If anybody was nonetheless in denial about the brand new international of university football, then Isaiah Bond's switch from Alabama to Texas ended any and all doubt that the game could ever beequal again.
Bond turned into the hero of the 2023 Iron Bowl. His game- triumphing landing receptions on fourth and 31st made him a of the spontaneous legend of Crimson Tide football. He led Alabama in receiving yards in the SEC championship game. After some other 12 months in Tuscaloosa, the whole thing was turned down for him to holdthe lengthy lifestyle of Alabama receivers taken inside the first spherical of the NFL Draft.
Then the unthinkable happened. Bond transferred out of Alabama shortly after Nick Saban announced his retirement from college football.
I'm not going to call Bond a turnout villain, but it's fair to say that his decision to double-cross Alabama left the Crimson Tide shaken and the rest of the SEC stirred.
Of all the moves we've seen throughout the sport of college football since January, Bond's decision to leave hero status at Alabama for more NIL money at Texas represents the most jaw-dropping plot twist of the offseason. For me, it was even more shocking than Saban's retirement.
Saban is 72 years old and there were plenty of signs throughout the 2023 season that his career was winding down. My Saban retirement column was ready to be published weeks before the news happened. Bond's stunning flip caught me completely off guard.
Did a request by Bond for more NIL money from Alabama inform Saban's decision to call it a career? Since walking away, Saban has acknowledged that the changing motivations of modern-day college football players coaxed him into retirement. When Bond arrived in Austin, Texas, after his transfer, one of the first places he visited was a local Lamborghini dealership.
Can Alabama compete with the NIL collectives out in Texas? Put it this way. The closest Lambo showrooms to Tuscaloosa are in Atlanta and Nashville. There aren't any in Alabama.
Fans won't just like the adjustments occurring in university soccer, but the actual fact can't be denied. While the game is evolving viameans of the week, university soccer has by no means been extra exciting or popular. Over the next couple months, I'm going to write down a chain of columns specializing in 10 burning questions about the SEC and university soccer.
Question No.1 : Will Isaiah Bond remorse leaving Alabama?