It's a season of transition in Tuscaloosa. March Madness is over, and so is the hustle and bustle of spring training. The next week will be spent shuffling through mock drafts and updating the transfer portal for new entrants and potential targets.
Both Alabama's football and basketball teams are busy filling out their rosters. That process has been a little slower than some of his Tide fans had hoped, but there's still plenty of reason to be optimistic about both programs.
Karen DeBoer has had a quiet start to the spring transfer window, but last week they avoided major departures by bringing back starting left tackle Kadin Proctor. Targets are starting to appear for the Crimson Tide, and additions should start trickling into areas of need in the coming days.
Nate Oats lost some key pieces to Alabama's run to the Final Four, but was able to find a solid replacement through the portal. The Tide, which acquired two sharpshooting guards in Houston Mallett (Pepperdine) and Chris Youngblood (South Florida), upped its transfer budget on Saturday with the signing of Auburn point guard Aiden Holloway. Next on Oats' list will be wearing rim protectors before awaiting draft decisions on Mark Sears and Grant Nelson.
Meanwhile, the NFL Draft will be held from Thursday to Saturday. Terrion Arnold, J.C. Latham Kool-Aid McKinstry and Dallas Turner are all projected to be first-round picks, with up to nine players potentially selected in three days in Nick Saban's final Alabama draft class There is sex.
There's a lot to discuss, so pour yourself a drink and let's dive in.
Drink of the Week — Greenpoint
The grass on the other side always looks greener. Often it's just a little bit different. Sometimes that's all you need.
The Manhattan is one of the most classic cocktails in existence. Add 2 ounces of rye whiskey, 1 ounce of sweet vermouth, a few dashes of Angostura bitters, and a brandy cherry to create a drink with a balanced spirit.
Still, society loves diversity, and this is a season of change.
Manhattan has undergone significant renovations since its introduction in the 1880s. Some of these spin-offs are named after other New York boroughs, such as “The Bronx” and “Brooklyn.” One of them is Greenpoint. Its name comes from the Brooklyn neighborhood in which the place was created.
Although the backbone of the drink is similar to Manhattan, Green Point's main difference is the introduction of yellow Chartreuse, a French herbal liquor with notes of honey, citrus, anise, and saffron. You'll also need a dash of Angostura bitters, as well as orange bitters. These additions may seem subtle, but like any good transfer class, they can be a game changer when combined correctly.
To make this drink, add 2 ounces of rye whiskey, 0.5 ounces of yellow chartreuse, 0.5 ounces of sweet vermouth, and small amounts of both bitters to a mixing glass and stir with ice. From there, strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
cheers!
(Commercial break: My Drink of the Week section is sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay of Tuscaloosa's cocktail scene since 2019, serving up some of the most delicious drinks in town. Please stop by and tell them what I said!
Alabama basketball's dream lineup assembled.
Don't crack Domino GIF yet. But it's looking more and more likely that the Alabama basketball team will field the best lineup in history next season. The following requires a lot of offseason optimism, but for a moment, imagine the Tide rolling out this rotation next fall.
starting 5
G — Mark Sears
G — Latrell Lightsell
G — Houston Mallett
F— Grant Nelson
C — Clifford Omoruyi
bench
G — Aiden Holloway
G — Chris Youngblood
F — Derion Reed
F — Jarrin Stevenson
C — Aiden Sherrell
F — Muhamed Diobate
F — Nurse Cunningham
C — Mo Wag
Far-fetched? surely. But it may not be as much as you first think.
Most of this hypothetical roster is already set, as Alabama is not expected to release any more transfer players. The only addition scheduled here is Rutgers transfer center Clifford Omoruyi. However, this scenario involves both Sears and Nelson ignoring the pros for their next season in college.
All in all, that perfect storm seems impossible. But things get a little more interesting when you break down each piece of the puzzle individually.
Mark Sears: Improving his draft stock will be difficult for Sears, who averaged 21.5 points per game and shot 43.6 percent from the field last season. But even those impressive numbers don't guarantee the star guard will be selected in this year's NBA Draft.
Meanwhile, sources told Tide Illustrated that Sears' planned NIL package is expected to exceed $700,000, making Alabama's return even more attractive. . That's less than the NBA minimum, but significantly more than Sears would pay on a two-way contract.
Grant Nelson: Although it seems unlikely that Nelson will return, Alabama also has a lucrative NIL package in place should he decide to return. Like Sears, Nelson is not guaranteed to be selected in this year's NBA Draft, and he could find himself in a situation where it makes financial sense to stay. That being said, it is believed that Alabama will charge him a significantly smaller NIL package than Sears.
Clifford Omoruyi: Even if Alabama can't convince Nelson to return, pulling Omoruyi through the portal could significantly strengthen the frontcourt. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound big man averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks for Rutgers last season and is perhaps the top rim protector at the moment.
Omoruyi is considering visiting Alabama next weekend. If the Tide can bring him to campus, there should be plenty of NIL money to throw at him if he chooses to commit.
If the University of Alabama can acquire even two of these three players, it will become one of the top contenders in the nation. At least if you somehow combine the Sears returns/exchanges with the rim protectors, the Tide should be in good shape come fall.
Ranking of Alabama football transfers and additions so far
Aside from Proctor, who has been Alabama's prodigal son for the past four months, the Crimson Tide brought in eight college transfers this offseason. Here is my assessment of their standings since joining the team.
1. Jermie Bernard (WR, Washington): Bernard was the most exciting player in last weekend's A-day game and could be Alabama's top receiver this fall. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound junior can line up both inside and outside and showed he can make contested catches downfield.
2. Domani Jackson (CB, Southern California): Jackson came off a somewhat rocky season in Southern California, but had a solid showing at Alabama this spring, drawing praise from both coaches and players. If the junior continues to show his five-star potential, he could be a key piece of the Tide's secondary this fall.
3. Kion Sabu (S, Michigan State): The junior subs also bring experience to Alabama's young secondary. After starting five games at Michigan last season, he will assume a first-team role next to Malachi Moore in the back of Alabama's secondary. Last month, DeBoer said Sabu has an “IT factor” and he should be one of the leaders on defense.
4. LT Overton (DL, Texas A&M): Although Overton did not start on A-Day, he is still expected to be a key part of Alabama's defensive line rotation this fall. At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, the junior is the perfect size for the bandit role in defensive coordinator Cain Womack's 4-2-5 defense. He should split time with Jermalien Latham at that spot while allowing the Tide to keep edge rushers fresh throughout the game.
5. Josh Cuevas (TE, Washington): Cuevas didn't receive as much hype as Alabama's other transfer additions, but the redshirt junior tight end will be a contributor on offense this fall. Cuevas proved this spring that he is a capable blocker and also made some athletic grabs from scrimmage. He could see the field with starter CJ Dipres when the Tide worked with 12 players.
6. Austin Mack (QB, Washington): Mack enrolled at the University of Washington early last fall and is only 17 years old. The redshirt freshman quarterback has flashed his arm talent at times during camp and is a player to keep an eye on going forward.
7. Nakil Betrand (OT, Texas A&M): Bertrand likely won't see much on the field this fall as he looks to develop at the tackle position. Still, the redshirt freshman participated in all of spring training and briefly gained an edge over the Tide's other offensive line additions.
8. Parker Brailsford (C, Washington): Brailsford missed most of spring training due to non-football issues, so it's difficult to evaluate him. The redshirt sophomore is rated as one of the nation's top returning offensive linemen and was a starter on Washington's Joe Moore Award-winning unit last season. If he can shake off his off-field issues, he has the talent to skyrocket up this list.
3 easy draft predictions
Dallas Turner will be the first defenseman to play in the offseason.
Turner will have to wait behind a slew of offensive players until his name is called Thursday night. But Alabama star Edge is a strong candidate to be the first defensive player off the board. If so, it would be the second year in a row that a Tide player has accomplished this feat. Will Anderson Jr. was the first defensive player selected by the Houston Texans with the third overall pick last year.
Alabama plans to select two cornerbacks in the first round
Saban's final draft class could be the first for the Crimson Tide. If Arnold and McKinstry leave on Thursday, it will be the first time Alabama has had multiple cornerbacks taken in the first round. Arnold is projected to be a top-20 pick, while McKinstry is projected to land somewhere between the bottom of the first round and the early second round.
Jermaine Barton is off the board at the end of day two.
Despite leading Alabama the past two seasons, Barton struggled to maintain consistency during his time in Tuscaloosa. Still, the 6-foot, 196-pound receiver has plenty of tools that NFL teams like, running an impressive 4.45 in the 40-yard dash during the combine. I wouldn't be surprised if he sneaks into the third round on Friday.
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