Alabama Morning Drive: Tide set to host five-star Keon Keeley over the weekend

Five-star Notre Dame commit set to start Alabama visit today.

Good morning, Tide fans and welcome to our Friday edition of Alabama Morning Drive.

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and Alabama are fresh off the massive commitment of five-star [autotag]Caleb Downs[/autotag] and now the coaching staff is set to host another five-star on an unofficial visit this weekend in [autotag]Keon Keeley[/autotag].

Keeley is the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect according to On3’s rankings and is currently committed to Notre Dame.

Keeley has been committed to the Fighting Irish for more than a year now, but it appears the talented pass rusher is still combing through his options and a flip to the Crimson Tide is not completely out of the question. Receiving this visit is certainly a step in the right direction.

Let’s take a quick look at a few other stories to be aware of this morning.

Jordan Battle named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

Jordan Battle named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list!

Jordan Battle is one of the best defensive players in college football, regardless of his position. Getting Battle to return to Tuscaloosa came as a surprise to many, but the Crimson Tide faithful won’t complain about it.

Battle has been placed on the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award which goes to the country’s most outstanding defensive back. In three years with the Tide, Battle has accumulated 181 tackles five interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.

Battle will surely hear his name called early in the 2023 NFL draft, so we might as well appreciate him while we can.

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Four Alabama Football players placed on the Nagurski Trophy watch List

Four Crimson Tide stars name to the Nagurski Trophy watch list

The Nagurski Trophy is annually handed out to the best defensive player in college football, and four members of the Crimson Tide appear on the 2022 preseason watchlist. Will Anderson Jr. is the reigning award winner, and joining him on the watch list for this upcoming season are Eli Ricks, Jordan Battle and Henry To’oTo’o.

Ricks will be making his debut for the Tide in 2022, however, he was already a Third-team All-American in 2020 with the LSU Tigers. To’oTo’o will be starting for his fourth season in the SEC and led the Tide in tackles in 2021. To the surprise of many, Battle stuck around for his senior year instead of declaring for the NFL draft and is one of the biggest playmakers in the collegiate game.

While there is a great chance that Anderson goes back to back, it would be interesting to see if a teammate of his contends for the award.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

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10 Alabama players selected in latest 2023 two-round NFL mock draft

An impressive 10 Alabama players drafted in the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL mock draft!

The 2023 NFL draft is still quite some time away, but it’s never too early to start predicting where players might begin their respective professional careers.

Luke Easterling of Draft Wire recently put together a full two-round mock draft. In it, 10 current members of the 2022 Crimson Tide roster are selected.

Alabama players are no strangers to being drafted early in the annual three-day event. In fact, in 2021, Alabama tied the record for most players selected in the first round with six.

With an entire NFL and College Football season standing between us and the 2023 draft, plenty of things could change. Players could improve, or worsen, their projected draft position. For now, here’s where they stand, according to Easterling.

LOOK: Top photos from Alabama Football’s time at SEC media days

Saban and a few players appeared to have a blast at 2022 SEC media days in Atlanta. The season is rapidly approaching!

Alabama football head coach Nick Saban was accompanied by three players from the 2022 roster at SEC media days in Atlanta, Georgia. Saban, Bryce Young, Will Anderson Jr. and Jordan Battle all got to speak with members of the media from all across the country about the upcoming season.

Saban spoke about the team, the current state of college football and even briefly addressed the offseason feud he had with Texas A&M‘s Jimbo Fisher.

The players were reserved and answered questions without giving too much detail, which is not uncommon of Saban-era players for the Crimson Tide.

SEC media days typically signifies the start of a new college football season. With roughly one month to go, take a look at Saban and some Alabama football stars from their time in Atlanta.

Alabama Morning Drive: Top 5 moments for Alabama at the 2022 SEC media days

Best moments for Alabama at the 2022 SEC media days.

Good morning, Alabama nation. Welcome to our Wednesday installment of Alabama Morning Drive.

We are right in the midst of the 2022 SEC media days and it was Alabama’s turn to take to the podium on Tuesday. A multitude of questions was asked of head coach [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and he provided some fantastic quotes, per usual.

Even [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag], [autotag]Will Anderson[/autotag], and [autotag]Jordan Battle[/autotag] provided some good moments while sitting behind the microphone.

In this edition of Alabama Morning Drive, we are going to take a quick look at five of the best moments that the Alabama head coach and player representatives provided on Tuesday.

Let’s get things rolling!

Alabama Morning Drive: Tide to take center stage at SEC media days

Alabama will take center stage at the 2022 SEC media days on Tuesday.

Good morning, Tide fans! Welcome to our Tuesday edition of Alabama Morning Drive. I hope each of you has had a great start to the work week as we get things rolling in Atlanta at the 2022 SEC media days.

Speaking of media days, Tuesday is Alabama’s turn at the podium. Crimson Tide head coach [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] will address the media from around 8:05-8:35 a.m. CT. [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag], [autotag]Will Anderson[/autotag], and [autotag]Jordan Battle[/autotag] will each take turns at the podium between 9:00 and 9:20 a.m. The SEC Network will televise media days in its entirety.

There are bound to be plenty of questions directed at coach Saban regarding NIL and conference realignment and as is always the case, the seven-time national championship-winning coach will give a response that will have pundits talking until the season kicks off.

Let’s take a look at a few other stories involving the Tide this morning.

Alabama player representatives for SEC Media Days announced

Alabama representatives for 2022 media day announced

Before the 2022 college football season commences, SEC Media Days will take place in Atlanta. There, we will hear from all 14 SEC coaches and select player representatives from each program.

The 2022 Alabama representatives are [autotag]Will Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Battle[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag].

These three players are seasoned veterans who have earned Coach Saban’s trust to represent the University in front of the national media.

Alabama will take the podium on July 19.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

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10 Alabama players selected in latest two-round 2023 NFL draft

Two rounds, 10 Alabama stars selected. See who goes where in this latest 2023 NFL mock draft!

While many fans and analysts are focused on the rapidly approaching starts to both the NFL regular season and college football, draft analysts are projecting what the 2023 NFL draft might look like.

Luke Easterling of the Draft Wire shared his latest two-round mock draft which is loaded with Crimson Tide stars.

It should be noted that these are all projections based on how these players have performed in the past and how they are expected to do in the 2022 season. The projected positions of these players can change drastically positively or negatively, as seen with numerous players from programs all across the nation in recent years.

Alabama’s Brian Branch might be the most underrated DB in college football

Alabama’s Brian Branch might be the most overlooked DB in the nation entering the 2022 season.

The start of the 2022 college football season is just around the corner and the anticipation continues to grow daily. Lately, USC‘s and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten has dominated the headlines in the sport, but I want to turn the conversation back over to what the game is all about in the first place, the players.

Some players like [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] receive a lot of attention around the clock. For others, it’s hard to receive the appropriate amount of recognition.

One such player is Alabama defensive back [autotag]Brian Branch[/autotag]. Branch is entering his third season in Tuscaloosa and has quietly had a strong start to his college career.

During his freshman campaign, Branch appeared in nine games totaling 27 tackles, seven passes defended and one interception. Branch would see his role increase during his sophomore season, where he compiled 55 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and nine passes defended.

If those numbers alone aren’t enough to impress you, PFF College released this insane stat regarding Branch. He has only missed one tackle in the last two seasons.

Branch doesn’t receive a lot of love nationally when compared to other defensive backs. His teammates [autotag]Jordan Battle[/autotag] and [autotag]Eli Ricks[/autotag] have both received some preseason recognition, but Branch is the overlooked member of the Alabama secondary.

Branch’s consistency is what makes him such a valuable asset in the backend of the Alabama defense. If Branch can continue to develop and improve his game, he will most likely become more of a household name during his junior season.

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

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