoff. Mullinax earned his title in his 105th PGA Tour start, overcoming bogeys on the par-5 sixth and par-3 ninth holes to finish with three birdies on the backside and eight overall.

Here’s the clutch putt that won the whole shooting match, and as you can see Trey was quite excited.

Congratulations to him.

In football news, Brian Branch is stoked about Jahmyr Gibbs.

Alabama safety Brian Branch has seen Gibbs’ skillset firsthand, and he has been incredibly impressed with what he’s seen thus far.

“His instincts I feel like are huge,” Branch said. “The way he gets in and out of cuts and finds little holes – just once he finds them he go like burst through them. I feel like that’s gonna help our running back room a lot. We already got a lot of good backs. So I’m just very excited to see how it pans out.”

For whatever reason, everyone wanted to write about Bryce Young this weekend.

The Crimson Tide QB also looked like he has added good weight to his frame, and the ball jumps out of his hand at the same rate the college football world saw in 2021. Young’s polish inside the pocket and out is apparent nearly every time he drops back, with that classic and extremely quick release and trigger on display thereafter. Young was especially effective while moving to his left side, where he was not off target once during the pro day script.

There was a jovial tone to Young’s workout, even as all of the available cameras, phones and other recording devices zeroed in on his every spin. The third-level accuracy he showed was impressive, as was his timing and sharp movement skills when asked to execute a pass while off-platform and/or on the move in general.

Historically, most players at the collegiate level see their biggest growth after their first year of significant playing time, and a lot of quarterbacks do so following their initial season as a starter.

In regards to Young, there are three reasons why he could be even better this season as a junior:

1) He has the same offensive coordinator

Don’t underestimate that. Young may be surrounded by new players, including three new starting wide receivers, but he and Bill O’Brien have a season together under their belts.

Young has called O’Brien being back “huge” for him.

According to Luke Easterling of the Draft Wire, Young could be selected by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 3 overall. This wouldn’t be a shocking move, as the franchise recently lost star quarterback Russel Wilson to the Denver Broncos. There’s talent on the roster, so Young could potentially join a team with some weapons already in place.

Bryce and his father have consistently lavished praised on his offensive coordinator and QB coach, contrary to the opinions of some in these parts.

AJ McCarron may never play in the NFL again, but he ain’t giving up the game.

“For some reason, I remember this kid today specifically that dropped maybe eight passes in a row,” McCarron said, “and he finally catches the ninth one, and the smile that he had on his face was just unbelievable, and that’s what it’s about.

“The game is in its purest point when they’re this age and they’re out here having fun. Once you get past this age, even high school now, college especially, it’s a business, so it’s not for just pure love and love of the game, so it’s awesome to see that in these kids.”

Great stuff, and that last sentence is something we’re all feeling, I think.

The Gut picked up a nice transfer.

Hensley is coming off an impressive senior season where she hit .404 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs. But not only did she hit for power, she consistently found ways to get on base with a .533 OBP. These numbers were strong enough to win 2022 MAC Player of the Year.

We certainly need to add some power to the lineup.

Last, Montana Fouts tossed three shutout innings for Team USA.

The Italian hitters were having trouble catching up to the speed of Fouts’ pitches. McCleney said it looked like Fouts was throwing 90 mph from her vantage point in centerfield.

“I have the best view out there in center,” McCleney said. “She was hitting her spots really well. She was mixing it. I think Kinzie did a great job calling for her. They were late, and she just kept pounding the zone. That’s a big key.”

Awesome.

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

Roll Tide.