What's Your Favorite Flavor of Kool Aid?

[BamaMoon]

Can we talk about this guy for a little bit? He's becoming an instant fan favorite. At the Vandy game when they introduced starters he got the biggest ovation/reaction than anybody not named Bryce Young or Will Anderson of all the starters! But it's not just the "kool" factor it's more about the "aid" he providing for this team!

For starters, he's become one of the best lock-down corners in college football. Why teams keep challenging him I don't know? How many passes has he already broken up this year? He's rarely out of position playing a position that it's easy to get beat at.

And then what about his punt return skills? Once he learns how to hold on to the ball a little better and finally breaks one for a TD there's nothing here not to like. I don't know if it's our new special teams' coach or if it's Kool Aid or both, but something special is at work here.

 

[Probius]

The really impressive thing about his punt return role is how consistent he is. Bama has had some great return men in the last few years and they were great at hitting the long TD return, but no return man has been as consistent as Kool-Aid. Every time he gets a shot at a punt return he returns the ball some 30-40 yards. It's remarkable. He is also a legit lockdown corner.

 

[lowend]

I feel like we haven't had a player like this since Javier Arenas. I've missed it.

 

[B1GTide]

I feel like we haven't had a player like this since Javier Arenas. I've missed it.

Eddie Jackson begs to differ, but #1 is special.

 

[Cruloc]

Fruit punch

 

[TideEngineer08]

His PR skills remind me of David Palmer. I don't know the measurables. I know Palmer was about 5'8" and 170 soaking wet and I'm sure Kool-Aid is bigger than that. But the way he moves is eerily similar.

 

[crimsonaudio]

His PR skills remind me of David Palmer. I don't know the measurables. I know Palmer was about 5'8" and 170 soaking wet and I'm sure Kool-Aid is bigger than that. But the way he moves is eerily similar.

Koolaid is listed (multiple places) as being 6'1", ~185#.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

He's been pretty phenomenal at DB and PR

PR: 17 Rets for 321 yards (1st NCAA) at 18.8 YPR (5th NCAA) and 64.2 YPG (1st NCAA)

DB: PBU's 7 (5th NCAA) Passes Defended 7 (12th NCAA)

He's on his way to All-American status at 2 spots

 

[CoachJeff]

Kool Aid isn't as secure with the ball as Arenas, but he reminds me of Eddie Jackson. His vision is fantastic. It seems like he reads the field really well and that there's just a ton of space for him to operate in when he gets the ball. I imagine he'll see fewer punts coming his way.
Since the Texas game he's averaging 25 yards a return on 12 returns, but none for touchdowns. So that means he's not skewed by a long TD.

Kool Aid is second on the team in all purpose yards behinds Jahmyr Gibbs! He's only touched the ball 17 times and is averaged 64 yards a game. Hard to express how impactful that is.

Last year Bama averaged 8 yards a punt return for a total of 18 yards a game. This year Bama is averaging 21 yards a return for 88.8 yards a game.

When you include punt returns this year's Bama team is producing more yards than ever. If you take the yards from punt returns and add that to the yards from the offense that gives you total yards. So if you return a punt 10 yards and then go 70 yards for a TD that's 80 yards of offense, but the passing/rushing numbers are only 70.

Here are the numbers for the last several years at Bama
2022 - 525 rushing/passing + 88 in punt returns = 613 yards
2021 - 488 rushing/passing + 18 in punt returns = 506
2020 - 541 rushing/passing + 23 in punt returns = 563
2019 - 510 rushing/passing + 40 in punt returns = 550
2018 - 522 rushing/passing + 16 in punt returns = 538
2017 - 444 rushing/passing + 21 in punt returns = 465

Overall it's a pretty solid output.

If Bama can get more turnovers and stop with the penalties (averaging 12 per game for 100 yards a game on the road) they'll be okay this year.

 

[AlistarWills]

Funny thing is…Kool Aid is the BACKUP punt returner per a comment I heard come out of Saban’s mouth within the last 2 wks. JoJo Earle is the #1. Well he was. Kool Aid may have taken the 1 with on-field performance.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Funny thing is…Kool Aid is the BACKUP punt returner per a comment I heard come out of Saban’s mouth within the last 2 wks. JoJo Earle is the #1. Well he was. Kool Aid may have taken the 1 with on-field performance.

Yea, the punt return job is McKinstry's to lose. Glad to see JoJo back in the lineup and scoring a TD last weekend but he always made me nervous back there receiving punts. Had the dropsies from time to time from what I remember from last year.

 

[Tug Tide]

I remember Coach in practice clip with Ruggs. He was talking to HR about baseball and saying he liked returners who had played outfield for the ball tracking skills

 

[rolltide_21]

Don’t forget he also was practicing with the basketball team last year after the football season. Nate Oates even mentioned him. He’s just a phenomenal athlete.

But in response to the OP’s question- black cherry

 

[BamaMoon]

I've even thought how "kool" would it be to see him lined up as a kick returner. I mean, it would be pulling Gibbs out to put him in, but it's hard not to argue his vision and open-field running is better than Gibbs.

 

[Windsortide]

Cherry

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Kool-Aid the drink is nasty sugar water.

Kool Aid the player is awesome and needs to break one for a TD.

 

[Perrett4Bama]

GRAPE

 

[Bama_N_Va]

'Nasty' would be my favorite flavor...Attitude, and nothing but attitude!!!

 

[uafan4life]

The really impressive thing about his punt return role is how consistent he is. Bama has had some great return men in the last few years and they were great at hitting the long TD return, but no return man has been as consistent as Kool-Aid. Every time he gets a shot at a punt return he returns the ball some 30-40 yards. It's remarkable. He is also a legit lockdown corner.

He still has a little ways to go to replace Javier Arenas as my all-time favorite, punt-returning DB...

 

[BamaMoon]

He still has a little ways to go to replace Javier Arenas as my all-time favorite, punt-returning DB...

By all means...he hasn't even broken one for a TD yet, but this is fun watching it develop.