Sorry it's been so long, I have some great news though about why I have been absent so long, my wife gave birth to our 2nd child, my 1st son, Johnathan Christopher, and he's doing great and so is my wife.

I missed the camp this past weekend of course, but got plenty of updates and had sort of a refresher on everything this morning.

We are very close to locking down Geno Smith, he is visiting starting today through this weekend and if all goes well, expect a decision soon, staff is very confident, it would be the largest CB prospect since Dre and the largest out of state DB signee we've had under Saban.

The QB situation is wearing very thin on all of the staff. Winston is a fabulous prospect, but there is absolutely NO WAY he isn't dumping MLB 1st round money and he's expected to be a top 10 pick. The top QB prospect in the nation many believe Gunner Kiel is playing 2nd fiddle right now to him, thr kid really wants to go to Bama, but a commitment from Winston on Aug 3rd would send him to Indiana, I've heard that Winston is more likely to commit to FSU, but it will be down to the wire, regardless of what happens with Winston, staff won't stop recruiting Gunner until we are totally locked out, whats upsetting about this whole situation to me is that Winston is seemingly playing the recruiting game, whereas Gunner is truly ready to announce a decision and has tired of the process. If we Winston commits, all the momentum we have right now on Green-Beckham (top WR in the nation) is shot. It's a sad situation that will hopefully be resolved Aug 3rd or shortly after, I guess I don't have to tell you guys where I stand on the matter, I would rather have Gunner any day over Winston IMHO he's a lot better not only to our offensive scheme but an all around fit, and then of course Winston going pro MLB kills any chance you have at an elite QB.

There are some prospects that play the game so long that they play themselves right out the door. Justin Shanks this year is the epitome of that this year. He had a chance and now Bama is almost locked in with Eddie Goldman, the nations top DT, Goldman is a ways away from committing, but we have a massive lead and now Shanks is left out in the cold.

Bama has recently cooled on a few of the nations top OTs, the few larger names at that position have all shown up at camps overweight and lazy, one name to watch in GA is Vadal Alexander, a month ago no one had heard of him except our staff, he showed up and DOMINATED every OL camp he went to and we have a heavy lead since we were 1st to the party.

Both UF and FSU have both seemingly conceded to is for Chris Black, both schools recently signed 2nd tier slot guys and that leaves the elite playmaker slot WR for Bama, he had another great visit this past weekend and he is also very close to committing.

Any news and I will certainly update you guys

Not even really expecting to offer this young man but he impressed the staff the whole time working out at TE. Very smooth with great hands, plays at a smaller school so he will be listed at ATH, but make no mistake, he earned his scholly at TE

Getting an MRI today

LoL I tried my best but when you're 6'4" going up against a 7'2" more athletic big it isn't EVER gonna be pretty LoL

Went with a friend to the Rec Center and neither of us had any idea Coach Grant and Pettway and Lacey and Gueye would be there on a Sat afternoon playing a pick up game, had a GREAT time and Pettway is STILL a great player, I can also tell you that Coach Grant is extremely happy at Bama and sees this as a place to build the kind of Championship bball team he desires from the ground up (has already started) and loves Bama, he feels like he has a special bond with this university and even said he's not even sure he would be able to leave for Florida or another bball conference said to be better, he also expects the SEC West to really be a huge contender in the future thanks to Bama and Mike Anderson at Arky.

Now to the players, Lacey has a sweet stroke smooth as a pillow, very aggressive and animated also told me he expects to be in the conversation as a freshman all american, me and my buddy play pretty bad defense I'm sure compared to what he saw in HS LoL, but he hit numerous shots right in our faces with our hands up etc LoL also had better passing skills than I thought and he and Gueye have a bond, now on Gueye WOW!!! Looks to me like as close to an NBA prospect at C as I've ever seen (and I've seen Dwight Howard in HS, Gerald Wallace in HS, Josh Smith in HS) he's a legit 7'2" and looked about 265 lbs or so VERY muscular looks like a 7'2" Dwight not kidding, very athletic, has good quickness especially off the 1st step and can go up and get almost any rebound, seemed like he had a polished game already (likely thanks to JuCo) his ability around the basket is something Bama hasn't EVER seen I don't think, seems like he's been working extremely hard to develop a shot out to about 18 or so feet and become a complete post player, there is no doubt to me that Coach Grant really did find a player that slipped through the international cracks because he REALLY looked to me like an NBA prospect without a doubt and even maybe more skilled than say a Bismack Biyombo who was a top 15 pick in this years draft, who I've heard has NO offensive game or a Jan Vesely who is athletic, but lacks a jumpshot, and from what I saw of Gueye he had a great jumper out to 18 ft, is as athletic a guy at his size as I've ever seen, lots of great bball skills you don't usually see in a guy his size like dribbling skills and quickness also I'm told he's a great defender as well (Ding us up wasn't a great feat LoL) and all the skill usually garners some NBA draft attention, but he decided to enroll in JuCo, then was injured and got in a fight with his HC over using up a year of eligibility for a handful of games, there is no doubt in my mind from what I saw and what I've heard, if he played JuCo ball this past year he would have been at least a projected 2nd rounder in the draft (probably higher since most scouts OVERvalue size and he's got it) but since he sat all year he didn't get any attention. So I'm not sure if he will be around very long because of how good he potentially could be, as far as his personality, he is a fun boisterous guy, seems like he really loves playing bball. I had a great time yesterday, got dunked on quite a bit, I think Pettway threw Gueye about 15 alley oops LoL and 1 he made a super athletic move running to the basket and Lacey overthrew the lob a little bit and Gueye had to reach around to the other side of the rim and dunked it with a reverse dunk very reminiscent of Dwight Howard type move, he's that athletic

I'm SSSOOOO excited about this upcoming bball year

Roll Tide

Sentimore was given his punishment by the peer group and decided to seek the possibility of a transfer to Miami, will likely happen later this week or next, it OS important to remember Sentimore was recruited, signed, then held under the wing and groomed by the former DL coach so when Coach Rumph arrived, it was a hard adjustment, then a slap in the face when Coach Rumph saw an opportunity to take Ed Stinsons development to the next level and beef him up and Stinson easily beat him out for the DE position he's much faster and disruptive off the end, Sentimore was way out of position off the end and only effective in 4 man fronts not nearly as versatile and like I mentioned before the emergence of other recruits like Dial, Williams, and Fanning who are much more versatile put him as an odd man out in a number of D packages, its sad because he's a great player and will likely be dominant in a scheme at Miami that FITS him and his skill set much better as a DT in a base 4 man front so it sucks but I wish him all the best in the ACC

I'll have a write up a little later on a good bit of recruiting news

Failed drug tests Pmull, kids thumb and forefinger are "greener" than the Jolly Green Giant if you catch my drift

Sorry MD, I didn't explain

I'm referring to the "rumor" of both being dismissed from the team. Both have had issues in the last 2 weeks since reporting back and will be punished in house. I can tell you this about Sentimore though, he was an invaluable part of the DL rotation last year and had a lot thicker ice to skate on so to speak right up until the new DL coach & then new recruits this Summer showed up and now the ice is MUCH thinner and he & Coach Rumph don't see eye to eye at particular times. I will also tell you that the influx of talent brought in this Spring (JuCo's Jesse Williams & Quinton Dial) and then this Summer (LaMichael Fanning & Jeoffrey Pagan) all 4 are gonna have a MAJOR impact this year in the rotation, especially if it's an extended suspension for Sentimore, Sentimore would've been right along with those 4 & the starters (might still be) we shall see. I can also tell you Robby's situation is a lot more disturbing & a lot more bleak for him, he has a previous track record, and just like DS, the emergence of Roberty Lester & adding Hasean this Summer gives him a lot less wiggle room (but he really didn't have any to begin with, he was climbing a mountain already)

I'll know more by the end of this week & I'll let you guys know

It's a bevy of bad rumors right now, both are still with the team and either or both could be facing disciplinary action but booted from the team rumors are way too premature at this point

Massive DL Darren Lake ended the DL/OL camp today by committing to Alabama ROLL TIDE!!! He is 6'3 330 and from small town of York, AL played both OL and DL last year, had 80+ tackles and 8 sacks will likely stay on the DL. Good to see these under the radar in state guys rolling with the Tide. He has earned a scholly from every camp he went to including Bama very athletic for his size

Yeah kinda early it looks like for him to commit today its coming though

Ok new info, I'm hearing Gunner MIGHT commit to Bama at 4 PM today I'll keep you guys posted if I hear anymore news

Hey guys been busy lately but I got a lot of great stuff for you guys so I'll get right to it

All the guys coming in for Summer Term I are on campus and accounted for made grades etc all are here, one expected that is enrolling in Summer Term II is Isaac Luatua, he just had a class that hasn't wrapped up yet an advanced class that counts as a college credit at Bama. Duron Carter also had numerous classes that wouldn't transfer from tOSU (don't know what the HELL they are doing at Ohio St) but it looks good for him coming in Summer Term II as well and as far as repercussions from the Buckeyes program lingering and harming his NCAA career I am told our compliance dept is hard at work working every angle and Duron and Cris have been more than forthcoming with cooperation and so far it looks like everything with him checks out.

Now on to some of the impressive guys I've seen so far:

- Lamicheal Fanning has really impressed everybody so far. He came in at 6'6 285 and has every tool needed to be a dominant DL in the SEC. Mean streak, quick first step, overpowering upper body strength, his footwork is a thing of beauty, count him as one I expect to factor in even as soon as this year into the rotation. To say Chris Rumph is in hog heaven with all the talent he's got is an understatement

- A lot was expected out of Marvin Shinn coming in and the door was open for his opportunity and so far he has not disappointed, he's so athletic and fast still could use some weight but he got bigger than his HS playing weight and showed up on campus at 6'3 1/2 205 and is planning to gain a bit more before the season starts. So far he's had some great battles with Dre and Quan and really bonded with the other WR's especially Hanks which helps since Hanks knows the playbook like the back of his hand

Ryan Kelly OG we signed from Ohio has also been pretty impressive from watching just his footwork etc in trench drills now that his knee is fully healthy, he has turned some heads as well

I know a lot of you were probably dumbfounded by the transfer of C. Grant, but I can tell you that Grant felt very homesick all last year and some even say underperformed in hopes of getting released, and then Dee arrived, and that sent Grant through the roof, and Dee has continued to really look the part this summer so far, he's packed on about 15 more lbs of muscle and been almost a shadow of Trent in the weight room to gain knowledge and earn PT, you guys are gonna be blown away with him this year trust me

Now for recruiting:

- We have a special visitor on campus today and it is a top secret visit by Gunner and a decision is imminent, trust me when I say he's the beginning domino to fall for our monster summer we will have in recruiting you guys want a pic leaked by a student of Gunner and Coach Mac here ya go - Click here for link

- We have a few major WR's in the fold like I said after Gunner pulls the trigger, expect at least one WR from Missouri and one WR from First Coast Florida both to pull the trigger very soon, Green-Beckham will likely wait a while but don't think that means we don't have a shot, we are heavily in the lead and adding an elite QB pushes us even higher

- T.J. Yeldon is another sad case for AU, they sold him the world promised him starting RB for 4 years and then when Bama got momentum swung it back in there favor by mentioning Barry J. Sanders, Barry even reached out to Yeldon and it didn't help, all these guys committing after Big Cat Weekend is no coincidence and a few other schools that led for this guy or that guy got a whole new round of ammo to turn in to the NCAA on this years Big Cat. T.J. is a good kid and it sickens me to see his head filled with their nonsense and lies but they'll get what's coming to them

Wow great camp days so far man and some major commitments, one guy Casey Gladney is a VERY underrated WR/ATH from SC. Worked out all day today with Cris Carter and bestowed a HUGE compliment telling us "He reminds me of me" got an offer today and committed and he's 6'2 and 205 and ran a 4.38 and a 4.41 today VERY IMPRESSIVE and underrated

TRUST ME Marshal with Trent, who'll get the elephants share of carries, Lacy, Dee, and Jalston Fowler we'll be MORE than fine, its the reason both Goode and Grant are transferring