It didn't take long. Amari Cooper, this past season's star wide receiver for the University of Alabama, was the fourth pick in the first round of the NFL draft. Coop was selected by the Oakland Raiders. Cooper is Alabama's 17th first-round pick since 2009. Next closest is the Florida Gators with eight.
The 6'1" 211-pound Cooper is the Crimson Tide's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, as well as receiving touchdowns. He was also the 2014 Biletnikoff Award winner.
It's evident Coop was clutch in the big games, averaging 127.4 yards per game in eight Iron Bowls, SEC Championships, and post-season bowl games.
Cooper tweeted last night, "@TideNFL, I'm completely excited to join the #Raiders Silver and Black. Ready to go!#OurColors #Spon"
One person not taken in round one, surprising many, was former Alabama safety Landon Collins.
Collins was projected to go as high as 13th in round one, but was left sitting in the green room last night awaiting his name to be called. Round two begins tonight and Collins is projected as the second-best player in tonight's rotation.
In an interview on Sirius XM radio on Thursday, Alabama head football coach Nick Saban said, "I see this happen just about every year in the draft where there's something that gets put out there about somebody and it spreads like wildfire through every team as if they know something that we don't know. The bottom line is that's why guys get drafted high and they're not very good and other guys that are really, really good like Landon Collins ― who has been very productive, has great speed, great size, very physical player, has very good ball skills, can play in the really deep part of the field, for a safety he's a good man-to-man player and can match up on some people because of his size and speed."
Collins, 6'0", 228 pounds, led the Crimson Tide with 103 tackles as a junior last season with 4.5 tackles for a loss and three interceptions, which was tying for a team-high.
The big man was also selected second-team All-SEC as a sophomore in 2013 after recording 70 tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles while making nine starts. He was a core special teams player throughout his college career, Collins posted a team-high 10 special teams tackles as a sophomore.
"I can't for the life of me think why he would slide in the draft," Saban said. "He's a fine person. He has no character issues. He's played on some really good defensive teams and has been a great leader, so I don't get it, but I don't know all that goes on there. Sometimes when you get all the information and it is what it is, and people ought to go with that rather than trying to read something into something that really isn't there."
So tonight we wait and see. Pulling for Collins to go quickly and looking forward to seeing him, and Coop, playing in the NFL this next season.
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Baseball
It was a tough Thursday evening for Alabama baseball. The Crimson Tide dropped the game 5-1 to 23rd-ranked Arkansas in the series opener inside the Hoover Met. With the loss, the Crimson Tide moves to 23-22 on the season and 8-14 in conference play.
"We had some opportunities; we had three or four innings with some chances there," said Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard. "Their pitchers were really good, but we have got to find a way to get our offense on track. We came to win a series, so we have to come back out tomorrow and move past this game."
Alabama had eight of the nine starters picking up one hit on the evening, but the offense was unable to put them together at key points in the game. Kyle Overstreet claimed the team's lone RBI on his 10th double of the season, with Mikey White scoring the lone Alabama run.
Taylor Guilbeau pitched 7.0 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, but kept the Crimson Tide in the game all evening. The senior lefty tossed a season-high tying 106 pitches, which he also tossed on March 6 in the game against Lipscomb.
"I thought Guilbeau gave us a real chance tonight," Gaspard said of his senior starter. "He threw the ball really well and kept us in the game."
Alabama and Arkansas will meet for game two of the series tonight at 6 PM CDT on the SEC Network once again. The Tide will send freshman right-hander Jake Walters to the mound. The Hogs will counter with sophomore right-hander Dominic Taccolini.
Thanks to rolltide.com
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Football Recruiting And Commits
Deonte Brown, a four-star guard from Decatur, Alabama (Austin), has committed to Alabama. Brown tweeted his decision. He becomes the seventh commitment for the 2016 class. In his tweets Brown said, " Yesss fully committed..RTR" and then "Bama bound."
It is the second pick-up in as many weeks for new defensive backs coach Mel Tucker. Earlier Tucker was able to add Chris Owens from Arlington, Texas (Lamar).
Brown is rated as a top ten guard in the class of 2016 and a top 200 overall player in the country. Brown stands at 6'3" and weighs in at 350 pounds. Many believe him to be an Auburn lean.
In other football recruiting news, Elijah Holyfield, son of former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, picked up an offer from Alabama on Thursday night. He is a four-star prospect from Atlanta, Georgia, attending Woodward Academy, and is one of the top ten running backs for 2016. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound back now has over 30 offers, including Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, and USC.
The Crimson Tide have also offered Anthony McFarland Jr., a 2017 five-star running back from Hyattsville, Maryland attending DeMatha Catholic. McFarland, a 5-foot-9, 181-pound prospect, is rated the No. 2 running back in the country behind Alabama commit Najee Harris. He holds offers from Clemson, Georgia, and Michigan, among others. Florida State currently seems to be in the lead for his services.
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Basketball Recruiting
The University of Alabama basketball program snagged a 2015 walk on. He is Lawson Schaffer, a point guard from Cullman, Alabama.
Schaffer commented, "When I got down there last Thursday, it felt like home. I was able to talk to the coaches and players and it just felt really comfortable, and I knew this was the school for me."
Shaffer was happy to have made his decision and shared the "why" with us, "To be honest, the players. As a walk-on you want to go somewhere the guys are rooting for you to do good, and who respect you as a basketball player." He said the Bama players did just that.
Schaffer had offers from several Division II schools.
As a senior, Schaffer averaged 21.4 points and 7.7 assists per game.
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