Happy Friday, everyone. Alabama baseball decided to no show the SEC Tournament, and now awaits NCAA seeding. Hopefully they can bounce back in regional play. Softball opens up super regional play tonight if weather allows, but that probably won’t happen.
SEC teams have claimed nine of the 16 spots in the super regional fighting for eight entries into the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. For Alabama, that inevitability turned into reality as the Crimson Tide faces LSU for the first time in 2026, and hosting the Tigers for the first time since 2023.
But for Murphy, this reality brings a sense of solace and a sense of normalcy for a series that carries considerably more weight than a normal three-game SEC slate.
“You know, we say an SEC weekend is like a super regional, and it’s like one and the same,” Murphy said.
The most likely scenario is a doubleheader tomorrow with game three played early on Sunday, if necessary.
It may not be Gump Day on the calendar, but Chip Patterson of CBS will get you all gumpy with this nugget.
11. Keelon Russell will be the SEC’s best quarterback. On the Cover 3 Podcast, we have debated whether Keelon Russell or Austin Mack will be the starting quarterback for Alabama this fall, but I’m willing to go one step further and declare him a real threat as QB1, not just in Tuscaloosa but across the entire Southeastern Conference. The reasons for siding with Mack are fair because his relationship with the staff extends back to his time at Washington, and any commentary about the quarterback battle has emphasized the value of the player who can avoid negative plays, such as turnovers and other mistakes. In that sense, I get why Mack would appear like a safer option. But while Mack was dealing with a few nagging injuries that kept him somewhat limited in the spring game, Russell showed a lot of the reasons why he was a five-star prospect coming out of high school with a Jayden Daniels player comp and a 42-2 record as a starter at the 6A Texas powerhouse Duncanville High School. There is an electricity factor that powers Russell’s ceiling, and if he’s guiding the offense, he could surge past the likes of Arch, Trinidad, Gunner and the rest of the contenders for QB1 in the SEC.
If that holds true, a national title is within reach. We’ll see in the fall if Chip knows what he’s talking about.
Thus far, Alabama has only taken seven high schoolers in what is expected to be a lighter class given the past two.
The Crimson Tide sits No. 38 in 247Sports composite rankings, which factor in other recruiting services. The majority of the teams currently ranked higher than Alabama have significantly more commitments.
Oklahoma has 21 commitments, and is currently leading both the SEC and the nation for the 2027 class. Texas A&M and Notre Dame follow the Sooners, with Miami and Florida rounding out the top five.
Alabama’s group currently is 14th in the SEC on the 247 composite. The schools ahead of UA also have more players currently committed to their 2027 classes.
In terms of average player rating, the Crimson Tide fares far better. Alabama sits 14th in the nation in that metric.
The transfer portal and 105 player cap complicate team recruiting rankings.
Top QB in the class Elijah Haven spoke about why he chose Alabama.
“I think they did a great job with consistent communication, even after Coach Sheridan left,” Haven said. “It was a very smooth transition when Coach Ellis stepped in and got to know my family really well.”
The five-star quarterback also emphasized how personal the relationship has become.
“Our relationship has been great. I talk to Coach Ellis almost every day,” Haven said. “He’s great about checking in on me about more than just football.”
Last, Dacoacho is back in Baton Rouge to shotgun Red Bulls and chase coeds with his old pal.
Recent changes in NCAA recruiting rules will allow Orgeron to go out on the road to recruit for the Tigers, selling two things he knows well: LSU and Kiffin. The move will certainly raise eyebrows in the SEC, as Kiffin brought in college football’s No. 1 class of recruits and transfers for his first year, according to ESPN’s rankings.
The relationship between Kiffin and Orgeron goes back a quarter century, as they first served on a staff together in 2001 under Pete Carroll at USC. Orgeron is largely credited with being the recruiting engine during that gilded USC era, and his exploits in recruiting at Ole Miss were chronicled in the book “Meat Market.”
Title IX lawyers are drooling.
That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.
Roll Tide.
