Happy Monday, everyone. The baseball team had a disappointing weekend, dropping two of three to an Auburn team that finished dead last in the SEC. The Tide head to Hoover at the 7 seed. Softball was able to take care of business in regional play, but now has the daunting task of taking two of three from overall 3-seed Tennessee in Knoxville.
Greg McElroy has been Gumping hard lately.
“I believe Kalen DeBoer will win a national championship at Alabama. I don’t think it’s going to take very long. This guy, in his career, has only two losses against ranked opponents. Two – one was against Michigan and the other was when he was at Fresno State,” noted McElroy. “He was undefeated at Washington against ranked opponents up until his final game as the Washington head coach. He can do more with less and he has proven that at both Fresno, at Washington. Then previously when he was the coordinator at Indiana and some of his previous stops.”
“The guy has won national championships before. Granted it was at the NAIA level but he knows, a little bit better than most, about what it’s going to take to compete in a three or four-game playoff to ultimately win a national championship,” McElroy noted.
Let it be written.
DeBoer picked up a couple of 2026 defensive back commits over the weekend.
Gordon is a four-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The composite lists him as the No. 17 safety in the class, No. 186 player overall.
“He’s an elite corner,” Jackson coach Cody Flournoy said. “He has that extra gear of elite recovery speed. Even if he doesn’t play something quite right, he can break under it and defend it. He has great feet, great hands. I’ve coached in a lot of other places. He is not just a small-town, 4A level player. He could play in anyone’s program.”
The No. 8 player in Georgia is confident that DeBoer will build a strong culture at Alabama, especially since some of his players from Washington came with him to the Crimson Tide. He also believes that Alabama’s new head man – who he feels “really wants me there” – will keep the Crimson Tide at the top of college football.
“I know he’s going to continue that legacy that Nick Saban started,” said Barney, the No. 41 overall prospect and No. 3 cornerback in the 2026 On300. “It’s going to continue and when I get there, it’s going to be even better.”
We passed 100 days to week zero late last week, and the ESPN staff celebrated with a season preview.
Justice Haynes, RB, Alabama: Last year in Tuscaloosa may not have gone the way Haynes, then a true freshman, envisioned. He finished with 168 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, but he showed enough flashes to let the Tide faithful know what was coming in the future. Now, under new head coach Kalen DeBoer and with the departure of both Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams, Haynes could be primed for a big second season.
They have Jalen Milroe 4th on their Heisman list, and Georgia’s trip to Tuscaloosa as the most intriguing game of the season.
Nick Saban spoke about the negative effects that current litigation could have on the sport.
“The No. 1 thing we need to do in college football, the first thing you’ve got to do is address all the lawsuits because the lawsuits may break the NCAA, and they may break college football,” Saban said at the Jimmy Rain Charity Golf Banquet in Birmingham.
“Aight, so that should be the first order of business. The second thing is to try to create a system that continues to allow all people who have had the opportunity to participate in college athletics – that’s male and female, Title IX.”
Last, check out this quote from Chris Stewart.
“I saw Nate Oats the next day, and he’s already looking ahead to next year,” Stewart said. “He’s talking about returning to the Final Four. They might be ranked one or two entering the season.” Stewart said he expects Alabama point guard Mark Sears will return for a final season on the Capstone in Tuscaloosa. Sears is currently testing the NBA Draft waters and projected as a second-round selection in the June 26 draft. “No one has called me and told me anything, but I believe Mark will be back,” Stewart said.
Don’t get my hopes up, Chris.
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.
