Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 95 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 May 31, that means we are only 95 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 95 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 66 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 95?

There are currently two players wearing the No. 95 for Alabama. One is Jack Martin, a senior punter out of Dothan (Ala.) who transferred in from Troy prior to last season. The other is second-year defensive lineman Monkell Goodwine, a former four-star prospect out of Maryland.

In his first season with the Crimson Tide, Martin recorded five kickoffs for 297 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound special teamer also converted his lone field goal attempt, which was a 29-yarder against New Mexico State in Week 11.

Goodwine only saw three snaps as a freshman last season, but the chances of his role drastically increasing in Year 2 remain low. Still, there’s at least a small possibility that the redshirt freshman carves out a handful of defensive snaps here and there, especially in obvious passing situations.

A lot of that will depend on Byron Young and Jamil Burroughs though.

Coming out of high school in 2021, Goodwine was the nation’s No. 68 overall player in the On3 Consensus rankings, the No. 9 defensive lineman and the No. 2 player from the state of Maryland. On3 was a little higher on him, putting him at No. 55 overall.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

Like several of the other numbers in the 90s, there haven’t been a lot of impactful Alabama players to don the No. 95. That said, there is one guy who stands out. His name is Curt Jarvis, and he was a star defensive lineman for the Crimson Tide from 1983-86.

During his career at Alabama, Jarvis was twice named second-team All-SEC.

The 6-foot-2, 266-pound defender then went on to get selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 1987 NFL Draft. Despite being a late-round pick, Jarvis earned a couple of starts as a rookie and eventually worked his way into a starting role full time in 1988.

Unfortunately, a neck injury ended his career prematurely in 1990.

“Look, it’s a cruel business. Life’s a cruel business,” Jarvis said soon after his NFL career was over, via the Chicago Tribune. “I see guys standing on the side of the road with signs that say they’ll work for food. And I’m going to sit here and say life’s been cruel to me just because I can’t play NFL football anymore? I’d be way out of line.

“No, somebody’s always got it a little worse than you. That’s just the way it is.”

It’s unfortunate that his playing career ended that way, but he’ll always be remembered by Alabama fans who were following the team back in the early to mid-80s. This was a defensive lineman who wasn’t the biggest, but he was as strong as an ox and played extremely hard.

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.)