Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 52 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 55-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 13, that means we are only 52 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. 52.

*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 23 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 52?

Braylen Ingraham will be back in Tuscaloosa wearing the No. 52 for a fourth straight season.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive lineman has seen his snap count decrease in each of the last two seasons. After seeing 19 snaps and four tackles as a freshman in 2019, those numbers decreased to only seven snaps and one tackle in 2020. Then in 2021, Ingraham didn’t see any action.

Will that change for the redshirt junior in 2022? That’s a tough question to answer.

It’s possible, as Ingraham did some see reps with the first-team defense during the A-Day Game back in April, but that’s likely due to the entire second-team defense being on the other team. Alabama is fairly deep across its defensive front, so even if he does get on the field, it probably won’t be in any signficant role.

Coming out of Four Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas in 2019, Ingraham was a four-star who also rated as the nation’s No. 160 player, No. 22 defensive lineman and No. 19 player from the state of Florida, per the On3 Consensus. He chose Alabama over Miami and Oregon.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

Alfred McCullough wore the No. 52 for Alabama from 2007-11. He arrived in Tuscaloosa as a four-star defensive lineman and spent his first season there before making the switch to the offensive line in Year 2. To give him time to make that transition, McCullough redshirted in 2008.

Over the next three seasons, the Athens (Ala.) native played in 31 games with six starts.

He proved to be a versatile piece who could move around and fill in where needed. When former left tackle Barrett Jones was out, McCullough stepped in. When right guard Anthony Steen missed time, it was McCullough who was called upon. By the end of his college career, the 6-foot-2, 311-pound lineman was a starter.

After Alabama, McCullough went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. He did sign an undrafted free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens, but he didn’t last long before being released. On May 17, 2012, he latched on with the Philadelphia Eagles and spent the summer with the franchise before once again being let go in August.

From there, McCullough moved from the NFL to arena football, playing with the Tampa Bay Storm from 2013-16. He finished his football career with the Arizona Rattlers.

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.)