why julio matters


since it's late, let me go ahead and make my point first and then, if all the rambling afterwards doesn't make sense, it won't matter if i lose my way. my point is this. whether julio jones ever plays a snap for the alabama crimson tide or not makes zero difference to how instrumental, if not monumental, his signing today was to bringing alabama "back". none. zip. nada. the damage is done. and if you are an auburn fan or a tennessee fan or a fan of any college team other than alabama, you should be concerned at the very least. at the very most, you should be terrified.

today was the day that alabama fans have hoped for. it was the day that alabama fans, like me, that weren't truly aware during bear bryant's golden years have pined for. it was the day that the national title in 1992 suggested at but was never allowed to come to fruition due to a series of blunders, bad decisions and, let's face it, crimson "fans" breaking rules. it was the day that all of the school's resources, money, big name coaches and no-name super-recruiters joined together in perfect sync to draw the most impressive group of high school seniors to tuscaloosa ever (try not to get blinded by all the stars). ever.

and the leader? the moses that anchored the group that will be remembered for years to come, barring anything illegal or unforseen, as the class that announced alabama's return? his name is julio. julio jones. why is he the name above all names? why is he more important today than burton or tyler or even star? because he's already a legend. if you are even a casual college football fan, if someone says the name, "julio", you know who they are referring to. to some in this state, he's already an icon. he will soon be a brand. why? because according to the worldwide leader in sports, he the most gifted high school senior in the nation. not just the state. not just the southeast. the. nation. he is the most high profile athlete ever to pick alabama (to this day, i still feel jilted by tim heisman) and it's not just us, the fans, that noticed. it's the high school seniors that came to alabama to play with him. it's the high school juniors that will want to come next year. it's the parents (the ones that live through the accolades of their children) of high school sophmores and freshmen that heard, today, that alabama was now shown in lights, decorated with tinsel, no longer clouded with the suspicion of being past it's prime.

because julio came today, others (and by others, i mean five and four-star others) will come tomorrow. and the next year. and the next. and hopefully by the time julio leaves to be a top ten pick in the nfl, alabama will have re-settled into the perennial power it used to be and that will be enough, not just a coach and resources and money and no-name super-recruiters, to lure the crop that will take the reigns from him.

it's an exciting day to be an alabama football fan because it is a day filled with hope. a day that builds on the hope that a new coach brought with him just over a year ago. a day that will underscore how fortunate the sec has been to have had alabama backed into a corner for years. for years, alabama has been swinging aimlessly with eyes wide shut and with less than a fully-loaded gun, only occasionally striking a knockout blow (see: tennessee, 2007). a young man, probably unknowingly for the most part, has ushered in something new.

why does julio matter? because everything just changed. here's hoping it feels familiar.