Hawaiian Punch

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2. James Smith did not fit in an Odd Front and his lack of length limited him to strictly playing a 3-tech

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Updated weights in Alabama's D-line room entering fall camp:

Terrance Green - 313
Steve Bolo Mboumoua - 303
Kedrick Bingley-Jones - 302
Jeremiah Beaman - 301
London Simmons - 300
Devan Thompkins - 300
Edric Hill - 292
Isaia Faga - 291
Leslie Black - 290
Mhari Johnson - 290
Corey Howard - 288
Nolan Wilson - 285
Caleb Smith - 280
Malique Franklin - 275
Fatutoa Henry - 272

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James Smith last year was listed at 6’3” 296. Top 15 recruit nationally coming out of high school. Was consistently good up front with flashes of game wrecking ability (was hoping he would have a better motor / play with consistent high-effort). Ohio State, which has a loaded DL, wanted him badly.

If James Smith does not or did not “fit” in CKW’s front, which of the guys listed above does? As RiseUp said, we have a ton of unknowns on the DL going into this year. The “knowns” we do have on the roster have not exactly set the stat sheets on fire, whether here or at their former schools.

You like to tout stats from our top-2 SEC defense last year, and extrapolate that to definitively say we will upgrade this upcoming season, yet you never mention the actual dudes who were on the field that played a massive part in the success we had last year defensively - and all but one or two of the contributors in the front seven last year are no longer with this program.

I do think the DL could be pretty damn good this year, but it is far from the certainty you continually propagate on this board. Several players up front have to step up in a big, big way for the DL to achieve the expectations that you have.

You bring some good Xs and Os content to the board and drive discussion, which is nice to see. But seems to me you are too wrapped up in what we have “on paper” (particularly based on measurables), because the production from the guys we have in the DL room this year does not reflect an upgraded DL room for 2026, and our depth is largely unproven potential that has logged very few, if any, SEC snaps.

But I love your optimism and will gladly come back in the Fall and admit you were right and I have no clue what I’m talking about if that is how things play out.

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Also yes, the issue for BLM was specifically about a racial group being selectively targeted by law enforcement.

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Just go look at the BLM official website. The official website of the foundation points to the pillars of the movement being far more than “specifically about a racial group being selectively targeted by LE”.

If it was just about “selective targeting by LE”, why did people march/protest/riot in the name of BLM over Ahmaud Arbery, who was tragically murdered, but not by active duty LE? Seems BLM stepped outside of their lane on this one.

Show me one BLM protest that was prompted by a black citizen being murdered by a black police officer. This is what I was alluding to when stating that they only protest when it involved a black victim and white LEO. You are the smooth brain rambling about “all lives matter” and the poverty cycle.

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The BLM movement wasn’t a lie

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substantial financial fraud involving the leadership of the BLM organization says otherwise. The BLM movement mobilizing only when a black life was lost at the hands of a white perp, but not whenever a black life was lost, points to the “movement” largely being a massive lie.. though there were definitely some idiots that were duped into thinking it was a legitimate cause.

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This year the run game will be improved

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It should be, because as you said - it was abysmal last year. No improvement or worse results in the run game relative to last year would be a disaster for CKD.

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No it won't be '2008 ground and pound until they submit' but it will be serviceable that I can guarantee you

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Love the positive outlook, but that is a very optimistic assumption. I hope you’re right. The OL/RBs will need to improve dramatically to get to a “serviceable” run game level in SEC play this year.

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Walmart is controlled by some bad people. They are also very political and part of the corrupt system. They stopped carrying Mike Lindell's products simply because he was a vocal, high-profile supporter of President Trump

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To say this,

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There's 2 things I do that I dont feel good about. One is that I mostly shop at Wal-mart because 1) they're very close to me, and 2) they carry everything, unlike much smaller stores like Dollar General. I actually like Dollar General, but they are small stores and don't sell everything.

The 2nd thing I do that I don't feel good about is Amazon. I don't trust Amazon, but they are so darn convenient.

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And then this? Buy directly from the supplier if it’s proprietary. Or man up and make it yourself. You sound like my almost certainly gay liberal cousin.

“From all reports”, it sounds like we should have some quality competition/depth on defense.

DL: Thompkins, Green and Simmons to start, with Ed Hill, Steve Mboumoua, Faga and Beaman to spell them is very solid on paper. Beaman was supposed to be a key contributor last year before going down for the year vs FSU. I’ve got pretty high hopes for him and Steve M. Faga has created some buzz this offseason and last - high motor guy. The Bandit group probably gives me the most worry of the spots across the front.

Wolf/OLB: Pierre is a known. Justin Hill looks to be a VERY good player too. The freshmen Matthews is a big kid and has lots of potential. Other freshman Xavier Griffin likely to get looks at OLB in pass rush situations as well.

ILB: I see Woodson and Reese as “starters” but competition is intense in this room. Metz and Sanders have gotten a lot of reps and apparently have shined. Duke Johnson, Cayden Jones and Xavier Griffin are wild cards here. I feel any combination of these guys have a “serviceable” floor.

CBs: strong across the board. Zabien and Lee Jr may be the best tandem in CFB this year. Strong “starter quality” depth behind them.

Husky: Red Morgan is experienced and a pretty damn good player. I’ve seen Mincey and McDonald mentioned here as well. Mincey was quietly a solid player for us last year. Jireh Edwards likely to be involved here as well.

FS/SS: Sabb and Hubbard is great starting point here. We know what we have with them. Taylor will for sure see action at one of the two spots this year. Dre K Jr. a wild card here who could earn some minutes. Same with Jireh Edwards but if he’s taking reps from the aforementioned, this guy is likely a first round NFL draft pick type talent at safety.

All in all, I feel good about the defense. Wommack and that group need to show out this year. I like his scheme/philosophy overall, but I’m not crazy about the Bandit position; Regularly dropping a 265+ lb pass rush guy in space or to the flat is… stupid. Having Dez Zulu line up at 3/4i is a recipe for disaster. Saw it multiple times in ADay.

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Keelon's pocket presence concerned me.

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That is just how he plays, similar to BY and Tua. The dude can pull up and let it rip on a dime; he uses his legs to draw the defense up and will weigh his passing options downfield until the last possible second - see ULM live game film from last year.

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Reminded me of Manziel dancing around in the backfield in terms of footwork quality.

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Are you talking about Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel? The one who made Nick Saban’s defense look silly two years in a row? I’ll take it.

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The seam throw to Meadows

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I’ve only seen highlights of the seam throw to CD Morgan, which couldn’t have been better and would have been completed in a real game even with the rush. Can you link the throw down the seam to Meadows?

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and that touchdown over the DB on the sideline (one where the db jumped 5 yards forward for no reason)

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This is probably a valid take. He was late getting that one out. Likely would have been sacked, or on the run for his life at a minimum.

Probably Junior JD (or his first year at LSU) in year 1, in relative command much of the year with some plays overestimating his abilities and flashes that make your jaw drop. Once he settles in mentally and things slow down for him, you will be watching a NFL first round pick.

Keelon looks like he will be special. If he is comfortable back there in SEC play, watch out.. Jayden Daniels 2.0.

Can’t take too much away from a scrimmage. My biggest question going into the season is how physical are we on OL & DL. Still no clue what we have there. Justin Hill, QB Reese and Woodson look like players. We have talent; we need the intensity and toughness to compliment it, and we will be really solid this year.

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Yeah, I was looking at our transfers just now, and figured he's the most likely candidate. He looks imposing.

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He looks imposing

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Fifth from the left in the crimson UA shirt (I think it’s TF Corey Howard) is also built like a freak.