ESPN.com presents Alabama Crimson Tide http://espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/ 60 en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:10:21 webmaster@espn.go.com http://assets.espn.go.com/i/espn/teamlogos/lrg/trans/espn_dotcom_black.gif 110 110 JACKSON, Miss. -- ESPN 150 offensive lineman Rod Taylor (Jackson, Miss./Calloway) has been camping at Alabama for years. He made a name for himself in Tuscaloosa when he was a freshman. Over the weekend, it didn’t matter that he was the nation’s No. 2 guard. He still went out and competed at the Crimson Tide’s OL/DL camp. “It was good,” he said. “There was some good competition up there. It wasn’t like a normal camp.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14286 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:56:02 EDT 14286 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- If you're an Alabama fan still basking in the glory of consecutive BCS National Championships, take a second to forget the here and now. You should be well acquainted with that line of thinking, thanks to UA head coach Nick Saban and his borderline obsession with avoiding all talk of the past, but in case you aren't, pay attention. Rather than revel in yesterday's success, let's take a look forward at ESPN's Future Power Rankings, which has Alabama ranked No.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14170 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:36:32 EDT 14170 Editor's note: The season is nearly upon us and TideNation is taking steps to get you ready for every one of Alabama's regular-season opponents. Every Tuesday and Thursday we'll go through each week of the Crimson Tide's schedule, starting with the season-opener against Virginia Tech and closing with the finale against Auburn. The rundown Virginia Tech Hokies 2012 overall record: 7-6 2012 ACC record: 4-4 Record all time against Alabama: 11-1 Last meeting: Alabama 34, Virginia Tech 24 in 2009 Starters returning Offense: 6; Defense: 9; Kicker/punter: 2 Top returners CB Kyle Fuller, DE James Gayle, LB Jack Tyler, QB Logan Thomas Key losses WR Marcus Davis, OT Vinston Painter, LB Bruce Taylor, LB Alonzo Tweedy 2012 statistical leaders (*returners) Rushing: Thomas* (524 yards) Passing: Thomas* (2,967 yards) Receiving: Davis (953 yards) Tackles: Tyler* (119) Sacks: Taylor (5.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14172 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:36 EDT 14172 During the summer, TideNation will analyze each of the scholarship players on the Alabama roster -- excluding the Tide's 2013 recruiting class -- in our Crimson Countdown series. Starting with No. 1 Dee Hart, we will go through the roster numerically, finishing with No. 99 Brandon Ivory. No. 29 Cody Mandell Senior punter Expectations for 2013: This coming season will mark the fourth and final turn as Alabama's starting punter for Mandell, who has held the job ever since walking on as a freshman in 2010.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14234 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:00:18 EDT 14234 The new ESPN 300 rankings came out Monday, and to go with the them, we looked at the top remaining Alabama targets and ranked the top 10 based on who's most likely to commit to the Crimson Tide. 1. ATH Ronnie Clark (Calera, Ala./Calera) 6-foot-3, 210 pounds ESPN 300 rank: 96 Why they want him: Clark always has been one of the top athletes in the state, but Alabama didn't know where to put him. At camp, he found a home at safety and answered any questions the Tide had about whether or not they should take him.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14271 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:00:27 EDT 14271 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- There's a list somewhere inside the walls of the University of Alabama athletic offices with names on it, some we could guess and some that would surely surprise us. In the event that a coaching hire becomes necessary, the list is brought out as a rough outline of prospective candidates for the job. Every athletic department has the same piece of paper with coaches' names on it, and Alabama is no different. "We keep a good list of what happens if a truck hits somebody," UA athletic director Bill Battle quipped on Monday morning, "because you never know when you're going to need to hire somebody.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14256 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:30:47 EDT 14256 Since an outstanding performance at the Memphis NFTC, center J.C. Hassenauer (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) has been considered one of the most under-recruited prospects in the country. Only Minnesota and Vanderbilt offered. Then Hassenauer camped at Alabama, and word got out that the Tide loved what they saw and offered. Now, the under-the-radar lineman is an Alabama commitment. The three-star center and his father both confirmed the commitment to ESPN.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14268 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:53:43 EDT 14268 We're in the dog days of the offseason, where every little comment or development gets overanalyzed or takes on a life of its own. So why not overanalyze some comments Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman made in jest at the Brazos County A&M Club Coach's Night, an alumni event on Thursday night on campus? He made a joke that went like this, according to the San Antonio Express-News: “What do the moon and Texas A&M have in common?]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post/_/id/14231/blog-debate-texas-am-owns-alabama Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:41:28 EDT 14231 It should come as no surprise that the University of Alabama’s 2014 recruiting class is littered with recruits in both the ESPN 150 and the new ESPN 300 rankings as the Crimson Tide are coming off back-to-back national championships. But the class received its biggest boost yet with a pair of commitments over the weekend. It started Friday when Alabama finally made a decision on the quarterback position and took a commitment from ESPN 150 prospect David Cornwell (Norman, Okla.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14219 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:50:43 EDT 14219 During the summer, TideNation will analyze each of the scholarship players on the Alabama roster -- excluding the Tide's 2013 recruiting class -- in our Crimson Countdown series. Starting with No. 1 Dee Hart, we will go through the roster numerically, finishing with No. 99 Brandon Ivory. No. 27 Nick Perry Senior safety Expectations for 2013: It's now or never for Perry, who has spent his career primarily as a backup and utility player on defense.]]> http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=14134 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:00:53 EDT 14134