Tag: Alabama

ESPN updates Power Poll, Irish sitting pretty

Notre Dame is in a much more advantageous position in ESPN’s final preseason Power Poll than either of the other polls.

The season is finally upon us, we can officially say it’s game week. The Irish start their season on Saturday, hosting Duke at 2:30pm EST. The excitement for 2020 is at it’s peak and ESPN just put more gas on the Notre Dame hype machine heading into the regular season.

The world wide leader updated their Power Poll prior  to major conference play and Brian Kelly’s Irish squad ranked 5th overall according to the experts at ESPN. Chris Low, who compiled the rankings had some very encouraging things to say about the Irish: “Finally, Notre Dame has joined a conference, at least for this season. This Irish will play 10 ACC games and be eligible to play in the conference championship in December. They have the pieces in place to get there, too, from veteran quarterback Ian Book to one of the top offensive lines in the country to budding superstars on defense in linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and safety Kyle Hamilton. This is a team primed to win 10 or more games for the fourth straight season.”

That’s high praise from Low, who is very high on what the Irish can accomplish this season. In a surprise, Low actually doesn’t have Clemson, they’re number two, as his top overall team like both polls do, it’s Alabama. Looking at other Notre Dame opponents for his coming season and you’ll find North Carolina at 15, Louisville at 22 and Florida State at 23.

The season is here and we are extremely excited for what lies ahead in what could be the only season the Irish could qualify for an ACC title. Hell, might as well go win it since we can.

Jags trade Ronnie Harrison to Browns

The Jags have trade yet another player. This time it’s Ronnie Harrison who will be heading to the Cleveland Browns.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made yet another unsuspected move by trading safety Ronnie Harrison to the Cleveland Browns Thursday. This comes after the team waived Leonard Fournette Monday and traded Yannick Ngakoue Sunday.

According to reports, the Jags will be receiving a 2021 fifth-round pick in exchange for Harrison.

The Browns’ interest in safety help comes as no surprise after they lost second-round rookie Grant Delpit last month to a torn Achilles. With that being the case, their search for a replacement led them to Jacksonville where the Jags were seemingly open to doing business for Harrison who has 22 career starts.

Harrison was entering his third season with the Jags after the team selected him out of Alabama in the third-round (No. 93 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He had his moments with the Jags but really didn’t become a standout like many had hoped and battled injuries as well. Additionally, the Jags had some players like Josh Jones, Andrew Wingard, and Brandon Watson emerge during training camp, which is something coordinator Todd Wash spoke about Wednesday.

“I think we’re about four or five deep there, to be honest with you. B-Wat [Brandon Watson], this is really the first time that he’s played Safety coming in,” Wash said. “At Michigan, he played corner, he’s playing free safety for us. So, early on, there’s a lot of stuff new to him, but you really see him execute now. I think I call him Kid Rock [Andrew Wingard], our young man out of Wyoming, he’s had a good camp along with Josh [Jones].”

Harrison will enter his career in Cleveland with 103 career tackles, three picks, and 12 pass breakups. He’ll join a secondary that includes Carl Joseph and Denzel Ward among notables.

Notre Dame gets nice ranking in ESPN’s S+P

Another day and another preseason rating system is out. This one has Notre Dame just inside the top ten overall.

Here we go – another preseason rating is out and back we go to including teams that aren’t currently scheduled to play football this fall.

ESPN released their initial S+P rankings ahead of the 2020 season and Notre Dame checked in ninth overall, unless you only count teams who are actually playing – then the Irish check in sixth.

For what it’s worth, Ohio State took the top rating in the S+P as they nosed out No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Clemson.

Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 8 Wisconsin are the three teams not playing ranked above Notre Dame.

No. 18 North Carolina and No. 23 Miami are the only other ACC teams besides Clemson and Notre Dame to be included in the S+P’s top 25.

You can view the entire ESPN S+P preseason ratings on our colleagues page over at GatorsWire.

7 Alabama players named to ESPN’s ‘100 best NFL players in 2020’

Seven former Alabama Crimson Tide stars named to ESPN’s 100 best NFL players in 2020.
13. Julio Jones | WR | Falcons.
28. Derrick Henry | RB | Titans.
42. Minkah Fitzpatrick | S | Steelers.
56. Amari Cooper | WR | Cowboys.
74. Marlon Humphrey | CB | Ravens.
75. Eddie Jackson | S | Bears.
88. Josh Jacobs | RB | Raiders

Seven former Alabama Crimson Tide stars named to ESPN’s 100 best NFL players in 2020.
13. Julio Jones | WR | Falcons.
28. Derrick Henry | RB | Titans.
42. Minkah Fitzpatrick | S | Steelers.
56. Amari Cooper | WR | Cowboys.
74. Marlon Humphrey | CB | Ravens.
75. Eddie Jackson | S | Bears.
88. Josh Jacobs | RB | Raiders

7 Alabama players named to ESPN’s ‘100 best NFL players in 2020’

Seven former Alabama Crimson Tide stars named to ESPN’s 100 best NFL players in 2020.
13. Julio Jones | WR | Falcons.
28. Derrick Henry | RB | Titans.
42. Minkah Fitzpatrick | S | Steelers.
56. Amari Cooper | WR | Cowboys.
74. Marlon Humphrey | CB | Ravens.
75. Eddie Jackson | S | Bears.
88. Josh Jacobs | RB | Raiders

Seven former Alabama Crimson Tide stars named to ESPN’s 100 best NFL players in 2020.
13. Julio Jones | WR | Falcons.
28. Derrick Henry | RB | Titans.
42. Minkah Fitzpatrick | S | Steelers.
56. Amari Cooper | WR | Cowboys.
74. Marlon Humphrey | CB | Ravens.
75. Eddie Jackson | S | Bears.
88. Josh Jacobs | RB | Raiders

6 Alabama players named to ESPN’s ‘Top 2020 college football players’

Here are the six Alabam players named to ESPN’s top 2020 college football players.
10. Patrick Surtain II – CB .
13. DeVonta Smith – WR .
14. Najee Harris – RB .
18. Jaylen Waddle – WR.
19. Dylan Moses – LB .
20. Alex Leatherwood – OL

Here are the six Alabam players named to ESPN’s top 2020 college football players.
10. Patrick Surtain II – CB .
13. DeVonta Smith – WR .
14. Najee Harris – RB .
18. Jaylen Waddle – WR.
19. Dylan Moses – LB .
20. Alex Leatherwood – OL

6 Alabama players named to ESPN’s ‘Top 2020 college football players’

Here are the six Alabam players named to ESPN’s top 2020 college football players.
10. Patrick Surtain II – CB .
13. DeVonta Smith – WR .
14. Najee Harris – RB .
18. Jaylen Waddle – WR.
19. Dylan Moses – LB .
20. Alex Leatherwood – OL

Here are the six Alabam players named to ESPN’s top 2020 college football players.
10. Patrick Surtain II – CB .
13. DeVonta Smith – WR .
14. Najee Harris – RB .
18. Jaylen Waddle – WR.
19. Dylan Moses – LB .
20. Alex Leatherwood – OL

Gators News: September 1, 2020

September is finally here, and with the promise of football around the corner, we brace ourselves for the coming weeks that lead into it. 

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September is finally here, and with the promise of autumn and football around the corner, we brace ourselves for the coming weeks that lead into them.

Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports tries to make sense of a college football season of uncertainty in our top story today with his bowl projections. He has Alabama and Georgia both making it to the playoff, with ‘Bama facing Clemson in the title game.

Speaking of the Crimson Tide, head coach Nick Saban joins athletes and coaches in a march against racial injustice. Over a hundred University of Alabama athletes, coaches and support staff marched from the Mal M. Moore Athletic Building to Foster Auditorium on Monday afternoon, protesting racial injustice.

In other SEC news, another junior starter on the LSU football team is skipping the 2020 season. Defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin has told LSU coaches he will be leaving the program to prepare for the 2021 NFL draft.

Finally, Auburn has 16 football players currently sidelined due to COVID-19 concerns, grinding its preseason schedule to halt. Head coach Gus Malzahn: “We had a pretty challenging week last week.”

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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Watch: Nick Saban leads student-athlete march in Alabama

The boycotts, protests, marches walkouts throughout the sports world continued in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was led by Nick Saban.

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

The boycotts, protests, marches walkouts across the sports landscape continued today and this time it was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where legendary football coach Nick Saban led a march of hundreds of the university’s student-athletes which was organized to protest racial injustice in the United States.

It was the latest powerful show of solidarity by athletes all around the country.

But it wasn’t only ‘Bama football players.

According to a report from AL.com:

Saban was at the front of a large crowd of players who walked from the Mal Moore athletic facility to Foster Auditorium’s schoolhouse door.

Senior running back Najee Harris walked next to Saban wearing a T-shirt reading, “Defend Black Lives.” Other players walked behind Saban holding a banner reading, “Black Lives Matter.”

Saban later spoke in front of the schoolhouse door, where Alabama governor George Wallace infamously resisted federal desegregation efforts in 1963.

“Today I’m like a proud parent,” Saban said at the end of the march. “I’m proud of our team, I’m proud of our messengers over here and I’m very proud of the message. I’m very proud of the ’All lives can’t matter until Black lives matter’ video that we did early on that I think had a very positive impact. That was something we did together as a team.

“This is something that the team decided to do together as a team, so I’m very proud and supportive of what they are trying to say, and in a peaceful and intelligent way. I’m very pleased to be here today.”

“Sports has always created a platform for social change,” Saban said. “For each of us involved in sports, I think we have a responsibility and obligation to do that in a responsible way and use our platform in a positive way to try to create social change in positive ways.

“Through this process, I’ve learned a lot from our players. I don’t get to see the world through the same lens that a lot of our players do. I think I respect and appreciate the lens they see the world in and they live the world in. We had various speakers that I think contributed that education as well, whether it was Condoleezza Rice, Charles Barkley, Stephen A. Smith, Joey Galloway, Tony Dungy. All those people had an interesting way that we could all make positive change.

“So this is what helped me grow in my role as a leader: to listen to the players, to learn from the players and to give them the opportunity to do things that could impact social change today.”

He was joined by a group of speakers that included Harris and Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne.

 

 

Latest CBS Sports NBA Mock Draft has Kira Lewis as 20th overall pick

According to CBS Sports latest mock draft, Kira Lewis would be drafted by the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Draft as the No. 20 overall.
Other mock drafts have Lewis between the No. 15-25 overall pick of the draft.
Some analysts say Lewis could sneak his way closer to the top 10 as the NBA Draft gets closer

According to CBS Sports latest mock draft, Kira Lewis would be drafted by the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Draft as the No. 20 overall.
Other mock drafts have Lewis between the No. 15-25 overall pick of the draft.
Some analysts say Lewis could sneak his way closer to the top 10 as the NBA Draft gets closer