Closed scrimmages have a way of stirring up the imagination. Alabama didn’t release stats from its private workout inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. However, that didn’t stop information from leaking out to the public afterward.

Those nuggets of intel will be dissected and debated over the next week, producing overreactions and skewed expectations on both sides of the spectrum. Five-star freshman Ryan Williams lived up to his hype with a long touchdown reception during the scrimmage. But does that mean the 17-year-old is poised for instant stardom during his first season at Alabama? And what should we make over a few misses in the kicking game?

In today’s column, I’ll look to steer through some of the hype and concern with an Alabama version of buy or sell. With that said, pour yourself a drink, and let’s dive in.

Alabama brought in an ice cream truck after practice last week to battle the summer heat. For this week’s drink, we’ll follow the Tide’s lead by going with a cool and creamy cocktail.

Alabama’s new coaching staff is far more in tune with today’s trends than the previous regime. Kalen DeBoer is on Snapchat, and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack wasn’t about to be the latest victim of the “just give me my money” trend on TikTok.

In honor of the new trendy Tide, I picked a drink that is similar to the espresso martinis the younger generation are ordering up in droves. The Espresso Milk Punch provides the same creamy coffee taste as an espresso martini, and it won’t piss off your bartender by making him or her brew up any coffee behind the bar. Here’s how our friends at Session mix it up.

Add 2 ounces of espresso-infused vodka, 1.5 ounces of half and half and an ounce of demerara syrup into a glass and shake briefly over ice. Strain into a glass with fresh ice and add a bit of grated nutmeg on the top for a garnish.

Cheers!

(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)

Amari Cooper set Alabama’s freshman receiving records in 2012, reeling in 59 receptions for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jaylen Waddle came close to those marks during his debut season with the Tide in 2018, catching 45 passes for 848 yards and seven scores through the air. After turning heads during Alabama’s first two weeks of preseason camp, is Ryan Williams set to rewrite the record books this fall?

Buy or sell? — Sell

Williams is special. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if he wasn’t. However, let’s not get too carried away here.

Williams has been receiving first-team reps during the first two weeks of camp and pulled off a long touchdown grab during Alabama’s first preseason scrimmage over the weekend. Despite being the youngest player on the team, the reclassified freshman figures to be a big part of the Tide’s offense and could put up stellar numbers in DeBoer’s passing attack.

Still, Cooper’s stats will be hard to top, especially with the other options in Alabama’s receiving corps. Following Saturday’s scrimmage, DeBoer said the ball was dispersed evenly in the passing game with no one receiver tallying a large amount of receptions. Jalen Milroe will begin to gravitate toward his favorite targets as the fall develops, and Williams might very well be one of them. However, there are too many options available to think the five-star freshman will eclipse the 1,000-yard mark during his first season.

Washington transfer Germie Bernard and returning juniors Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice all appear poised for breakout seasons, while redshirt freshman Cole Adams is having a sneaky good camp. Alabama is just loaded at the receiver position.

Milroe returns as the top Heisman Trophy vote-getter from last season, but that doesn’t guarantee him a trip to New York as a finalist this year. According to the Caesars Sportsbook, Milroe is tied with Ole Miss quarterback Jackson Dart with the fourth-best Heisman odds at +1100. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Georgia quarterback Carson Beck are the favorites for the award with +650 odds, while Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers ranks third at +750 odds.

There have been four Heisman finalists in each of the last five years, so Milroe’s current odds put him right in the mix. Will we be seeing the redshirt junior in the Big Apple this December?

Buy or sell? — Buy

As long as Alabama makes the College Football Playoff, I think Milroe will be one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. The dual-threat quarterback is easily the most influential part of the Tide’s offense and should be able to stack up big numbers with both his arm and his legs.

Beck and Ewers are both more developed as passers and will have plenty of weapons at their disposal, but neither will have as much opportunity to take over games as Milroe. Gabriel is a worthy favorite, but it's worth questioning if his production might be less appreciated due to his move out West.

To use Milroe’s terminology, he’s just got to worry about taking things “one day at a time” as he looks to master Alabama’s new offense. That being said, a four-touchdown day during Alabama's scrimmage offers plenty of optimism moving forward.

There were concerns from multiple sources at Saturday’s scrimmage regarding Miami-Ohio transfer kicker Graham Nicholson. The reigning Lou Groza Award winner didn’t quite live up to his expectations on the afternoon, missing a couple of makeable kicks. He’s also said to have a bit less leg power than departing kicker Will Reichard.

Alabama has been spoiled by Reichard’s reliability the past few seasons, and that could have led to some overreactions during Saturday’s scrimmage. Still, you’ll forgive Tide fans for raising concerns over the kicker position based on horrors in the not-so-distant past.

Buy or sell? — Sell

I included the concerns over Nicholson in my scrimmage report because they were interesting, but I don’t think Alabama has anything to worry about with him this fall.

After all, this was the top-rated kicker in the country last year. Let’s not forget that Nicholson connected on 27 of 28 field-goal attempts last season, including an NCAA record 25 straight makes. While he’ll be kicking under more pressure this fall, it’s hard to imagine that consistency will just vanish with a change of scenery.

Alabama has had at least one defender record 10 or more sacks in each of the last seasons. Of course, that came with five-star edge rushers Will Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell all heading up the pass rush. That trio has now fully moved to the NFL, leaving Deontae Lawson as the Tide’s top returning sacks leader with three from last season.

The Tide still has plenty of talent on the edge and appears to have struck gold with the addition of five-star Texas A&M transfer LT Overton, but will any of those options extend the streak of double-digit sack recorders?

Buy or sell? — Sell

Overton starred during Saturday’s scrimmage, recording multiple sacks and quarterback pressures, according to sources. One source in attendance even described the Texas A&M transfer as a “mad man” on the defensive line. That’s exciting, but I still don’t see Overton or any of the Tide’s other pass rushers to generate double-digit sacks this season.

That’s not to say Alabama won’t get to the passer. The Wolf Position is stacked with veteran Que Robinson leading a Wolf unit that includes Keanu Koht, Qua Russaw and Yhonzae Pierre. Overton also has Jah-Marien Latham ahead of him at the Bandit position. Meanwhile, Malachi Moore could be a problem for opposing offenses on safety blitzes.

However, Alabama’s strength comes in the whole, not the parts. We’re more likely to see a handful of players with 5 or more sacks than we are an individual with 10.

Williams is still fighting for a starting receiver spot, while fellow five-star freshman Zabien Brown is firmly in the mix for one of the two openings at the cornerback position. Regardless of whether those two win their respective positional battles, they’re likely to log at least one start this season. But will any of Alabama’s other first-year players earn a spot on the first-team defense?

Buy or sell? — Buy

I’m not sure who the third true freshman starter will be, but I’m still going to buy this statement. It’s a long season, and Alabama doesn’t have a lot of depth at cornerback. If Southern California transfer Domani Jackson or Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones goes down to injury it would open up the door for freshmen such as Jaylen Mbakwe or Zavier Mincey at the cornerback position.

DeVonta Smith has also dealt with various injury problems. If he were to go down, there would be a close competition between freshman Red Morgan and Penn State transfer King Mack to fill in at the Husky position.

I still think Caleb Odom is a year away from really contributing at the receiver position. That being said, the 6-foot-5 freshman’s size could create matchup problems, and he’s already shown off his playmaking ability during camp.

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