It's Official: Bo Davis Resigns As Defensive Line Coach
Former Alabama Defensive Line Coach Bo Davis
Photo Credit: 247Sports.com
University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has announced the resignation of Crimson Tide defensive line coach Bo Davis. The announcement came this morning.
In a statement issued earlier today, without giving a specific reason for the resignation, Saban said, "Bo Davis has submitted his letter of resignation. We
appreciate all the contributions he made to the program and wish him and
his family the very best in the future."
Davis has been with Saban for quite a few years. He was the strength and conditioning coach at LSU under Saban, an assistant defensive line and assistant strength and conditioning coach with him while with the Miami Dolphins organization in the National Football League in 2006, and then joined Saban with the Crimson Tide as defensive line coach from 2007-10 when he took a job with the Texas Longhorns. He later returned to work for Saban as defensive line coach.
Bo Davis
Photo Credit: WATE.com
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Former Tide Center Ryan Kelly Taken 1st Round NFL Draft
Photo Credit: NYTimes.com
Former Crimson Tide center Ryan Kelly was the first Alabama player taken in the NFL draft. In face, he was the only player from Tuscaloosa taken in the first round.
Kelly was selected as the No. 18 overall pick in the draft last night. The Indianapolis Colts selected the big man, making him just the 15th center to be
chosen in the first round since 1983.
The 6' 4", 310-pound West Chester, Ohio native was a three-year starter for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Kelly was a consensus first-team All-American last season and won the Rimington Trophy, given annually to the nation's top center.
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Haylie McCleney Named SEC Scholar-Athlete Of The Year
Haylie McCleney
Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete Of The Year
Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com
She is truly a remarkable young lady.
University of Alabama star softball player Haylie McCleney has been named the 2015-16 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey made the announcement yesterday. She, and the men's winner, Mississippi golfer Forrest Gamble, were chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC schools and will receive a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship.
"This is fitting recognition of the extraordinary career that Haylie McCleney has fashioned here at The University of Alabama," said University of Alabama Director of Athletics Bill Battle. "Haylie continues to be an amazing example of what can be accomplished when you work tirelessly to be your best in all aspects of life."
Alabama's career leader in batting average and on-base percentage, McCleney, a senior, is a three-time All-American and a two-time first-team Academic All-American.
"Forrest and Haylie are the type of student-athletes who make a commitment to excellence in the classroom and in competition that are representative of the high standards of the Southeastern Conference," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "Their accomplishments and their character make them ideal choices for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award."
McCleney is the first-ever Alabama softball player and just the second softball player in SEC history to be named one of the league's Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
She is now the 10th Alabama athlete to be named one of the SEC's Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
With McCleney's win, Alabama and Georgia are now tied for the most honors in the award's 31-year history with 10. The Crimson Tide has earned seven honors since 2000, the most in the Southeastern Conference during that period of time.
"Our tradition of success when it comes to this honor is a clear sign that at Alabama, our commitment to excellence in the classroom is long-standing and ongoing," Battle said.
McCleney now joins Julie Estin (1987, gymnastics), Jeff Laubenthal (1992, baseball), Meredith Willard (1997, gymnastics), Kristin Sterner (2003, gymnastics), Lauren Imwalle (2004, soccer), Emeel Salem (2007, baseball), Joseph Sykora (2008, golf), Barrett Jones (2013, football) and Cory Whitsett (2014, golf) among the Tide's SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
McCleney is a two-time First Team Academic All-American (2014-15), a 2016 Senior CLASS Award finalist and the 2015 Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division I Softball. She is a two-time member of the SEC Honor Roll (2014-15).
As a pitcher for the Crimson Tide, McCleney is a three-time All-American (2013-15) and four-time finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year (2013-16) while also earning All-SEC honors three years consecutive years. She is just the second player in program history to be named First Team as both an All-American and Academic All-American in the same season.
McCleney is the career leader at Alabama in walks, batting average and on-base percentage. She also ranks in the top 10 in slugging percentage, hits, runs, triples, stolen bases and stolen base percentage, as well as possessing three of the top 10 single-season batting averages and on-base percentages in program history. In 2015 she set a single-season record at Alabama with a .588 on-base percentage.
Haylie McCleney
Alabama Softball
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Knight & Stennis Sign With Bama Women's Basketball
Tchenevia "Cocoa" Knight & LaKyesha Stennis
Graphics/Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The University of Alabama women's basketball team has picked up a pair of junior college All-Americans to add to the 2016 recruiting class. Tcheneavia "Coco" Knight and
LaKyesha Stennis have both signed national letters of intent to play for the Crimson Tide, head women's basketball coach Kristy Curry announced yesterday.
Curry commented, "We are excited to add Coco and LaKyesha to our 2016 class. Both will provide depth and experience to the perimeter and will
provide quality minutes for our team to be successful. These young
ladies have had success at their previous institutions, and we are
looking for that to continue at a high level."
She started in all but the first five games last season and scored in double figures 29 times. The 5-7 guard and native of Bay Minette, Alabama recorded 20 or more points on seven occasions. Her all-time high was 26 points against Chipola back in November. Knight also had four double-doubles, two of which came in the tournament.
Knight played in 32 games and averaged 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a freshman. She shot better than 43 percent for her career.
Curry continued, "We are excited to keep Coco at home. She is a dynamic guard that can create her own shot and has a great mid-range game and explosiveness when getting to the rim. She will be able to impact the game defensively with her athleticism. Coco played for Alabama alum Madonna Thompson, so she will be prepared physically and mentally for the SEC."
A 5-9 guard for two years at Southwest Tennessee Community College, Stennis was a third team all-American in 2016 and an honorable mention all-American in 2015. She started all 29 games last season, averaging 20.3 points, which was 10th in the nation, and averaged 4.5 rebounds per game. Stennis scored double figures in all but two games and had 20 or more points 16 times. Her season-best was 39 points, pumping in 11-of-19 shots from the floor and 10-of-11 from the free throw line back in October.
Stennis led the STCC Saluqis in nearly every statistical category as a freshman with 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game. She recorded double figures in 21 of 26 games throughout the 2014-15 season. Seven of those reached 20 or more points. In addition to being named an honorable mention all-American in 2015, Stennis was also voted first team all-TCCAA.
Concerning Stennis, Curry said, "LaKyesha is a long, athletic guard that will provide a sharp shooter on the perimeter for us. She will be able to keep defenses honest and aware of where she is. She is also a great defender and rebounder at her position. She is coachable and humble and truly loves the game."
Curry and the Crimson Tide have now signed three during the spring signing period. In addition to Knight and Stennis, three-time Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week DaiJia Ruffin is transferring to the Capstone. She comes from UT Martin and signed on March 28th.
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Robby Shelton Semifinalist For Nicklaus Award
Robbie Shelton
Alabama Men's Golf
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
A field of 30 semifinalists has been named for the 2016 Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, and Alabama men's golfer Robby Shelton is one of those. The Golf Coaches Association of America made the announcement yesterday.
The finalists will be trimmed down on May 25th, with the Nicklaus Award recipients being announced on June 2nd during the final round of the Memorial Tournament. The award is given to five individuals, all of whom will be invited to compete at the Barbasol Shootout for a chance to qualify at the Barbasol Championship, held July 14-17 in Opelika, Alabama.
Shelton is the No. 9 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. He has won three individual titles this season alone, and now holds the school record of seven career tournament victories.
Shelton leads the Crimson Tide with a 70.44 per round stroke average this season, and has captured medalist honors at the DICK’s Collegiate Challenge Cup, Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate and Puerto Rico Classic. Shelton, a native of Wilmer, Alabama, finished among the top 20 in eight of the nine tournaments he has played in this season and now has 29 top-20 results in 31 career tournaments played at Alabama.
Earlier this season, Shelton was named a Ben Hogan Award Semifinalist for the third consecutive year. If he wins, Shelton will be only the second Crimson Tide men’s golfer to win the Nicklaus Award. He would join former Bama golfer and current PGA player Justin Thomas who won the honor in 2012.
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Men's Tennis
Lovett & Osama Named All-SEC Second Team
Two members of the Alabama tennis team have earned a spot on the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team. Crimson Tide sophomore Korey Lovett and freshman Mazen Osama both were named yesterday by the league office. Osama was also named to the All-Freshman Team.
Lovett and Osama are currently ranked the No. 5 doubles pair in the nation. The two went undefeated in their last 11 regular season matches while beating eight nationally-ranked opponents.
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NCAA Board Of Directors Reverses Ban On Satellite Camps
The ban didn't stay in effect long.
The NCAA Board of Directors yesterday rescinded the ban on satellite camps.
"The Board of Directors is interested in a holistic review of the football recruiting environment, and camps are a piece of that puzzle," Board of Directors chair Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina, said in a release. "We share the Council's interest in improving the camp environment, and we support the Council's efforts to create a model that emphasizes the scholastic environment as an appropriate place for recruiting future student-athletes."
It was just earlier this month that the NCAA stated Football Bowl Subdivision schools must "conduct camps and clinics at their school's facilities or at facilities regularly used for practice or competition."
Further, coaches and staff members "may be employed only at their school's camps or clinics." That now appears to have changed with yesterday's ruling, should open the door to coaches, such as Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Penn State's James Franklin, to coach at camps across the country.
The Southeastern Conference has been a strong opponent of satellite camps and, in fact, has a ban on being a part of such camps, but that ban expires on May 29th. That means SEC schools could start holding satellite camps this summer.
Additionally the board members also directed the Council to conduct a broad assessment of the FBS recruiting environment.
Both sides of the issue have made valid points. Supporters of the camps contend the rule would keep coaches on campus with current student-athletes and steer recruiting toward the scholastic environment. Detractors believe the camps provide opportunities for previously un-recruited student-athletes to be noticed by coaches and possibly receive scholarships.
As long as any camp follows Division I camps and clinic rules, football coaches may be employed at those camps.
The board has asked the Council to consider the entire recruiting model, including potential modifications to camps and clinics participation.
Council chair Jim Phillips, the Athletic Director at Northwestern, issued a press release stating, "It's clear that the membership has differing views on this subject, and the Council appreciates the Board's insights into this important issue. This review will provide an opportunity to identify the most effective ways prospective student-athletes can have their academic and athletic credentials evaluated by schools across the country."
According to the release, "The new camps and clinics rule was adopted earlier this month by the members of the Division I Council who represent FBS conferences. With weighted voting (two votes each for the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences and one vote for Conference-USA, the American Athletic, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences), the final tally was 10-5."
The board also wants initial recommendations for improving the football recruiting environment from the Council by September 1st, the deadline for legislative concepts to be submitted for the 2016-17 cycle.
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SEC Responds To NCAA Satellite Camp Reversal
Greg Sankey
SEC Commissoner
"Disappointed" in the NCAA's decision to overturn a ban on satellite camps is the word from Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey yesterday. He then reiterated that SEC schools will be able to participate in them next month.
Just yesterday the NCAA Division I Board of Directors rescinded the NCAA Division 1 Council's decision on April 8th to immediately ban all satellite camps. The SEC had been one of the biggest proponents of the move to ban satellite camps.
Just yesterday the NCAA Division I Board of Directors rescinded the NCAA Division 1 Council's decision on April 8th to immediately ban all satellite camps. The SEC had been one of the biggest proponents of the move to ban satellite camps.
In his statement, Sankey said, "While we are disappointed with the NCAA governance process result, we respect the Board of Directors' decision and are confident SEC football programs will continue to be highly effective in their recruiting efforts.
"We continue to believe football recruiting is primarily an activity best-focused in high schools during the established recruiting calendar, which has provided opportunities for football prospective student-athletes from all across the country to obtain broad national access and exposure but with appropriate guidance from high school coaches, teachers and advisors that focuses on both their academic and athletic opportunities as they decide where they will play college football."
The current SEC ban on satellite camps will expire on May 29th. Several SEC coaches have stated they would participate in such camps once the SEC ban expires.
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Defensive Line Coach Bo Davis Out At Alabama
Photo Credit: larrybrownsports.com
Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis is out.
According to Aaron Suttles of The Tuscaloosa News, Davis is expected to either resign or be fired from his job. The reason? Possible recruiting violations while with the Crimson Tide.
An internal investigation is reportedly underway. The NCAA has also already begun inquiries into the situation. There is no indication of the severity of the violations, the length of time the infractions have been occurring, nor the possible penalties that could be forthcoming.
Davis started with the Crimson Tide in 2007 as a defensive line coach before leaving for Texas in 2010. He returned to Tuscaloosa in 2014 to help lead the defense once again.
Davis' contract with the University of Alabama was set through 2017.
