Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 64 days
If you can believe it, we are officially under the 70-day mark until Alabama is back on a live-game football field. After coming up short in the national championship game against Georgia back in early January, the Crimson Tide will once again be searching for its seventh title under Nick Saban.
This year’s season opener will be against the Utah State Aggies on Sept. 3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
With today being July 1, that means we are only 64 days away from the return of Alabama football. The team here at BamaOn3 is ready to celebrate every day of the countdown standing between now and the start of football season. Let’s focus on a player — both past and present — who represents — or has represented — the No. 64.
*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 35 days away.
Who currently wears the No. 64?
At this time, there isn’t anyone wearing the No. 64 for Alabama. The last player to wear it was former walk-on offensive lineman Brandon Moore back in 2016. Another former offensive lineman, Grant Hill, briefly wore it from 2013-14. That makes him the last scholarship player to don it.
If you haven’t caught on by now, the No. 64 just hasn’t been that popular of a number. We’re not just talking about during the Nick Saban era either. Going back through the program’s history, you won’t find a lot of guys who wore it.
Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?
Like we said, there just wasn’t a lot of options to choose from with this number. One player did stand out enough to get mentioned, however. Former defensive lineman Kerry Murphy, a Hoover (Ala.) native, spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons wearing it.
Technically, Murphy was supposed to be a part of Alabama’s 2007 signing class. In fact, he was Saban’s first-ever signing after getting taking the job. Unfortunately, Murphy’s grades forced him to spend 2007-08 playing at Hargrave Military Academy before finally being able to join the Crimson Tide prior to the 2009 season.
Coming out of high school, Murphy was a four-star prospect who was rated as the No. 41 player nationally, No. 5 defensive lineman and No. 2 player for the state of Alabama, per the On3 Consensus. He held offers from other programs such as Auburn, Clemson, Miami and Ole Miss.
Even with the 6-foot-5, 325-pound interior defensive lineman finally on campus, he was never quite able to get things going on the field. He was a backup nose guard to Terrence Cody in 2009, and then suffered what turned out to be a career-ending knee injury in 2010. He was placed on a medical redshirt and graduated in Aug. of 2013.
2022 Alabama Football Schedule
Sept. 3 vs. Utah State Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Sept. 10 at Texas Longhorns (Austin, Tex.)
Sept. 17 vs. UL-Monroe Warhawks (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Sept. 24 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 1 at Arkansas Razorbacks (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Oct. 8 vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 15 at Tennessee Volunteers (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Oct. 22 vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 29 – OPEN WEEK
Nov. 5 at LSU Tigers (Baton Rouge, La.)
Nov. 12 at Ole Miss Rebels (Oxford, Miss.)
Nov. 19 vs. Austin Peay Governors (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Nov. 26 vs. Auburn Tigers (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Dec. 3 – SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Atlanta, Ga.)
