Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bradley Bozeman Named To
The Sporting News All-America Team
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| Minkah Fitzpatrick Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Crimson Tide continues to roll! The honors continue for members of the University of Alabama football team. UA junior defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick as well as senior center Bradley Bozeman have received All-America honors from The Sporting News (TSN). The announcement came on Tuesday afternoon. Fitzpatrick was named to TSN's first team while Bozeman was named to the second team.
Fitzpatrick has continued to wow his team, opposing teams and their coaches and now those who vote on the various awards. He is a consensus first-team All-American for 2017, having been previously recognized by Walter Camp, The Football Writers Association of America and the Associated Press. Bozeman has now received second-team honors from all four groups.
No one can doubt the contribution that Fitzpatrick has made to the Alabama defense this season. The young man is the 2017 winner of Chuck Bednarik and Jim Thorpe awards, and has served as the "quarterback" for the Bama defense. Fitzpatrick is Alabama's fifth-leading tackler with 52 solo stops this season. He has also recorded six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, seven pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and a blocked kick this season.
Bradley Bozeman is now in his second season as the starting center for the Tide, and has graded out at an average of 85.6 percent as a senior recording 16 knockdown blocks and just seven missed assignments in 724 snaps (99.0 percent success rate). He has allowed only two sacks and four pressures this season as well as blocking for six 100-yard rushing games this year, giving him 17 in his 28 career starts at center for the Crimson Tide.
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| Bradley Bozeman Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
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2018 University Of Alabama Football Commits
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team currently has 14 student-athletes who have committed to furthering their football careers at The Capstone. These 14 are considered as hard commits to the Crimson Tide. As new commits and signees are announced the list will be updated and released.
Here is the complete list of 2018 commitments and signees to UA as of 012/12/17:
- Jordan Davis, DE (6-6, 240), Memphis, Tennessee
- Xavier Williams, WR/ATH (6-1, 185), Hollywood, Florida
- Quay Walker, OLF ( 6-4, 220), Cordele, Georgia
- Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB (6-0, 160), Mobile, ALABAMA*
- Skyler DeLong, P (6-4, 180), Ft. Mill, South Carolina
- Stephon Wynn, Jr., DE (6-4, 285), Anderson, South Carolina
- Tommy Brown, OT (6-5, 313), Santa Ana ,California
- Slade Bolden, ATH (5-11, 192), West Monroe, Louisiana
- Cameron Latu, DE (6-5, 236), Salt Lake City, Utah
- Vernon Jackson, LB, (6-3, 240), Boling, Texas
- Emil Ekiyor, OL (6-2, 322), Indianapolis, Indiana
- Nadab Joseph, CB (6-2, 180), Miami, Florida
- Michael Parker, TE (6-6, 236), Huntsville, ALABAMA*
- Saivion Smith, CB (6-2, 195), Perkinston, Mississippi
*State of Alabama
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Alabama Gymnastics Ranked 4th
In Preseason Coaches Poll
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The first of the polls are out, and The University of Alabama gymnastics team comes in at No. 4 in the preseason coaches' poll. Crimson Tide gymnastics is scheduled to open the new season on Friday, January 5th on the road with the Michigan Wolverines.
Bama has a daunting schedule this coming season, facing five members of the preseason top 10, including No.
1 Oklahoma and No. 10 Kentucky at home in Coleman Coliseum as well as No. 2 Florida, No. 3 LSU and No. 7 Michigan on the road. Overall, UA gymnastics will face nine teams in the top 20, including No. 14 Auburn, No. 16
Georgia, No. 17 Missouri and No. 19 Arkansas, giving Alabama one of the
nation's toughest schedules in the nation again this season.
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Crimson Tide Commit Jalyn Armour-Davis
Will Now Sign Early With Alabama Football
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| Jalyn Armour-Davis Photo Credit: GridironNow.com |
Previously not planning to sign with the Crimson Tide in the December signing period, University of Alabama cornerback commit Jalyn Armour-Davis will now going ahead and sign his national letter of intent this month. Armour-Davis is not allowed to graduate early due to the policy of the school which he attends, so he was previously planning to sign in January and take a few visits as well.Not any more.
According to Ben Thomas of AL.com, Armour-Davis, a 4-star prospect from St. Paul’s Episcopal (Mobile, Alabama), will now sign during the early signing period and shut down his recruitment.
In a statement to Thomas, St. Pauls head coach Steven Mask said, "I'm glad he’s going to go ahead and sign. If you know where you are going to go, I think you should go ahead and do it. I’m not a big fan of committing to school and then continuing to take a lot of visits. If you are engaged to someone, you are not going to be dating other people. The word committed should mean something."
Armour-Davis will enroll at Alabama next summer.
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Former UA Kicker Gunnar Raborn
Named AP FCS 2nd-Team All-American
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| Former UA kicker Gunnar Raborn Photo Credit: Raborn Twitter photo |
Former University of Alabama football walk-on kicker Gunnar Raborn has been named an Associated Press FCS second-team All-American. The announcement came on Tuesday.
Raborn is in his second year at McNeese State, and has been successful on 12 of his 13 field goal attempts. His longest was a 52 yard kick this season. Raborn converted seven of eight in his first season at McNeese State.
As a freshman with the Crimson Tide in 2014, Raborn was the backup kicker but found himself suspended indefinitely in September 2015 due to an arrest and subsequent DUI charge. He chose to leave Alabama for McNeese State.
