Tide sets record; BIG upset conference winner

April 28, 2023

Tide sets record; BIG upset conference winner … Alabama didn’t make this year’s CFP for the first time in what seems like forever; however, the Tide may have gotten a little consolation at the opening round of the 2023 draft. Indeed, when Carolina selected QB Bryce Young with the first pick overall last night, it marked the 15th straight year that Alabama had at least one player selected in the opening round, the longest streak of any school ever breaking the old mark of 14 that the Tide shared with Miami. And when Houston selected DE Will Anderson with the third pick overall, it made it a remarkable 7 years in a row that Alabama had at least two players selected in the opening round. Hard to believe, though, that Young was the first Alabama selected first overall literally since before I was born – and I’m old. Indeed, the last former Alabama taken first overall was the immortal Harry Gilmer, a QB taken #1 by Washington in 1948, although the AFL’s New York Jets did make QB Joe Namath their #1 pick in 1965.

Alabama had a third player selected in the opening round when Detroit surprisingly took RB Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick. That tied Alabama with Ohio State, along with surprising Iowa for the most first-round picks of any school with three apiece, while Georgia and Clemson with two each were the only other schools with multiple first round picks. And we had a surprise winner in the conference race as the SEC was dethroned for the first time in years by the Big Ten which had 10 first round picks, versus 8 for the SEC. It was also a good night for the resurgent Big XII which had 6 first rounders, while the ACC had 4 and the PAC-12 three. However, that’s where the sense of equality ended. Indeed, all 31 players selected in last night’s opening round were from FBS colleges; in fact, they were all from Power 5 conferences.