Before we get to Alabama-related things, the fun news from yesterday was the scramble in the plains as Auburn Basketball head coach, Bruce Pearl, retired abruptly.
“I’ve been a part of college basketball for almost 50 years, and the truth is, it’s time,” Pearl said in a video posted on Auburn’s social media accounts. “I told myself that when I got to the point when I could not give it my all or I wasn’t necessarily 100 percent, where I couldn’t be the relentless competitor that you expected of me, that it was going
to be time. And as hard as it is to say this, I reached the realization that it was time for me to step aside.”
There had been rumors for months that Pearl, known for being outspoken on social media platforms about a variety of political topics, might consider a run for public office. But in his goodbye video, Pearl made it clear he would remain at Auburn, transitioning immediately into an ambassador role within the athletic department as a special assistant to the athletic director.
“I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate, maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama,” he said. “That would have required me leaving Auburn. Instead, the university has given me an incredible opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator.”
So, Bruce is stepping back from the work of being a coach but is still “advising” as a “Senator.” But he’s definitely not running for a political office. Just wait, the state is getting closer and closer to being politically run by a bunch of Auburn sports. Still, Bruce still gets to meddle as much as he wants – there’s definitely no way that can go bad, huh? Auburn will have to make sure they hire a new coach without ties who can forge his own identity outside of Bruce’s shadow… Oh wait.
Instead, the Barn took all of 31 minutes to announce that they hired Bruce Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, as the next head coach. And not just as an interim…. They gave Young Pearl a 5-year deal.
Seriously. Auburn just gave a 5-year head coach contract to a guy that was a pharmaceutical sales rep a few years ago and has only ever been an assistant under his dad at Auburn. Never been a head coach at any level, or even an assistant out on his own. He did go undefeated for one game when his dad got suspended in 2021, though.
It’s objectively hilarious.
Anyway, on to Alabama Football. We got our usual press conferences from the coaches leading into Georgia week:
Ryan Grubb
On Jam Miller and how his return helps the offense:
“Yeah, I don’t think there was anything we were limited when Jam was out, but certainly just his leadership and physical presence on the run game, just being able to lean on him a little bit, is super helpful.”
Grubb was about as short with his answers as we’ve ever heard him, for whatever you think that means. I do believe him in his answer about Miller, though: Alabama’s offense won’t be any different, really. This game will be won or lost on the arm of Ty Simpson and the receivers.
Kane Wommack
Yeah, conversations that we have, I think, Coach DeBoer has a very good pulse for our football team right now. I think we’ve made some adjustments to give our ourselves the best chance to be able to play responsive football on the road in adverse situations. And so for us as a football team, it’s a mindfulness. I think our players, they’re great young men, they’re great kids. Whatever we emphasize, we tend to get from our players. And so we have made that a huge point of emphasis. I think you’ve seen that at home in the energy and juice that we’ve brought from our sideline, the passion that our guys have played with the last two games. But there’s a difference when you have to go on the road, particularly in the SEC, and in a hostile environment and respond to adversity. I thought at times, we have been a team that has been reactionary to adversity, and we have to be more responsive. It’s at the forefront of our minds, and I expect to see a very responsive football team on Saturday.”
I thought this was an interesting answer from Wommack here as he was asked a couple of times about Alabama’s play on the road. The key sentence I heard was him saying that “Whatever we emphasize, we tend to get from the players.” So he’s acknowledging the coachability of of the players, and sort of taking some of the woes of the mentality of the team on the staff. I don’t really know what you emphasize, exactly, when it comes to not playing “reactionary” on the road, but that’s what these guys are paid the big bucks for, I guess.
Kalen DeBoer
“Whatever we’ve asked of this group, they’ve just been so coachable. Just think talking through and going through what we’ve experienced together, you’ve got to prove it on the football field, but the way they want to respond in practice I think has carried over into what we’ve done at least in these home games the last two weeks. We’ve got to be resilient. We know there are going to be storms we have to weather in the SEC, on the road, and you’ve got to do it. No one else is going to go do it for you.
“I know there’s a high want-to factor this group has. They’ve shown it in the work. They’ve shown it in their preparation. That’s the key. Really just prepare, invest, and do everything you can to be confident and do something special together. Just ask these guys to empty the tank every single day. And they’ve done that. That’s what we’ve got to do on Saturday. We’re going to have to be resilient. Understand that adversity against good football teams is going to happen. Know what our response is going to be, choose our response and understand what that looks like even now, not just when it happens.”
I also think it’s good that Coach DeBoer is echoing the same thing. A lot of times, there are multiple ways to win – but one surefire way to invite dysfunction is for coaches, coordinators, and players to not be on the same page as far as messaging.
Speaking of coordinators, I also found this quote from Kirby Smart ahead of the game:
On how Alabama’s offensive identity has changed if at all…
“Well, I mean, Ty’s different than Milroe, you said it. So there’s a difference in that, but he’s a really good athlete. Like, he’s a tremendous athlete. He played in games last year, and you watch all the snaps he took, and he has 60-, 70-, 80-yard runs that are running down the field outrunning good defenses. So he’s a talented player. I would say he’s probably the hottest quarterback right now in all of college football. His two last outings, I don’t know that I’ve seen an incompletion — like, the ball does not hit the ground.
“He’s been accurate, he’s been quick with the ball. They’re really hard to defend because of their skill. They’ve got tremendous skill receivers, backs, tight ends, but you’ve got to have a trigger guy that can get those guys the ball and they do. And he’s seeing the field. I didn’t realize in the Florida State game that it was as messy and sloppy as the weather was at times. Like, we were playing a game during that time, so I had no idea until last week you go watch, and you’re like, oh, okay. It was a rainy, sloppy game. In the other games he’s played, there’s been no sloppiness. I mean, he’s accurate, he’s quick with the ball, he’s a good decision-maker and has made some elite throws. So they’re clicking right now offensively for sure.”
Want to know why Kirby is a great coach? He’s probably the first person I’ve ever heard talk about Ty Simpson’s legs first. Simpson’s best plays as a backup the last few years have all been impressive run plays, and yet his rushing ability has consistently been talked about as an afterthought by fans, media, and coaches this year.
Georgia week is always a fun one. Stay tuned as we get into our previews for the game, and Roll Tide!
