SEC Football

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher fired back at Alabama counterpart Nick Saban, who said Wednesday the Aggies "bought every player on their team" since the start of college football's name, image and likeness (NIL) era.

"It's despicable. We're taking shots at 17-year-old kids," Fisher told reporters Thursday. "We never bought anyone. When [Saban] doesn't get his way or things don't go his way—go dig in to [Saban's past]. It's despicable. It's personal to us. And I know the guy really well."

Fisher also called Saban a "narcissist."

The longtime Alabama coach has been an outspoken critic of the mostly unregulated nature of recruiting via NIL offers since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last June the NCAA could no longer bar payments to student-athletes.

Saban explained Wednesday coaches are aware of how much NIL money is available for deals through the school's collective pool and can give prospective recruits an idea of what they can earn by choosing their program.

"That's not what it was supposed to be," he said. "That's what it's become. And that's the problem in college athletics right now. Now every player is saying, 'Well, what am I going to get?'"

Fisher confirmed Saban has since reached out to have a conversation, but the A&M coach isn't planning to call him back.

"We're done. He showed you who he is," Fisher said.

He reiterated his desire for people to take a closer look at Saban.

"Some people think they're God. Go dig into how God did his deal," Fisher said. "You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don't want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past."

Fisher, who served as an offensive coordinator under Saban at LSU from 2000 through 2004, also defended his own reputation.

"You can call me anything you want to call me. You ain't call me a cheat," he told reporters. "I don't cheat and I don't lie. I learned that when I was a kid, if you did that, your old man slapped you 'side the head. Maybe somebody should have slapped [Saban]."

Fisher and the Aggies are scheduled to visit Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on Saban and the Crimson Tide on Oct. 8.

This week's exchange ensures there will be plenty of extra eyes on that SEC matchup.

Jackson State cornerback Travis Hunter responded to an apparent allegation from Alabama head coach Nick Saban about the name, image and likeness (NIL) deals he received to choose the FCS program.

Saban discussed the direction of college sports in the NIL era on Wednesday. He made headlines by saying Texas A&M "bought every player on their team," but also made a remark about Jackson State, per Brett Greenberg of the Tuscaloosa News.

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

He didn't mention any player by name.

Tigers head coach Deion Sanders described Saban's comment as a "lie":

He later joked about his own salary:

In December, Dan Lyons of Sports Illustrated noted there was unconfirmed speculation Barstool Sports, which holds an association with Sanders via his 21st and Prime podcast, offered Hunter over $1 million on an NIL deal.

Khari Thompson of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported no such agreement was in place between Hunter and Barstool, and Sanders also denied the claim at the time.

"We didn't pay," Sanders said on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Max (via TMZ Sports). "We ain't got no money! We ain't got no money! A million and a half? I heard a million and a half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool—that's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

Hunter was the top-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class based on 247Sports' composite rankings.

The defensive back, who was also a standout wide receiver at Collins Hill High School in Georgia, committed to Florida State in March 2020. He flipped his commitment to Jackson State in December and joined the program for spring ball ahead of the 2022 season.

At the Tigers' spring game in April, Hunter explained his choice of Sanders' program.

"They were just straight with me," he said. "They didn't play no games, they came right at me."

Jackson State has enjoyed a resurgence under Sanders, a former two-sport star in the NFL and MLB. He's guided the program to a 15-5 record across his first two seasons and has attracted high-end recruits like Hunter who've typically chosen Power Five schools.

It appears Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban might not be a fan of the NCAA's new name, image and likeness policy, which has affected the way college football programs recruit players. 

While speaking with reporters Wednesday, Saban claimed the reason Texas A&M finished first in recruiting last year was because the school "bought every player on their team" thanks to NIL. 

Saban said Wednesday, according to AL.com's Mike Rodak:

I know the consequence is going to be difficult for the people who are spending tons of money to get players. You read about it, you know who they are. We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness.

“We didn’t buy one player. Aight? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future, because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough.”

Saban's comments come after he said during an interview on The Paul Finebaum Show last week that there needed to be more "parity" in college football as things have changed with the addition of NIL and the transfer portal. 

"Same scholarship (count), same academic support, whatever it is," Saban said, as transcribed by USA Today's Taylor Jones. "I don’t think we have that balance right now, which can impact the parity of college football and college athletics as a whole. I know we have a lot of good people working on it and I’m sure they will come up with a good solution for us."

Finebaum later addressed Saban's comments after one of his callers mentioned that the Alabama head coach possibly mentioned "parity" in college football with the Aggies on his mind.

Finebaum said he didn't believe the caller's take was unrealistic because Texas A&M has the money and resources to eventually become a powerhouse. 

He said, via 247Sports:

Since the day A&M arrived, there's been a whispering fear about what would happen if they ever got it right because — this is just my opinion, but there's only one school in the country I think that can compete with A&M from a financial standpoint and that's Texas. Those two are standalone when it comes to ability and resources, and this is a money game right now that we're talking about here. I think, when you hear the Sabans of the world complaining, that's why he's saying what he's saying.

Texas A&M beat Alabama 41-38 last year, but the Crimson Tide have dominated the matchup over the years, owning an 11-3 record against the Aggies dating back to 1942. While Saban doesn't have much to worry about now as his team has won the national title three times since 2016, Texas A&M could one day be a problem.

The Aggies landed four five-star recruits in the 2022 class and finished with the No. 1 signing class for the 2022 cycle, per 247Sports. That said, Texas A&M has yet to land a 2023 five-star recruit, though there's still a number of high-rated prospects who have yet to announce their commitment. 

At the time rumors were circulating that Texas A&M had the top-ranked recruiting class for 2022 because of NIL, head coach Jimbo Fisher said the insinuation was "insulting" and that "the things that people say are very irresponsible."

Alabama and Texas A&M are set to meet again during the 2022 season in October, and things should be quite heated between the two sides coming off of Saban's comments. 

Alabama football head coach Nick Saban told ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum that he would like to see more parity in college football.

Well, you know, one of the things I like to see us be able to work back to is, you know everything in college football has always had parity.

You know, the same scholarships, the same academic support, health care, whatever it is, and I don't think we have that balance right now, which could affect the parity of college football and college athletics as a whole.

And I know we got a lot of good people working on it, and I'm sure they'll come up with a good solution for us.

There isn't much parity in college football these days. SEC teams have won 12 national titles since 2006, including six from Saban's Crimson Tide alone.

As far as college athletics spending goes, Sportico (h/t Nikki Chavanelle of On3) reported that eight of the top 25 spenders are SEC teams, while 10 are Big Ten schools.

Ohio State led the way during the 2019-20 fiscal year at $215,209,566. Alabama was fourth at $173,141,125. In comparison, Louisiana-Monroe notably had $18,140,989 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, per Emely Hernandez of the Monroe News-Star.

Obviously, greater spending can lead to far more success on the playing fields. The top 25 spenders are filled with blue-blood programs who post winning seasons every year. There's little to no parity in college football because of it, and the rich tend to stay richer, a la Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia.

Sometimes, less-heralded football programs crash the national landscape and fare quite well, a la Boise State, Cincinnati and Western Michigan. But ultimately, the powerhouses largely stay that way to a massive influx of money year after year. Parity will be impossible to come by because of it.

Alabama coach Nick Saban denies the program tampered with wide receiver Tyler Harrell before he entered the transfer portal.

Harrell transferred from Louisville to Alabama in April. 

Saban told reporters Wednesday:

I don't know of anybody that tampered with him. You know, I don't really know that anybody's ever tampered with our players. I just think sometimes when things happen it makes you wonder. So I'm not making any accusations against anybody that's done anything to our players, and I don't have any knowledge of anybody that's done anything with anybody else's players.

Louisville coach Scott Satterfield told Chris Hummer of 247Sports he believes tampering took place with Harrell before he decided to enter the transfer portal.

"I think it's not only him, it's happened before here," Satterfield said. "Last year we had a few guys that jumped into the portal and the next day they're announcing where they're going. You can look at that and know that something went on before they were in the portal."

High-profile transfers are at an all-time high, thanks mostly to a combination of NIL money and the NCAA allowing one-time transfers without a player losing eligibility. That created a perfect storm where star players could put themselves in the portal and essentially shop their services.

While many coaches have bemoaned a Wild West mentality in the new system, players are finally getting a piece of the pie after being shut out of a billion-dollar business for decades.

Harrell is one of college football's fastest players, posting a 4.24-second 40-yard-dash time at a Louisville pro day last year. He'll join an Alabama passing game that has turned speedsters into stars in recent years, though Harrell has minimal production through two seasons at Louisville. The Miami native has recorded just 20 career receptions, but those have gone for 559 yards and six touchdowns.

The scope of Alabama's football program and its history of producing NFL players dwarfs Louisville; the Crimson Tide's national prominence will also help Harrell market himself for NIL contracts.

Even if there was no tampering involved, Harrell's reasoning for moving from Louisville to Alabama is obvious. 

Alabama cornerback Eli Ricks was arrested Sunday evening and charged with speeding, driving without insurance and possession of marijuana, according to Alex Scarborough of ESPN.

Ricks was arrested by Mississippi Highway Patrol and had a $0 bond. It's reportedly his first marijuana possession charge, per Scarborough.

The rising junior spent two seasons at LSU before transferring to Alabama in December.

Ricks initially joined LSU as a 5-star recruit rated the 14th overall player in the 2020 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. He made a quick impact with his new team, earning third-team All-America honors by the Associated Press as a freshman.

During the 2021 season, the cornerback appeared in six games before announcing his transfer following the firing of head coach Ed Orgeron.

After narrowing his transfer choices to USC and Alabama, he eventually picked the Crimson Tide.

"Nick Saban is a great coach and Alabama is a great program, I’ve seen that close up," Ricks said, per Greg Biggins of 247Sports. "I know it’s going to be a challenge and there’s going to be competition wherever you go but you know me, I’m always ready to compete and I can’t wait to get going."

He also played high school football with current Alabama star Bryce Young at Mater Dei in California.       

The only quarterback selected in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday was Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted with the No. 20 pick. That said, let's take a look at where North Carolina's Sam Howell and Ole Miss' Matt Corral could end up on Day 2. 

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports reported before the draft began that the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions were "most often linked as potential quarterback teams" in Round 1. 

That said, those teams could be looking for a quarterback in the second round. In terms of specifics, the Lions could select Corral with the No. 46 overall pick, and the Saints could select Howell with the 49th overall pick.

The Lions aren't necessarily confident that Jared Goff can be their quarterback of the future, so it would not be surprising if the franchise selected a quarterback in Round 2. 

Detroit acquired Goff in the deal that sent Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, and he didn't show much improvement from his inconsistent days out west. The 27-year-old completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,245 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 14 games. 

That said, Corral could be an intriguing option for the Lions. The 23-year-old was impressive in his fourth season at Ole Miss, which was his second under head coach Lane Kiffin. He completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns against five interceptions, in addition to rushing for 614 yards and 11 scores. 

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. (h/t Sports Illustrated) noted in March that he didn't see Goff being Detroit's future and projected the Lions to select Corral in the draft. He added that the Rebels quarterback "throws a ball with some zip" and "is extremely tough," but mentioned a concern being that college coaches didn't ask him to make a lot of reads, which would be an adjustment for him at the NFL level.

Even if the Lions were to select Corral, he would likely spend at least one year learning and developing under Goff. He is nowhere near ready to be a starter in the NFL and would benefit from a year on the sidelines.

Moving on to Howell, he would be a good fit for a New Orleans team looking for a quarterback for the future following Drew Brees' retirement after the 2020 season. 

The Saints relied on Jameis Winston for seven games in 2021 until he suffered a torn ACL. They then tried Ian Book, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill under center, but none thrived for the franchise. 

Winston is back for the 2022 season and will likely start regardless if the team drafts a quarterback. However, it's unclear if the Saints view him as their long-term quarterback. 

Howell was viewed as one of the better passers in this year's draft, but his 2021 performance caused some concern. He completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,056 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions, all of which are down from his 2020 performance. 

That said, Howell has tremendous upside and might be worth taking a chance on. 

B/R's NFL Scouting Department notes that Howell has a "good build," is a tough runner, has good arm strength and above-average accuracy. Those traits would help him fit in well in New Orleans. 

With the No. 22 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers decided to bolster their defensive unit by selecting Georgia linebacker Quay Walker. 

With the selection of Walker, let's take a look at Green Bay's updated defensive depth chart:

DE: Dean Lowry 

NT: Kenny Clark, Tedarrell Slaton

DE: Jarran Reed, Jack Heflin

LOLB: Preston Smith, Tipa Galeai, Randy Ramsey 

LILB: Krys Barnes, Quay Walker, Ty Summers, Ray Wilborn

RILB: De'Vondre Campbell, Isaiah McDuffie, 

ROLB: Rashan Gary, Jonathan Garvin, La'Darius Hamilton

LCB: Jaire Alexander, Shemar Jean-Charles, Kabion Ento 

SS: Adrian Amos, Vernon Scott, Innis Gaines

FS: Darnell Savage, Shawn Davis

RCB: Eric Stokes, Kiondre Thomas

SCB: Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon

The Packers likely hope to pair Walker with All-Pro De'Vondre Campbell, who re-signed with the franchise on a five-year, $50 million deal in March after an impressive 2021 campaign in which he finished with a career-high 146 tackles.

Walker was not a starter for Georgia until his senior season. However, he impressed in his final campaign for the national champion Bulldogs, recording 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, 67 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss in 15 games.

Walker's draft stock rose immensely after an impressive combine performance in which his athleticism was on full display. The 6'4", 241-pound linebacker recorded a 4.52 40-yard dash, 32-inch vertical and a 122-inch broad jump.

While the Packers' defense didn't necessarily struggle in 2021, Walker will help improve a Green Bay passing defense that finished 10th in the NFL, allowing 219.1 passing yards per game. The team's rush defense ranked 11th in the league, allowing 109.1 yards per game on the ground. 

That said, it was surprising to see the Packers not use their first selection on a wide receiver. After trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay is left with Sammy Watkins, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb as Aaron Rodgers' top targets, none of which are as talented as Adams. 

However, it's worth noting some of the draft's top receivers were off the board before the Packers were on the clock, including Chris Olave, Drake London, Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson, Jahan Dotson and Treylon Burks. 

The Detroit Lions drafted Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jameson Williams with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday in Las Vegas. 

Williams becomes the third Alabama wide receiver in the last two years selected in the first round of the draft, joining 2021 first-rounders Jaylen Waddle, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins, and DeVonta Smith, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Williams enters the NFL after just one standout season with the Crimson Tide. The 20-year-old caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns in 15 games as a junior. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes, catching a total of 15 passes for 266 yards and three scores in 10 games. 

Here is what the Lions' depth chart will look like following the addition of Williams, who will surely slot in as one of their top receivers. 

QB: Jared Goff, Tim Boyle, David Blough

RB: D'Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, Craig Reynolds

FB: Jason Cabinda

WR 1: D.J. Chark

WR 2: Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds

WR 3: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, Quintez Cephus

TE: T.J. Hockenson, Garrett Griffin, Brock Wright, Jared Pinkney 

LT: Taylor Decker, Matt Nelson

LG: Jonah Jackson, Logan Stenberg

C: Frank Ragnow, Evan Brown, Ryan McCollum

RG: Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Tommy Kraemer

RT: Penei Sewell, Dan Skipper

After an impressive junior season at Alabama, it will be interesting to see how Williams produces at the NFL level, especially considering the fact he's coming off a torn ACL suffered in the National Championship Game against Georgia in January. 

Following the Senior Bowl, Bleacher Report's Scouting Department listed Williams as the third-best wide receiver in the draft behind USC's Drake London and Ohio State's Chris Olave. 

B/R's Scouting Department also compared Williams to veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson, saying this about him:

"Overall, Williams will be an immediate weapon for any NFL offense due to his speed and explosiveness and will walk into the league as one of its fastest and most dangerous players. He has more polish to his game that will allow him to do "true" WR things and will make him more than a one-trick pony, but he will need to continue to refine his technique to have answers against more physical cornerbacks."

If Williams can produce at a similar level as Waddle and Smith did during their rookie seasons, it'll be a great start to his NFL career. 

Detroit has badly needed a true No. 1 wideout ever since Calvin Johnson. Kenny Golladay showed flashes but didn't fill that role.

For now, the Lions don't have their next franchise quarterback to succeed Matthew Stafford, and this wasn't a great draft to go searching for one. In Williams, they at least identified a possible cornerstone of the passing game.

Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III is reportedly doing very well in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in last December's SEC Championship Game.

"Metchie is going to be just fine," an offensive coach told Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

"They all feel good about Jameson. Metchie is like a freak show with how far ahead he is, almost like an Adrian Peterson (recovery). The doctors down there are saying it’s amazing how fast he’s recovering."

The coach was referencing former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's recovery from a torn ACL and MCL during a Dec. 24, 2011, game.

Not only was Peterson ready for Week 1 of the 2012 campaign, but he authored an NFL MVP season after amassing 2,097 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He's played in 111 regular-season games over the 10 years since the injury.

As for Metchie, he dominated college football last year with 96 receptions, 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns.

Metchie appears to be a Day 2 prospect that should go before the end of the third round.

The Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department has him 90th overall and 14th among wideouts. Dane Brugler of The Athletic is higher on Metchie (No. 71), and ESPN places him at the back end of the second round (63rd).

The latest consensus big board from the NFL Mock Draft Database has Metchie No. 57.

A torn ACL obviously dropped Metchie's draft stock, but there's no denying his incredible production in college football's toughest conference. He appeared well on his way to a 100-catch season before the injury, and his rapport with quarterback Bryce Young propelled Alabama to an SEC title and the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff.

Now he's moving onto the NFL, where a "Peterson-like" recovery would seemingly have him ready to compete at some point during the 2022 season. His new team could opt to essentially play it safe and redshirt him next year, but Metchie is a player to watch when he's ready to roll.