QD1911

Spending my Saturday night checking out random HS off-ball linebackers.

We’ve tried to explain this the best that we can. Some just refuse to get it. Alabama has had a clearer path to PT for a large number of freshmen the last two cycles. They’ll pay a top 2026 HS player if they feel good about getting some sort of contribution from the guy… in 2026. Doesn’t mean all will pan out that way, but why pay a guy 7-figure money when you expect him to come in and sit? If there’s not a need, that’s what’s going to happen. So you want them to hand $1M to a guy, bring him in to sit and then risk that money having been a COMPLETE waste (while also wasting time developing him) if he leaves? OR… do you wait until the need is actually there, then go get a player from the portal (maybe even that same player) and pay him the big money then? Did Michigan get anything out of Ty Haywood — or did they just spend a ton of money on and time developing him just to watch him head to Tuscaloosa (where he wanted to be all along) the very next offseason? Does UM feel like that was money well spent? Haywood wasn’t ready to help Alabama in 2025, so any money spent would’ve been (in many ways) wasted compared to having him now. So instead, they let someone else pay him (and help develop him) for a year. Now he’s at Alabama — and if he ends up being a good player, they’ll reap those rewards. Alabama will pay top guys if they feel they can get something out of them quickly. They didn’t feel KJ Green was an immediate guy, so there was limits to what they’d spend. They do feel like Osani Gayles and Monshun Sales can help the WR room in 2027, so they’re going hard after them. The lone exception to this approach is QB, probably because — from a financial standpoint — you never want to go to the portal to have a pay a QB. So you make sure to stack and develop, but as I’ve said *many* times, I also don’t think they’re spending as much money on that position as some think. The reason why Kenneth Simon is a bummer? Because he’s one who I’m sure they had a good offer on because they felt like he could’ve helped sooner rather than later — at bare minimum of special teams, but likely on defense too. Needs to get bigger, but he’s got a useful, versatile skillset. Plus, you lost him to a big rival. Unfortunately, the UT legacy factor came into play here. It happens.

Is Alabama “broke?” My thoughts:

Path to Omaha Average Difficulty Oklahoma and Ole Miss the only two to eclipse 5.0 in average TSR faced. Alabama had a quite generous path to Omaha. No one had to play the maximum of 8 games to make it. 4 teams swept their way to Omaha, with 7 (!!) sweeps during Supers.