Tag: Charles Kelly

Five things to watch for in Colorado football’s spring game

Here are five things worth keeping an eye on during Saturday’s spring game:

We are now one day away from what’s expected to be an electric spring game for the Colorado Buffaloes under the tutelage of head coach Deion Sanders.

There will be plenty of new faces to check out, formations to break down and the first real run of the year for Ralphie.

It’s strange to think that this will be the first time that fans get to see the new-look Buffaloes live and in living color given how much access we’ve all been granted to the program since Coach Prime’s first day. Needless to say, everyone is excited.

Here are five things you should be looking out for in Saturday’s spring game, which kicks off at 1 p.m. MT on ESPN:

What we learned about Colorado’s defense from Thursday’s coaches’ presser

Here’s what we took away from Thursday’s pre-spring football defensive coaches’ press conference

One week after Colorado football’s offensive coaches spoke with the media, we got to hear from the Buffs’ defensive minds on Thursday.

Taking the podium was defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, linebackers coach Andre’ Hart, cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis and defensive ends coach Nick Williams. Each spoke on their early days in Boulder, the high standards being set within the program and their approach to recruiting, among several other topics.

It was also clear that Colorado’s players haven’t shied away from getting work done this winter, and that should only ramp up with spring ball about to begin.

Below are just a few highlights from Thursday’s defensive coaches’ presser:

Alabama assistant coach Charles Kelly to join Deion Sanders as Colorado DC

Charles Kelly will leave the Crimson Tide and join new HC Deion Sanders as Colorado’s new DC

It didn’t take long for new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders to find his next defensive coordinator. On Wednesday, Alabama safeties coach Charles Kelly will be the Buffaloes’ next defensive coordinator.

Kelly spent three seasons as Alabama’s safeties coach. He was a key reason as to why the Tide were able to land prospects like Caleb Downs, Kristian Story, and Will Anderson Jr.

He was Florida State’s defensive coordinator from 2014-2017. The Seminoles’ defense was one of the best in the country at the time. Kelly will likely be the primary recruiter on Sanders’ staff for the South. After all, he has been an elite recruiter in the area for several different programs over the years.

It is unclear at this time who Alabama will hire to be the team’s next safeties coach.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to update you with the latest news surrounding the Alabama football program.

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Auburn Candidates 2.0: A few new contenders to check out

Spitballing a few more candidates along with some top contenders for the Auburn head coaching vacancy.

Right now the talk of the town isn’t the game against Mississippi State on Saturday, everyone seems more focused on who will be the next head coach.

The three names you hear most are Lane Kiffin, Deion Sanders, and Hugh Freeze. One shouldn’t expect that list to change anytime soon but who are some of the under-the-radar candidates? Who are some of the off-the-wall names that could grab your attention?

There are plenty of coaches with Auburn ties that could garner some attention. Here is the next version of our candidates’ list where we spitball another group of 10 names. Some you will recognize from our 1.0 list mixed in with some new contenders.

Alabama fends off Georgia and Ohio State to land 2023 5-star safety Caleb Downs

Alabama landed the nation’s top safety in 2023 recruit Caleb Downs. He chose the Crimson Tide over other schools like Ohio State and Georgia.

The 2023 Alabama football recruiting class just got a huge boost on Wednesday afternoon when 2023 safety and Georgia native Caleb Downs announced his commitment to Alabama. The commitment gives the Crimson Tide the No. 5 overall recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ rankings. He is the third player from the state of Georgia that has committed to Alabama.

Downs has a bloodline of football talent. His father, Gary played running back at North Carolina State before being drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1994 NFL draft. His brother, Josh currently plays wide receiver at North Carolina and was recently named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. If that wasn’t enough, his uncle is Dre Bly. Bly was selected twice to the Pro Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The youngest of the Downs family, Caleb, is now set to make a name for himself. He will look to do that with the help of two of the best assistant coaches in the country, Charles Kelly and Travaris Robinson. The Georgia native plays with great instincts and is a sideline-to-sideline type of player. 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins compared Downs to Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid. In regards to how Downs plays, here is what Ivins had to say:

“The type of prospect that checks off all the right boxes. Always looks to be one step ahead of others. Athletic enough to get across the field and erase a touchdown, but also physical enough to come downhill and meet a running back in the A or B gap. Smooth and in control while in reverse as he keeps eyes in the backfield. Quick to trigger. Plants his cleats and drives towards the football better than most his age. Takes the right angles while in pursuit and has a few tricks to shed blocks once he meets traffic. Has experience working out of a variety of different coverages and has shown that he can be rather effective as a slot defender in certain situations. Owns a high football IQ, which likely stems from his film study habits as he likes to watch cut-up after cut-up and identify trends. Viewed by his high school coaches as not only a team leader but also a winner and someone that is going to do whatever it takes to elevate the play of those around him.”

Roll Tide Wire breaks down his recruiting profile below.

2024 DL Champ Thompson announces late July visit to Alabama

Alabama will be hosting 2024 DL Champ Thompson for a visit!

Alabama has begun its pursuit of promising recruits in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Tide recently landed a commitment from 2024 tight end Martavious Collins. They also appear to be in good standing with several other recruits. One of whom is defensive lineman Champ Thompson. He is planning on taking a visit to Tuscaloosa on Monday, July 25.

Earlier this month, Thompson released his top-ten schools. The ten programs that were listed include Clemson, Texas, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Georgia and Miami. He also recently added Notre Dame and Penn State to his list of potential programs.

His lone visit so far was to Georgia Tech.

Thompson is being recruited primarily by Charles Kelly and Freddie Roach. The product of Meadowcreek High School is listed at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds. It is unclear how the Tide’s coaching staff would play Thompson along the interior or off the edge of the defensive line.

In the coming years, it will be essential for Alabama to out-recruit Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs for talented prospects out of Georgia. As of right now, Clemson has a slight lead at a 37.7% likelihood to land Thompson, according to On3’s RPM. Georgia has the second-best odds at 17.3% and Alabama comes in third at 14.8%. Still, Alabama is expected to be firmly in the mix.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Thompson’s recruiting as well as other Alabama football recruiting news.

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Alabama makes top three for 2023 four-star safety, Makari Vickers

Alabama is a finalist to land for 2023 four-star safety Makari Vickers.

Alabama made some noise on the recruiting trail over the last few weeks and will look to carry that momentum into the coming months. Nick Saban has been relatively quiet on the trail up until this past month in comparison to other powerhouse programs like Clemson, Miami, Texas and Georgia.

Alabama received good news when 2023 safety Makari Vickers listed the Crimson Tide among his top-three schools.

The primary recruiter for the Florida prospect is safeties coach Charles Kelly. Over the past few years, Kelly has landed several defensive backs from Florida. Several of those players are Jake Pope, Terrion Arnold, Kristian Story and Brian Branch, all of whom are on Alabama’s current roster.

The Tide have been recruiting Vickers for quite some time. Kelly is familiar with the Tallahassee area after he coached at Florida State for five years. He also went into the Seminoles’ backyard to land Terrion Arnold two years ago.

Makari Vickers’ Highlights

Roll Tide Wire breakdown the rest of Vickers’ recruiting profile below.

Alabama football lands in top ten for 2024 DT prospect Omar White

Alabama lands in the top ten for 2024 DT Omar White from Georgia.

Alabama made the cut for 2024 defensive tackle Omar White’s top-ten programs. The other teams that made White’s list were Oregon, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Florida State, Cincinnati, Clemson and Jackson State.

White is a rising junior at Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia. He is rated as a three-star by 247Sports’ recruiting rankings. White is listed at 6-foot-3 and 307 pounds.

He has taken several unofficial visits to schools like Florida, Florida State, and Texas A&M. According to On3’s RPM, he is favored to commit to Texas A&M at 47.2%.

The Alabama coaching staff has made it clear that a realistic goal is to sign five or six defensive linemen every year. His lead recruiter, Charles Kelly, would love to add a player of his stature to the class. He can be physically imposing at any level of football and certainly has time to develop his physique prior to arriving at college.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football and Omar White.