Jumbo Package: Predictions roll in as football season nears

Happy Friday, everyone. Old married man Will Reichard spoke about why he decided to come back for one more ride through the SEC.

“I like to stay in the moment,” Reichard said when asked if he’s considered all he’s accomplished with Alabama. “I’m really excited about this season. Every season is a new challenge. Every season is different. You play with new players, you have new coaches. Excited for that challenge and the journey we’re gonna be on this year.”

In 46 career games, Reichard converted 62 of his 75 field-goal attempts. He’s currently fourth in UA history with 62 makes and has the best percentage (82.7%) of anyone in the top 20. With another 22 makes — which Reichard hit each of the last two years — he’d break Leigh Tiffin’s all-time mark (83).

May there be many extra points in his short term future.

Michael Strahan was the latest guest speaker for football.

Someone named Shane Shoemaker has predictions.

3. Alabama will play multiple quarterbacks for most of the season

You know the old saying: if you have two (or more) quarterbacks, you have none. The Crimson Tide football squad is currently embroiled in a three-man race for who will be their starting quarterback this season. This is a departure from the norm for Alabama, a team that’s been blessed with stability at the quarterback position—Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, Bryce Young, and others have held that role in the past. Not having a clear answer at the most important position on the field is very un-Bama-like.

Saban is currently telling the media and his three quarterbacks—Tyler Buchner, Ty Simpson, Jalen Milroe—that someone “needs to grab the bull by the horns,” and that one of them should force him to play them. As the season looms closer, if Alabama continues to grapple with such uncertainty, it’s likely to persist throughout the season. In a previous article, I mentioned my belief that Buchner would win the starting job due to his experience and his time with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees at Notre Dame. However, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll keep it for the entire season or even a single game. This will be something to watch throughout the season for Alabama.

I have wondered aloud if some sort of multi-QB situation is a possibility. Guess we will see.

Hey, more predictions!

Lane Kiffin is an offensive mastermind, and this offense has a chance to be really special.

The quarterback room is loaded with talent. Even if Jaxson Dart doesn’t take the next step as starting quarterback, you can feel good about falling back on either Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders or LSU transfer Walker Howard.

The offensive line returns 87 percent of snaps from last season and includes more than 130 career FBS starts. This is one of the top lines in college football.

The line will be blocking for running back Quinshon Judkins, one of college football’s most elusive running backs. He generated 76 missed tackles and 27 runs of 15 yards or more.

In total, nine starters return for the Rebels, and they brought in several impact transfers, including three receivers to make up for losing their top two pass catchers from last season.

Meanwhile, the Rebels stole defensive coordinator Pete Golding from Alabama, representing one of the best coordinator hires in the country.

Gumping ain’t just for Wednesdays, my friends. Check this out:

Nick Saban’s success in the NFL draft has been unprecedented, but so has the quality he has produced. In recent ESPN rankings, the Tide are ranked in the top five at seven different position groups with the offensive line, defensive line and running backs all being ranked No. 1.

In fact, Alabama players have been so good in the NFL, that NFL Networks annual NFL Top 100, 13 of the players to qualify for the list spent their college years in Tuscaloosa.

Grace Raynor over at the Athletic mentions that those doing the recruiting don’t necessarily love the new calendar.

A consistent message from recruiting and personnel staffers: The wrong people are making the rules changes. Decisions about the recruiting calendar and/or any changes made to the model are first recommended by the Football Oversight Committee to members of the Division I Council, which then takes a vote. The Football Oversight Committee has just two head coaches on it — Chattanooga’s Rusty Wright and Florida International’s Mike MacIntyre — who aren’t always available to attend meetings. The Division I Council has zero football coaches or support staffers on it. It’s largely made up of athletic directors, commissioners and even a few professors.

The rationale behind the move to June 15 stemmed from the NCAA wanting to standardize the date to match other sports. But as one staffer put it: “Who cares? Pick a date that works for football.”

Last, Tua Tagovailoa got a bit sassy with the media.

Hilarious.

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

Roll Tide.