It’s your time to shine, Xavier Griffin.
Rejoice, for this is the day that we Gump! Not much news out of ‘Bama land, but as always, I scrounged up what I could, and found some other happenings across the college sports landscape.
Lets’s talk about it.
And we begin with the neverending shitshow of the PCSA, where the Senate at least is pretending to earn their taxpayer dollars and platinum perks:
The House meanwhile has no plans to cut short their final month of free vacation, and even if it were gaveled into session, attendance would likely be poor and may not even constitute a quorum.
Helluva job, if you can get it. I’ve all-but give up hope that anything gets done before Nov 2nd’s election, and even then the House is a crapshoot. While the Senate may change hands, the House GOP assembly is staring at an electoral bloodbath, with perhaps as many as 60 seats lost, on top of the 34 retirements they’ve already faced. We’ll be looking at a very different Congress in 2027, so if it is going to get done, it needs to in the two months before swearing-in of the Freshman class of taxpayer leeches.
Just when ‘Bama needed all the pass rushing depth it could get, the Tide loses two critical backups at an already thin position of need. Ugh.
Zulu had been quietly very effective holding down the running game, and Justin Hill has had excellent flashes all season of his pass rushing chops.
UPDATE: We know a bit more about their injuries, and at least for Hill, it ain’t the greatest news, and that makes four members of ‘Bama’s thin front seven even thinner, with four players gone already, and one for the season.
It’s next man up in Tuscaloosa, but there simply aren’t experienced hands to turn to: It’s going to be up to the newbs to show us what they can do to contain one of CFB’s most explosive players.
Yhonzae Pierre will shoulder a bigger burden for Alabama with Hill out at Wolf. Seventh-year senior Jah-Marien Latham will see an increased workload, too. But the spotlight will officially be on a 5-star freshman who has been waiting for his big opportunity.
The time is now for Xavier Griffin.
Xavier Griffin will have a major opportunity for Alabama against South Carolina
Griffin has seen some defensive snaps each week, but this weekend should bring the most consistent reps he’s seen yet. He was one of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class and is a player that Alabama is high on. They were bringing him along slowly, but that’s no longer an option with Hill and Umeozulu banged up.
Griffin has a major opportunity with those two out. Not just this week, but both will almost certainly miss multiple games.
Griffin has split time between the on- and off-ball linebacker spots. He’s been a backup at both. Griffin is expected to eventually play a Jihaad Campbell-like role in Wommack’s defense down the line. Against South Carolina, he should see consistent work off-ball. His athleticism could be useful against Sellers.
Katie Windham over at SI has her (as always) excellent “Storylines” piece up on things to watch in this week’s South Carolina game, including one I’m sure we’re all concerned about:
Can the Tide limit explosive plays by South Carolina WR Nyck Harbor?
At 6-5, 239 pounds, Nyck Harbor is a dangerous weapon for the Gamecocks offense, and he has burned the Alabama defense with big plays in each of the last two seasons. Harbor only had one catch last season in the loss to the Tide, but it went for 54 yards and a touchdown on South Carolina’s first play from scrimmage in the second half. In 2024, Harbor had two catches for 40 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that gave the Gamecocks a chance to win.
The Crimson Tide is coming off a game where it allowed 10 explosive pass plays of 15 yards or more, and getting that fixed has been a major point of emphasis for the Alabama defense this week.
“So a lot of things in the passing game that we obviously need to clean up: we gave up nine explosives there,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. “None of them were MAs [missed assignments.] They were all either fundamental execution errors or guys simply not doing what is asked of them within the structure of the defense. So those are things that our guys— I have great confidence in our players. I have great confidence in our coaches. We are in this together to get those things cleaned up, and I would imagine we will get those things fixed quickly.”
Harbor’s big-play ability could be a big factor in South Carolina finding the end zone against the Alabama defense. Crimson Tide safety Keon Sabb called Harbor a “talented” player.
People love the Lane Kiffin psychodrama, but I find Will Wade getting paid $4m a year to destroy LSU basketball infinitely more amusing. What an utter clown this guy has always been. But his latest monstrosity is proving that without those paychecks, he’s little more than a sweaty mediocrity.
The more he talks, the worse it sounds: “I want to cheat” takes up a lot fewer words, bruh. Can’t wait to see these bozos field a historically bad team this season. Evan Miya puts it more starkly too, echoing what I was saying yesterday about how bad the eligible roster is in Baton Rouge:
Grab the popcorn. Or tar heroin. I’m not one to judge.
Sports Illustrated is rethinking its preseason evaluations of Keelon Russell, and has now moved him into CFB’s Top 12 signal callers. And that feels about right when you look across the country. And he’s only going to get better. And now he has AK Dear and Noah Rogers to add to the arsenal.
Keelon Russell, Alabama
Preseason rank: 30
Not predicting a breakout from Russell, when Ty Simpson burst onto the scene in 2025 under Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb, feels like a miscalculation. But I don’t think anyone could have predicted how instant of an impact the redshirt freshman would make. He torched Florida State for 376 total yards and four scores, including a breakaway 57-yard touchdown run at a pivotal time in the third quarter. Russell already seemed to have had his first-year moment, when he had three turnovers in the first half against Kentucky. Since then, as a passer: 29 for 40 (72.5%), 395 yards, four touchdowns and zero turnovers.
Meanwhile ‘Barn alumnus and friend of the site, Cole Cubelic, has had a crush on the Alabama offensive line this season under Coach Klemm (KLEMM IS HIM), but now he’s enamored of a unit we’ve all been hyping since the scrimmages: a deep, nasty Alabama tight end corps that loves to put people on their ass:
“What they did a little bit later in the game was find where their tracks needed to be, had a better idea what was going to go where. That’s where those iPads are huge on the field because you see how they’re playing it, and then went to some more zone stuff, some more just get north and south, try to hit things quick, and I think it paid off for them. I thought Keelon Russell was a little shaky early, but he settled in, and then started to operate the offense the way it needs to be of hitting your checkdowns. Don’t try to take everything. Being patient in the pocket. Don’t leave too early. (I) thought the offensive line was physical. The tight end room, man. The tight end room is unbelievable right now. Like this Alabama tight end room probably needs a little more pub. We knew Josh Ford was going to be great. He had a couple big blocks down the field where he’s peeling off and taking guys and just giving you extra contract. Kaleb Edwards has been the guy, but Kaleb Edwards is the one. Marshall Pritchett has had a good year as well, but Kaleb Edwards is the one that keeps wowing me, making things happen, adding extra physicality to this Alabama offensive line.”
His complete interview is up over at 247/Rivals, and as always, Cole is worth reading.
And, finally, your moment of levity. And, I must confess, I’m feeling personally attacked on this one.
Alright, that it for now: if you’ve not noticed, we rolled out about a dozen changes, QOL improvements, and other site enhancements for you last night. Check out the full list here…including GIFs built right into the comment section! (Yes, we had to pay for that, but you’re worth it, dammit).
We’ll be back later today with our preview of the South Carolina-Alabama game, but it may be up a bit late. I have yet another doctor appointment in a bit: TL/DR — Chemo wrecks your bone marrow, which in turn kills your white blood cells. I have to take a medicine to tell my bone marrow to produce T-Cells so that I can have an immune system. So, yeah, I can’t scive off on this visit. It’s a bit important.
But I swear it will be worth the wait! Until then, check out the new features, leave a comment, test out your blog on your profile page. Go nuts. We built this for you. Take care, and as always thanks for reading. We really appreciate your time.
Roll Tide
Time moves forward, and nothing changes.
Welp, as you said, next man up. Let’s hope he’s ready to party Saturday.
More YOLO balls. @Just what the doctor ordered.@
Fly patterns are about all Harbor is good at. Great hands, size, speed — stiff as shit in the hips and cannot run routes.
this might actually be a good game to for Dijon Lee to learn man coverage. Duce Robinson was always going to eat his ass alive, we just didn’t know that badly.
Harbor seems much more of his skill level for the moment.
Does Lee have the speed to keep up with him? If not, I’d put Zabien on him. Comparable height/length doesn’t matter if the DB can’t keep up.
He doesn’t have the speed, no. You definitely give him some safety help back there. But winning those first 10 or 15 yards are the most important in man coverage, and that’s where he needs to learn the most.
Bro, this place looks amazing, you and Ike have kicked major ass on all of this!
Appreciate it man. Isaac and I have worked quite a bit on this, particularly Isaac on the comment section. And the profile changes were all him
I have to confess: Cole Cubelic is my favorite barner. He’s the exception that proves several rules. Plus, it’s been 25+ years since he went to Auburn, and it’s not like he went to Tennessee.
Sadly, Cole is more of a Gump than McElroy.
He’s one of the very best CFB commentators out there. He knows his shit and he never fanboys. I usually forget he even went to Auburn. I just know that what he has to say is usually worth listening to.
You’ve really classied up the joint. Hopefully we break it in with a workman like win this weekend.
Thanks, man. I’ve been working on it nonstop for four months or so. And once Ike got some time, he’s been a fiend the last several weeks. Melissa on the backend has been a tremendous help paying bills, balancing the books and juggling licenses and vendors.
I was very serious about building a competitor space that had not been sanitized by corporate moderation and advertiser demands.
We get p. good traffic now. And it’s better every day — we’re only going to improve and expand. I appreciate everyone who gives us a click, a comment, or a read.