Jumbo Package: Gump Day! Alabama picks up elite CB commit

Happy Gump Day, everyone. Bryce Young had a birthday on the 25th, and it was ice cold.

Ok, that was pretty funny and all but seriously, if y’all had hurt him we’d have been very angry at all of you right now.

The Tide landed a big time prospect in the 2024 class.

“Obviously Alabama is a championship-winning program,” Mbakwe told ESPN. “I’m a winner. So that stood out to me. Academic program. The culture, the coaches, the fans, the atmosphere — it made me feel like home. ... [Alabama defensive line] coach [Freddie] Roach and [cornerbacks] coach Travaris Robinson have been a big part of my recruitment, so that helped me make an easier decision.

“Plus it was kind of stressful going to practice and thinking about all the recruitment stuff. I was ready to get it over with and focus on my team, so we’ll have another chance to go back to win the state championship.”

There is a very long time between now and next December, so Alabama will have to fight to keep him. He seems to be pretty solid though.

ESPN has given Eli Holstein a fifth star.

Alabama has more ground to make up in the rankings, but the Crimson Tide are ascending and have broken into the top 10. With Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young likely to move on after this season, Alabama has added a second ESPN 300 signal-caller to this class, as Dylan Lonergan joins new five-star Eli Holstein. Lonergan, also a talented baseball prospect, is a poised and accurate passer with good arm strength. Further bolstering their offensive class, the Tide also secured commitments from No. 2 running back Justice Haynes and ESPN 300 offensive lineman Olaus Alinen. The son of former Georgia RB Verron Haynes, the younger Haynes, who ran for over 2,000 yards as a junior, gives the Crimson Tide a powerfully built and agile runner.

After much hand wringing over Peter Woods, the class seems to be coming together nicely.

Curt Cignetti spoke about Nick Saban.

“After year one, I had learned more from coach (Saban) about running a program: what to do, what not to do, how to do it, leadership, management, daily organization, how to recruit, how to practice, how to manage your team, how to manage your staff, the messaging component – really just learned an awful lot from him,” Cignetti said. “I think (assistants under Saban who became head coaches) take quite a bit from what we learned, and then we tweak it to our personality, our situation or a specific time in football. So obviously, it was a real valuable experience.”

The WWL is going to hype Jimbo vs. Nick until it can’t be hyped no more.

No game in 2022 will be more anticipated than Texas A&M’s trip to Alabama on Oct. 8 after the fireworks this offseason between Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban. For Alabama, that game will be sandwiched between two tough road trips to Arkansas and Tennessee. For Texas A&M, it will come the week after a road game against Mississippi State, and the Aggies will have a bye week following the Alabama game before traveling to South Carolina on Oct. 22.

Last, some interesting comments from Panthers rookie QB Matt Corral.

“I took the easy way out because I felt I could play right away,” he said about his decision to go to Oxford, Miss. “Knowing what I know now and trusting my instincts and trusting my work ethic, I would have went to a place that would have made me compete.” As a true freshman, Corral played four games before being redshirted. He played three more years at Ole Miss as a starter, culminating in his redshirt junior campaign where he started 13 games, threw for 3,349 yards, passed for 20 touchdowns and ran for 11 more.

Sounds like Matt is out here recruiting for Alabama. We appreciate his efforts.

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

Roll Tide.