AU after the Spring
I thought Jeremy Johnson looked terrific in the AU spring game. The 6'5", 230 pound junior completed 14-of-22 passes for 252 yards and two TDs. Outstanding performance from a young man who looks like he'll be a real leader for the 2015 Tigers. Jeremy is the man. Sean White is coming along as his backup and early enrollee freshman Tyler Queen shows a lot of promise. Queen is 6'1", 241, has a good arm and can really run it. Like Jeremy's mobility as well. Jeremy looks like the complete package.
Roc Thomas looked outstanding as well. The 5'10", 203 pound running back from Oxford, Al. ran for 69 yards on 7 carries with a beautiful 36 yard TD run on the first team offenses' second drive and another four yard TD run. Really like what I'm seeing out of Roc. He's a stud. Jovon Robinson had his moments. The 6'0", 230 pound junior-junior college transfer has all the 5-star credentials. He didn't do as well as Roc, but he's got a chance to be good. I thought Peyton Barber was really good at running back. Peyton ran for 46 yards on nine carries. If I had a depth chart right now, I'd put Roc as first team, Peyton as his first backup and then Robinson. Auburn also has 98 rated four-star Kerryon Johnson from Madison, Al. coming in, and I watched some film on Kerryon and he looks like a real stud. AU is good at running back. Always need to stay healthy, but looks good right now. The receivers need to keep developing. Duke Williams is back and should have a big year. He struggles with some drops every now and then, but he's a playmaker. Ricardo Louis will add game breaking ability and some jet sweep opportunities much like Onterio McCalebb did a couple of years back. Marcus Davis (not big, 5'9", 180, but looks pretty sure handed), Melvin Ray (6'3", 215, Myron Burton (6'2", 201) and Jimmie Stoudemire (6'3", 192) look to have pretty good potential. Jaylon Denson (6'3", 218) will be back from injury and he's talented. Kamryn Pettway (6"0", 242) looks like a good player at fullback/H-back. Didn't see much from the tight ends. C.J. Uzomah is gone, so there needs to be a couple of replacements. That hasn't really been determined from what I saw. O line looks stout Robert Leff at center, Braden Smith a left guard and Shon Coleman at left tackle all look like beasts. Devonte Danzey at right guard and Avery Young at right tackle look pretty tough too. Alex Kozan, the awesome guard, will be back for the fall. He will really solidify the line and make this what could be a very dominating group. There is quite a bit of depth.
So the offense looks ready to go.
Will Muschamp has brought energy to the defense and he has good players on his side of the ball. With Carl Lawson (6'2", 257) coming back from injury and joining Montravius Adams (6'4", 296) and Elijah Daniel (6'2", 282) up front and with the depth there, the d line should be very good. I like Gimel President (6'4", 263) up front, too. Kris Frost (6'2", 240) and Casanova McKinzy (6'3", 253) return at linebackers along with Cameron Toney (6'1", 243). The front seven should be stout. There is pretty good depth at linebacker. Ready to see high high four star (Rivals) and five star (247 sports) Tre' Williams be a player for the Tigers at linebacker this season. Williams will be a sophomore and he was highly touted coming out of St. Paul's in Mobile. I also like Justin Garrett (6'1", 238) to make his mark at linebacker this year. There will need to be some guys step up for more depth, but that group of players looks pretty stellar. It's the back end that has Muschamp concerned somewhat, but there are good players. I love Jonathan "Rudy" Ford at safety. Tray Matthews, the young man who couldn't make it at Georgia due to discipline reasons, looks like he has pretty good talent at safety alongside Ford. Jonathan Jones and Joshua Holsey could be the starters at the corners, but there are some young guys and freshmen coming in who could challenge them. Daniel Carlson is back to kick this year, and he could punt, though Kevin Phillips looks like he has a pretty good leg for punting if Gus wants to use Carlson just as a kicker. Kicking game looks pretty good. I can see Ricardo Louis and Rudy Ford returning kicks, but it was hard to tell since they didn't play the return game live. Louis or Ford could return punts as well.
Overall, I like this AU football team. They can be very good if the defense can produce under Muschamp. The offense looks excellent, and there are a lot of good players on defense, so with an aggressive, attacking, playmaking coach, this defense could be vastly improved.
Schedule:
The Tigers open with Louisville in what is a pivotal game right off the bat. Will be a tough one in Atlanta at the Chick fil-A Kickoff Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5th, with the TV and time to be determined. Then Auburn comes home Sept. 12 to play Jax State, then the Tigers go for a colossal matchup with LSU at Death Valley on Sept. 19th. The next week, Sept. 26th, AU faces Dak Prescott and Mississippi State at home, then San Jose State plays at Auburn on Oct. 3rd. After a week off, the Tigers then travel to Kentucky for a Thursday night game on Oct. 15th, most likely on ESPN, in what could be a little bit of a tricky game, then the Tigers are at Arkansas, Oct. 24, in what should be quite a game, but one I can see the Tigers pulling out. Then AU plays Ole Miss at home on Oct. 31st. Should be interesting, but Ole Miss is trying to figure out their quarterback situation, so AU should have the advantage. At A&M on Nov. 7th, will be tough. Doable, but tough. John Chavis has taken over the Aggie defense, so they'll be better on D, and they will have a fine offense with gunslinger Kyle Allen at the helm at qb. So that's one that could be tricky. Then the Dawgs come to the Plains for another epic on Nov. 14th. The Dawgs should be very good with Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, but they'll have a first year starter at quarterback. I see them coming out of the East though. AU will be challenged here, but the home field will really help. The Tigers then host Idaho on Nov. 21st, then the Crimson Tide comes in for the Iron Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 28th in what very well could be a game that has SEC West-Championship implications and playoff implications. Should be another blockbuster Iron Bowl.
I see the Tigers having a very good season with 10, 11 wins and maybe even better depending on health. The defense is the key, and I see Auburn making major improvement under Muschamp. The defense looked a lot more aggressive in the spring, harder hitting and more opportunistic. That was a great move by Gus to hire Muschamp. He could be a difference maker for the Tigers this season because the offense is going to be prolific. They'll have to stay healthy for the most part, as all teams do, but there is full stable of talent on both sides of the ball. The SEC championship and a playoff berth are certainly possibilities. Should be an electric season for the Tigers in 2015.
More thoughts on the Crimson Tide after Spring
I didn't mention some of the top defensive players for the Tide coming out of the spring. Reggie Ragland (6'2", 252) is a certified hoss. He'll be awesome at linebacker. Ruben Foster (6'1", 240) is a headhunter linebacker for the Tide. Dillon Lee (6'4", 242) looks excellent and another play maker at linebacker. Almost a game changer type of player. Up front A'Shawn Robinson (6'4", 312) and Jarran Reed (6'4", 3130 look dominating in the middle of the line. Defensive end Jonathan Allen (6'3", 272) could have an All-American year. Wow, he's physical. Can really lay the hammer down. I'm also expecting big things from d end Da'Shawn Hand (6'4", 273) and Rashaan Evans (6'3", 225). Denzel Deval (6'2", 252) will be back at linebacker. There is good depth, as much as can be for an 85 player limit, but there are a lot of very good football players for the Crimson Tide on defense. The secondary will be interesting to see who starts. Marlon Humphrey looks like he's ready to step in as the starting corner. Tony Brown was highly touted as was Humphrey (both 5 stars) and both should be huge playmakers in the secondary. Bradley Sylve should help at corner. Eddie Jackson is one starting safety and when Geno Smith gets it together he may be the other safety. Cyrus Jones is having a discipline issue stemming from his assault of a woman in Tuscaloosa. He broke the girls cell phone and threatened her, so not sure what's going to happen there. He didn't touch her, but with the heightened awareness of assault on women, there could be some pressure on Saban to keep him out of the lineup for a while.
But all in all, the defense has the makings of an excellent outfit. They had six interceptions in the spring game, so not only are they hard hitting and aggressive, they have playmakers.
The question surrounding the program right now is what will happen if the Tide gets Braxton Miller to come to Tuscaloosa? I've talked to two people I trust. A friend of mine, who's a big supporter of the team, said he doesn't like it. He thinks it would be a bad message to the rest of the quarterbacks and recruits showing them that they can't earn the job if there is somebody else out there willing to transfer. My wife, who is also a huge fan, graduate and MBA graduate of Tuscaloosa, said maybe it's a bad message, but Bama would take him if he decided to come.
From an objective point of view, I agree with my wife. While some may say that Braxton may not work for Lane Kiffin's system, Blake Sims was a very similar quarterback as Braxton, and Blake was prolific for most all of the season last year. The Tide made it to the playoff and if it wasn't for a red hot Ohio State team, could have won their fourth national title in seven years. So Miller would be a take if he's available and wants to come to Tuscaloosa. Jake Coker shows promise, so does Blake Barnett and David Cornwell, but I think Miller would be a step up at this point over all three of them. He's pretty awesome and would make this offense even more electric. Really like the oline led by Ryan Kelly (6'5", 300) at center and Cam Robinson (6'6", 326) at left tackle. Should be a stellar group. Love the running backs. Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake should be awesome. Early enrollee DeSharrius Flowers and stud incoming freshman Damien Harris will be an epic running back for the Tide, if not this season, in the future. But I see Harris making a mark this season.
Another SEC Championship and national title opportunity is definitely attainable for the 2015 Crimson Tide.
As for the draft, Amari Cooper should go top 10. I saw a guy project him to the Chicago Bears last night as the eighth pick. Jay Cutler needs all the lifelines he can get and Amari would certainly give him a shot to achieve something better than 8-8. Cutler is on the hot seat and Amari could definitely get him out of hot water. The Bears have a new head coach in the veteran John Fox. Fox is good. Adam Gase, who was Peyton's offensive coordinator at Denver the last two years, takes over the offense. Amari could shine in Gase's offense. The Bears will need to get better on defense and they hired former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is outstanding and likes the physical, dominating defenses. This could be a very good place for Amari if Cutler can get it done. This may be his last shot with the Bears.
Landon Collins was projected by the guy I read last night to go at number 20 with the Eagles. That would be a good place for Landon, too. Chip Kelly has assembled some very talented pieces on offense and his defense should be a lot better than last year. This could be an opportunity for Landon to start. T.J. Yeldon could be a mid- to-high second or a third. T.J. can be an effective running back in the NFL if he can stay healthy, which is hard to do playing running back in the National Football League. DeAndrew White could get a shot. Certainly a good player. Jalston Fowler could be a good player in the NFL. Fullbacks are still important and Jalston with his physical blocking ability, his good running ability and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, could be a real asset for a team. Some others like Austin Shepherd, Trey DePriest, Christion Jones and Xzavier Dickson should get a shot if not drafted, as free agents. Auburn will have Reese Dismukes, who looks like a mid-round pick and Sammie Coates, a late second or early third round possibility in the mix to make their mark in the NFL.
WGC-Cadillac Match Play
Being played at Harding Park in San Francisco. I'm going with Jordan Spieth over Rory. Should be a stellar heavyweight fight between the two best players in the world, but I like Jordan's overall game a little better than Rory's. Jordan is such an exceptional putter that I believe that will be the key at the end. You have to keep it in the fairway off the tee, and Rory can be a little bit wild with his driver. Jordan can too, but I like his recovery ability a little better than Rory's and he has a decided advantage with his putter.
Spieth over McIlroy
In what should be a total classic on Sunday.
The 141st Kentucky Derby
Going with American Pharoah to get it done at the Derby. American Pharaoh is a 5-2 favorite. AP has won four races in a row. Like the strength to continue at the 1 1/4 mile Churchill Downs track. But 3-1 Dortmund will be a factor. Trainer Bob Baffert trains both horses. Like Pharaoh to edge out Dortmund and give Egyptian Ahmed Zayat his first Derby title after some near misses over the past several years.
Winner: American Pharaoh
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao
I'm going to take Manny Pacquiao in this one over Floyd. Floyd is 47-0 and Manny is 57-5-2, but I like his aggressive, punching style over Floyd's defensive style. It's going to be a heckuva fight. I haven't been this excited about a fight since the 1975 "Thrilla in Manilla" between Frazier and Ali. This will be a classic. 9 PM ET/8 PM CT on pay per view. A little bit costly at $99, but I think it's worth it. Like it to go the distance and Manny to outlast Floyd. If there is a knockout, it'll be Manny in the seventh or eighth. As long as this thing isn't rigged, I like the Filipino, Pacquiao to capture the Wealterweight crown and win this "Fight of the Century." Will be phenomenal.
Winner: Manny Pacquiao