A few candidates could represent Alabama this weekend as the guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay. Who would you like to see?
There will be plenty of media personnel on hand for this weekend’s matchup between Texas and Alabama. Several familiar faces will be in Tuscaloosa prior to the game. One of those is the ESPN College Gameday crew. It will be the 17th time that the crew has broadcasted live from the University of Alabama campus.
Each week, there are guest pickers who join the set to pick games alongside the rest of the crew. In the past, Alabama has been represented by former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath and former Alabama golfer Justin Thomas.
Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at some of the potential options to be the ESPN College Gameday guest picker this weekend.
We are only Marcell Dareus 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 57 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 just 57 days remaining, we will look at one of the more dominant defensive linemen of the coach Saban era, [autotag]Marcell Dareus[/autotag].
Dareus terrorized opposing offenses during the 2009 and 2010 seasons where he would accumulate 20 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. His strong college career would earn him the No. 3 overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft.
Let’s look back at the plays that defined Alabama’s win over Texas in the 2010 BCS title game.
[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] has built one of, if not the greatest college football dynasties in the history of the game. Alabama football’s dominance over the last 15 seasons has been remarkable and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
With Alabama making a trip to Austin this weekend to take on the Texas Longhorns, it is only fitting that we take a trip down memory lane and reminisce on the first of the eventual six (and counting) national championships that the Tide has won since coach Saban arrived.
The date was Jan. 7, 2010, and inside the famous Rose Bowl, the Alabama Crimson Tide would defeat the Texas Longhorns 37-21. Let’s look back at some of the most important plays that defined the epic matchup.
The former Pro-Bowler is getting another shot in the NFL!
Former Alabama star defensive lineman [autotag]Marcell Dareus[/autotag] is getting another shot in the NFL, this time with the Baltimore Ravens.
The former No. 3 overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft is currently working out for the Ravens during their 2022 rookie minicamp which also includes a pair of Alabama rookies in [autotag]Jalyn Amour-Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Slade Bolden[/autotag].
Dareus has not seen any action in the NFL since 2019 when he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Although Dareus has battled injuries throughout his NFL career, he still has some eye-popping stats. Through nine seasons, the defensive tackle from Birmingham has been selected to two Pro Bowls, has been named a First-Team All-Pro, notched 37.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered, and has 365 combined tackles in 121 games.
Dareus became a fan favorite for the Tide when he intercepted a pass in the 2009 BCS title game against Texas and took it to the house for six.
DT Marcell Dareus, a former first-round pick, and WR Geronimo Allison are among the tryouts at Ravens rookie minicamp, John Harbaugh told reporters.
Dareus last played in the NFL in 2019. Allison played 3 games for the Lions last season.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor Dareus’ journey back to the NFL.
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.
Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
The Ravens held tryouts for two NFL veterans during their rookie minicamp
The Baltimore Ravens are in the middle of their 2022 rookie minicamp, giving them a first-time up-close look at their newest draft class. However, among the rookies there were two NFL veterans showcasing their skills as they look to potentially establish a new home.
Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh let it be known on Saturday that the team was hosting defensive lineman Marcell Dareus as well as wide receiver Geronimo Allison tryouts during their minicamp.
DT Marcell Dareus, a former first-round pick, and WR Geronimo Allison are among the tryouts at Ravens rookie minicamp, John Harbaugh told reporters.
Dareus last played in the NFL in 2019. Allison played 3 games for the Lions last season.
Dareus, a No. 3 overall pick out of Alabama, would bring depth to the Ravens’ defensive line that has seen Justin Ellis leave in free agency as well as Brandon Williams seemingly unlikely re-sign with the team. He last played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. Through nine seasons, the defensive tackle has been selected to two Pro Bowls, has been named a First-Team All-Pro, notched 37.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered and has 365 combined tackles in 121 games.
Allison went undrafted in 2016 and has plenty of experience in the NFL over the last five seasons, with four of those coming with a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. Through his career, the wide receiver has 1,045 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 89 receptions.
The return of college football is quickly approaching, folks. After yet another national championship winning season, Nick Saban and company will be looking for a repeat performance in 2021.
Despite key losses, the Crimson Tide is well positioned to do just that.
The opening week matchup is against the Miami Hurricanes in Atlanta, Ga. set for Sept. 4. And with it now being July 9, we are now only 57 days away from the start of the season!
At this time, no one is wearing the No. 57. As a true freshman in 2020, Javion Cohen wore it, but the second-year offensive lineman switched to the No. 70 after the departure of Alex Leatherwood to the NFL.
The most notable name to ever wear the number — at least during the Saban era — is none other than former defensive lineman Marcell Dareus. He’s one of the all-time best players at his position in Alabama history, and that helped him become a top-3 pick in the 2011 NFL draft.
He then proceeded to spend nine season in the NFL from 2011 to 2019. His first 6.5 seasons were with the team that drafted him, the Buffalo Bills, while his spent 2.5 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is currently a free agent.
Nov 6, 2010; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Marcell Dareus (57) rushes against LSU Tigers offensive tackle Greg Shaw (75) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Alabama 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The loss of NT Eddie Goldman is huge for the Bears as depth gets thinner. Here are some free-agent options that can fill the void.
On Tuesday, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to the health concerns over COVID-19.
The 26-year old is coming off a year where he started in 15 games and registered one sack and 29 tackles. This offseason the Bears brought back veteran John Jenkins to backup Goldman, but now could be starting on the Bears defensive line.
Jenkins, who is placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list, appeared in 16 games with the Miami Dolphins and recorded 34 tackles and one sack. Backing up Jenkins would be undrafted free agent Lee Autry out of Mississippi State.
The loss of Goldman is huge for the Bears as they lose a key starter and the depth gets thinner. Here are some players that can fill the void.
Damon “Snacks” Harrison
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The 2016 All-Pro is one of the best available free agents left on the market. The 31-year old is coming off a down season with the Detroit Lions, where he totaled 49 tackles and two sacks. Before last season, Damon Harrison has had productive seasons mostly with the New York Giants.
Harrison has fielded a “competitive contract offer” according to Ross Uglam of Packers Report, but that was earlier in the offseason and nothing else has been said. The Bears could still a player from the Packers while upgrading their current defensive tackle situation.
We are only 57 days from Alabama football kicking off its season. With the cancelled USC game, we’re just not sure who the opponent with be.
Alabama’s opening week game against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Tex.) has officially been cancelled after the Pac-12 recently made the announcement that it would be playing a conference-only schedule in 2020.
Yes, that was unfortunate news, and yes, that means the Crimson Tide is looking for a new opponent to open its season with on Sept. 5, but as of right now, that is still the target date to open the season. Until that changes, we’ll continue the countdown to kickoff.
With it now being July 10, we are officially 57 days away from the start!
Redshirt senior linebacker Joe Donald, a walk-on from Mountain Brook (Ala.), currently wears the No. 57 for the Crimson Tide. Most notably, former Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus rocked the number from 2008-10.
Nov 6, 2010; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Marcell Dareus (57) rushes against LSU Tigers offensive tackle Greg Shaw (75) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Alabama 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
2020 Alabama football schedule
Sept. 5 vs. OPEN*
Sept. 12 vs. Georgia State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Sept. 19 vs. Georgia (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Sept. 26 vs. Kent State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 3 at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)
Oct. 10 at Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Oct. 17 vs. Mississippi State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 24 at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Nov. 7 at LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
No. 14 vs. UT-Martin (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Nov. 21 vs. Texas A&M (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Nov. 28 vs. Auburn (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!
Even very good defensive tackles have a difficult time impacting the overall defensive success, and even less success impacting the win column
Derrick Brown is one of the primary potential targets for the Detroit Lions with the 3rd pick in next week’s NFL Draft. Nothing against the Auburn defensive tackle, but history says taking anyone at his position at that spot is a poor decision.
The No. 3 overall pick has been used four times on a defensive tackle since 2000. Two of the players selected even earned All-Pro berths on their rookie contracts, but it ultimately did not help their respective teams enough.
Quinnen Williams, 2019
Too early to evaluate the returns on Williams, the 3rd pick in 2019. The Jets tabbed Williams third overall and he was an instant starter. Williams bagged 2.5 sacks as a rookie after notching eight in his final season with the Crimson Tide.
Williams looks like a solid player after one season. But his impact on the Jets’ success was negligible. New York was 29th in 2018 in both scoring defense and yards allowed. In 2019 with Williams, they improved to 25th and 27th, respectively. The Jets improved from 4-12 to 7-9 but it came from the offense, which rocketed from 29th in scoring to 7th from 2018 to 2019.
This time, we will be focusing on another former Alabama football star, Marcell Dareus.
Since Nick Saban’s arrival to Tuscaloosa in 2007, Alabama has not only become a team that has created a dynasty winning national championships, but it also has become a program that sends players to the NFL every year.
With the 2020 NFL Draft happening in less than a month, it’s the perfect time to start a new series in which we will go over all of the Tide’s 29 first-round draft picks. The first player we went over was Andre Smith, who finished his career at Alabama with 15 awards and honors and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals as the No. 6 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The second player we went over was former Alabama star linebacker Rolando McClain who would not only win many incredible awards while at Alabama, but was drafted by Oakland Raiders as the No. 8 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The 3rd Alabama player drafted in the first round for the Tide was Kareem Jackson who would go on to be drafted by the Houston Texans as the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
This time, we will be focusing on another former Alabama football star, Marcel Dareus.
As a true freshman in 2008, Dareus played in eight games while recording tackles and 3 QB hurries.
As a sophomore in 2009, he became a big part of Alabama’s success. He played in 14 games ( 4 of those as a starter) and became the Tide’s top pass rusher. He recorded 33 total tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 7 quarterback hurries, 1 interception, and 2 pass breakups. He was named the defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game after an impressive performance where he had a 28 yard pick 6.
As a junior in 2010, he recorded 34 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 quarterback sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, 4 four pass breakups.
Dareus was selected with the third overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, where he played from 2011-2017. There, he had 300 combined tackles and 35 sacks.
In 2017, he was traded by the Bills to the Jacksonville Jaguars where he played from 2017-2019. There he recorded 65 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks.
He is currently a free agent.
Jan 14, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell (26) rushes the ball against Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Marcell Dareus (99) during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field. Jacksonville won 45-42. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
