The SEC Media Days are one of college football’s most anticipated off-the-field events. Football-deprived fans and media come to listen to all head coaches and three key players on why their team will win the SEC in 2022. The Alabama Crimson Tide was one of the most highly anticipated teams in media days due to their elite status as a college football team. Head coach Nick Saban, quarterback Bryce Young, outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr., and safety Jordan Battle addressed the challenges of overcoming a disappointing loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Saban and his players indicated they are ready for a big rebound season in 2022, similar to past seasons. Here are the main storylines from Alabama in SEC Media Days.
Storylines from the Alabama Crimson Tide in SEC Media Days
Bryce Young and Will Anderson Start Revenge Tour
The Crimson Tide has been on four legitimate revenge tours in a season (2009, 2015, 2017, and 2020). Each one of them, Alabama suffered a setback the season before, only to come up with a mentality for revenge and win the National Championship. Young and Will Anderson indicated they were unhappy with last season despite getting to the championship game and getting key individual awards like the Heisman Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Award. Three of the four games where Anderson did not account for a sack were in the 31-29 win over Florida, the loss to Texas A&M, and the National Championship loss to Georgia. Anderson is even more determined to bring his all onto the field. That is bad news for the entire college football nation.
Alabama Gets Richer With NIL and Recruiting
One of the biggest topics of the SEC Media Days was the NIL deals that surface around college football. This is a right that the players can utilize while the NCAA avoids paying players again. Saban said his players accumulated $3 million in NIL deals throughout a season. The addition of NIL deals has been highly successful for Alabama as it is an extra incentive to get more recruits. Alabama pulled an impressive recruiting process this week as they got two key recruits on Wednesday. Conor Talty is a consistent kicker from Chicago, while Martavious Collins is a four-star tight end from Georgia. On Friday, the Tide got a key commitment from four-star offensive tackle Olaus Alinen from Windsor, Connecticut. He chose Alabama over Ohio State and Georgia.
Alabama Remains in the Heads of Opponents
One constant aspect of being the best team in college football is being in the minds of their opponents. Coach Saban and his Tide were constantly being talked about. Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin talked about Saban and their admiration for him while taking some of the same coaching philosophies into their teams. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart talked about his professional and personal relationship, as always, with Saban. Even Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher talked about Saban and his team positively, despite being at odds.
When Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson was asked about Alabama, one key aspect was that their 42-35 loss in Tuscaloosa brought him and the team confidence. The Razorbacks were one of five teams who faced Alabama and made it a one-possession game. Jefferson said the game gave him and the team confidence in their ability to execute their plays and preparation. The Razorbacks got better this season as they look to create even louder noise in the SEC.
