Greg Byrne is cutting large checks for all the right reasons
Rejoice, for this is the day that we Gump.
ICYMI, last night I posted a sneak peek at the new site. It’s still in its rougher draft stages, but is coming along quite nicely. Take a look:
For more images of the new digs, a very sincere thank you — as well as donation links, because I ain’t shy anymore — here ya’ go:
Another day, another G-League player entering the NCAA ranks, and another smattering of hypocrisy from both the NCAA — who, to date, has only gone after Bediako — and coaches who ran their mouths about what kind of an unprecedented evil his playing represented.
Today’s entry into the hall of shame is none other than Bigmouth Bucky, the upjumped Mountain Brook weasel who inked his own G-Leaguer yesterday. Funny. Seems like it was less than two months ago when he had this to say:
Really good story here by Rodak on what happened to Alabama’s offensive line. His conclusion is a simple lack of talent, especially in the age of transfers. But he makes a fairly compelling case for it — it has been a recruiting dysfunction on the front end, and on the backend, ‘Bama is striking out over and over again in the Portal:
High school recruiting might have contributed to Alabama’s decline up front, but it hardly seems like the most significant factor. Alabama signed two the nation’s top three offensive linemen in 2021 in JC Latham and Tommy Brockermeyer, although the latter did not pan out. It signed two of the top 10 offensive linemen in 2022 in Elijah Pritchett and Tyler Booker. Alabama signed the nation’s top offensive lineman, Proctor, in 2023, and two of the top 14 in 2025 — Michael Carroll and Jackson Lloyd.
The outlier was the 2024 class, most of whom signed before Nick Saban’s retirement, that brought in Casey Poe (№158 overall), Sanders and Joseph Ionata.
The transfer portal has been the bigger problem for Alabama, both in who has left and who has arrived.
Alabama struck gold early in the portal era when it landed Dickerson in 2019, and he became an All-American and second-round NFL draft pick. In 2022, after transfer rules were loosened, Alabama found a starting left tackle in Vanderbilt’s Tyler Steen and he panned out as a third-round NFL draft pick and now NFL starter.
The Tide’s portal haul in 2024 and 2025 included Washington center Parker Brailsford, who will likely be a late-round draft pick next week, as well as Texas A&M guard Kam Dewberry and Michigan State guard Geno VanDeMark, who are not projected to be drafted. Naquil Betrand (Texas A&M) and Arkel Anugwom (Ball State) were also added but as depth options; Betrand did not stick with the team through October in 2024.
Besides Brailsford, who was rated by 247 Sports as the fifth-best lineman in the 2024 portal class, most of the top-available offensive linemen have gone elsewhere. None of the top 47 in 2025 were Alabama additions. None of the top 16 in 2026 joined Alabama, either.
The Tide’s top-rated offensive lineman it added from the portal, 17th-ranked Nick Brooks, was the second-team right tackle on A-Day while 20th-ranked Ty Haywood joined Alabama but was the third-team left tackle on A-Day. Potential starting right tackle Jayvin James, starting center Racin Delgatty, backup center Kaden Strayhorn and guard Ethan Fields were all lower-rated additions this offseason.
It’s hard to argue with that. But I would say it goes further, down to evaluation and picking up players who have the skills required to play the position; even DeBoer hasn’t been pleased with the fundamentals that guys are arriving with or that they’ve developed.
When you evaluate and sign busts, can’t sign players in the Portal, and the guys who are left are technically terrible and overweight, you have five different offensive coordinators in as many years, and that much bad position coaching? you get the Tide of the last several seasons. And it’s been hell.
This is well worth your time.
Speaking of poor fundamentals and the Portal: the effects of both are starting to show up in the NFL. Teams are having a hard time evaluating prospects — and many of the ones that they can wrap their arms around, they hate.
Why? Quitting is too easy now. The Portal and NIL is creating pampered headcases. Guys out than compete or undergo brutal conditioning. Lack of coaching continuity means skills are never developing, especially at offensive line and quarterback:
The portal also impacts players physically. A defensive line coach noted how players’ weight training suffers because coaches are “scared to train guys and push them too much” out of fear of them transferring.
“The players are not being trained in the weight room the way they used to be,” the coach said. “It’s development, building their foundation. We’re really not getting that anymore because so many guys are transferring around, going to two schools, three schools. Also, being scared to train guys and push them too much because they’ll get in the portal. They’re going to all these different places, and they don’t have a foundation with the fundamentals. We’re not getting the same developed foundation of guys that we were 10 years ago, even five years ago.”
One wide receivers coach in the NFL said, “These kids are clowns” when talking about transfers.
“With all these kids that transfer, what I’m finding out now is all this (transferring) is starting to affect the NFL because these kids are clowns,”
Many developments trickle-up from college to the pros and then get embraced by the NFL. But I suspect this is not one that the Shield wanted to go all-in on: an entire generation of twitter-addicted narcissistic pansies. Broadly speaking, that is.
Is Ty Simpson ready to be a starter? According to the GOAT, no, not yet:
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban is a fan of Ty Simpson, though he believes he’s more of a developmental project than a Day 1 starter given his limited starts (15) at the college level.
“I think maturity would be the word that I would say is important in the development of his game,” Saban said during a Wednesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think he can throw it well enough, I think he’s athletic enough. Decision-making, processing, drifting in the pocket — things that you can improve upon with experience. Because maturity is nothing more than making the right decision at the right time, and that comes with experience and repetition. He doesn’t have enough of that, but he will get it, and I think he’ll be a very good player. But he needs to go someplace where he has a chance to develop and not play right away. That’s just my opinion.”
Those are fair criticisms…though, it is Nick Saban, and he was famous for the first two decades of his career for mismanaging quarterbacks, so the source is worth a grain of salt as well.
As for Ty, the question is whether there is still room in the modern NFL for that sort of model. First round QBs aren’t drafted anymore with the expectation that they can play understudy for three seasons and learn the job. They’re expected to play sooner rather than later, and take their lumps before many of them even know the position.
Ty Simpson may have been a great R1 draft pick a decade ago. But if he’s not ready now, then do you still take a chance? Or do you fall back a bit, save some draft capital, and then get him in the 2nd or 3rd round as a player you bring along slowly? It’s a league desperate for arms, so we’ll find out very soon.
The University of Alabama was actually the most profitable athletic department in the SEC last year, pocketing almost $30 million after expenses. So, flush with cash, Greg Byrne did what any athletic director with hot commodities would do: He made generational commitments to Kalen DeBoer and Nate Oats in deals that outside business folks would look askance at.
Sure, Oats and KDB have leverage here, but Greg Byrne did more than cut checks. By acceding to such one-sided favorable deals, Alabama was warding off the rest of the market and making a long-term commitment to them — Oats and DeBoer, DeBoer and Oats. This is who we ride into battle with, and UA is serious about retaining them and giving them the resources they need, above and beyond a head coach salary.
And I have no problem with that whatsoever.
Witness me! To the Gates of Valhalla…or a 10–3 Citrus Bowl appearance
Hoops
Case in point: Nate Oats is now the 4th highest-paid coach in the country, earning an eye-watering $7.25 million a year. He’s been extended through 2032, and his buyout would chase off just about everyone who’s not an NBA franchise — FFS, he makes more than Tom Izzo now.
Last month we called for a lifetime contract; this just about does it.
“I am blessed and honored for the opportunity to continue as the head coach of the men’s basketball program at the University of Alabama,” Oats said. “President Mohler, Chancellor Trant, the entire Board of Trustees and our athletics director Greg Byrne have been tremendously supportive and provided us the resources to compete for championships each and every year. We have enjoyed tremendous success during our seven years at Alabama, and we look forward to building on that for many years to come.”
More impressive, is what he was able to do in order to keep his majordomo around, the heartbeat of Alabama’s recruiting program, Coach Preston Murphy who now earns a cool million a year and has doubled his salary in two seasons.
Football:
Kalen DeBoer also ran away with a Brinks truck and a beaucoup of cash and NIL commitments for his staff.
DeBoer’s contract will now run through Jan. 31, 2033. After the final approval, Alabama athletics released a statement from DeBoer.
“My family and I would like to thank the Board of Trustees, Chancellor (Sid) Trant, President (Peter) Mohler, Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, our athletics administration and football staff, this community and the University for their continued support of Alabama Football,” DeBoer said in the statement. “We are excited about the opportunity to continue our time in Tuscaloosa with this contract extension.
“This University has become a special place to us, and I look forward to working to ensure that Alabama football remains at the forefront of college football. This program has a long history of success and an unmatched tradition that I was eager to be a part of two years ago, and I cannot wait to keep coaching our guys and bring more championships to Alabama.”
At $12.5 million per year, he’s also earning Top 5 money. And, with a buyout hitting an ungodly $67.5 million, almost no competitor is going to even think about sneezing near Tuscaloosa. As for DeBoer? He not only got ery’one paid on his staff, it’s a ride-or-die contract: Fully guaranteed, with no duty to mitigate damages, and no duty to offset earnings. That should put a rest to the weekly hot seat articles, no?
I give Greg Byrne no end to grief, but I’ve always praised his aggression in retaining talented coaches. He knows when to pull the trigger and doesn’t flinch about writing checks. Byrne was at his best with these two extensions.
He better hope he was at any rate. With those buyouts, we’re stuck with them. LOL.
And, finally, your moment of levity. You have to hand it to Jimmy Carr here. There’s almost no way to navigate this heckle safely, and he made it through to the other side with flying colors, finding the only right answer to the question:
That’s all for this morning. You folks have a great day and take care.
Roll Tide
