Alabama Football Roster Countdown: Jaeden Roberts, Jihaad Campbell, and James Burnip

Alabama football practice starts on Wednesday and here we are right at the end of Jimmy Stein's world famous roster [Music] countdown you are locked on Bama your daily podcast on the Alabama Crimson Tide part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hey everybody and welcome back into lockone B Luke Robinson from the ahsa radio network that's me and Jimmy Stein from B online that's him thanks for making this your first or second listen every single day you every dayers are the absolute best but we also want to welcome in any new listeners and Watchers love you guys welcome to the channel um this episode is brought to you by FanDuel as well Jimmy we've talked a lot of recruiting in the previous uh yesterday's podcast so would love for you to check that out today we're going to get right back into your countdown because we've got some big names and I mean that literal literally and figuratively and uh Jaden Roberts is where we're going to start this guy I don't know I don't know anybody maybe outside of Jaylen milro who's improved more um Jaden Roberts people forget I mean you look at him now because he looks like he's out of the Marvel Universe and you think oh well this guy's been a stud ever since he got there he red shirted he red shirted in 2021 played in 2022 um or was it was it Richard in 22 I'm trying to no you're right Richard in 21 he played in 22 play played very little in 22 he played sparingly he played against Vanderbilt Austin P and Kansas State and that's it right yep and and um so now uh last year all of a sudden it seemed like you know we talk about this all the time the light came on right I mean we've been talking about that with some guys like a Quay Russa um or quandarius Robinson you know is the light gonna come on and my goodness it came on and this guy was an absolute Beast last year he is a humongous human being he really does he looks uh he's got a lot of DJ Fluker esque qualities and um I think this is probably going to end up being his last year Jimmy I mean he could come back he could come back because he red shirted but I think this will end up being his last year don't you very possible and I think it's amazing that we're even discussing that but yeah it is very possible that he's going to play his way into the upper etch line of the NFL draft after this year you know I do this roster ranking every year and that and the cool thing now now that we've got you know a couple years of doing this the cool thing now we can look back and see players moving up and down right and here I have Jaden Roberts as the eighth best player on this Alabama football football team this fall the the eighth best player one year ago today when I did this prior to the 2023 season he was the number 58 player he he moved up 50 spots in one one year and uh you could say well you had him right too low well I was I wasn't a soothsayer uh that's just you know he he literally was like the third option you know at guard once players went down I mean you got to remember Daren Dart Dort was starting at Right Guard last year um not playing well but sort of we kind of knew what he was sort of limited not a great player but a good player that knew the assignments and knew where to be and what to do he just wasn't a great football player that's why he went undrafted um but dour got hurt and when he got hurt next man up was Terence Ferguson and and TJ was a was a highly regarded highly recruited guy that they were counting on uh but you know he wasn't that great either at Alabama last year he wasn't great and then he got hurt and and now you're down to like now what are we going to do and they stick in Jaden Roberts who they felt I know from inside the staff they felt this guy's good but he's probably still a year away well once he got one or two games under his feet he ends up he was just a couple of weeks away I mean all he really needed to uh to improve dramatically and quickly was the game experience Because by the end of the year the offensive line was really good and was a team strength by the end of the year and in large part that was due to the emergence of jayen Roberts who who absolutely played fantastic particularly for a brand new starter now he was a project I like how Luke mentioned DJ Fluker earlier fluke was another guy that people don't think of now as a project but he was absolutely a project when they signed him out of Foley High School during his red shirt year he's probably one of the worst players on the team ask DJ ask any coach that that that was on that St DJ was just not anywhere near ready to play as a true freshman but year or two he was good enough to get out there and he did okay and then in year three he became the fluke we all know as a dominant fantastic player kind of the guy we're seeing now in Jaden Roberts I think Jaden is basically just a year behind fluker's development Arc he's just one year behind that and hey that's to be expected Jaden Roberts was not a festar recruited by everybody in the country if y'all remember he flipped to Alabama from Auburn even though he's from Houston Texas he's not a uh was not one of these typical Sabin type offensive tackle prospects he's just was a was a project all along they knew they would have to work with and hey the light comes on when it comes on and thankfully for Alabama it came on midseason last year and now we have him ranked as the eighth best player on this team you know you brought up DJ Fluker and I know this is we're staying more in the now than the past but uh here's a picture of me and my brother uh with DJ Fluker in 2008 at the Alabama Mississippi All-Star Game and uh yeah boy I was I was still chunky then apparently and here's a picture of my hand at 652 40ish against DJ fluker's hand I mean that's ridiculous is it you know it's ridiculous and I'm crazy I can get this wrong so much but if you told me that was a picture of you with Jaden Roberts I'd go yeah that's Jaden mean don't they look alike to me they look a lot do they look alike and they're identically built from the barrel chest I mean I mean they look a lot I I I think to me this has been and I've been comparing Jane Roberts to fluke early on with the connotation that Fluker was a highly recruited five-star type guy and Jane Roberts lesser recruited but to me as players their skill sets their temperament on and off the field you'd swear these these two were brothers I mean they're a lot alike they're teddy bears off the field they're monsters on the field just completely different personality once the game starts but just the gentle Giants off the field nice guy tries hard academically does well he's a gump flukes a gump Jaden Roberts is a gump uh J fluke was a tackle at Alabama but played guard in the NFL Robert's a little bit ahead of that he's a guard at Alabama is going to be a guard in the NFL but but really it's because him and fluke just have really similar games uh and again Fluker was the 11th pick in the draft I'm not saying that Jane Roberts is going to be the 11th pick uh again I think he's a little behind Fluker uh but I I do believe that Jane Roberts will be a high a highly drafted player either after this season or after next season this next one we're going to talk about this guy excites everybody there's no doubt about it but I want to tell you about ibata look I I know I've got a live read and I'm I'm going to do the live read I promise you but I've got the iata app or right here on my phone right there um I use it all the time I I love it it's it's been awesome you know just making a little bit of money back what does that heard on sandals sunscreen snacks for the kids all that stuff you probably bought a ton of that this summer you don't want to stress about the cost use iata and get cash back on all that stuff look it's also barbecue season and tailgating season stock up on all your grilling favorites and earn cash back on every purchase when you use ibata so you won't 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to be a thing a guy who probably doesn't need Factor because he's already a machine and that's Jihad Campbell um absolutely fantastic player I think speaking of guys who the light came on for uh last year it really came on for him 66 total tackles last year including four for a loss and he only had half a sack which seems a little odd to say I mean he did add three quarterback pressures and three pass breakups intercepted a pass uh he also had maybe two of the biggest fumble recover I'd say the two biggest fumble recoveries of the year I mean the one against Tennessee on the sack uh late in the game that he returned for a touchdown and then he recovered the fumble on the Muff punt against Auburn in the Iron Bowl which was absolutely enormous so I think he uh had the two two of the biggest defensive plays of the year Jimmy he is impactful I mean if if my list here we have Jad as the seventh best player on this football team if my if this list was more of a prediction hey Jimmy how is 2024 going to play out who's going to be the best players on the team just predict it uh Jad would be higher uh but I I I still want my ranking to be a little bit more evidence-based you know based on what we've seen and what they've earned on the field um so I have him at seven though was the seventh best player on the team saying a lot for a team that's largely recruited by Nick sa um Ji is impactful he is I think the NFL Scouts are just going to love this guy because if if you made like a checklist of what they're looking for in an off ball linebacker you don't just check every box with Jihad you put an A+ in every box I mean his size his range his wingspan his range the fact that look at his skill set he can rush the passer he was actually uh rated a five star as an edge Prospect coming out of high school so he's a pass rusher uh he's good against the pass L noted the interception he he's good against the pass uh he causes fumbles he he's there scoring a touchdown on on the Strip sack uh that Dallas Turner when he sacked the Tennessee quarterback um was that was it Turner or brazwell that's a good question uh I know Jihad picked it up and scored but uh Turner or brazwell was brazwell I think it is brazwell I think it is I said that's why I caught myself I'm like no I think that was Brad and not Dallas so easy to think it's Dallas well that's I'm gonna be honest with you that's why I didn't say that to begin with because I like when Chris brell psyed the quarterback I was like was it Dallas tournament and then I was like no but I'm not GNA mess up I think it is brass but anyway uh J picked it up and scored job was actually the national defensive player of the week for his performance against Tennessee so this is an award-winning guys already created a lot of hype for himself the NFL is going to love this guy for him it's just a matter of staying healthy for all the entirety of the Season putting up consistent numbers and being a consistent dominating presence but boy when he's out there he's a big play waiting to happen which is exactly what you want in in a front seven guy right he's a disruptor and and that's Jihad and and and again anything you ask him to do he can do he can cover tight ends and backs and man coverage he can drop into Zone coverage he can play The Run he can pursue ball carriers he can get after the quarterback I mean everything you want to do Jad can do he's still a young player guys I mean this is a junior but he's a J did not red shirt played a lot of special teams as freshman year at Alabama last year year two you hope a guy like that moves into the starting lineup he did uh and now he forms uh this duo with Deontay Lawson inside we had even got to Lawson on the countdown which shows how high he is uh I I think with Jihad Campbell being the seventh best player on the team and Lawson being even higher than that uh this is one of the best inside linebacker Duos in college football I doubt there's a better one and uh the NFL is just going to love Jihad Campbell I I don't think he's played like a first round pick yet we're going to see that all year I think we're going to see a first round pick now the NFL doesn't typically take inside linebackers you know that high but uh I think Jad will be an exception to their rule because again they don't normally get inside linebackers that that have his length I mean this is a a legit 6-3 guy you know he was number 30 he swept over to number 11 and the first thing I thought of is he kind of seems like a hybrid between uh Dante high tower and lamansky Hall who were number 30 and number 11 respectively he seems like the the meshing of those two remember a Saleem rashed I was gonna say Shalem rashed was number 11 he was number 11 now but Jihad Saleem was a fast but sort of stiff you know and I think he was never going to do really well in coverage Jihad amazingly is bigger than Saleem and and and less stiff do you remember Jad rashed who was uh every very highly recruited end up going to Duke he was like Alabama Player of the Year full Duke yep that's right um people listen to the show are like a fullback are they talking about Canadian football what's that rugby by the way watching the Olympics um and we were all watching rugby and like my kids were like we were all into it and we were like what does that mean I was like I don't know but something happened like I was like I think this is a cross between soccer and football and Lord knows I don't know how any of the rules go they gotta touch the ball down in the end zone I don't know what's happening and then you know the women went out there and they were just I was like I want none of that you into a live I don't like saying you don't want that smoke I don't like saying it but it's very relevant it does you're watching the women play rugby you don't want that smoke um and here's the other thing like I've been to a live rugby game and the first thing I thought of everybody on the field and most of the people watching could beat the heck out of me and so I don't want to be here I I felt threatened be I was triggered being just in attendance I don't want to stereotype but I get the feeling at rugby matches there's lots of fights in the stands probably and you know then they all go buy a beer afterwards or something it's weird um anyway Jimmy next on your countdown a punter yes it is going to be a punter next on his countdown but I need to tell you about FanDuel because FanDuel is the absolute best you know FanDuel it's just awesome and look I know that right now Sports aren't sportsing like you want them to and I love them so much I never want them to stop and the playoffs are pretty much done Major League Baseball sort of in its weird gray area but I gotta away to make it fun for y'all that's FanDuel FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all you have to do is open that app and dream up bets anytime you're in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everybody every day all summer long so head over to fanduel.com and make the most out of your summer because FanDuel of course is the official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball this is both thrilling and terrifying that James burnup is uh here on your list ahead of jihad Campbell ahead of Jaden Roberts um I think it's great to have a punter that is listed so highly that is so highly regarded because a punter is kind of like a lawyer Jimmy everybody hates them until you need one right you know this as a former lawyer um or I guess you're still a lawyer I don't know legally I can't say that uh to be honest I don't even know uh well James Burnham knows that he's a punter and this is a guy that has really come on it again it speaks volumes about his Improvement moving this far up in your list but it is also scary that he could be that important to this team in the end I think if you were to rerank this team at the end of the season he would be in your 20s not because James burnup isn't going to be important but because I think everybody else will be moving up Notches at least that's my hope well I don't agree with that this is why he's so high I mean he's he's he's this High because it's it's simple in my in my mind even though it's very difficult to rank a punter when you're you know up against linebackers and DBS and quarterbacks but James burnup does his job better than anyone else does does their job I mean he he's he's very likely to be the best punter in college football uh Pro Football Focus says he was the best punter in college football last year and he returns uh I can give you some numbers that would blow people away as a matter of fact my favorite I mean this I think everyone listening U would agree or or we we will come close to agreeing that JK Scott is probably the greatest punter in Alabama history I I think most people age I know I believe that I think Luke believes that I think most everybody listening go yeah JK Scott's probably Alabama's best punter of all time JK over his four years at Alabama averaged 45 yards a punt which is an amazing number over four years to average 45 yards a punt James burnup averaged 47 yards a punt last year James burnup actually exceeded JK Scott's average by two full yards last year that's amazing only once in JK Scott's four years did he average more yards a punt than James burnup did last year and that and again this is burnup on the way up we haven't even seen burnup cealing yet this is really he's new to punting JK apparently had been punting since he was three this kid burnup is just learning how to punt because he his his you know his experience was in Australian Rules Football and rugby these other sports me and Luke don't understand but burnups Improvement is incredible I think this other number off the top of my head his and since he's just learning this as a freshman and sophomore burnup had a total of seven punts over 50 yards that's in two years of punting at Alabama seven punts went over 50 yards last year alone 23 I mean that's a stunning number in one season uh might be the most improved football player in a single year we've ever seen at Alabama and uh this is the burnup that's here to stay I I think he's I think he's going to be drafted uh if he has another year like he had last year and uh you don't say that about many punters and uh is he better than JK Scott I'm not gonna say I'm gonna say he's not because JK Scott did it over four years burnup really just did it one year his last year but if burnup has another leap forward he's certainly in the argument about replacing JK Scott as Alabama's alltime punter if there's another step forward which is mindblowing based on how good he was last year but this is a ray guy favorite a first team All-American candidate and an NFL draft e and uh that's why I have him at six trust me uh my my roster ranking is not kind to a Specialists but when you're exceptional like will rard was uh James burnup deserves the will record treatment honestly boy you might have sold me that 50 yard stat thing amazing bananas and Lord knows we needed it um but I you know here's my take on it is not necessarily because I think James burnup isn't good I think he could win the ray guy award but I'm I'm thinking he may not get as many opportunities that's what I'm hoping that's my hope hope he never punts all year wouldn't that be great I hope deor I hope dbor is so cocky that when the team is boarding the flight to Wisconsin for the first road game they're like we're not even bringing burnup yeah not even bring bags and like the planes taking off he's like looking we ain't GNA come close to punting this year we a even bringing the punter on the trips um all right Jimmy that's going to do it for today's podcast we'll be back tomorrow with more probably more countdown stuff I want anybody to go check out locked on uh sports today I'm telling you you will love love this if you're tired of all the screaming and the fussing and the feuding and the fighting lockon sports day doesn't do all that go check them out go check out locked on Auburn if you want to see how giddy they are right now about their big cat weekend go check out locked on SEC if you just want to catch up on everything secc and uh we're going to start having some more um guests on here very shortly some crossover stuff with Alabama opponents for the upcoming season so we're excited about that locked on Hill Toppers locked on locked on H there is a locked on hillt that's pretty needs to be locked on Hill Toppers at least for a week yes we would like for y'all to have a podcast for one week this let's see if I can surprise you with this not every Alabama fans can know this has Alabama played Western ky's quarterback before who is it Alabama has played the Western Kentucky I mean I knew the answer I'm just curious who it is TJ Finley oh that's right oh yeah isn't that amazing the former Auburn quarterback started an Auburn Alabama Auburn game he is Western ky's quarterback or is contending for it because they got a returning guy they're pretty high on so I don't know that he's been officially named but how about this how about what now boy that's so fascinating Alabama's first game they could potentially play TJ Finley who um was the quarterback for alurn when Al when Bryce young made his miraculous comeback the second game they play South Florida which is the team Jaylen milro didn't get to play last year and then and then the third game game is Just Wisconsin which is we don't Tyler van djk who uh was associated with Alabama and the transfer portal at one point yeah yeah God this is so cool I can't wait to go to Wisconsin by the way all right that's going to do it for today's podcast we'll be back tomorrow with more until then roll out everybody roll out