Tag: Mac Hereford

How would Nick Saban react if Alabama was in Florida State’s position?

If Alabama went undefeated and missed the College Football Playoffs, how would Nick Saban react? A former Alabama WR chimes in.

In the final year of the College Football Playoff’s four-team era, there was some major controversy regarding which team deserved the fourth and final spot. Alabama, with one loss, ultimately got the nod over Florida State, which went undefeated in the 2023 season. The frustration and anger out of Tallahassee is understandable, but what would have happened if the roles were reversed?

The No. 4 Crimson Tide is now preparing to take on top-ranked Michigan in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal while the No. 5 Seminoles have nearly all starters opting out of the non-CFP Orange Bowl game against No. 6 Georgia.

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford recently joined the Bring the Juice Podcast and shared his thoughts on how Nick Saban would have reacted if the Tide went undefeated, won the SEC championship and still got left out of the playoffs.

To start, Hereford makes it clear that Saban would have been absolutely livid. This is on par with what we’ve seen from Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, his team and Seminoles fans.

However, the biggest difference comes from how Hereford believes Saban would approach the bowl game.

“I think at the end of the day he would tell the guys, ‘Look, it is what it is. There’s not anything we could do about it, we got to prepare for the bowl game and got to make a statement in that bowl game, and go out there and kick the ass of the team we’re playing against and make a point.’ “

Despite having two losses in 2022, the Crimson Tide made a late-season push to the playoffs but was ranked No. 5 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, making them the first team out. The non-playoff bowl game Alabama was picked for was the Sugar Bowl against Kansas State, which was fresh off of a win over TCU in the Big 12 championship.

In that game, Alabama did not have many players opt out. Most notably, quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. chose to participate in the bowl game. Those two players ended up becoming the first and third overall picks in the 2023 NFL draft, respectively.

It’s no surprise to see the fifth-ranked team be upset about missing the playoffs, as it has become a common frustration in the College Football Playoff era. The committee hopes to alleviate those concerns beginning in 2024 when the playoff field expands to 12 teams.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the team prepares for the semifinal Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Former Alabama WR, Mac Hereford, shares hilarious Mac Jones college story

Hilarious Mac Jones story from his national title season

Mac Jones has been a fiery competitor long before he ever stooped foot on the University of Alabama campus. Jones decided to join the Tide despite being in the same recruiting class as Tua Tagovailoa and having to wait three years to get his opportunity to play.

In 2020, Jones finally got his chance to take the field and never looked back. He went undefeated, led Alabama to a national title victory and finished third in the Heisman Trophy race. One of the all-time greatest seasons in Alabama history, but it wasn’t by accident.

Jones constantly worked when nobody was watching and when nobody even knew how well he could really play. Former Alabama wide receiver, Mac Hereford, shares a hilarious story from their national title season that shows how committed Jones is to his craft.

Alabama was returning from their end-of-season banquet after the SEC title game when Jones pulled Hereford aside in the Alabama training facility to catch a few balls. Hereford, in a full suit from the banquet, started catching a few passes before jogging some quick routes. Before you know it, Hereford had taken off his suit and pants and was down to only compression shorts running routes in Mal Moore just to get in those extra reps.

It doesn’t matter when or where, Jones is a grinder and is always going to get his reps in. His tenacious mentality is a big part of why the Patriots selected him No. 15 overall in the 2021 draft.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor Mac Jones in his third year of the NFL.

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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.

BREAKING: Former Alabama WR Mac Hereford commits to Vanderbilt

The Commodores are getting a player that will not only benefit them on the field, but in the locker room as well. His energy was seeming…

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford has been a member of the Crimson Tide program for four years, but that came to an end after his graduation from the university in December. He has decided to stay in the SEC and transfer to Vanderbilt to play his final season of college football.

The Birmingham native will be immediately eligible for the Commodores offense as a graduate transfer in the 2020 season.

I had the opportunity to speak with Hereford, who was very excited about his decision.

“I took time, prayed about it and talked to coaches from different schools and after evaluating my options,” says Hereford. “Vanderbilt seemed like the best fit for me. For my final year I wanted to go somewhere I could make an impact and contribute on the field and in the locker room and Vanderbilt felt like the best place to do that. ”

Though he hadn’t seen much time on the field while at Alabama, he has been a consistent competitor on the depth chart and has trained with plenty of high-profile quarterbacks from all over the country.

Hereford has worked out with many different quarterbacks to sharpen his skills. When speaking with Hereford, he tells me that his long list of quarterbacks include: Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, Mac Jones, Alex Hornibook, Taulia Tagovailoa, and Cooper Bateman just to name a few. He also has worked out with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges.

Now, the speedy and adjustable wide receiver will look to catch passes in Nashville, but a starting quarterback has yet to be named for Vanderbilt.

He won’t be the first Hereford to attend school in Nashville, he tells me.

“Both my parents went [to Vanderbilt]. My cousin currently plays college tennis at Belmont University. I love being around him and near family and Nashville is one amazing city.”

The Commodores are getting a player that will not only benefit them on the field, but in the locker room as well. His energy was seemingly contagious throughout the Alabama program during his time in Tuscaloosa. It was difficult to find player that wasn’t a close friend of Hereford’s. He is a very skillful user of social media, but uses his platform to promote his teammates. Hereford has been known to create and post highlight reels for them.

We wish Mac the best of luck in is future endeavors with Vanderbilt. Roll Tide and Anchor Down, Mac!

Former Alabama WR Mac Hereford shows strength through adversity

Mac Hereford is an athlete that could have played elsewhere if he wanted to, but chose to walk on at the school he admired since he was a…

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in early January in hopes that he would be able to find a new program in which he could call home. His search has experienced some bumps in the road which have turned an already challenging process into one that may be that most difficult thing the receiver has had to face in his athletic career.

Big-name players at any position rarely spend too much time in the transfer portal, this is largely due to the fact that they have the ‘star factor’ and most likely a lot of film and tape to be watched by coaches and recruiters.

However, Hereford’s journey in the portal requires more than just picking a program.

After three seasons with the Crimson Tide he has plenty of stories to tell and memorable experiences, along with life lessons he will carry throughout his life.

“My time at Alabama was amazing,” says Hereford. “I could not have asked for a better experience. I got to be a part of some of the best teams in the program’s history and learn and compete with some of the best wide receivers to come through Alabama.

Playing alongside some of he nations best receivers has ultimately hindered his transfer process. He doesn’t have much film to present his skills and abilities to coaches of programs that he could potentially transfer to.

“It was a blessing and a curse to be a part of such an outstanding group of wide receivers at ‘bama,” says Hereford. “I got to learn from the bested compete with them, but it was very difficult to get playing time.

So if teams can’t assess his in-game abilities what can they evaluate him on?

Well, Hereford has done a great job of posting workouts and practice clips on social media to give teams and idea of what he’s capable of.

While he did have some appearances in regular season games, he was not able to record any stats. He was able to reel in three catches during Alabama’s 2018 Spring game – which his team won.

In this A-Day clip from 2018 Hereford had three catches, all of which were made in an open space or with considerable separation from the defensive back.

Hereford understands the lone clip from A-Day won’t be enough to pique coaches’ interests. So before the Coronavirus Pandemic halted everyone’s lives, he was filming workouts with note-worthy quarterbacks to give coaches and recruiters something to consider.

“I would throw with a quarterback almost four times a week,” says Hereford. “I started the year throwing with Mac Jones and Alex Hornibrook and then moved on to throwing consistently with Devlin Hodges.”

This video posted by Hereford shows his one-on-one workout with expected starting quarterback for Alabama, Mac Jones. The clip displays his clean route running on various routes and his ability to adjust to the ball and reel it in from wherever thrown.

In this workout with former Florida State quarterback Alex Hornibrook, Hereford displays extremely quick feet and ability to abruptly stop while running full speed, a skill few receivers possess in college.

Herford has had the opportunity to workout with Pittsburgh Steeler’s quarterback Devlin Hodges a couple of times. However this clip shows Hereford’s ability to extend his arms on balls thrown too far in front or above him. He also shows, once again, he can adjust to any ball, as there were multiple passes thrown behind him.

If coaches have any qualms about what he does off the field, Hereford made it clear he is always looking to stay in shape.

“Before the virus hit us fully, I had been lifting three times a week and doing some sort of exercise everyday,” Hereford tells me.

“It has made the process very hard and a lot slower than I’ve expected,” the wide receiver admits. “[Coaches] are trying to figure out of we are having a season next year and still discovering ways to make sure their current guys are in shape. This being the case, they have less time available to look at guys in the portal or guys they need to recruit.”

The transfer portal has been seen as a meme to many, or as a way for players to act as free agents if their original program didn’t give them the playing time they were promised. Once hearing Mac’s story and all that he has done within the last five months, you soon realize none of the preconceived notions about players in the portal fly out of the window.

Mac Hereford is an athlete that could have played elsewhere if he wanted to, but chose to walk on at the school he admired since he was a child. After graduating from the University of Alabama and being apart of Crimson Tide football for three years, he looks to turn his last year of eligibility into a memorable one and help out the team he lands on. This is just a bump in the road.

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Alabama WR Mac Hereford seeks new home in final year of eligibility

Hereford is set to graduate from the University of Alabama in May. He has entered his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal in hopes of fi…

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford joined the Crimson Tide as a preferred walk-on after attending Woodberry Forest high school in Birmingham, Alabama, but his time in the state is likely coming to an end as he looks to play elsewhere with his final year of collegiate eligibility.

Hereford graduated from the University of Alabama in December, he has since entered his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal in hopes of finding a new home at program where he can immediately showcase his talents for one more season.

Hereford has joined elite company in the Alabama wide receiver’s room, as he’s played alongside names such as Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs and other big-name talent.

His lack of appearances in the regular season tell a different tale than the videos he released on Twitter amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.

His name is known by many Crimson Tide fans, as he has been an active voice of Alabama football on social media.

In a time where the mass public is under quarantine and sports are at a standstill, Hereford gave the people some film to watch – all recorded pre-Coronavirus, of course.

He posted a series of clips of him performing drills that are run by former Alabama wide receivers coach, Josh Gattis, who now works as the offensive coordinator at Michigan.

He also posted a video of him putting one-on-one work with the Crimson Tide’s likely next starting quarterback for the 2020 season, Mac Jones.

Hereford also worked with Pittsburgh Steeler’s quarterback, and Samford University alum, Devlin Hodges.

There’s no word yet on potential landing spots for the former Alabama receiver, but Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on his journey through the transfer portal!

WATCH: Former Alabama WR Mac Hereford proves he can do more than football

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford may have just finished off his career on the football field with the Crimson Tide, but at Alabama’ mens tennis match vs. Vanderbilt, he was the honorary first serve. Thanks to @Mac_Hereford for being an …

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford may have just finished off his career on the football field with the Crimson Tide, but at Alabama’ mens tennis match vs. Vanderbilt, he was the honorary first serve.

Hereford hit a hard serve and even had a little back and forth going before it came to an end (he won the point).

This is the second Mac to represent Alabama football at a tennis match this season. Earlier this year redshirt-junior quarterback Mac Jones was the honorary first serve.

Who had the better first serve, Hereford or Jones? We will leave that up to you.

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