Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 48 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 50-day mark until Alabama is back on a live-game 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 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 July 17, that means we are only 48 days away from the return of Alabama football. The team here at BamaOn3 is ready to celebrate every day of the countdown standing between now and the start of football season. Let’s focus on a player — both past and present — who represents — or has represented — the No. 48.

*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 19 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 48?

The timing was perfect for this post. On Sunday, Alabama updated its roster one final time as the beginning of fall camp approaches. Prior to that update, there wasn’t anyone wearing the No. 48 for the Crimson Tide, but now, there are two different players who will wear it.

Talk about coming in clutch.

One of those players is sophomore wide receiver Steven Harvey, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound walk-on out of Opelika (Ala.) Opelika. The other plays on the defensive side of the football in walk-on Prince Butler. He’s a 6-1, 200-pound defensive back out of Alexandria (Va.) Hayfield.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

Who’s the first person you think of when someone brings up an Alabama player wearing the No. 48? Sure, it’s possible that someone might mention Mekhi Brown after his sideline eruption back in early 2018, but most fans are going to say Phidarian Mathis.

The fun-loving defensive lineman just wrapped up his playing career at Alabama, and he’s now a member of the Washington Commanders after being drafted in the second round (No. 47 overall) back in April. It was a well-deserved climb for the former four-star recruit.

Mathis redshirted in his first season, but from there, he slowly started to get more-and-more involved. In fact, here are his snap counts over his last four years in Tuscaloosa:

• 2018: 261 snaps
• 2019: 297
• 2020: 357
• 2021: 547

The Louisiana native also started 12 of a possible 15 games this past season after only starting a total of eight the previous three years. Mathis made the most of his added opportunities, too, as he broke out in a major way.

His 53 tackles were certainly respectable, but it was his tackles for loss (10.5), QB pressures (25) and sacks (9.0) that stood out the most. In fact, that sack number was actually good for second on the team behind Will Anderson’s 17.5. Considering Mathis only had 1.5 through his first four years on campus, I’d say that’s quite a leap.

For his efforts, he was named second-team All-SEC.

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.)