Austin Peay adds another father-son connection to Nick Saban's career | Goodbread
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Keyboard keynotes …
Nick Saban has coached long enough to see sons of his former players grow up to have football careers of their own, the most notable being Mark Ingram Sr., who Saban coached at Michigan State, and Mark Jr., who won a Heisman Trophy at Alabama. Just two weeks ago, Mason Taylor, the son of former Miami Dolphins All-Pro Jason Taylor who Saban coached in the NFL, was on the opposite sideline when Alabama faced LSU.
The father in these father-son combinations has always come from one of the Alabama football coach's previous career stops.
Until now.
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Tra Stover, whose father Nikita played wide receiver for Saban at Alabama in 2007 and 2008, is redshirting as a freshman for the Austin Peay team that will take on the Crimson Tide (8-2, 5-2 SEC) this Saturday (11 a.m., SEC Network+).
"(It) makes me aware of how long I've been doing this," Saban said with a laugh, "but in a good way."
It's only a matter of time before more sons of Saban-era Alabama players make their way into the college game. Gadsden City's Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., for one, the son of the former Alabama cornerback by the same name, is a recruit for the class of 2024. Tra Stover, however, has already arrived, and he's expecting his dad to root for the Governors to beat his heavily-favored former team Saturday.
"I hope so," said the younger Stover, a defensive back. "I'm assuming that."
Next up
While Alabama's wide receivers have struggled this season with a rotation featuring a mix of veterans and youngsters, Saban said he's encouraged by what he's seen from the freshmen at that position. That group includes Aaron Anderson, a highly touted recruit who has yet to play and is now healthy after battling a knee injury earlier this season, Kobe Prentice, Isaiah Bond, Kendrick Law and Shazz Preston.
"The biggest thing with young players is that consistency in performance. They're not used to the grind of this kind of competition over this long a period of time," Saban said. "That comes with experience, that comes with maturity. But I'm very encouraged by that entire class."
Among the group, Prentice and Bond have seen the most action this year, with Prentice ranking third on the team in catches with 30.
Around the SEC
If the SEC eventually goes to a nine-game schedule, there's every possibility that the Game 11 tuneup against a cupcake opponent that a number of SEC teams play will be the nonconference week that disappears. This week, along with Alabama's game with Austin Peay, Mississippi State hosts East Tennessee State, Texas A&M hosts UMass, Missouri hosts New Mexico State, and LSU hosts UAB. … To some, Tennessee's path to the College Football Playoff looks secure if they win out against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, and Georgia handles LSU in the SEC title game. But Southern Cal can't be discounted, either. The Trojans can make a lot more noise with their remaining schedule (UCLA, Notre Dame), plus potentially a Pac-12 title game, and the selection committee values conference titles. … SEC Spread Pick of the Week: LSU -14.5 vs. UAB. Season: 9-2.
Reach Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Austin Peay adds another father-son connection to Nick Saban's career
