Welcome back to the Paul F bomb show I’m your host today Roman Harper as Paul is sitting this one out maybe getting an ice bath maybe he’s just resting his legs whatever he’s doing from his long weekend uh good luck at whatever you’re doing Paul now next up we have our guest
Before we get back to more of your phone calls our next guest is Kennington Smith how you doing brother uh I I see some stuff in the background man I I hear I think you’re a friend huh yeah most definitely I’m so glad that you
Asked um just want to say rude to all the good Brothers out there of the Omega sofire Fraternity Incorporated specifically the bloodthirsty betaa chapter at the University of Georgia but I am here in tuscala so I got to give a shout out to Beta a as well they’ve
Definitely been a friend to me since I’ve been here man there we go shout out man you know you know how the brothers do man we G to look out when we can so uh that’s all good and that’s all well I’m glad we were able to get over that
And get to that um tell me this the recruiting at Alabama under kayin dor it’s been hot it’s been hotter than anticipated maybe possibly but it’s also maybe not the same clip as Nick Sabin could you maybe decipher that to not only myself but to the fans as well
Where does kayin debor and this staff stand as they measure up against Nick Sabin and what he was able to accomplish as far as the recruiting Trail is concerned yeah to your point Alabama’s been red hot in the month of March they’ve gotten six commitments this
Month and I think it’s kind of one of those cases where As Time Goes On Emotion is starting to Fall by the wayside and logic is starting to creep in a little bit whenever Sabin or somebody of his caliber steps away from the game there’s going to be a seismic
Impact and there were a lot of players that were committed to Alabama that took a step back because they wanted to see who was going to be the head coach and there were probably some players that folded their arms up and said if Saban isn’t coaching at Alabama then I’m not
Going to consider it but then as time goes on you start to do more research on kayin debor you start to learn about who who he is and what he’s been able to do this is somebody who has won at a very high clip in the FBS despite only being
A coach for a few years he’s been to a national championship if you are on the offensive side of the ball it’s hard to ignore what he’s done on that side of the ball so it’s all about getting players on campus and that’s what he’s been talking about since he’s been you
Know doing availabilities during spring practices the key is getting players back on campus and when players get on campus and they still see the tradition at Alabama they still see that you know the the winning culture still see practice intensity and then they get a chance to actually meet kin dor meet his
Assistants and get to know them on a personal level you start to think to yourself that Alabama’s going to still be an elite program despite Nick sain walking away so I think that’s kind of where the momentum is coming from is just him being able to put his own stamp
On an existing brand at Alabama and as far as where Alabama sits in terms of the recruiting rankings you know depending on where you’re looking at there are top five class a top 10 class right now and in some ways it’s probably a little unfair to expect him to recruit
At the same level as Nick Sav this is somebody who had 10 number one classes during his tene at Alabama I don’t know if anybody’s going to be able to match that level of of recruiting over that period of time but if kayin dor can stay
A top five top 10 recruiter utilize the transfer portal which he’s done at Washington and he has some recruiting staffers with expertise in that and his level of coaching ability being able to elevate talent I think we saw that at Washington then Alabama’s going to be
Just fun all right uh you know and talking about getting the recruits on campus I mean they seen the campus it is beautiful uh and everything that’s there to offer as well uh I want to stay with kayln dorg here what have you taken in
From him as a coach of these type of players I heard him at the pro day all he talked about all he wanted to talk about and you heard this same thing repeated from some of the players was building a relationship that seemed a little bit different under Kaylin dor
That it was more Rel I’m not saying it wasn’t under Nick Sabin but that is what his bail cow it was not about all the other things and x’s and o’s yes that matters but it’s about the relationship that I’m able to build with each individual player and then the football
Things will take care of itself yeah huge on on relationships and that’s something that has been a talk a consistent talking point since he’s been you know here at Alabama and I think it’s it’s kind of reverberated through the the entire team we’ve got a chance
To talk to a lot of players since uh spring practice has started they’ve all just kind of talked about who he is as a person and how he’s really just kind of wed to establish that kind of personal connection because it’s it’s tough for him to kind of come in and follow the
The Legend of Sabin and who he was in terms of his stature and dor is going to come in’s he’s been himself and I think it takes a lot of confidence to come in and keep some things the same and not you know tear everything down and say
That I’m going to you know be so completely different from sa and and Implement you know everything that I had at different programs I’m going to keep things that are important to the players and I’m going to implement my own uh spin on top of that to continue this
Train rolling and I think when you’re talking about the relationship aspect really sitting down and talking to the players that stayed and understanding what is important to them and who is important to them in the building and keeping some of those guys on staff like a Fred Ro for example who is Alabama
Through and through a Robert Gillespie who’s done a great job since he’s been hired um you know a couple of years ago keeping the fourth quarter program in place um I think has made players really comfortable and then when they see who he is as a football coach and the ex’s
And O’s and the success um it really kind of makes for a really nice blend so obviously there’s a long way to go and what happens on the field is going to dictate a lot but it’s hard to really kind of poke holes in the first few
Months of kayin debor era and it seems like you know all indications from inside the program is that it’s been a pretty smooth transition and there everybody in the building has full confidence in them all right and I know you mentioned a couple things you talked
About the staff some of the the hold on from the staff is kind of what the players wanted you talked about the fourth quarter program uh the which if you don’t know what that is that’s just the offseason conditioning uh to make sure guys are competing and doing some
Other things could you name specifically uh anything that the players liked under Sabin that Kaylin dorg has said you know what we’re going to keep that that’s what we will do as well yeah I think really the the fourth quarter program was really the the kind of the main
Thing is something that the players spoke to at last season as something that was a really galvanizing force and made players closer in terms of having that Brotherhood um you know in terms of competing which helps them on the field that’s a really big part of it and as
Far as you know the holdovers in terms of Freddy roach and Gillespie those kind of guys and some off the field staffers as well the Josh Chapman and the jam Mosley and those guys off the field HaHa Clinton Dicks also I can’t leave him out as well so kind of keeping those players
Around the building players who have played for Alabama and and kind of know the standard and know what it’s been over the last few years just to have players comfortable so I think those are kind of the the main things and you know defensively I think is another thing as
Well I know there’s been a lot to talk about um you know Kane W coming in and maybe changing the philosophy of sa defense but in talking to him and talking to players it seems like the defensive strategy is much more closer in terms of sabin’s philosophies than
Maybe we anticipated going into spring practice so those were a couple of holdovers in place that have kind of made those players comfortable and I think the players have embraced kayin dbor what he’s brought as well and I think it’s worth noting as Tyler Booker
Said this when we talked to him a couple weeks ago that Washington made it farther than Alabama last year so clearly what kayin dor is doing is working that’s not to say that he’s a better coach of Nick Sav but his way is is proven no Washington what he’s done
Statistically on the field Player Development elevating a roster Washington’s Talent composite is obviously not on the same level as Alabama’s yet Washington was a national championship Contender last year so when you blend those two things together it’s hard not to get excited about what the potential could be under him I mean it
Makes all the sense in the world hey first and foremost shout out to my boy Freddy roach who was my college roommate you know we still represent class of 2001 still on that campus 22 years later still helping out and continue to grow that program I want to talk about Kan
Wac um I I saw him at Spring well actually at the pro day last week first and foremost uh Kennington it looked completely different I saw coaches talking to other uh doing interviews it wasn’t just one coach like offensive coordinator got on some TV time the defensive coordinator got some TV time
It was other different Representatives uh cuz you maybe go into Kane wac what he’s going to be able to do uh I heard him talk about really not changing philosophy but building this defense and what they’re trying to do conceptually around their great players that they have that’s already there defensively
And that really instead of always playing press man-to-man coverage is more about Vision on the quarterback so now they can be more impactful in forcing more turnovers in which they led the country two years ago uh at the University or three years ago at the University of Indiana yeah in terms of
Of Kan woman is somebody who is one of the not an originator of the 425 defense that was his dad but somebody who was really kind of taken it and made it his own and has been really successful you bring up um what he did at Indiana at
South Alabama they were one of the better defenses in FBS last year they were able to put pressure on the quarterback they were able to get a lot of takeaways and it’s an aggressive style and you’re going to see players maybe playing different roles and doing different things and talking to some um
Spe particularly on the defensive line and kind of in that outside linebacker being able to maybe drop in coverage more show a little bit more of of their SE SK but still being able to kind of have that emphasis on on rushing the passers so it’s going to be a really
Aggressive defense it seems like he’s a really Hands-On coach and I think that it’s really critical that you know him working with that inside linebacker room you think about Alabama’s defense and what was lost last year and there was a lot of talent leaving but what is returning you think about that core
Group of De Lawson and Jihad Campbell in the middle of the defense having wmer really working closely with them to make sure that everybody the defens is on one Accord because Deontay Lawson’s going to be the one calling that defense I think it’s going to be really significant so
He has he brings a lot of energy and what he’s been able to do on the recruiting show kind of circling back to that conversation you see the the amount of recruits they’re getting on the defensive side of the ball particularly at the linebacker position his message is resonating on the recruiting Trail
And it’s been resonating on the team as well all right uh kington I got one more quick one before I get you up out of here bro that is Jaylen milro we all know the story last year started off the season where nobody said he could play
Quarterback then all of a sudden he gets the KN under Nick Sabin benched after the Texas game yada Yad yada we all know the story this off season I haven’t seen a college football player more looked at as a superstar I mean he’s on college basketball he’s on you know everything
Going on he he’s the man he’s grew his hair out a little bit more he has the greatest smile can you talk about this man’s maturity and what does he look forward to next year and how is he how are they accepting him or what is he
Looking like what’s the what is the future looking like for him right now yeah I mean Jaylen milro is a superstar and anybody who has spent close time with him whether it’s from the Alabama side as a coach or a player or myself on the media side and the interactions that
I’ve had with him this is somebody who Just reverberates Energy positivity always and consistently talking about wanting to get better and wanting to be the best that he can so the team can can move forward and when you’re talking about his story and kind of his his
Profile as a player when you think about you know some Legends of the game the Michael Jordans the the Kobe Bryant even Jaylen Herz at Alabama kind of what they’ve had to go through in their individual Journeys in terms of Michael Jordan being left off the varsity team
And coming back and being a great player Kobe Bryant’s work ethic or Jaylen Herz being benched coming back helping Alabama win a sec championship the next year now he’s on to the NFL Jaylen milro story kind of has a little bit of all of those things and he kind of represents
Um you know somebody that you want to have representing your football program and in terms of the steps that he’s been able to take I think that the fact that he was able to help lead Alabama to a championship last year in the SEC and lead them to the college football
Playoff and have the confidence in himself that maybe didn’t exist early um you know in the season getting benched and going through those things I think him coming back having that confidence knowing that that he’s the guy and having the the faith and the trust of K
The boore Nick Shar and the offensive coaching staff every time that they come to the podium or they’re in front of a microphone they talk about the of leader that Jaylen milro is the type of person that he is the type of wanting to consistently improve and how he’s
Leading the offense I think it’s going to be really exciting to see what he looks like in kayin dour’s offense being a part of a of a bla trust in dbor and sherid and Jamarcus Shepard and the rest of the staff that are really going to accentuate his talents and I think
That’s going to you know raise the uh the entire profile of Alabama’s offense so looking ahead to to this spring obviously learning The Playbook is going to be you know one big part of it and I just expect Jaylen milro to progress as a passer I expect him to be utilized
More in the running game which is going to open things up for for Alabama’s offense and I think it’s going to be a really Dynamic group so you talk about somebody who is kind of coming into this year as a star player I I anticipate that Jaylen milro is going to kind of
Get that press run that we’ve seen past Alabama quarterbacks or other star quarterbacks having college football of you know all SEC teams and Heisman hype and and big profile stories and all of those things and it’s going to be really fun for the nation at large to kind of
Get a little bit more of his personality and learn more about him as a season bres hey Kennington Smith man thank you so much for honors with your time bro appreciate that bro I’ll see you later man hey rud dog uh enjoy yourself enjoy the weekend thank you so much Kennington
Smith the thir uh your calls next on the Paul F bomb show
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