Tag: James Burnip

These two players could be key to Alabama’s success vs. Georgia

Both will likely be key in Alabama’s success against Georgia.

When taking a look at the Alabama Crimson Tide’s roster entering Saturday’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs, there are multiple players who may come to mind that could end up playing key roles during this Week 5 showdown.

Coming on both sides of the ball, the two that you might need to watch for in particular actual come on special teams in the duo of Graham Nicholson and James Burnip.

Nicholson, who transferred from Miami (OH) during the offseason, was the winner of the 2023 Lou Groza Award for the nation’s best kicker, and has so far been Alabama’s starter at the position through three games. Over three games, Nicholson is so far a perfect 19-for-19 on extra point attempts, but has missed his lone field goal attempt from 46 yards out.

Burnip however has been Alabama’s starting punter for four seasons now, and is off to a strong start to the year where he is averaging 46.5 yards per punt across three games.

Against the Bulldogs, Alabama will likely call on both of these players in key situations, whether that is to flip the field position, or make a field goal when needed.

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While time will ultimately tell on just how they perform in those situations, it’s clear that both Nicholson and Burnip will need to have big games for the Crimson Tide on Saturday.

Alabama punter James Burnip named to Ray Guy Award watch list

The redshirt senior was named to the preseason watch list.

One of the most experienced punters in the country, Alabama Crimson Tide redshirt senior punter James Burnip has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Ray Guy Award.

The award is presented annually to the top punter in college football, with no winner having ever come from Alabama.

Burnip has been the starting punter for the Crimson Tide across each of the past three seasons, averaging a combined 43.3 yards per punt over that span. This three-year stretch has also included a career-best 2023 season in which he averaged a career-high 47.5 yards per punt across 14 games.

In all, Burnip had a career-high 57 punts last season for 2,710 yards, with his longest being a career-best 67 yards. Burnip also had 23 punts of at-least 50+ yards, as well as 22 that were downed inside the 20-yard line.

With Burnip set to combine with kicker Graham Nicholson, Alabama should now have one of the top special teams duo’s in the country this season.

Four Alabama players named preseason All-Americans by Walter Camp Football Foundation

Quartet of Alabama football players land on Walter Camp Football Foundation preseason All-American team

June was a busy month on the recruiting trail for Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and now that we’ve officially made it to July, the college football season is just around the corner and that means preseason watch lists and rankings will be dropping daily.

On Monday, the Walter Camp Football Foundation released its 2024 preseason All-Americans and Alabama landed four players on the two-deep.

Tyler Booker and Graham Nicholson earned first-team honors while Parker Brailsford and James Burnip earned spots on the second-team.

Booker and Prailsford make up two-thirds of one of the best interior offensive lines in the country while Nicholson and Burnip combine for the top specialist duo.

Stay connected to Roll Tide Wire for more coverage of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

86 days until Alabama football kicks off the 2024 season

Who else can’t wait for Alabama football to kickoff the 2024 season?

In 86 days, Kalen DeBoer will usher in a new era of Alabama Crimson Tide football, replacing the legendary [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] as head coach in Tuscaloosa.

Coach DeBoer and the Crimson Tide will take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Aug. 31 to kick off the 2024 college football season inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will be counting down the days until Alabama football takes the field.

Today, with 86 days remaining, we will take a look at Alabama’s current punter who happens to wear No. 86, [autotag]James Burnip[/autotag].

Burnip has become one of the top punters in college football and could be in for a special season in 2024.

James Burnip’s Photo Gallery

Alabama punter James Burnip earns Roll Tide Wire Player of the Game

Punter James Burnip shined for Alabama in the Rose Bowl loss to Michigan

Although the Rose Bowl did not end the way the Alabama Crimson Tide would have hoped for with a 27-20 loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup, it’s always important to recognize those who made a positive impact on the game. For Alabama, it wasn’t an offensive or defensive player, instead, it was punter James Burnip.

Burnip put on a masterclass for punting on Monday with seven punts for an average of 50.3 yards with his longest punt going for 62 yards. Burnip was also able to pin the Michigan offense inside the 20-yard line on five different occasions which was critical in the field position matchup.

Burnip is a junior from Australia and is expected to return to Alabama for the 2023 season as one of the nation’s top punters.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Projecting which Alabama players will turn pro and which players will return to school

When the season comes to an end, several Alabama players will have to decide whether to go pro or return to school. See who we predict to declare and come back.

Every year, the Alabama football program has roster turnover. Some players elect to enter the NFL draft. Others either elect to return to school or enter the transfer portal.

For upperclassmen, the usual option is to go pro or return to school. In the past, multiple players have increased their stock by returning to Alabama instead of declaring early. Several that come to mind are Reuben Foster, Rashaan Evans, and Najee Harris. Several who entered the draft early and likely would have benefitted from coming back were Adrian Hubbard, Saivion Smith, and Deionte Thompson.

With Alabama’s season ending in less than a month, a handful of players will be tasked with making critical decisions for their future.

Roll Tide Wire projects which Alabama players will turn pro and which players will choose to return to school.

Roll Tide Wire Player of the Game: James Burnip

Roll Tide Wire names its player of the game following Alabama’s Week 7 victory against Arkansas.

Early on, there were several Alabama players that would have qualified to be named as this week’s Roll Tide Wire Player of the Game. However, as the second half unfolded, it was clear as to who should be named the winning recipient. The player who gave Alabama the ultimate edge over the Razorbacks on Saturday was punter James Burnip.

In Week 6, Burnip suffered a calf injury that caused him to miss the second half against Texas A&M. In Week 7, he returned to contribute in a huge way in Alabama’s 24-21 win against Arkansas. The Australian punter booted seven punts for 349 total yards. Burnip averaged 49.9 yards per punt. His longest punt on the day went 59 yards.

Without Burnip, there could have been a different outcome to this game. His leg certainly kept Alabama in a good position in the second half. His ability to flip the field has been second-to-none for the Crimson Tide this season and the trend continued in Week 7 against the Razorbacks.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama football program.

Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 86 days

We are just James Burnip days away from Alabama’s 2023 football season getting started!

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 86 days, as Middle Tennessee State visits Bryant Denny Stadium on Sept. 2.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will be counting down the days until [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and his team take the field.

Today, with 86 days remaining, we will take a look at Alabama’s current punter who happens to wear No. 86, [autotag]James Burnip[/autotag].

Burnip has been Alabama’s punter the last couple of seasons and has done a pretty solid job so far. Burnip has the potential to be one of the premier punters in college football this season.

James Burnip’s Photo Gallery

Alabama football coaches recognize 12 players following Iron Bowl win over Auburn

Nick Saban and his staff selected 12 total players as players of the week following Alabama’s 49-27 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

On Monday, following Alabama’s 49-27 win over their arch-rivals the Auburn Tigers, the Crimson Tide coaching staff selected a total of 12 members of the team as players of the week.

On offense, the coaching staff selected a total of seven players including star quarterback [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] who accumulated over 300 yards passing on the day. The coaching staff also recognized all of the starting offensive linemen including Tyler Booker who splits time at guard with Javion Cohen.

The defense was represented by Will Anderson and Brian Branch while Ja’Corey Brooks, James Burnip, and Emmanuel Henderson got the nod with their roles on special teams.

Here is what the coaching staff credited each player with on Alabama’s official website rolltide.com.

Alabama suffers special-teams gaffe on punt against Arkansas

Special teams were haunting Alabama against Arkansas

Arkansas had some momentum against Alabama on Saturday and the Razorbacks were using special teams to close in on the Tide.

First, kicker Jake Bates recovered his onside kick.

Then, Alabama was ready to punt but the snap somehow connected with one of the punt protectors and Arkansas wound up with the ball inside the Alabama 5.

All Tide punter James Burnip could do was fall on the ball.