Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 65 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 70-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 June 30, that means we are only 65 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. 65.

*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 36 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 65?

JC Latham returns for his second season at Alabama, and that will also include wearing the No. 65 once again. The former top high school offensive tackle in the 2021 recruiting class only played 142 snaps for the Crimson Tide last season, and they all came at guard. Every little bit of experience helps though.

Now, Latham is making a transition from guard to right tackle that’s similar to the one Evan Neal went through a couple of years ago. The only difference is that Neal also went from the left side to the right during his transition, which means things should be a little easier on Latham.

Look, there’s going to be some growing pains.

Physically, Latham is ready, but he’s still learning a few of the nuances needed to play the position at a high level consistently. That’s going to take some time. The good news is that once it clicks, the IMG Academy (Fla.) product has the tools to vault himself into that conversation for the top offensive tackle in college football.

Coming out of high school, the 6-foot-6, 326-pound lineman was rated as a five-star prospect. He also checked in as the No. 2 player nationally, the top offensive tackle and the top player from the state of Florida, per the On3 Consensus rankings. At the time of his signing, Latham held offers from virtually every prominent program in the country.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

Latham isn’t the only offensive lineman to wear the No. 65 during the Nick Saban era. Prior to his arrival, that number belonged to former starter Deonte Brown, who wore it from 2016-20. From 2009-12, it was former left guard Chance Warmack, which is who we’ll be talking about today.

Warmack wasn’t the highest-recruited offensive linemen that we’ve seen since 2007. In fact, his offer list only included other schools such as Auburn, South Carolina and Rutgers. Still, Saban and company saw something in the Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake product, and Warmack was able to put it all together in Tuscaloosa.

After playing a reserve role in his freshman season, Warmack became a full-time starter in 2010.

Over the next three years, he would start 39 games, all while being awarded with national titles and individual awards. He was a second-team All-SEC pick in 2011, a first-team selection in 2012 and was also an All-American in that final 2012 season. Plus, he won three national championships (2009, 2011 and 2012) during his four years in the program.

And even though Warmack wasn’t the highest-rated offensive lineman to sign with Alabama during the Saban era, he remains one of the highest-drafted after being taken No. 10 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2013 NFL Draft. He’d go on to play for seven seasons, which also included stints with the Philadelphia Eagles (2017-18) and Seattle Seahawks (2020).

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.)