Alabama Football: Monday Message Board 6/23

Hey guys,

I'm gonna start this week with a few nuggets from the end of this past week. 

If you haven't heard yet, Saban got commitment No. 8 for 2009 from Toledo, OH RB/FB Mike Marrow.  Marrow's father, Vince, played for Saban at Toledo and eventually made it to the NFL.  Marrow picked the Tide over Penn St., Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Illinois. 

Also, Saban made a quick stop with the media informally this week.  He let out a few injury reports and updates. 

Saban said that CB Kareem Jackson and LB Charlie Higgenbotham have recovered from sports hernias which they had suffered during the spring. 

Then came the news which has to deal with this week's topic. 

Wideout Will Oakley is hurt...again.  The receiver, who has never seemed to be healthy for an extended period, is out with a broken foot and may be back by fall camp. 

Also, CB Lionel Mitchell is being forced to hang up the spikes because of a recurring back injury that has landed him on a medical hardship scholarship. 

With the removal of Mitchell, Alabama is down to just 11 remaining seniors on the 2008 squad.  Even that number may dwindle with Oakley questionable for the start of fall practice, and with the status of DE/JACK Ezekial Knight still in the air, the Tide could have as few as nine seniors on the team. 

With so few seniors, someone is going to have to make a difference.  We all know that John Parker Wilson has to have a great year, but we covered him last week. 

This week, the topic is: Which senior outside of JPW will step up to have an outstanding 2008 season for Alabama?

Here is a list of the remaining seniors on the team:

• Will Oakley
• Ezekial Knight
• John Parker Wilson
• Rashad Johnson
• Bobby Greenwood
• Travis McCall
• Antoine Caldwell
• Nick Walker
• Marlon Davis
• Nikita Stover
• Jimmy Johns

Johns has been a fan favorite ever since he was recruited by former coach Mike Shula. 

Johnson and Caldwell are both returning captains from the 2007 squad and both are anchors in their respective units. 

Just like previous weeks, either leave your comments below or write your own article on this week's topic.

That's all for this week guys,

Nic