Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 93 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 100-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 2, that means we are only 93 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 93 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 64 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 93?

Redshirt sophomore Jah-Marien Latham has been wearing the No. 93 for Alabama since he arrived in Tuscaloosa prior to the start of 2020 season. Through his first two seasons, the former Reform (Ala.) Pickens County standout has only played in four games with 15 total snaps.

Will that change in Year 3? It’s possible, but a more likely scenario would be for him to push for more snaps in 2023.

That prediction is not meant to be a knock on Latham, either. It’s the result of all that Alabama has returning along its defensive front. Last season, six defensive linemen saw 200 or more snaps for the Crimson Tide. Of those six, four will be back with Phidarian Mathis (547 snaps) and LaBryan Ray (209) being the two departures.

Not only that, but Jamil Burroughs saw an increased role in the spring with Byron Young out with an injury.

Barring injury, that leaves five known contributors on the interior. It’s possible Latham could be a sixth, but with the coaching staff wanting to get pass-rusher Chris Braswell on the field more, I’m not sure how many opportunities will be available for yet another interior guy.

Coming out of high school back in 2020, Latham was considered a four-star prospect. He was rated as the nation’s No. 217 player, No. 25 defensive lineman and No. 10 player from the state of Alabama, per the On3 Consensus. He chose the Crimson Tide over Ole Miss, Tennessee, Maryland and several others.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

If you were to ask an Alabama fan to rank the top-10 players from the Nick Saban era, former defensive lineman Jonathan Allen would probably be somewhere on that list. In fact, I’d even guess that he’d check in a lot closer to No. 1 than he would No. 10. That’s how good the Ashburn (Va.) native was in Tuscaloosa.

Allen was a three-year starter at Alabama. Over his last two seasons alone, he combined for 105 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception. The interception and one of those fumble recoveries were both returned for a defensive touchdown.

For his standout 2016 season, here’s a list of the awards Allen brought home:

• Bronko Nagurski Trophy
• Chuck Bednarik Award
• Lombardi Award
• SEC Defensive Player of the Year
• Unanimous All-American
• First-team All-SEC

Pretty mind-blowing, right?

At one time, Allen was in the conversation to be the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but arthritis in one shoulder and getting surgery on both caused him to slide down to the Washington Commanders at No. 17 overall. Any concern NFL teams may have had about his future health have since been squashed.

Over his last four years in the league, Allen has started 64 of a possible 65 regular season games for Washington. He’s totaled 254 tackles, 31.0 tackles for loss and 25.0 sacks to go along with 69 QB hits during that time. Plus, he was just named to his first Pro Bowl this past season.

Allen will forever be a fan favorite. Mostly because of his consistency and leadership, but his infamous “Alabama does” line from back in 2016 also doesn’t hurt.

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.)