This is hardly exclusive to Bama or even the SEC, for that matter. Guys that play at big time schools are often given advances for cars and such because the local dealership owners (who are sometimes boosters) believe they'll make it to the league. They often hit them with dumb interest rates on top of it. One of the coaches back when I was an intern had worked for Tressel, among others, and they would tell them which dealerships would do this but the coaches had no involvement in terms of money or anything.
I have no doubts Bama does a little extra for their guys but it wouldn't be a shocker if this was as much due to his new found status after the year he had and the way too early draft projections for him.
I have no doubts Bama does a little extra for their guys but it wouldn't be a shocker if this was as much due to his new found status after the year he had and the way too early draft projections for him.