SEC Football

Star linebacker recruit Shawn Murphy will play college football at Alabama starting in 2022.

The Crimson Tide announced Murphy signed his letter of intent Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. 

Murphy is widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in this class—he's a 4-star talent who is the fifth-ranked linebacker and No. 57 overall player, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Already listed at 6'2" and 215 pounds, Murphy should have no problem filling out his frame to reach a more archetypal linebacker size. He's a phenomenal athlete who ran the shuttle in 4.41 seconds and had a 33.8-inch vertical jump at The Opening in 2019.

Brian Dohn, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, offered this scouting report for Murphy:

"Has build to play inside linebacker. Can add thickness throughout frame and play at 235 pounds. Hard-working with inner drive. Plays with chip on shoulder. Physical, menacing player in the box. Shows suddenness to get to ball carrier. Plugs gaps with ferocity. Devastating hitter between the tackles. At his best when playing downhill."

Based on his raw talent and upside, it's hardly a surprise that Nick Saban wanted Murphy to play for the Crimson Tide.

The move had been expected since Murphy gave Alabama a verbal commitment in July.

“I want to be with people I can talk to without having to be hesitant and to feel like I am getting all of the essentials I need to have a job of my choice at the end of college or after an NFL career,” Murphy told Justin Smith of Touchdown Alabama.

Few programs have been better at developing talent at linebacker over the past decade. C.J. Mosley, Dont'a Hightower, Rolando McClain and Courtney Upshaw are a few of the Alabama stars who have gone on to have successful NFL careers.

Murphy will give Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding an anchor in the middle of the field who is strong enough to take down tight ends and fast enough to run with running backs and wide receivers.

Alabama always ranks at or near the top of yearly recruiting lists. Murphy's addition will go a long way toward ensuring that remains the case in 2022. 

Defensive end Malick Sylla announced he's signed his letter of intent to play college football at Texas A&M, formally providing a major boost to the Aggies' 2022 recruiting class following his initial commitment in January 2021.

Sylla is a 4-star prospect whom the 247Sports' composite ranking lists as the No. 66 overall player in the 2022 class. He's also rated as the No. 10 defensive lineman nationally and 12th-best recruit from football-rich Texas.

The Katy High School standout's frame (6'6", 230 pounds) makes him look more like a player prepping for the NFL draft than one getting ready to start playing college football. Nevertheless, it should allow him to make a smooth transition and a quick collegiate impact.

Last June, he said that ability to step right in and play would be key in his final decision.

"I want to fit in," Sylla told Brian Perroni of GigEm247. "I want to go in and play as a freshman. I want the defense to be like a 4-4-type defense where I can be on the edge. And the coaching staff has to be consistent."

It's a realistic goal, as he's shown the type of athleticism and explosiveness necessary to compete against older competition.

That said, Sylla probably won't become a three-down starter for Texas A&M right out of the gate. It's more likely the coaching staff will work him into a rotation that can accentuate his strengths, specifically getting after the quarterback while he becomes a more well-rounded player.

His role should steadily increase in the coming years as he becomes a key player for head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies defense.

Like many college coaches, Lane Kiffin does not appear to be a fan of the NCAA's new, looser rules on player transfers.

The Ole Miss coach said Monday that players have begun treating the transfer portal like a sort of free agency. 

"I don't think people really say it this way, but let's not make a mistake: We have free agency in college football," Kiffin told reporters. "The kids a lot of times go to where they're going to get paid the most. No one else is saying that, maybe. But the kids say 'This is what I'm getting here from NIL.'"

The NCAA began allowing players to make money off their name, image and likeness earlier this year. Several star-level players have signed contracts in the six or even seven figures, and even most lower-profile players at Power Five schools have been able to cash in. 

The NCAA now also allows players to transfer one time without losing a year of eligibility. Under previous rules, players needed a hardship exemption or they would have to sit out a season.

The NCAA began allowing players to make money off their name, image and likeness earlier this year. Several star-level players have signed contracts in the six or even seven figures, and even most lower-profile players at Power Five schools have been able to cash in. 

The NCAA now also allows players to transfer one time without losing a year of eligibility. Under previous rules, players needed a hardship exemption or they would have to sit out a season.

Kiffin is probably not wrong in his assessment of the new market. It's almost certain players are comparing their NIL opportunities at different schools, and programs with strong local business ties are going to have more robust offers waiting for top talent.

While Kiffin and other coaches may not like the new normal, the situation seems far more like a feature than a bug. For decades, players have been cut out of a multi-billion-dollar business that saw coaches and school administrators get rich off what amounted to unpaid labor. 

Kiffin's new contract at Ole Miss will pay him $7.5 million annually. He's also no stranger to abandoning a program when a better opportunity comes along; Kiffin remains persona non grata in Tennessee after bolting for USC after only one season in Knoxville. We've seen Brian Kelly (Notre Dame to LSU), Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma to USC) and Mario Cristobal (Oregon to Miami) leave one major program for what they felt was a better—and more lucrative—opportunity elsewhere.

Bo Nix's career with the Auburn Tigers has come to an end.

The quarterback announced on his Instagram page that he plans on leaving the program as a graduate transfer. Nix started the last three years for Auburn and arrived at the school as a 5-star prospect in the class of 2019, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Nix appeared well on his way to stardom when he started the season opener in 2019 and led the Tigers to a victory over Oregon. He also led the team to a victory over archrival Alabama that season behind two total touchdowns and ended up as the SEC Freshman of the Year.

Unfortunately for Auburn and the quarterback, consistency became an issue as his career continued.

He threw for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his second season and appeared to take something of a step back. The team also went from 9-4 during his freshman campaign to 6-5 in his second season.

The Tigers were just 6-6 in 2021, and Nix missed the final two games thanks to a broken ankle after he at least improved on his turnovers with 11 touchdown passes to three interceptions.

He was more of a game manager than anything else during his time at Auburn, which surely wasn't what the program wasn't looking for when it brought in a 5-star signal-caller as it attempted to keep pace with the Crimson Tide in SEC and national championship races.

Auburn may now turn to LSU transfer TJ Finley, who went 17-of-26 for 137 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a four-overtime loss to Alabama earlier this season.

As for Nix, he will add a veteran quarterback to whichever school he chooses as a graduate transfer.               

When the Heisman Trophy winner's name was called on Saturday night at Lincoln Center in New York City, it wasn't a surprise at all. Alabama sophomore quarterback Bryce Young had a tremendous finish to the 2021 regular season, and because of that he secured college football's most prestigious individual honor.

Young became the first QB in Crimson Tide history to win the Heisman. He received 2,311 points and 684 first-place votes in a landslide victory over Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (second place with 954 points, 78 first-place votes). Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett (third) and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (fourth) were the other finalists.

While leading Alabama to a 12-1 record, the SEC championship and the No. 1 seed in the CFP, Young passed for 4,322 yards, 43 touchdowns and only four interceptions. When he received the Heisman on Saturday, he was quick to credit his Crimson Tide teammates and coaches.

"Whenever you can win an award like this, it doesn't go as an individual award but it's a team award because I couldn't do it without any of those guys," Young said in his speech, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough. "I'd like to thank Coach [Nick] Saban. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for your guidance and putting me in situations to be successful and for us as a team to be successful."

Although an Alabama quarterback had never won the Heisman, Young became the fourth Crimson Tide player to win the award, all of whom have done so after Saban took over as head coach in 2007. Running backs Mark Ingram II (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (2020) are the others.

Smith didn't attend Saturday's ceremony, as he's currently playing his rookie season for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. But last year's Heisman winner sent Young a message via a video shared by Alabama on Twitter:

Crimson Tide sophomore linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who finished fifth in this year's Heisman voting, was also among the many current and former Alabama players who congratulated Young on social media:

There have been plenty of talented quarterbacks to play for the Crimson Tide, especially in recent years. Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa were Heisman finalists, but neither captured the award.

Young did what those other stellar QBs couldn't. And Saban shared his reason why he thinks that's the case.

"A lot of the other teams that we've had have been older, with lots of really good players and the quarterback didn’t need to be the focal point that Bryce had to be on this team this year," Saban said, per Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press.

When Alabama has needed Young to be its leader, he's done that, too. He powered the Tide to a come-from-behind win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 27, leading a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter and guiding them to victory in four overtimes.

Against a dominant Georgia defense in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4, Young passed for 421 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score in the Crimson Tide's 41-24 victory. That performance made Young the clear front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy.

"It's really about belief in yourself and it's about belief in your preparation and your abilities and not allowing people to write your story and to dictate your life to you," Young's father, Craig, said during the ESPN broadcast, per Scarborough. "And I think he personifies that."

Young likely has a lot of big performances for Alabama still ahead of him. He's going to try to lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship (beginning with a Cotton Bowl matchup against Cincinnati on Dec. 31), and he'll be back in 2022 for his junior season.

The only player to win the Heisman twice is Ohio State running back Archie Griffin, who did so in 1974 and 1975. Perhaps Young can make more history by joining Griffin next year and giving Alabama a Heisman three-peat.

Alabama has its second consecutive Heisman Trophy winner with Saturday's announcement that Bryce Young has been named the nation's most outstanding player.    

Young, who is in his first season as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback, came out on top in a four-man group that included Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

After spending much of the season without a clear Heisman front-runner, Young elevated himself to the front of the pack last weekend against Georgia. He threw for an SEC Championship Game-record 421 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in a 41-24 win. 

Given how one-sided the results turned out to be, it certainly seems that lighting up a Bulldogs defense that had been the most dominant in the nation all season left a lasting impression on Heisman voters. 

After the award voting was announced, Young got a shoutout on Twitter from fellow Crimson Tide Heisman winners:

DeVonta Smith, the 2020 Heisman winner, included a special video message to his former teammate: 

Among the many byproducts of Alabama's incredible run of success under head coach Nick Saban is the program's dominance at producing Heisman winners.

Since 2009, Oklahoma is the only other program in the country with multiple Heisman Trophy winners. The Sooners did it in back-to-back years with Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). 

There's a strong possibility that Alabama could finish 2022 with a third consecutive Heisman Trophy. Young won't be eligible to turn pro until 2023, so he will return as the Crimson Tide quarterback next season. 

Given how dominant Young was this season and how unstoppable the Crimson Tide offense has been for the past four years, there's no reason to think a repeat win for the 20-year-old is impossible. 

History was made Saturday night when Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was named the winner of the 2021 Heisman Trophy.

The 20-year-old won running away with 684 first-place votes and 2,311 total points to beat out Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Hutchinson finished second with 954 points, followed by Pickett (631) and Stroud (399).

The Crimson Tide are the fourth program in history with back-to-back Heisman winners. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith took home the trophy last year.

Oklahoma (Baker Mayfield in 2017, Kyler Murray in 2018), Army (Doc Blanchard in 1945, Glenn Davis in 1946) and Yale (Larry Kelley in 1936, Clint Frank in 1937) previously accomplished the feat.

(USC also had back-to-back Heisman winners in 2004 and 2005, but Reggie Bush's trophy from the 2005 season was vacated because of a violation of NCAA rules for receiving gifts and cash payouts.)

Alabama is also one of five programs to have at least four trophy winners, joining Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC. All four winners have come in the past 12 years—Smith (2020), Derrick Henry (2015) and Mark Ingram II (2009).

Young had the difficult task of replacing Mac Jones at quarterback for Alabama. Jones, who finished third in last year's Heisman voting, led the nation with 4,500 passing yards and a 77.4 completion percentage to help the Crimson Tide finish 13-0 and win the national title.

After playing behind Jones in 2020, Young took the reins of the offense and had no problem carving out his own path. He is second in the nation with 43 touchdown passes, fourth with 4,322 passing yards and completed 68 percent of his attempts.

There were a couple of close calls this season when it looked like the Philadelphia native had played himself out of Heisman contention. The first was against Texas A&M on Oct. 9, which is Alabama's lone loss of the season to this point.

Young threw for 369 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but he only completed 28 of his 48 attempts in a 41-38 defeat.

In the regular-season finale, and with a spot in the SEC Championship Game on the line, he had his worst performance of the year against Auburn. He completed fewer than 50 percent of his attempts (25-of-51) for 317 yards, but his 28-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Corey Brooks with 24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter tied the score at 10 and forced overtime.

Young then threw the game-winning two-point conversion to John Metchie III in the fourth overtime to secure Alabama's 24-22 victory over the Tigers.

In his final audition for the Heisman voters, he turned in arguably his best performance of the season when he threw for 421 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in a 41-24 win over Georgia to win the SEC title.

The Bulldogs were the top-ranked team in the nation and hadn't allowed more than 17 points in any of their first 12 games before losing to Alabama.

The victory moved the Crimson Tide up to No. 1 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. They won their second consecutive SEC title game, and Young established himself as the front-runner for the Heisman.

On Saturday, Young's status as the front-runner was confirmed by the voters, who named him the nation's best player.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has been named the 2021 Maxwell Award winner as the best all-around player in the nation. 

Young beat Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III to win the honor, which was announced Thursday at The Home Depot College Football Awards.

Alabama is starting to have a monopoly on this award. Young is the fifth player in program history to win it, and all five have come since 2013. 

A.J. McCarron (2013), Derrick Henry (2015), Tua Tagovailoa (2018) and DeVonta Smith (2020) previously won the Maxwell Award. 

Head coach Nick Saban and his staff continue to do a remarkable job of keeping their performance consistent from year to year, despite losing more talent than any other program to the NFL. 

Young had the difficult task of replacing Mac Jones under center for the Crimson Tide. Jones finished third in Heisman voting last year, leading the nation with 4,500 passing yards, 311 completions and a 77.4 completion percentage. 

Despite having no starting experience coming into 2021, Young has thrived and was a significant reason Alabama remained one of the nation's best teams. He finished with 4,322 passing yards, a 68.0 completion percentage and 43 passing touchdowns. 

Even in the Crimson Tide's loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 9, Young threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns. 

No other program in the country can match Alabama's talent on a year-to-year basis. The team lost Jones, Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain II, Alex Leatherwood and Najee Harris just in the first round of this year's NFL draft. 

Thanks to the development of Young, and others, the Crimson Tide went 12-1 and earned the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff field after beating Georgia 41-24 in the SEC Championship Game. Young dominated in that matchup with 421 passing yards and three scores in addition to 40 rushing yards and one more touchdown.