What Happens in June and July in the Program?
- Thread starter BamaMoon
- Start date
If you want to have any chance of playing you better be in T-town all summer working out with Coach Cochran and doing 7-on-7. Players now have very little off time all year round. Not required but expected.
I don't think their required by the NCAA but they might be voluntarily required if they want to play. When you recruit top 5 classes every year, things are cut-throat.
No player is required to be in Tuscaloosa. No player is required to work out with Coach Cochran.
Coach Saban and Coach Cochran evaluate which players are most ready to play, and they play. Those who are not ready may get splinters in their butts from sitting on the bench.
If players want to get as good as they can be, want to be in tip top condition, want to be fed by our Nutritionist and not put on FAT... Those players will want to be in Tuscaloosa with the big boys who are going to play on Saturdays.
(It's all voluntary)
Last edited:
When my son attended youth camp first week of June in 2014, there were several players there. The weight room was open and when kids left to go to lunch offsite, they locked the doors to the indoor facility so that the players could work out. We even saw Jake Coker throwing passes to Amari Cooper on the practice fields when the kids were not using them. No coaches, but players working out on their own. Derrick Henry also spoke to the kids at one point about the importance of nutrition and working hard.
Trust me, they're not given much choice. i'm sure there is a player every now and then that hasn't stayed in Tuscaloosa for the summer. We've never heard from them again.
Yep. They aren't leaving town for summer. They take a few classes and "voluntarily" workout.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Between early enrollment and summer classes, a player can easily graduate in three years. The fall semester graduation always features several football players, including some fifth year seniors receiving their master's degrees.
When you come here, its kinda like Camp Tuscaloosa. You show up in Jan or June and leave 3 to 5 years later. Strictly speaking Summer workouts are voluntary but so is the playing time. That's just the reality. These guys didn't sign up for a normal college experience but they aren't normal people. Normal people join a fraternity or some other social program. These guys are trying to complete the NFL moonshot but if they miss they still land somewhere with a degree.
But to a degree I reckon this ain't much different for the kids going to Troy or Jax State. Athletic programs trying to compete at a high level are going to chew up your free time. I graduated from a more respected degree program at Alabama and it chewed up a lot of my free time with "voluntary" professional development and speaking engagement attendance and a senior capstone class that is supposedly 6 credit hours but takes up at a minimum 20 hours a week but usually resulted in 40+ hour crunch periods near the end of each of your two semesters in it. But that is the difference between a degree where you deliver food with a bachelors degree and getting placed in a career tracked job out of school.
But to a degree I reckon this ain't much different for the kids going to Troy or Jax State. Athletic programs trying to compete at a high level are going to chew up your free time. I graduated from a more respected degree program at Alabama and it chewed up a lot of my free time with "voluntary" professional development and speaking engagement attendance and a senior capstone class that is supposedly 6 credit hours but takes up at a minimum 20 hours a week but usually resulted in 40+ hour crunch periods near the end of each of your two semesters in it. But that is the difference between a degree where you deliver food with a bachelors degree and getting placed in a career tracked job out of school.
Last edited:
Thanks for the responses. It's what I thought...being there not required...but somewhat expected.
I was also interested in what football activities are taking place too. I know they are involved in weightlifting and body sculpting activities. I also know they do 7 on 7 drills. I'm assuming conditioning is involved as well. Are there other activities involving individual skills or team activities?
I was also interested in what football activities are taking place too. I know they are involved in weightlifting and body sculpting activities. I also know they do 7 on 7 drills. I'm assuming conditioning is involved as well. Are there other activities involving individual skills or team activities?
College athletics on most levels are very competitive and cut throat. Heck, I played baseball at a little NAIA school and the difference between the practices and time commitment there compared to high school was light years difference. I cannot imagine the culture shock a lot of these guys coming out of HS football programs get when they start realizing what they have to do to get on the field at the FBS level, specifically Alabama.
It is what makes this run we've been on that much more impressive. Not only has CNS brought in the very best of the best year after year, but he's also managed to keep enough of them motivated to improve themselves each year. These guys come in with massive egos a lot of the time, because they were kings in high school, and at Alabama they're just another guy. The ability to motivate people in those conditions is a rare skill.
That was my experience with NAIA basketball too. My "love" for basketball took a hit because it became more of a "job." I will say if the playing time would have been on TV and got the same level of attention that major college players get, the "job" might have been worth it.
That's EXACTLY how it became to me. My love for baseball began to fade when three hour HS practices and summers "off" turned into 5 and 6 hour grinds and getting sent home with off season workout programs that I had to have completed when coming back in the fall. The weight room and six minute miles revealed whether you followed the program or not. LOL!
The other thing that, no doubt, motivates these guys through summer workouts is the "pro money" factor. I knew by the time I in my last couple of years of HS that, outside of a growth spurt of about 5-6 inches, I was at best going to play college ball with little to no chance to go "pro."
But most of these guys that come to Bama, especially the 4 and 5-star guys, believe they have a real chance at the NFL and a big payday! That's a lot of motivation I didn't have in NAIA basketball!
The goal is that NOTHING happens in June & July with these guys [emoji1787][emoji1787]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Seems like I remember Barrett Jones going on a couple of missions trips; so I don't think the players are in lock down over the summer. I do believe that most spend most of their summer in Tuscaloosa working out together and running drills together on their own. Being able to get away and take a break from football and classes, even if for only a week or so, is important in order to rest and recharge for the next go around.
Latest threads
-
SEC West Showdown Sends Alabama to Oxford to Meet with Ole Miss- Started by Diamond Tide
- Replies: 0
-
Davis II Named to Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List
- Started by Diamond Tide
- Replies: 0
-
Eleven-Run Third Powers Alabama to 14-5 Win over Samford
- Started by Diamond Tide
- Replies: 0
-
Maybe aTm's Pockets Aren't So Bottomless After All -- Layoffs In The Athletic Department
- Started by 4Q Basket Case
- Replies: 6
-
Time to un-vacate 2005-2007 on field victories and un-forfeit the 1993 season?
- Started by CmdrThor
- Replies: 24
-