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ESPN Staff Writer- National recruiting analyst and analyst for ESPNU
- More than a decade of college and pro coaching experience.
- Graduated from Indiana and Nebraska-Omaha
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ESPN Staff Writer- Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are a fixture in the College Football Playoff, making their eighth appearance in the 10 years of the four-team event. This year, they are the No. 4 seed and will face the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl (Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN).
After an early loss to the Texas Longhorns and several less-than-impressive wins, this seemed like the year Alabama might be a step behind the top tier. Instead, however, a Hail Mary win over the Auburn Tigers and an SEC championship game win over the Georgia Bulldogs has Bama back in the semifinals.
Freshmen and former highly ranked recruits played a big role. How did Bama reach another CFP? We look at the Tide's recruiting and usage of the transfer portal and how that translates to what they do on the field.
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Recruiting | Transfer portal | By the numbers
