“Covering football is what I do.”
A simple – if not somewhat ironic — statement from football analyst and commentator Roman Harper, when introducing himself. “Covering” is exactly what he’s done for three decades, whether as an all-SEC strong safety at Alabama, covering the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones as a professional or in his current role in front of the camera.
And when it comes to covering his pick for the SEC in 2023, he’s as smooth – and hard hitting – as his days patrolling on the backside of a defense. He’s picking the Georgia Bulldogs until they prove him wrong, and as back-to-back champions, he’s fine with that pick, even if those at his alma mater (or fans at other schools) disagree. Georgia has “the easiest roadway” to get to SEC Championship Game.
As he says, until the games really start, “It’s talking season; not playing season.”
A native of Prattville, Alabama, Harper was a four-year letterman at Alabama, and was eventually drafted in the second round by the New Orleans Saints. He went on to play more than a decade professionally, winning one Super Bowl and losing another.
He’s also counting on another team of Bulldogs to surprise some people, this year, and likes what new coach Zack Arnett is building in his program.
And for a player to watch, keep driving west, and pay attention to the dynamic quarterback over in Fayetteville, Arkansas, who he equates to the “hopes and dreams” resting on a similar Super Bowl MVP and teammate from his past.
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