Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 33 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 35-day mark until Alabama is back on a football field. After coming up short in the national championship game against Georgia back in early January, the Crimson Tide will once again be searching for its seventh title ring under Nick Saban.

This year’s season opener will be against the Utah State Aggies on Sept. 3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

With today being August 1, that means we are only 33 days away from the return of Alabama football. The team here at BamaInsider is ready to celebrate every day of the countdown that stands between now and the start of college football. Let’s focus on a player, both past and present, who represents — or has represented — the No. 33.

*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 3 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 33?

Right now, there are two players wearing the No. 33 for Alabama, both of which are walk-ons. The first is Joseph Narcisse II, a junior defensive back out of Miami (Fla.) who transferred in from Alabama A&M. The other is freshman wide receiver Jack Standeffer, a local product from Tuscaloosa who was a standout at Tuscaloosa Academy.

The last scholarship player to wear the No. 33 was now former linebacker Jackson Bratton, a four-star prospect out of Muscle Shoals (Ala.) After a little less than two seasons at Alabama, he entered the transfer portal in Nov. of 2021 and ultimately landed with the UAB Blazers.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

Anfernee Jennings represented the No. 33 for the Crimson Tide from 2015-19. The former four-star outside linebacker came in as the No. 173 player nationally, No. 14 edge and No. 7 player from the state of Alabama, according to the 2015 On3 Consensus rankings.

He redshirted his freshman season, but from Year 2 on, he slowly started to see his workload increase. In his final two years at Alabama, Jennings combined for 133 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks to go along with 11 pass deflections, two interceptions (one of which went for a touchdown), two fumble recoveries and a one forced fumble.

For his performance in 2019 alone (83 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks), Jennings was awarded first-team All-SEC honors alongside other Alabama defenders such as cornerback Trevon Diggs and safety Xavier McKinney. Defensive lineman Raekwon Davis and fellow outside linebacker Terrell Lewis also made second-team All-SEC that season.

After college, Jennings was selected in the third round (No. 87 overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft. As a rookie, the 6-foot-3, 259-pound edge rusher played in 14 games with four starts. He racked up 20 tackles with one QB hit during that time.

Unfortuately, Jennings was placed on the injured reserve prior to the start of the 2021 season. An undisclosed injury was the culprit, but we do know he’s currently participating in training camp. In fact, he was listed as a standout in a recent practice after posting a sack and spending a majority of the day in the opposing offense’s backfield. That’s certainly an encouraging sign.

2022 Alabama Football Schedule

Sept. 3 vs. Utah State Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Sept. 10 at Texas Longhorns (Austin, Tex.)

Sept. 17 vs. UL-Monroe Warhawks (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Sept. 24 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Oct. 1 at Arkansas Razorbacks (Fayetteville, Ark.)

Oct. 8 vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Oct. 15 at Tennessee Volunteers (Knoxville, Tenn.)

Oct. 22 vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Oct. 29 – OPEN WEEK

Nov. 5 at LSU Tigers (Baton Rouge, La.)

Nov. 12 at Ole Miss Rebels (Oxford, Miss.)

Nov. 19 vs. Austin Peay Governors (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Nov. 26 vs. Auburn Tigers (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Dec. 3 – SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Atlanta, Ga.)