There will probably be a few times down the road when Brian Vogler looks back on his playing career at the University of Alabama and the first thing to come to mind won’t be his accomplishments.
His senior season has taken a physical toll on the tight end, who has hobbled out of more than his fair share of stadiums. Yet despite the high ankle sprain, sprained knee, strained knee ligaments and uncountable bumps and bruises he’d found a way to play in every game this season.
“It’s definitely been tough,” Vogler said. “Early in the season it was my ankle. Just trying to get back over that and it’s been good. I just tape it up every game, just like a precautionary thing, get a little extra stability. The knee was, just got hit awkwardly. I mean I get hit in the knees all the time, but the one time it didn’t even look like it would hurt, that actually ended up hurting it.
“It’s been annoying, but it’s football. You get used to it, and you just get better and get ready for the next week.”
Nevertheless, for Vogler, 13 other scholarship seniors, and walk-on players like Jerrod Bierbower, Josh Dickerson, Michael Nysewander, Daniel Geddes, Bernel Jones, Kyle Kazakevicius and MK Taylor, this is their last go-around with the Crimson Tide no matter what.
Most will be leaving with at least one national championship ring. Many are hoping to win their third.
“I’ve been here for so long,” Nick Perry said. “It just feels like it’s part of me, and it’s kind of sad that it’s winding down. These past couple games and the next games coming up should be the best games. Just can’t wait to finish it on a high note.”
In terms of recruiting classes, only reserve defensive lineman Anthony Orr has been on the team longer than Perry, and just a handful of the other members of the signing Class of 2010 remain – DeAndrew White, Jarrick Williams, Arie Kouandjio, Jalston Fowler, Vogler, Blake Sims, Austin Shepherd and Brandon Ivory.
All of them have been considered starters this season.
Among those who didn’t redshirt, linebacker Trey DePriest will go into his Senior Day having played in 51 games, with 37 starts, while linebacker Xzavier Dickson became both a regular starter and pass-rushing force.
Wide receiver Christion Jones will be catching his last passes and fielding his final kicks and punts for the Crimson Tide, while junior-college transfer Leon Brown will be finishing up his collegiate career as well.
Granted, they all still have games remaining, although when and where have yet to be decided, and many will go on to play professionally. Yet one thing is certain, after facing Auburn this one final time (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN), none of them will play in Bryant-Denny Stadium again.
“In practices and stuff like that, you look around and yeah it does hit me a little bit,” Kouandjio said. “It’s not what I’m focused on right now.”
Nevertheless, the reality is that their impending departure is drawing closer with each day, and not just with the postseason fast approaching. For some it’s the realization that finals are around the corner, although 15 players on the team already have their degrees and seven are closing in on their master’s.
For others, it was playing in their final regular-season road game at LSU, where the Tigers held their Senior Day ceremony prior to kickoff.
“Before this game I kind of thought, ‘This is my last away game’ unless we go to the SEC championship,” Shepherd said. “I just kind of thought about it before the game like, ‘Wow, it’s flown by.’ I’m just trying to finish the season off strong.”
Fittingly, it was a senior who led the key late drive to send LSU game into overtime, and another who scored the game-winning points – even if nether played for the home team.
“That meant a lot to me because it was us against the world,” White said. “Everybody doubted. Everybody thought we were gonna lose after 50 seconds. After that, we showed everybody that we didn’t quit and we could face adversity. That meant a lot to me and my teammates.”
In terms of accomplishments, this senior class has done a lot, especially when you consider some of the juniors who might consider leaving early for the National Football League. There have been awards, records and big wins, like the 25-20 victory over No. 1 Mississippi State.
In terms of wins and losses, though, it could end up with one of the best records in college football history.
Alabama’s 2013 senior class won a school record 60 games over the previous five seasons while losing only seven, and went 46-7 over four years (since 2010).
The 2012 senior class went 49-5 for the most wins over a four-year span in Southeastern Conference history (Florida won 48 from 2006-09, and Alabama had 48 from 2008-11).
Nebraska holds the BCS record for senior class wins as the 1997 Cornhuskers went 49-2 while winning three national championships. Among those with 48 include Oklahoma (2003), Southern California (2005 and 2006), Florida (2009) and Alabama (2011).
This year’s senior class will have the opportunity to be 46-5 heading into the Auburn game, with the possibility of playing an additional three games (SEC Championship Game and the inaugural college football playoff).
That’s what the players mean that their focus has been elsewhere, but regardless Coach Nick Saban has been calling this one of the most enjoyable teams he’s coached, and even said so on his radio show.
“This has been a fantastic senior class for us, some great individuals in this class, leaders, who have done a great job for us academically as well as on the field,” he said. “More important than (the wins) I think they’re great people, they do a really, really good job of representing the university, the program, their families, and they’ve done a great job in their leadership in terms of how they’ve affected other people in the program here, as well as caring for others. They set a good example.
“I’m really proud of this group. I think one of the reasons why we have really good chemistry on our team this year is because of the senior class and the quality of people that we have in this class.”
The players echoed that sentiment, and judging by the way everyone’s been jumping around both on and off the field, they’ve been enjoying every minute of the stretch run.
Of course, the winning helps, and makes it easier to forget some of the physical setbacks.
“I’m not going to be known for catching a large amount of touchdowns, I’m not gonna be known for pancaking somebody on every single play,” Vogler said. “My legacy I’m trying to leave is, if you work hard every single day, if you show the coaches that you know what you’re doing every single time, if you lead people the right way that you can have success on the field that probably isn’t seen as much as guys who put up big, gaudy numbers.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
