• The normally serious Sunday Morning Quarterback has a little fun with Andre Smith.
• Reger Dowell (PG commit from Texas) is still from Texas - but no longer a Bama commitment (subscription required).
• The SEC is monkeying with the eligibility of partial qualifiers. Ole Miss fans erupt about Jerrell Powe once again.
• Sadly, UGA VI is dead. Equally sadly, this doesn’t change our chances in Athens in September. Dawg players proceed to mourn inappropriately.
• Both Phil Fulmer and Bruce Pearl receive raises and extensions from UT. Insert your own joke about food shortages in Knoxville here.

Also, it wouldn’t kill a couple of you to click an ad around here! Thanks and hope you all had a happy 4th.

For the second consecutive off season we’ve heard rave reviews about Mike’s progression. This spring he shared (with Drew Davis) the Bart Starr Most Improved Player Award. It is crucial for Bama that someone step up and be the go-to guy for this offense, having lost DJ Hall, Keith Brown and Matt Caddell, all of whom ended their careers with more than 1,000 yards receiving.

The key for Mike will be consistency, something that severely lacked in 2007. After catching 19 passes in the Tide’s first 5 games, he basically disappeared from the offense, catching just 9 passes over the next 6 games, and none in the Auburn or Colorado games.

It was probably a bit unfair to Mike to expect so much from him last season, though. Despite being a Sophomore on the roster, he played only 8 snaps in 3 games during his Freshman season. So 2007 was really his first real opportunity at playing time. And the struggles for Bama’s offense during most of those last 8 games went far beyond just Mike McCoy.

2008 Prospectus:    Considering the fact that despite the rough end to his season Mike ended the 2007 season as Bama’s #3 receiver, he has to be the favorite to start at Split End. Part of the reason that he disappeared over the 2nd half of the season was his inability to carry out the aspects of the receiver position not related to catching the ball. Those aspects of his game improved considerably in the spring.

Unlike last season where one guy had to be the “go-to” receiver, Alabama will likely spread the ball around considerably more this season. Instead of having one guy with 67 catches, another with 40, and no one else above 30, you can expect Jim McElwain to ensure that the ball is distributed throughout the receiving corps.

It is important that Mike become a leader, however. Even if no one player is going to have considerably more catches than any other, it is crucial that someone step up and be a consistent threat when a reception is an absolute necessity. In that regard, you do need a reliable option, and in the best case scenario you end up with 2 or 3 of those guys. As the team’s leading returning receiver, and now an upperclassmen, it falls onto Mike to become one of those guys.

He’ll be pushed for playing time by Nikita Stover and incoming freshman phenom Julio Jones. Because Jim McElwain loves to use 3 and 4 WR sets, there will be room for all 3 of those guys, plus an additional 4 or 5 to see heavy playing time. Barring and injury, it is likely that Mike will again end the season as one of Bama’s leading 3 receivers.

Drew spent spring practice as the latest in a lineage of people trying to solidify the right tackle position at Alabama. After playing sparingly in his first 2 seasons, he was Co-Winner of the Bart Starr Most Improved Player Award for the 2008 spring session (shared with Mike McCoy).

After years of inconsistent play at the right tackle position, Bama is desperate for someone, anyone to step forward and lock down that end of the line. Had you told someone in February that Drew would be among the viable candidates, you probably would have been ignored.
He actually signed with Bama as a part of the 2004 recruiting class as a sleeper prospect, with his only other SEC offer coming from Mississippi State. He deferred his enrollment until 2005, and then spent that season as a redshirt. So this is technically his 5th year out of high school, and he’ll turn 23 in October.

2008 Prospectus: Despite being a Junior, he is one of the Tide’s oldest players. Having now spent 4 spring practices and off seasons in collegiate conditioning programs, he should be primed to be in physical condition to contribute.

He split time in the spring with Taylor Pharr, and Bama’s top offensive line recruit of the 2008 #1 ranked signing class, Tyler Love, is projected to also play right tackle. So, for the first time in years there should be real competition for playing time at the position.

He has made tremendous strides in his overall ability over the last 12 months, and at this point will be a contributing lineman. Regardless of whether he earns the starting job at right tackle he has improved to the point where he can serve as a backup for either tackle position.

Mike is another versatile offensive lineman who has changed positions. That exact sentence could have been said about Mike in every off-season he’s had at Alabama. Mike came to Tuscaloosa as a tackle, then moved to guard, then back to tackle, and now back to guard again. Is this a matter of shuffling one of the best lineman into a need position? Or is it a case of trying to find somewhere Mike can be successful?

The answer is probably somewhere in between. Despite the fact that he started 10 games at right tackle in 2007, I don’t think anyone would say that Mike had a great season. The fact that he was able to be even decent at right tackle for that number of games speaks volumes about his overall grasp of the offense and his ability to work his way through situations.

The fact that he spent the last 3 games of the regular season at right guard, and during the spring spent all of his time at left guard, speaks equally about how the coaching staff feels about his ability to play tackle. He is not blessed with tremendously quick feet, which limits his ability to sustain blocks on speed rushes, something you see a lot of in the SEC.

2008 Prospectus: At left guard Mike will get a lot more chances to be a lead blocker on rushing plays. With Andre Smith at left tackle, the Tide is almost certain to send the majority of its rushing plays to that side. With only David Ross currently behind him on the depth chart, massive changes would have to be made if Mike can not handle the job.

There are options for that scenario, however. Center Antoine Caldwell has played guard in his career, and former backup center Evan Cardwell is now working at right guard. Either one of them could be an option at left guard.

The other potential possibility for Mike is a move back to right tackle. Neither of the two guys (Drew Davis & Taylor Pharr) who played that position in the spring has had much success and behind them will be true freshmen Tyler Love, John Michael Boswell & Barrett Jones. If right tackle continues to be a problem for Bama, Mike might be the option to try to fix it.

Regardless of how it all shakes out, I think that barring injury we’ll see a lot of Mike in 2008. He started all 13 games in 2007, and I think we’ll probably see a repeat of that.

I considered putting Andre in a special section all to himself. No, not because he is enormous, but because it is likely that despite being a Junior that this will be his final year at Alabama. A guy with his size and athleticism stands a great chance of being an NFL 1st round draft pick, and those guys typically make that jump.

I say typically because despite being 6’5, he is not blessed with overly long arms, something that most teams look for in a tackle. I have spoken to more than one NFL scout who believes that Andre’s future is at guard. If that turns out to be the case, then there is a slight possibility that he’ll return in 2009, as most teams are hesitant to use a 1st round pick on a guard.

This off-season is an important one for Andre. Despite winning the Jacobs Award, given to the SEC’s best offensive lineman, many people felt that Andre did not have the type of Sophomore season that his Freshman season indicated that he might. Don’t get me wrong, he was still very good; but there is definitely room for improvement.

Most people seem to share the opinion that a 310-320 lbs. Andre Smith would be more effective. Another year in Nick Saban’s infamous “4th Quarter Program” could do wonders for Andre, allowing him to improve on the one thing that he struggled a little with in 2007 – the speed rush.

2008 Prospectus:    Despite the fact that what you read above looks a little negative, Andre is still the best offensive lineman at Alabama, likely in the SEC, and possibly in the entire country. It is not a stretch to say that beyond John Parker Wilson he is the most important player on the Bama offense, and for the same reason – there is no one on the depth chart behind him.

The difference between the two is that while the phrase “no one behind them” is a bit of a hyperbole in the case of Wilson, as Bama has 2 returning scholarship players (and 2 incoming freshmen) at QB. As things currently stand there is not another scholarship player at left tackle for Alabama – the only returning player at the position is Scott Deaton, who is on the Bryant Scholarship. When you consider Alabama’s scholarship numbers situation and the fact that Deaton would count as an athletic scholarship if he plays, then you can surmise that it is highly unlikely that Deaton would get the nod in the case of an injury.

If an injury were to occur it is likely that either Antoine Caldwell or Mike Johnson would move out to left tackle. Either that or we would see one of the incoming freshmen Tyler Love, John Michael Boswell, or Barrett Jones get a look there. Shudder that thought, though folks. If Andre does not start and play the vast majority of snaps at left tackle in 2008, then the Tide offense will struggle mightily.

I expect that we’ll see Andre once again earn the Jacobs Trophy, and once again be All-SEC. It would not surprise me, if the Bama offense as I expect improves, to see Andre as an All-American. If that happens, regardless of whether he ends up being projected at guard or tackle, don’t expect to see Big Dre back in Tuscaloosa in 2009.

I say ‘most likely’ because ESPN has yet to formally announce it, and until they do so, plans can always change.

You play a big, non-conference, neutral site game for 2 reasons:

1. Exposure into that area’s recruiting base - Alabama appears to be offering scholarships to a large number of Georgia HS seniors this year, and Atlanta is a hotbed of HS talent.
2. National Exposure - Just playing a big non-conference game gets some publicity. But when the big boys show up, it changes to an event. This type of national television exposure is beyond measure to a program trying to re-establish itself among the nation’s elite. It’s not quite as good as GameDay being on campus at Tuscaloosa for a game, but it is the next best thing.

I know the first instinct for a lot of Bama fans is to bring up the fact that the Tide has had a poor record when Fowler, Corso & Herbstreit have been around. And that’s true… but it has nothing to do with the hype surrounding GameDay and everything to do with the fact that the opponent in the game is typically a very good team, and for the majority of the last decade, Alabama has not had enough talent to consistently win games against very good teams. If the GameDay folks rolled into town for the Western Kentucky game I have no doubt Bama would end that particular losing streak…

Setting this game up for the 1st week of the season was a stroke of genius for both the Alabama and Clemson programs. This will be college football’s 1st real marquee matchup of the season, and the game should have loads of publicity for weeks leading up to it. The fact that the game will also be televised by ABC (which along with ESPN is owned by Disney) means that there will be no hesitancy from ESPN to really hype the game all week prior.

Once ESPN makes the official announcement regarding GameDay, we’ll let you know.

That should make things considerably easier for all Bama fans who are outside of the regular listening area.

The big question for Evan this off-season revolves around what position he’ll play. He is capable of playing both guard and center, which gives him a great opportunity to earn playing time. He played in all but 2 games for the Tide in 2007, starting the last 7 games of the regular season.

The problem for Evan is that while he has SEC caliber talent, his best position is center, and Bama has Rimington Trophy candidate Antoine Caldwell standing in his way at that position. With that in mind Evan took most of his spring snaps at Right Guard. As things stand now, however, he is still behind Marlon Davis on the depth chart at that position.

2008 Prospectus:    This is a tough one to guess, because the offensive line is a very fluid thing for Bama at this point. With Antoine Caldwell capable of playing all 5 positions across the line, there is always the possibility of him starting the season somewhere other than center. While the coaches appear to be very high on William Vlachos, it is a strong possibility that Evan would be given the first opportunity to earn the starts at center if Caldwell is elsewhere on the line.

Another reason for the move to guard is that Marlon Davis has struggled to remain healthy, and the coaches want to have a veteran presence available if those injury problems crop up for him again. Bama has virtually no experienced depth on the offensive line, and having a guy who can backup all 3 of the interior line spots makes him extremely valuable to Associate Head Coach for Offense and Offensive Line Coach Joe Pendry.

It is almost certain that at some point during the 2008 season we will see Evan play, and likely start. Whether that comes at guard or center will be the question.

So let’s take a look at the Bryant Scholarship:

First and foremost… what is it?

The Bryant Scholarship is a University of Alabama specific scholarship made available to all children of all men who either played for, or coached for, Bear Bryant. This scholarship is not an athletic scholarship, though it is available to athletes.

That is an important distinction. Right now Kenny Stabler has a daughter on campus at Alabama, taking advantage of the Bryant Scholarship, and she is not a member of any Alabama sports team. Scott Deaton is the son of former Bama player Ken Deaton, and he also is on the Bryant Scholarship. Scott is currently a member of the University of Alabama football team. It is available to ALL children of former Coach Bryant players or coaches, not just athletes.

The second question is… how does this affect athletes?

By definition this scholarship is considered Institutional Aid by the NCAA. NCAA Bylaw 15.02.1states:

financial aid that is administered by an institution, if the institution, through its regular committee or other agency for the awarding of financial aid to students generally, makes the final determination of the student-athlete who is to receive the award and of its value.

What this means is that because the University of Alabama is the only school that the child of one of Coach Bryant’s players/coaches can attend, then it is considered to be an Institutional Aid Scholarship.

That leads to question #3… so how do Bryant Scholarship recipients on the football team count towards the magic number of 85?

That depends.

The folks at BamaMag.com did a great article about this a few years back, and I’ll use their source, former UA Director of Compliance Chris King, as my source:

For a recruited walk-on, a student-athlete who was recruited by UA and who receives institutional financial aid granted without regard in any degree to athletics ability (i.e. the Bryant Scholarship), that student-athlete does not have to be counted until he engages in varsity intercollegiate competition. If the student-athlete does engage in varsity intercollegiate competition, the student-athlete becomes a counter.

What that boils down to is that a recruited player, as Scott Deaton was, only counts towards the football scholarship numbers when he plays in a game. If he never plays in a game, regardless of practice participation, he never counts towards the scholarship numbers. If he ever plays, even 1 snap, then he counts. Because Scott has not played, he does not count against Bama’s 85 limit.

If a player is not recruited, he does not count, regardless of game action. Again going back to Chris King and the BamaMag.com article:

If it is a ‘non-recruited’ student-athlete that receives the Bryant Scholarship, the student-athlete would not count, regardless of intercollegiate competition.

The NCAA makes the final determination as to whether or not the player counts as recruited or non-recruited. In the case of Scott Deaton, who signed a letter of intent in 2005, the case is an easy one. For players who do not sign letters of intent, it can become more cloudy. And for those players there is a process that they go through with the University when they join the team.

Question #4… What about the limit of 25 initial counting scholarships?

That one is much easier. If the Bryant Scholarship recipient plays during his 1st two years on campus, then he counts towards the recruiting class that he enrolled with. If he does not play during those 2 years, then he does not count as an initial scholarship - again, only counting towards the 85 when he plays, if he is classified as a recruited player.

Question #5… Is there a limit to the number of people, or specifically athletes that can enroll on the Bryant Scholarship in any one year?

No. The scholarship is available to ALL former children, so there is no limit to the number that can be given. This has become a hot topic this season since Morgan Ogilvie, son of former Tide star Major Ogilvie plans to walk-on at Alabama as a Bryant Scholarship recipient.

Morgan receiving the Bryant Scholarship does not prohibit any other incoming student or student athlete from receiving the Bryant Scholarship for the 2008 fall semester, or beyond.

Question #6… Can a player receive both the football scholarship and the Bryant Scholarship?

No. Again to Chris King in the BamaMag.com article:

Currently, for a full scholarship football student-athlete, the student-athlete can’t accept the Bryant Scholarship or he would be over his financial aid individual limit of a full scholarship.

Th reason this has come up recently is due to the fact that Wesley Neighbors signed a letter of intent to play football at Alabama, he is the son of former Alabama player Wes Neighbors whose Freshman season was Coach Bryant’s final season at Alabama, and the Tide could potentially have 27 incoming players ready to enroll for the fall semester.

There have been countless questions regarding this situation and whether Wesley is eligible for the Bryant Scholarship, thus allowing the Tide to have 25 other incoming players.

And the answer to all that question is a resounding “yes”.

Wesley meets the criteria. He is the son of a player of played under Coach Bryant. Therefore he is eligible for the scholarship. Being eligible for it and taking advantage of it are two different things, and there is no guarantee that he will take advantage of it. He could simply be on a football scholarship from day 1 and count against both the 25 incoming limit and the 85 overall limit.

With Ivan Matchett reportedly qualifying, if either of Bama’s other two potential enrollees (Kerry Murphy or Devonta Bolton) also qualify, then Bama would need to find a way to squeeze 26 (or 27) people into 25 spots.

If the decision is made to do that by having Wesley Neighbors take advantage of the Bryant Scholarship, then the coaches have to be absolutely certain that he will not play for his first 2 years on campus. They also have to be prepared to have room to count him towards the 85 limit if he plays at any point in time after 2009.

This is not the only option available to Alabama, however, if there are 26 or 27 players eligible to enroll for the fall. Also from Chris King via the BamaMag.com article:

If a walk-on athlete pays his own way entirely and receives no institutional aid, it would not matter if he is deemed ‘recruited’ or ‘not recruited. This individual would have no impact on UA’s scholarship numbers.

There are a few members of Alabama’s 2008 signing class that come from affluent families, and there have been rumors circulating that at least one of these families has offered to take advantage of this NCAA rule. There is no proof of such offers, but because the option is available, it is prudent to mention it.

If Bolton & Murphy do both qualify, and all 27 of Bama’s eligible players then report for fall camp, then obviously one of these two avenues was taken. It is unlikely, however, that we will ever know which. Nick Saban is adamant about us knowing only what we need to know. And, while this makes for great conversation, there is not a need for us to know about the scholarship status of any student at the University of Alabama, football player or not.

So there you have it… that’s the skinny on the Bryant Scholarship and how it relates to not just this year’s team, but all teams in the future.

If you have not clicked through to the BamaMag.com article, you should. It is not premium content on their board, and there is a wealth of information available in it.