The Crimson Tide is coming off of their 4th National Title win under Head Coach Nick Saban. Nick has ran a tight ship thus far in Tuscaloosa, but could the ship be sinking?
Alabama is known for Budweiser, Ford F-150’s, corn hole and illustrious football. It has been a great run under Saban for the Tide, but the ship is starting to show wear and tear. In the last few weeks, Saban and Bama have taken more PR falls than ever before, and the word is because Saban is “giving up” on trying to make amends.
What I mean by this is even if you had a great roster with talent, if it was your final year or two (and you had Saban’s image but wanted to pursue another job like has been alluded too) would you still run things the controversial way you have been before?
Now I’m not saying Saban is 100% leaving, but there is no doubt the signs are here — and so is the “fall” of Alabama’s dynasty. Now we pretty much say this ever year, but it’s usually because a talent exodus, not PR fallout. We have had the Cam Robinson and Hootie Jones drama, Saban addressing the media indirectly and not as blunt as he usually does and now the Mo Smith ‘stupidity’. 4-Star JUCO Star Charles Baldwin was also dismissed earlier this offseason for a team violation from ALABAMA.
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Now I’m not saying Saban allows players to cause harm, but Alabama dismissing a player for a team violation isn’t something that happens every day. Could it be Saban is trying to remake his image into one that shows he isn’t only about football championships and off the field problems don’t matter to him? It seems like it.
The transfers and departures don’t just stop there. On top of Baldwin and Smith no longer being a part of the Alabama football program, Kendall Sheffield, Daylon Charlot, Adonis Thomas and Christian Bell are all on their way out as well. CB Kendall Sheffield was a former 5-Star and fringe first team and starting second team corner as a true freshman/sophomore. Charlot and Thomas were also former elite 4-Star athletes.
Even schools as big as Alabama don’t let 4-Stars walk out the door — regardless of playtime. Alabama has not just lost former star recruits this offseason, but also contributing players. These aren’t just your normal recruits, they are/were players with collegiate experience — something very valuable.
On top of the locker room and player troubles Saban has been dealing with, this may be his toughest schedule yet. On the surface, it doesn’t look too bad. When you dig deep, though, they could run into some trouble. They open up against a new and improved USC team in Arlington. Their next game is against Western Kentucky but I wouldn’t overlook that. I’m not saying WKU will or could win, but they could get caught looking ahead at Ole Miss in Vaught-Hemingway. They also have lost to the Rebels two years running, so revenge is going to be on their mind all season. The Tide may not lose, but they could stumble early on against the Hilltoppers.
Alabama then takes on the insanely hyped Tennessee team in Neyland Stadium. Now I’m the most anti-Vol hype writer or fan out there, but it’s still a very good SEC matchup. Especially if the Vols come in off another loss against my Gators, they could look to play spoiler on the Tide’s season or regain traction on theirs. The Vols definitely have the talent to hang with the Tide, but do they have the coaching? They then go on to play TAMU at home and a very good LSU team on the road at Death Valley. It’s not much different from years prior, just the skill level of the teams and when they play them.
must read: Who will take the field at QB for Florida come Sept. 3rd?
Alabama very well could go on to repeat by winning the title again, we just don’t know. Actually, they probably will go undefeated since I wrote this. I hope you guys enjoyed the article!