Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 83 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 90-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 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 12, that means we are only 83 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 then.

With opening week 83 days away, let’s focus on a player — both past and present — who has represented that number.

*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 54 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 83?

Freshman Kendrick Law will wear the No. 83 for Alabama this upcoming season. Coming out of Shreveport (La.) Captain Shreve, the 5-foot-11, 193-pound wide receiver was a four-star prospect who the On3 Consensus has as the No. 97 overall player, No. 4 athlete and No. 9 player from that state of Louisiana for 2022.

Despite Alabama having to replace its top three receivers from last season, Law is a long-shot to be a heavy contributor in Year 1. The Crimson Tide still return JoJo Earle, Ja’Corey Brooks and Traeshon Holden. Plus, the team added two new pass-catchers out of the transfer portal in Jermaine Burton and Tyler Harrell.

With that being said, the coaching staff still likes Law’s long-term outlook. He was one of Louisiana’s fastest prospects while starring in football and track. Law also enrolled early and showed real promise throughout spring practice.

“He’s done a nice job,” Alabama coach Nick Saban responded when asked about Law back in March. “He’s a guy that could play multiple positions if that creates value in your opinion. But he has done a really good job at receiver. He’s got some speed. He’s got some size. He runs good routes. He’s got really good hands.

“He’s picked up on things and sort of has the right mindset to be able to deal with some of the frustrations that young players go through when they’re trying to learn a system and making more mistakes than they’re used to, probably. But he plays through it, and he’s made a lot of plays.

“I think that he’s the guy that might be able to help us if he continues to develop.”

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

If Law turns out to be a solid starter who wears the No. 83 for Alabama, he won’t be the first of the Saban era. That title belongs to former wide receiver Kevin Norwood, who played for the Crimson Tide from 2009-13 before being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

During his time in Tuscaloosa, Norwood never put up eye-popping statistics.

In his last two seasons, he only totaled 67 receptions for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns. We do, however, have to keep in mind that this was before Alabama’s offensive revolution that now makes producing multiple 1,000-yard pass-catchers a semi-regular thing.

Norwood did play in the NFL for three seasons. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, but also spent time with the Carolina Panthers (2015-16), San Diego Chargers (2016) and New York Giants (2016-17). Unfortunately, he was never able to get on the field consistently, finishing his NFL career with only nine catches for 102 yards.

Still, he’ll always be able to say he won three national titles with Alabama (2009, 2011 and 2012). Even in a place such as Tuscaloosa where winning championships is common, there aren’t a lot of other people out there who can say that.

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.)