7/23 Off Season Update
The 2008 season opener is rapidly approaching, and this year’s roster is starting to take shape. If you recall, we signed 32 players in last year’s class, but NCAA rules stipulate that only 25 scholarship players can report in a year, so that left us with 7 extra players that had to be accounted for. It now appears we know how it’s going to play out.
First, 2 signees, Corey Smith (P/K) and Chris Jackson (WR), graduated from high school early, which allowed them to report early and count against the 2007 class (which we didn’t fill). So that only left us with 5 too many players in our signing class. Unfortunately, this is where it gets painful, because losing any players from this phenomenal signing class has to hurt. Here are the 5 that didn’t make it.
1. Destin Hood (WR): Destin was taken in the second round of the MLB draft, and chose to go that route. I don’t consider this to be a huge loss, simply because I never expected him to come to Bama. He was always considered to be a future baseballer.
2. Melvin Ray (WR): This one hurts, because Ray is a top notch wide receiver. He went late in the draft (I think in the 39th
round), but still chose to go that route. Yes, we still have excellent receivers in this class, but Ray will be missed.
3. Kerry Murphy (DL): Murphy was originally signed in 2007, and went to Hargrave Military Academy to get his grades in order. We resigned him this year, but unfortunately, he still wasn’t able to qualify. Murphy is a great talent on the defensive line (and offensive line too from what I understand), and we could have really used him. I’m still hopeful that he’ll get things in order and make it here in 2009, but at this point, I just don’t know. Like Hood, I don’t consider him to be a huge loss because I never counted on him being here. But make no mistake; he would have been an excellent addition to this class.
4. Brandon Lewis (DL): Lewis not making his grades was somewhat of a surprise. He is a strong talent as a rush defensive end, and I really think that he would have seen playing time this year (not as a starter, but in the rotation). He’s off to JUCO, so we might see him again in 2010, but he will definitely be missed in this class.
5. Devonta Bolton (LB): Wow, I didn’t see this one coming. He was actually in my Top Ten list of signees (see previous blog on our Signing Day), and I thought he was going to be an excellent LB (though some folks thought he might be a WR). Yes, we still have some outstanding LBs coming in this year, but I was really hoping Bolton would be that heat-seeking missile we’ve needed coming from the outside. He’s off to JUCO too (he and Lewis have actually enrolled together), so maybe they’ll both come to the Capstone in the future. We’re rooting for you guys!
In addition, in case you haven’t heard, Ezekial Knight will not be returning for his senior year. He has a heart condition, and the medical staff has decided not to clear him to play this year. Knight is seeking his release so that he can play somewhere that will clear him. Hopefully he’ll be all right, and he knows what he’s doing in trying to play with his condition. From a football perspective, losing Knight is really tough. He was just starting to “get it” as a linebacker late last year, and I really felt he was ready for a breakout year. Losing him could cost us a game or two this year, especially considering our lack of experience at linebacker.
So those are the guys that we won’t have next year. But it’s not all bad news; some guys made it in that we didn’t expect, and they will definitely help our cause. I’ll have another blog in the near future detailing these guys. Until then, as always feel free to contact me with your questions or comments.
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