Alabama & Fresno State To Meet
It's official. The "rumor" of the match-up between Alabama and Fresno State to play a non-conference football game has been confirmed by the University of Alabama. The announcement came yesterday.
The two have agreed to play on Saturday, September 9, 2017 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. It will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Fresno State has come on hard times as of late. Last season they limped along to a 6-8 record. But one only has to go back to 2013 to their 11-2 finish to remember some of their better seasons.
A reported $1.4 million guarantee is being paid out to State by UA.
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Ex-Georgia QB Jacob Park To Visit UA
Another former quarterback from another institution is taking a look at the Alabama Crimson Tide. This time it's former Georgia quarterback Jacob Park. ESPN's Joe Shad says Park will reportedly visit UA this weekend. He received his release from Georgia on June 11. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
The 6' 4", 202-pound redshirt freshman was a four-star prospect out of Goose Creek, South Carolina. He was rated the number five pro-style quarterback and the number two overall player in South Carolina during his recruitment. Park threw for 3,665 yards and 33 touchdowns during his high school senior season.
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Nia Barnes Receives Academic All-America Honor
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Another honor for another Alabama student-athlete. Crimson Tide senior Nia Barnes has been named to the 2015 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America Track & Field/Cross Country First Team according to RollTide.com. The announcement came yesterday.
Bama head coach Dan Waters said, "Nia is an amazing young woman who worked tirelessly every day to get the most out of her education and her athletic career. She is a tremendous ambassador for our University and our program, and I'm very proud of what she has accomplished as both a scholar and an athlete."
Barnes is a two-time Academic All-American. She earned second-team honors as a junior this past year. She studies telecommunications and film/media production and holds a 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
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Nick Saban To Be Honored Tonight
University of Alabama football head coach Nick Saban will be honored with the Blanton Collier Award, presented annual to an individual displaying exemplary integrity both on and off the field. The event is to be held in Louisville, Kentucky.
According to AL.com, Saban is to be honored tonight at the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony to be held at the Brown Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky. The award is named after former Cleveland Browns and Kentucky coach Blanton Collier.
Dr. Kay Collier McLaughlin issued a statement, saying, "Coach Nick Saban lives out our father's characteristic integrity and belief that with hard work you can accomplish anything. Nick is a visionary who will continue to use this in his career as the head football coach of the University of Alabama."
The ceremony is to begin tonight at 7 PM CDT and will benefit Kosair Children's Hospital.
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No UA Players Selected In NBA Draft
While ten players from Southeastern Conference schools were selected in the NBA draft last night, none came from the University of Alabama.
Alabama had two draft-eligible players, guard Levi Randolph and wing player Rodney Cooper. Neither were selected. In fact, NBADraft.net did not rank either among the top 100 prospects in this year's draft.
This is a area of concern for Alabama basketball that new head basketball coach Avery Johnson is looking to correct. Prospects want to know they have a legitimate shot at making the NBA. Without the proper development, that won't happen as witnessed last night.
Johnson was a former NBA coach and knows what it takes to make the grade. He has addressed the issue immediately following his hiring, and believes already that knowledge and his own experience has paid off in attracting recent commitments.
