Tag: Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama reportedly emerging for LSU commit following Bryce Underwood flip

The Tide are reportedly emerging for a current LSU commit.

According to a report from On3 recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong, the Alabama Crimson Tide have reportedly entered the race for Derek Meadows, who is a wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class.

Meadows is currently a commitment to the LSU Tigers, with whom he has been committed to since July of 2024.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Meadows is considered as the nation’s No. 119 overall player in the class, and is a four-star prospect. In addition to that, Meadows is also ranked as the No. 17 overall wide receiver, as well as the No. 3 player in the state of Nevada where he attends national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School.

The 6-foot-5 wide receiver also holds upwards of 20+ collegiate offers, and visited Alabama on an unofficial back in March, as well as an official later in June, according to 247Sports’ timeline for Meadows.

This news of Alabama entering the race for Meadows’ commitment comes off the heels of LSU losing five-star quarterback and the nation’s No. 1 recruit in Bryce Underwood via a flip to the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday night. The Wolverines are also a program to watch for when it comes to Meadows as well.

Could the Crimson Tide potentially flip the four-star wide receiver between now and Early Signing Day?

Oklahoma to be without key playmaker vs. Alabama

Oklahoma’s top wide receiver will be out Saturday against Alabama.

After a total of 11 players for the Oklahoma Sooners were listed on the SEC’s initial Week 13 injury report Wednesday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide’s upcoming opponent saw some changes on the latest update Thursday night, which included a notable playmaker now being listed as “out.”

That player is Oklahoma wideout Deion Burks, who is a prominent name for the Sooners offense that ranks second in receiving, sitting behind only tight end Bauer Sharp. For the season, Burks has played in only five games, but has a total of 31 receptions for 245 yards and three touchdowns, and is the Sooners top player at the wide receiver position.

In addition to Burks, there were also two other notable differences from the Sooners latest injury report Thursday night, the first of which was offensive lineman Joshua Bates being downgraded from “questionable” to “doubtful.”

Oklahoma also had one player added to the injury report Thursday night in wide receiver Jalil Farooq, who is now listed as “questionable.” Farooq has appeared in two games so far this season, hauling in three receptions for 58 yards.

While the availability of Bates and Farroq is still an unknown, what is in fact known however is that the loss of Burks going into Saturday is a significant one for the Sooners offense.

ESPN lists one Alabama player in first round of latest 2025 NFL mock draft

ESPN’s latest mock draft features one Alabama player in the first round this spring.

While still months away from the 2025 NFL draft, it’s still never too-early to start looking at which Alabama Crimson Tide football players will be taken in the draft’s seven rounds later this spring, especially the first round.

According to ESPN’s latest mock draft as well, one current Alabama player in projected in the first round, as analyst Matt Miller has quarterback Jalen Milroe coming off the board at No. 28 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As part of the projected pick, Miller also said of Milroe to Pittsburgh:

“He’s still a bit raw as a prospect, but he has thrown 15 touchdown passes and rushed for 17 more scores this season,” Miller said. “Milroe just needs to improve his touch as a passer, but scouts I’ve talked to have said he has the most upside of any draft-eligible quarterback in the class. And should the Steelers re-sign (Russell) Wilson, Milroe could sit, learn and develop further.”

Throughout the 2024 college football season, Milroe has been one of the more intriguing prospects when it comes to NFL draft boards, with many having the Alabama quarterback as a potential first round pick. Based on how he finishes the season as well, could Milroe in fact find himself in the first round this spring?

How Alabama football can get to the SEC Championship Game, explained

Explaining Alabama’s path to the SEC Championship Game with only two games left in the regular season.

Entering Week 13 of the 2024 college football season, none of the Power Four conference championship games on Dec. 7 have been set in stone. That’s especially true for the SEC title game.

Contrast this to a year ago when the Alabama Crimson Tide clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game with a 49-21 rout of the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field (Commonwealth Stadium) in Lexington on Nov. 11. The Georgia Bulldogs, who were in the midst of a third consecutive unbeaten regular season, clinched their spot in the SEC title game that same day.

Things are a lot different this year with expanded leagues that no longer feature divisions. In the summer of 2023, the SEC and Big Ten announced within a week of one another that they would both do away with the division format beginning in 2024. The ACC abandoned division play beginning last year.

Now, as Alabama (8-2 overall, 4-2 SEC) prepares to face the Oklahoma Sooners (5-5, 1-5) in prime time Saturday night, as many as five SEC teams still have a path to Atlanta. Those five teams are the Crimson Tide, the Texas Longhorns (5-1 SEC), the Texas A&M Aggies (5-1), Georgia (6-2), and the Ole Miss Rebels (4-2).

Some teams have simpler paths than others, though, and on Friday USA TODAY Sports columnist Paul Myerberg laid out the path to reach Atlanta for each of the five SEC title game contenders.

Alabama football has clear path to SEC Championship Game

Alabama has appeared in the SEC Championship Game more times than any other team since the game’s inception in 1992. The Crimson Tide have a slight lead over the Florida Gators in that category with 15 trips to Atlanta — and previously Birmingham’s Legion Field — to the Gators’ 13.

Getting to a record 16th SEC title game will happen if the Crimson Tide don’t slip up against either Oklahoma this week or in the Iron Bowl against the Auburn Tigers next Saturday.

Per Myerberg:

“Alabama is the winner in the case of a four-way tie for second involving teams with two league losses. Should A&M finish 7-1, the Crimson Tide would advance to meet the Aggies by virtue of owning the best conference opponent winning percentage in conference play. Heading into Saturday, Alabama’s opponents are a combined 27-26 in the SEC, ahead of the Bulldogs (23-28), Volunteers (23-28), Rebels (22-33) and Longhorns (21-32).”

How Alabama could squander SEC title game, put CFP hopes in jeopardy

What happens if Alabama does slip up against either the Sooners or Auburn in the final two weeks? The short answer: nothing good.

Georgia has already wrapped up SEC play with its 31-17 win over Tennessee last Saturday. A third SEC loss by Alabama would spell doom for the Tide’s SEC title hopes, as well as put a big dent in their CFP hopes with three losses, as well.

Myerberg explains:

“One loss would eliminate the Tide. In that case, Georgia would meet the winner of Texas and A&M. That’s because the Bulldogs would have a better record against common opponents than Ole Miss and would have head-to-head tiebreakers against Tennessee and Texas.”

There’s been a lot of talk and confusion about tiebreakers this year, what with the new wrinkles of conference realignment/expansion and abandoning the division format, but the bottom line is that Alabama just needs to keep winning. The rest will take care of itself.

Kickoff for Alabama vs. Oklahoma is set for 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC.

RELATED: ‘College GameDay’ announces Week 13 location: Where will Nick Saban be?

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Former Alabama offensive coordinator announces retirement from coaching

The former Alabama offensive coordinator and two-time national champion has announced his retirement.

A former offensive coordinator with the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2008-11, as well as a head coach at multiple other stops, Jim McElwain officially announced his retirement from coaching Wednesday afternoon.

McElwain, who is currently the head coach at Central Michigan, made the announcement via a statement from the Chippewas athletic program, which stated that he will remain in his current role throughout the end of the 2024 season, and then step into an off-the-field role going forward.

A name familiar to Alabama fans, McElwain was previously the offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008-11 where he was one of the first OC’s under former head coach Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa.

Under McElwain, Alabama’s offense in 2008 ranked No. 35 nationally with an average of 30.1 PPG, and took a step forward during the Crimson Tide’s 2009 national title season, ranking No. 22 in the nation at 32.1 PPG. In 2010, Alabama’s offense continued that upward trajectory ranking No. 18 with an average of 35.7 PPG, and sat No. 20 at 34.8 PPG during Alabama’s 2011 national championship winning season, McElwain’s second with the Crimson Tide.

After his four seasons at Alabama, McElwain departed Tuscaloosa to become the head coach at Colorado State from 2012-14, and later returned to the SEC in the same position at Florida from 2015-17. McElwain has also been the head coach at Central Michigan since 2019.

Staff predictions for Week 13 matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma

Alabama will travel to face the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will officially make their return to SEC play this Saturday night in Norman for what is their first-ever conference showdown with the Oklahoma Sooners.

When taking a look at the matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma as well, both the Crimson Tide and Sooners are programs going in opposite directions this season, with one having CFP and SEC title hopes, while the other is fighting to make a bowl game.

Let’s take a look at just who our Roll Tide Wire staff has winning Saturday’s game between Alabama and Oklahoma:

Matt’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 38, Oklahoma Sooners 17

Both the Crimson Tide and Sooners have something to play for Saturday – Alabama to keep their College Football Playoff and SEC title hopes alive, and Oklahoma to become bowl-eligible. Even despite this however, the Crimson Tide are simply more talented when compared to Oklahoma, and based on the way they played the last time we saw them on the road, it’s hard to pick against Alabama here.

Steve’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 27, Oklahoma Sooners 9

First off, I just want to say again that this Week 13 game should be Alabama vs. Mississippi State or Alabama-Ole Miss. Not Alabama vs. Yet Another Big 12 Transplant. Sorry for my “Old Man Yells at Cloud” moment.

Now, onto the game. Jalen Milroe and the offense are really rolling right now and this is a game the Crimson Tide should win. OU has been good enough defensively to stay in a couple of games that could have gotten out of hand earlier (such as their 26-14 loss to Ole Miss). I think the Sooners slow down Alabama’s offense a tad, but the other side of the coin is that the Tide defense, led by Jihaad Campbell, is also playing really well right now. Alabama gets it done on the road.

Sam’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 35, Oklahoma Sooners 17

The Alabama Crimson Tide are just two wins away from clinching a Playoff berth, but a trip to Norman must be taken seriously. Oklahoma has struggled quite a bit their first year in the SEC, but Alabama will be their toughest test yet. If Jalen Milroe has any hopes of winning the Heisman Trophy, he’s going to have play lights out Saturday.

Labaron Philon flirts with Alabama history in victory over Illinois

The freshman nearly made Alabama history Wednesday night.

As part of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s impressive 100-87 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini on Wednesday night, the team received an impressive all-around performance from freshman guard Labaron Philon that definitely caught the attention of most around college basketball.

In all, Philon played 33 minutes in the contest, and finished with a final stat line of 16 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and one block on 7-of-13 shooting from the field.

However, did you know that Philon also flirted with Alabama basketball history in this game as well?

If the freshman would have collected three more rebounds, as well as one more assist, then Philon would’ve became only the fourth player in Alabama program history to record a triple-double in a game. The only three others to do so are Roy Rogers, Kira Lewis Jr., and most recently a year ago, Aaron Estrada.

Still early in this season as well, could the freshman eventually join that group later this year?

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for Oklahoma vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Can the Oklahoma Sooners come out on top vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide? Here are this week’s staff predictions for OU vs. Alabama.

The Oklahoma Sooners have one heck of a challenge on their hands this Saturday night when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama comes to town as the No. 7 team in the nation, hoping to solidify their place in the College Football Playoff field.

The Sooners are searching for that elusive sixth win. A win in either of their next two games gets Oklahoma to bowl eligibility and helps them finish the season on a high note. There’s no rewriting history for the 2024 season, but close it out with a win over Alabama or LSU or both and it’ll provide a little more optimism for the future.

To get you ready for the Sooners Week 13 matchup with the Crimson Tide, here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Staff Predictions for Oklahoma at Missouri

Oklahoma’s season has whittled down to just two games remaining, and both come against two of the SEC’s biggest brands. The Sooners will start with the Alabama Crimson Tide at home, the first time they’ve come to Norman since 2002.

Brent Venables coached in that game as a defensive coordinator. His defense will need to be the calling card on Saturday evening as Jalen Milroe and the Bama offense present problems primarily due to how the Crimson Tide can play off Mileoe’s dual-threat ability.

He’ll stay longer than needed in the pocket and is susceptible to sacks, which is where OU must capitalize.

Offensively, Oklahoma will find it hard to win through the air with a talented Bama secondary with players on the backend.

I want to believe Oklahoma musters up enough to scare Alabama, but the Sooners don’t have healthy horses for Kalen DeBoer’s team.

Alabama is playing for its College Football Playoff life, and that will be the difference. I think we see a reasonable effort in the first half, with the Sooners going into the half down less than ten, but Bama will right the ship and pull away in the fourth quarter.

Alabama 31, Oklahoma 13

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Photos from Alabama vs. Illinois in C.M. Newton Classic

Alabama and Illinois met Wednesday night in Birmingham.

Two of the top teams in the SEC and Big Ten officially met Wednesday night in Birmingham, Alabama, as the Alabama Crimson Tide and Illinois Fighting Illini collided in the C.M. Newton Classic.

A battle of Top 25 teams, this showdown between the Crimson Tide and Fighting Illini certainly lived up to the hype as well, with Alabama going on to win by a final score of 100-87.

This was an impressive showing from the Crimson Tide as well against a very talented opponent, as Alabama still hit triple-digits in points, even despite guard Mark Sears not scoring, with a big reason as to why being a combined 52% shooting as a team from the field.

Let’s take a look at some of the best photos from Alabama’s Top 25 clash with Illinois in the C.M. Newton Classic in Birmingham:

Instant reactions to Alabama’s impressive win against Illinois in C.M. Newton Classic

The Crimson Tide and Fighting Illini collided in a Top 25 matchup Wednesday night in Birmingham.

The Alabama Crimson Tide played what was likely college basketball’s top game of the night Wednesday, traveling to Birmingham for a neutral-court showdown with the Illinois Fighting Illini in the C.M. Newton Classic.

A pair of Top 25 teams, this showdown between Alabama and Illinois lived up to the hype as well, with the Crimson Tide coming away with the eventual 100-87 victory in a game which they truly controlled from the start.

In this win, there were certainly many positives to take away for the Crimson Tide as well, but also a few negatives.

Let’s take a look at some of our instant reactions from Alabama’s Top 25 showdown with No. 25 Illinois on Wednesday night:

Grant Nelson’s stellar performance

Wednesday night was likely the greatest performance for Alabama forward Grant Nelson so far this season, finishing with a final stat line of a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and four blocks. Nelson also shot an impressive 9-of-15 from the field, as well as 4-of-9 from three.

Labaron Philon flirts with triple-double

Alabama freshman guard Labaron Philon flirted with a triple-double against Illinois in what was one of his top performances of the season. Philon finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and one block on 7-of-13 shooting from the field.

Aden Holloway’s best game in Alabama uniform

Was this the best game from Auburn Tigers transfer guard Aden Holloway in an Alabama uniform so far? Holloway finished the game with 18 points, one rebound, two assists, and one steal on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, as well as 3-of-4 from three.

Alabama Crimson Tide’s strong shooting night

A big reason behind Alabama’s victory was the Crimson Tide’s shooting from the field. In all, Alabama shot a combined 52% from the field, as well as 32.4% from three and 84.6% at the free throw line.

Mark Sears, Clifford Omoruyi struggle

In the midst of Alabama’s win, two of the team’s top performing players so far this season struggled in guard Mark Sears and center Clifford Omoruyi. Sears finished with zero points, while Omoruyi, who spent a majority of this game in foul trouble, ended with six points and six rebounds, and his absence from the court was a big reason as to why Alabama was out-rebounded a combined 44-37.

Alabama wins turnover battle

Wednesday night was one of Alabama’s best games when it came to limiting turnovers, committing only seven all game, which was compared to 13 for Illinois. The Crimson Tide also capitalized off those Illinois’ turnovers, turning them into 18 points.

Alabama Crimson Tide now 4-1 overall

After the Crimson Tide’s win Wednesday night over Illinois, Alabama now sits at 4-1 overall for the 2024-25 season. The Crimson Tide’s next game will come Tuesday, November 26 against the Houston Cougars in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.