Jumbo Package: Alabama names permanent captains

Happy Monday, everyone. So much of the talk is around the playoff selection today, but Alabama also announced its permanent captains.

Alabama football named Jalen Milroe, Dallas Turner and Malachi Moore its permanent captains for the 2023 season during its yearly awards banquet on Sunday. Those three players will get their hand and cleat prints imprinted in concrete at Denny Chimes on UA’s campus before next season’s spring game.

The captaincy announcement was part of a big night for Milroe. The Crimson Tide’s quarterback was also named the team’s MVP, and most inspiring player.

I’m especially happy for Malachi. He has taken some serious heat at times from the fanbase, and to be fair his play has been up and down a bit in his career. Kudos to him for sticking around and taking a leadership role on a team that got Alabama back to the playoffs.

Pawwwwl thinks that the committee made the right call putting Alabama in the playoff.

“You really can’t (debate for Florida State) if you’re reasonable,” Finebaum said. “Some of the lines I’ve heard today issued by your colleagues up there at ESPN? They do want to make your head explode. ‘What about the other 99 players on the team?’? Well, what about the other 99 players on Alabama’s team?”

“They just knocked off Georgia. I mean all these things are great but I’m glad this committee didn’t buy it,” said Finebaum. “I didn’t think they would as midnight struck last night because Florida State vs. Louisville was a painful game to watch – as opposed to where I was yesterday watching to heavyweights. It was like going back to the 70s and watching Ali and Frazier. Then the winner of that meets some boxing gym in Queens. It’s absurd.”

Committee chair Boo Corrigan finally started talking some logic after the field was announced.

“I think in looking at it, again, that was a decision with Alabama at 4. Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks,” Corrigan said. “ ... You can lose a running back, you can lose a receiver but when you lose a quarterback as dynamic as Jordan Travis, it changes their offense in its entirety and that was a really big factor.”

Travis suffered a season-ending leg injury on Nov. 18 against North Alabama. His backup, Tate Rodemaker beat Florida but was concussed, leading to true freshman Brock Glenn making a start in the ACC Championship win, a slog over Louisville. That sounded like a difference-maker for the committee.

“The questions we do ask from a coaching standpoint is who do you want to play and who do you not want to play,” Corrigan, who’s also North Carolina State’s athletic director, said when further pressed on the seeding.

As many have suggested, the committee was hoping for the chalk to hold. Even if it had, though, Texas or Florida State would have been a heated conversation. I’m just glad they got it right in the end.

Last, Mark Inabinett put together his weekly NFL roundup for you. JK Scott had himself a day!

Scott punted eight times for a 45.9-yard average. Except for one touchback, New England started its possessions after the punts at its 18-yard line or worse and had a net return yardage of zero.

Scott had a 50-yard punt with a return of minus-5 yards to the New England 13-yard line, a 53-yarder downed at the New England 6, a 29-yarder out of bounds at the New England 9, a 52-yarder for a fair catch at the New England 9, a 62-yarder returned 5 yards to the New England 18, a 39-yarder out of bounds at the New England 2, a 50-yarder for a touchback and a 32-yarder for a fair catch at the New England 13.

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.