Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 56 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 60-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 9, that means we are only 56 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. 56.

*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 27 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 56?

Walk-on linebacker JD Baird will wear the No. 56 for the Alabama defense. On the offensive side of the football, it’ll be returning offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin, who played 354 snaps and started three games for the Crimson Tide in 2021.

Right now, McLaughlin is in a heated battle with Darrian Dalcourt for the starting center job.

Dalcourt started 11 games at that position for Alabama last season, but McLaughlin remains very much in the competition as fall camp approaches. In fact, I wouldn’t give one player a significant advantage over the other one.

McLaughlin isn’t the same caliber of athlete as Dalcourt, but the argument could be made that the Crimson Tide’s offensive line, as a whole, worked more in unison with the Buford (Ga.) native as the starter in the middle. Be sure to keep an eye on this position battle in the coming weeks.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

Tim Williams is easily the most notable player to wear the No. 56 during the Nick Saban era. After two seasons of being a backup edge rusher (8 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks) in 2013-14, the Louisiana native broke out in a major way during his final two years.

Despite being somewhat limited as a run defender, Williams combined for 49 tackles. Of that, 27.5 were behind the line of scrimmage with 18.5 of them being a sack. He was an absolute game-wrecker working alongside Jonathan Allen, Ryan Anderson and Reuben Foster in Alabama’s defensive front.

After college, Williams went on to be a third-round pick (No. 78 overall) by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent four years in the league, playing for the Ravens (2017-19), the Packers (2019) and Seattle Seahawks (2020). Since then, he’s been in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2021) and, most currently, the BC Lions.

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.)