Jumbo Package: Who stood out at A Day?
· Yahoo Sports
Happy Monday, everyone. The softball team swept Auburn this weekend, leaving many to wonder if Auburn will ever again beat Alabama, at anything. Despite the sweep, the 39-3 ladies fell a spot and are now ranked 2nd in the nation behind an Oklahoma squad that took two of three from Texas over the weekend.
Things unfortunately didn’t go so well for the baseball team, as they were swept at home by 22nd-ranked Arkansas. They’ll undoubtedly fall out of the top ten and have a daunting trip to 2nd-ranked Texas on deck, but the rest of the schedule looks relatively manageable.
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Of course, all eyes were on the spring football game on Saturday. Well, metaphorically speaking anyway since it wasn’t streamed live and Bryant-Denny was only about 20% full. In any case, Luke Metz is one of the players who did well for himself.
Early on, the sophomore batted a pass away on third-and-2, coming untouched up the middle off a blitz.
Later, on first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Metz tackled running back Daniel Hill just shy of the goal line to prevent the touchdown.
Another highlight play for Metz: He combined with Justin Hill to tackle Kevin Riley for a four-yard loss. Metz burst up the middle to make it happen.
Caleb Woodson looks to have one inside linebacker spot secured, but Metz — who played mostly special teams last season — might be a top candidate for the other.
Linebacker is a position of concern with Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson gone. Cayden Jones and Duke Johnson are also in the mix, and both made some plays as well. That competition will likely come down to who makes the fewest mistakes in camp.
The offensive line rotated quite a bit and had an understandably uneven day. The competition will continue into the fall, but we got a glimpse of what the starting group may look like.
Alabama gave a clearer picture of what its offensive line could look like in 2026. With Jackson Lloyd at left tackle and Racin Delgatty at center, the Crimson Tide had Michael Carroll moved inside at right guard, a move that seems to be permanent and one that gives Jayvin James the chance for playing time at right tackle. Nick Brooks seems to be a candidate at both right guard and tackle. The biggest question remains at left guard with no certainty until William Sanders, the most experienced returner not named Carroll, is back healthy.
Left to right, it seems that Lloyd, Sanders, Delgatty, Carroll, James are the likely starters at this stage. Alabama brought in a ton of talent here through the transfer portal though, so all of them will have to fend off challengers.
Freshman Cederian Morgan broke out at wide receiver, but Ryan Coleman-Williams had himself a nice day as well.
Coleman-Williams has noticeably put on weight since last season. During the scrimmage, he made multiple plays, finishing with three catches for 59 yards.
He made catches in traffic. He made catches downfield.
Coleman-Williams also didn’t drop a pass.
“There has been a consistency, and I know people are always going to ask about catching the ball, and that is what I am talking about,” DeBoer said. “I am talking about the consistency there. Not making just the easy ones, making the hard ones as we have seen him get accustomed to.”
The way Keelon Russell was distributing the ball, it’s exciting to think about what he could do with Morgan and a fully functional Coleman-Williams. The running backs looked great catching the ball too, especially freshman Trae’shawn Brown.
Last, Nate Oats grabbed his first portal commitment of the offseason.
Garrison, who started his career at Oklahoma State, averaged 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in his second season in Lexington.
Standing at 6-foot-10 and weighing 245 pounds, Garrison brings some much-needed length to Alabama‘s frontcourt with Taylor Bol Bowen and Aiden Sherrell hitting the portal after taking the Crimson Tide to the Sweet 16.
In 247Sports’ transfer rankings, Garrison is rated a 4-star and is the No. 90 overall player in the class of 2026. The recruiting service also lists the Oklahoma City native as a center and ranks him 19th.
Garrison is athletic but a bit underwhelming if he’s counted on to be “the guy” at center. Hopefully that isn’t the case.
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.