Tag: James Smith

8 underclassmen that can play key roles for Alabama Football next season

Alabama has a lot of underclassmen that were highly-regarded coming out of high school. Roll Tide Wire takes a look at 10 underclassmen that can be key contributors for the Crimson Tide next season.

Each year, Alabama signs some of the top recruits in the country. There is no questioning the fact that Alabama has established depth from a talent standpoint. While it has not been proven by some, others have already solidified their spot as a starter and key contributor.

With that being the case, it will be interesting to see which players on the roster take on an increased role heading into next season. Throughout the spring and summer, it will be interesting to keep an eye on which underclassmen take strides towards being contributors during the 2024 season.

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at eight underclassmen that could play key roles for Alabama Football next season.

Recapping Alabama’s sloppy first half performance in Week 3 against USF

No. 10 Alabama is tied 3-3 with USF at the end of the first half. Roll Tide Wire recaps the first half.

There are no words to truly describe Alabama’s first half performance against USF. The Crimson Tide are knotted up at 3-3 heading into the locker room.

Alabama decided to make a change at the quarterback position in favor of starting redshirt sophomore Tyler Buchner. The Notre Dame transfer did not do enough to move the needle and was taken out after Alabama was forced to punt in the first five drives of the game.

The defense has performed well enough to keep the Crimson Tide in the game. However, the defense has struggled to get off the field on third downs on several occasions.

The key play for Alabama in the first half was a fumble that was recovered by true freshman, defensive lineman James Smith.

Following the fumble recovery, Alabama turned to redshirt freshman Ty Simpson. He failed to help the Crimson Tide get in the end zone. Nonetheless, he did help Alabama score three points to finish out the half.

Now, it is apparent that Alabama will have to make some of the necessary changes and adjustments to come away with a win. If not, Alabama is stepping in dangerous waters.

10 Alabama players who should see more playing time in Week 3 matchup against USF

Changes must be made if Alabama wants a shot at the College Football Playoff. Here are 10 names to look out for.

There have been some good things and some bad things that the Alabama football team has done throughout the first two weeks of the season.

Some of the biggest concerns have been the inconsistency at the quarterback position and the inability to effectively create a pass rush. Those two issues will need to be cleaned up moving forward. Alabama could be in for a long, long season ahead if not.

With that said Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at 10 players that should see more playing time in Alabama’s Week 3 matchup against USF as the Crimson Tide looks to run the table in the remaining 10 games of the season.

10 underclassmen that Alabama fans should know heading into fall practice

There are a handful of underclassmen that Alabama fans be unaware of. Roll Tide Wire breaks down 10 underclassmen that Alabama fans should know before fall practice begins next week.

The Alabama football team will begin fall practice on Aug. 3. After an 11-2 finish to the 2023 season, the Crimson Tide are looking to improve that record in 2024.

Alabama signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2023. In 2022, the Crimson Tide finished with the No. 2 recruiting class in the country. Needless to say, Alabama has a number of talented underclassmen that can contribute in 2023.

Several true freshmen and sophomores are poised to have breakout seasons for the Crimson Tide. Roll Tide Wire breaks down 10 underclassmen that Alabama fans should be aware of as fall practice begins.

Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 47 days

We are now just 47 days away from the start of Alabama’s 2023 football season!

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 47 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 Nick Saban and his team take the field.

Today, with 47 days remaining, we will take a look at an Alabama defensive lineman who just wrapped up his Crimson Tide career and wore No. 47, [autotag]Byron Young[/autotag].

Young finished his Alabama career with 130 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. He was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Five-star freshman defensive lineman James Smith currently wears No. 47 for Alabama.

Byron Young’s Photo Gallery

Alabama Football: 3 freshman defenders who could breakout in 2023

Three freshman defenders who could breakout this season for the Crimson Tide!

Despite being more than two months away from the start of the 2023 college football season, it truly feels like it is just around the corner. Before you know it, Nick Saban and the Alabama football team will be taking the field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium to play the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders on Sept. 2.

As we await the start of the season, it’s time to take a look at some of the players who could make an impact for the Crimson Tide this fall. We have already looked at three veteran defenders who could break out in 2023, but today we will look at three freshman defenders with the same potential.

Let’s roll!

Post-spring depth chart projections for Alabama’s defensive line

Projecting Alabama’s defensive line depth chart post-spring!

Now that spring football has officially wrapped up and the 2023 NFL draft is complete, it is time to shift our focus to the offseason.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have a ton of questions marks exiting spring and fans are chomping at the bit for answers.

So as we dive into the dog days of summer, I thought we could take a look, position by position, and project the possible depth chart for the 2023 Alabama football team post-spring.

We have already taken a look at the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and the offensive line. Now that we have completed the offensive side, let’s shift our focus to the defensive side of the ball and look at the defensive line.

Friday Night Notes: Early signing period winners, 2023 rankings reset and more

In this edition of Friday Night Notes we examine the biggest winners from the early signing period and reset the 2023 recruiting rankings.

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

It’s not hard to figure out the biggest winner of the 2022 early signing period. Alabama went into this week already having the best recruiting class of the 2023 cycle, and it only got better over the last few days. Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide added five-star prospects at four crucial positions for the modern game, securing their place at the top of this recruiting cycle.

Here’s who came on board.

Alabama

Five-stars DL James Smith & EDGE Qua Russaw – Carver (Ala.)

These two five-star teammates from Carver (Ala.) were a package deal, having sold themselves as being joined at the hip when it comes to recruiting.

After getting courted by Auburn, Florida and Georgia and Texas A&M, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday afternoon they announced that they’ve signed their letters of intent with Alabama.

Smith is ranked second among defensive linemen in this class and No. 18 overall, while Russaw is ranked third at edge and No. 22 in the nation.

5 star OT Kadyn Proctor – Southeast Polk (Iowa)

The Tide also pulled off a huge flip, stealing five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor from Iowa. Proctor (6-foot-7, 330 pounds) is the No. 2 OT in this class and No. 12 overall. Asked why he chose Alabama, Proctor says it wasn’t about NIL money, but about challenging himself, per Hawk Central.

“I thought I was settling at Iowa and when I went down there (Alabama), I saw all the guys that are as big as me and have the same mindset as me and worked like me… That’s just what I wanted to do. I don’t want to come into this school and everybody thinks I’m one of the best players there already. I want to grow. That’s not how I grow. I’ve got to get hit in the mouth before I can grow..”

5-star CB Desmond Ricks – IMG Academy (Fla.)

Saban wasn’t done yet, though. He also managed to sign the No. 2 cornerback in the 2023 class in Ricks (6-foot-1, 170 pounds). A rare athlete, Ricks has a 4.5 second 40-yard dash time and a 39″ vertical. Ricks had offers from 35 other schools, including SEC rivals Florida, LSU and Auburn.

Alabama’s 2023 recruiting class tops out at 17 points higher than the next-closest school…

Montgomery’s Qua Russaw, James Smith officially sign with Alabama

Auburn made a strong push for these high school teammates all season but ultimately lost the battle to Alabama.

Auburn Football and Hugh Freeze have had a busy, yet successful beginning to the Early Signing Period, as the staff has managed to flip two four-stars in Keldric Faulk from Florida State, and Kayin Lee from Ohio State.

Those two flips are two of seven that have happened over the last week. But, as Mick Jagger once sang… “you can’t always get what you want.”

Auburn was in the running to land two highly-rated defensive linemen from Carver High School in Montgomery, [autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag]. Despite several visits to campus, the push from Freeze and staff was not strong enough to keep them away from Tuscaloosa, as they have officially signed with Alabama.

Smith and Russaw, who are the state’s No. 1 and No. 2 overall prospects from the 2023 class respectively, are two of six five stars that Nick Saban and company have been able to sign this cycle. The Crimson Tide currently holds the best class according to 247Sports.

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2023 5-star DL James Smith officially signs with Alabama

2023 five-star defensive lineman James Smith made things official as he signed with the Tide on Wednesday afternoon. He chose Alabama over other programs like Auburn, Florida, and Georgia.

It came down to the wire, but Alabama won over five-star defensive tackle James Smith. The native of Montgomery, Alabama, chose the Tide over other programs such as Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Ohio State and Alabama State. Smith will team with high school teammate Qua Russaw in Tuscaloosa.

Smith is the No. 18 recruit in the country on the 247Sports’ composite. He is listed as 6 feet, 3 inches and 310 pounds. There is a strong chance Smith sees early playing time with interior defensive linemen Byron Young and DJ Dale both entering the NFL draft. It would be interesting to see him play alongside nose tackle Jaheim Oatis.

The Tide are signing three other defensive linemen in this class: Jordan Renaud, Edric Hill and Hunter Osborne. Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach may have missed on fellow in-state recruits Peter Woods and Kelby Collins. However, he may have gotten the one that almost every team in America wanted: James Smith.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the early signing period and which prospects will be joining the Crimson Tide.