Category: Alabama Crimson Tide

How to buy commemorative Nick Saban Crimson Tide book

Nick Saban: A Career That Changed Alabama Football Forever, how to buy the new commemorative book.

Nick Saban will not be coaching the Crimson Tide this season. The iconic Alabama head coach changed the program and college football forever during his illustrious career.

Saban won’t be soon forgotten. He is only heading over to ESPN now, after all.

But the Alabama faithful can continue to look back on and admire Saban’s career with this commemorative book.

The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network and have produced a look back at Saban’s coaching career. Covering the national and SEC titles and more, everything you could want covered on Saban’s 17-year career can be found right here:

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We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Roll Tide Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage. 

Alabama reportedly promoting offensive coordinator from within program

Alabama’s new offensive coordinator will reportedly come from within the program

After offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb left Tuscaloosa for the same position with the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL last week, the Crimson Tide reportedly are now set to fill their OC opening by promoting from within the program.

According to reports, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer will be promoting tight ends coach Nick Sheridan to offensive coordinator. Sheridan was one of multiple assistants who followed DeBoer to Alabama from Washington.

A former Michigan quarterback, Sheridan spent the past two seasons as the tight ends coach at Washington, and prior to that was at Indiana for five years from 2017-21 in a variety of different roles. Those included both quarterback and tight ends coach, as well as Indiana’s offensive coordinator in 2020-21.

Offenses that were led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Indiana ranked No. 59 nationally during the 2020 season at 28.9 PPG, while also averaging 362.6 yards per game. In 2021, the Hoosiers averaged only 17.2 PPG and 291.8 yards per game for an Indiana team that saw Penix play only five games and went 2-10.

Sheridan will now reportedly take over an Alabama offense that ranked No. 24 nationally a year ago at 34 PPG, as well as an average of 393.1 yards of offense.

5-star Alabama wide receiver commit signs with Crimson Tide

5-star Alabama commit makes it official with the Crimson Tide

The recruitment of highly-touted wide receiver Ryan Williams has now concluded officially, as one of the nation’s premier players has signed with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Williams, a five-star wide receiver out of in-state Saraland High School in Alabama, is ranked as the nation’s No. 4 overall player in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite. The five-star, who was originally in the 2025 class prior to reclassifying to 2024, is also the No. 3 wide receiver in the nation for the cycle, as well as the No. 2 player in the state of Alabama.

The back-to-back Mr. Football winner in Alabama across the last two seasons, Williams joins the Crimson Tide coming off a stellar high school career in which he posted 4,000+ all-purpose yards and 70+ touchdowns and is likely to make an immediate impact in Tuscaloosa next fall.

Williams is the highest-ranked of three players to sign with Alabama during National Signing Day on Wednesday, joined by four-star edge rusher Noah Carter and three-star linebacker Quinton Reese.

3-star Alabama commit shuts down recruitment, will sign with Tide

3-star Alabama commit to sign with Crimson Tide

A long-time Alabama commit, Quinton “QB” Reese has officially shut down his recruitment and will sign his NLI with the Crimson Tide this Wednesday on National Signing Day.

Reese, who took an official visit to Alabama this past weekend, has been a Crimson Tide commit since September of 2023 and holds offers from other collegiate programs that include Liberty, Troy, and UCF, among others. The Crimson Tide commit is also considered a three-star linebacker out of in-state Ramsay High School in Alabama according to the 247Sports Composite.

Reese is coming off a stellar senior season of high school in which he was named Alabama’s Class 5A Lineman of the Year by helping lead Ramsay to a state runner-up finish in 2023. As a senior, Reese was a tackling machine by racking up 167 tackles, 25 TFL, and four sacks across 14 games, and has over 300+ tackles and 50+ TFL combined across the past two seasons alone.

Reese is the third Alabama commit who will be signing with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, joining five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams and four-star edge rusher Noah Carter.

Ryan Williams commitment is Alabama’s first big win of Kalen DeBoer era

Alabama has its first big recruiting win of the Kalen Deboer era.

On a night where the Crimson Tide defeated rival Auburn on the basketball court, the talk around Tuscaloosa on Wednesday was not Alabama’s 79-75 victory over the Tigers, but rather the commitment of Ryan Williams.

A highly-touted wide receiver in the 2024 class who reclassified from 2025, Williams had previously been an Alabama commit since October of 2022, but decided to decommit from the Crimson Tide earlier this month and re-open his recruitment when news broke that former head coach Nick Saban was retiring.

However, the five-star prospect would announce Wednesday night that he would be re-committing to the Crimson Tide’s 2024 class, becoming what was likely the first big recruiting win of the Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama.

For an Alabama wide receiver room that has to replace their top three pass catchers in Jermaine Burton, Isaiah Bond, and Amari Niblack next season, it’s hard to picture Williams not being an instant impact player in Alabama’s new look offense in 2024.

An in-state product out of Saraland High School in Alabama, Williams is considered as the No. 6 overall player in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite, as well as the No. 3 wide receiver nationally. The five-star is also the back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama, and has over 4,000+ all-purpose yards across the last three seasons combined, as well as 70+ touchdowns for one of the state’s top teams.

A truly electrifying player, don’t be surprised if Williams is one of Alabama’s top wide receivers instantly next season, as well as factoring into the return game in some form.

Alabama adds 4-star edge rusher to 2024 class

Alabama has landed a 2024 four-star prospect.

Only a day after the Crimson Tide landed a commitment from one of the top wide receivers remaining in the 2024 class, Ryan Williams, Alabama picked up yet another big commit Thursday afternoon from another recent visitor to Tuscaloosa, Noah Carter.

Carter was one of the top uncommitted edge rushers remaining in the 2024 class, rated as a four-star prospect out of Centennial High School in Arizona. The four-star is also considered the nation’s No. 253 overall prospect in the class according to the 247Sports Composite, as well as the No. 4 player in the state of Arizona.

Carter’s commitment continues the list of names to follow head coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama, as the four-star was originally one of the biggest names in the Huskies 2024 class. Carter also signed his official NLI back in December with Washington but was released from it earlier this month.

The four-star is now the fourth player linked to Washington to follow DeBoer to Alabama, joining transfers Austin Mack, Parker Brailsford, and Germie Bernard.

Heated rivalry game leads to a tie in the SEC standings

Alabama’s victory over No. 8 Auburn lands the two tied in the SEC standings.

There is never a dull moment when Alabama and Auburn face off, and lucky for college basketball fans, Wednesday night’s matchup was no exception. The No. 8 Tigers, who were 16-2 and 5-0 in SEC play, were riding an 11-game win streak when they traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide who were 13-5 and 4-1 in SEC play.

Unfortunately for Auburn, their in-state rival was looking to end their hot streak and did just that. The game looked over by halftime with Alabama up 14, but as we know in rivalry matchups, the game is never over until the clock hits zero.

A second-half push by Auburn got them to within three points with less than five minutes to go. The game remained close until the end, where Alabama’s Mark Sears hit two free throws to give the Crimson Tide a 79-75 lead with nine seconds remaining. This ended up being enough for Alabama to take the win.

After losing to Tennessee last Saturday, this bounce-back victory set the Crimson Tide up nicely in the SEC standings. Alabama and Auburn now both sit at 5-1 in SEC play, sharing first place in the conference. Tennessee remains half a game back at 4-1. As conference play is just getting started, the standings remain close and should be a battle until the end.

Washington athletic director Troy Dannen details efforts to keep Kalen DeBoer

Washington’s athletic director speaks on how the team attempted to hold onto head coach DeBoer prior to his leave for Alabama.

Less than a week after losing to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship, Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer accepted the job to replace Nick Saban at Alabama. Before accepting the job, it appears Washington made valiant efforts to keep him in Seattle.

According to Mike Vorel, Washington offered DeBoer a “Big Ten package” that would have made him one of college football’s top-10 highest-paid coaches. In an event where Washington’s athletic director Troy Dannen was speaking, he detailed his efforts to hold onto DeBoer.

“We put numbers in front of him that were, quite frankly, unprecedented for this university… We put a Big Ten package in front of Kalen [DeBoer], not a Pac-12 package,” said Dannen. It appears that Washington believed early on that they had found their long-term coach, as Washington’s AD added that contract negotiations had begun in October, only ten days after his arrival.

Vorel continues that a second contract offer was given to DeBoer on Jan. 11, the day before he left to replace Nick Saban. Vorel states that this contract started at $9 million in 2024, increasing by $100,000 each year until 2030.

Unfortunately for Washington, DeBoer chose to take the job in Tuscaloosa. While his contract details with Alabama have not yet been released to the public, you have to assume that it was an offer he could not resist.

Alabama vs. Auburn could be SEC’s ‘Game of the Year’ so far

Alabama vs. Auburn could be SEC’s “Game of the Year” so far

Two of the conference’s top teams up to this point in the year, is the matchup in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night between Alabama and Auburn the “Game of the Year” in the SEC so far this season?

While “The Iron Bowl” will always be known for the showdown between the Crimson Tide and Tigers on the gridiron, and rightfully so, the matchup on the hardwood has in recent years blossomed into one of college basketball’s fiercest rivalries between the two in-state programs.

This season’s two matchups should be no different between Alabama and Auburn as well, the first of which comes Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa.

The SEC’s lone undefeated team in conference play remaining, Auburn comes to Tuscaloosa ranked as the No. 6 team nationally according to the latest Coaches Poll at 16-2 overall, as well as 5-0 in conference play. Sitting atop the SEC, Auburn is also one of the hottest teams in the country having won their last 11 straight games, and having scored 80+ points in each of their last three.

Alabama on the other hand sits just outside of the Top 25 at 12-6 overall, as well as 4-1 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide, who ranks No. 4 nationally with an average of 89.2 PPG offensively, are also coming off their first SEC loss of the year, which came Saturday on the road at Tennessee, and were playing very well before that defeat having won six-straight.

Combine the rivalry environment with those resumes, as well as the fact that Alabama and Auburn are two of the SEC’s top offensive teams, and it’s clear why Wednesday night’s game will be a must-see.

So, will the Crimson Tide hand Auburn their first SEC loss, or will the Tigers pick up a signature win in Tuscaloosa to remain unbeaten atop the conference? Only time will tell.

Alabama lands two Washington transfers during recruiting weekend

Alabama lands two Washington transfers during recruiting weekend.

In what was likely the first big recruiting weekend of the Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama this past weekend, the Crimson Tide landed a pair of commitments from two players, Parker Brailsford and Germie Bernard.

Both Brailsford and Bernard had previously entered the transfer portal last week, with both also having played under DeBoer at Washington.

Brailsford, who is rated by 247Sports as the top interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal this offseason, started along the Huskies offensive line this past season, with a majority of those starts coming at center. An All-Pac-12 Second Team selection, Brailsford is now the likely favorite to start at center for Alabama in 2024, as prior starter Seth McLaughlin transferred to Ohio State earlier this offseason.

Bernard is coming off a breakout 2023 season in what was his first with the Huskies, as the wide receiver transferred from Michigan State after the 2022 campaign. The wideout had 34 receptions for 419 yards and two touchdowns a year ago, while also rushing for 43 yards and two more scores on 13 attempts.

In addition to those numbers, Bernard also saw time on special teams this past season, averaging 23.3 yards per return on 10 kickoff returns. Bernard also returned three punts for 43 yards.

Brailsford and Bernard are the second and third Washington transfers to make their way to Tuscaloosa since DeBoer was named head coach, joining quarterback Austin Mack.