Tag: Alabama Crimson Tide

Georgia misses out on SEC quarterback transfer target

Georgia football misses out on Alabama football transfer quarterback Dylan Lonergan.

The Georgia Bulldogs have been targeting quarterbacks since the transfer portal opened. One of their recent targets was Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Dylan Lonergan, a former four-star recruit in the class of 2023.

Similar to Jackson Arnold, Georgia was unable to land Lonergan. Instead, he committed to the Boston College Eagles, where he will play under coach Bill O’Brien, a former Alabama offensive coordinator.

Lonergan, the No. 13 quarterback in his class of 2023, was recruited by the Bulldogs coming out of high school. However, he chose to sign with Alabama. In 2024 with the Crimson Tide, he played sparingly, throwing for 23 yards on five completions and running for 16 yards.

Five-star Ty Thompson is projected to be Alabama’s future quarterback when Jalen Milroe leaves. With Boston College, Lonergan has a clear path to starting.

Georgia is still in the running for other transfer quarterbacks, including Cal’s Fernando Mendoza and Charlotte’s DeShawn Purdie. Signing one of those arms will strengthen Georgia’s transfer class, which has no current commitments.

Instant Recap: Alabama survives massive upset bid at North Dakota for close road win

Alabama survives North Dakota. Here’s how it happened.

The Alabama Crimson Tide got a much tougher fight than anyone expected Wednesday night in the state of North Dakota.

Pushed to the brink by a career-high 40 points from North Dakota shooting guard Treysen Eaglestaff, Alabama survived with a 97-90 win in nonconference play over the Fighting Hawks at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks.

Thirteen first-half Alabama turnovers gave North Dakota a shocking 38-35 halftime lead over the No. 6 team in the nation. That included a 3-of-10 start from the field by Alabama in the game’s first seven minutes. UND jumped out to an 11-6 lead they would eventually stretch to nine on one of Eaglestaff’s many 3-pointers.

In the second half, the Tide started to roll by taking a 58-47 lead as part of a 13-0 run that included a steal and a dunk from freshman Labaron Philon.

It was nothing short of fitting that home state product Grant Nelson — the main reason for Alabama’s trip to Grand Forks — was a big reason for the Tide’s second-half surge. Nelson would finish the night tied for the team-high in points with 23, including a dunk with 8:40 to play in regulation.

Even so, closing out the Fighting Hawks proved to be an all-but-impossible task for Nelson and the Crimson Tide.

North Dakota refused to go away and tied the game at 78-78 with just over four minutes to play. But after Eli King drained a 3-pointer that tied it at 85-all with two minutes to go, Nelson put Alabama back ahead for good on a jump shot before adding a pair of clutch free throws to extend the lead to 89-85.

Nelson, who transferred to Alabama from North Dakota State ahead of the 2023-24 season, got the rebound when Eaglestaff missed from downtown with just over a minute to play. He also got the offensive board when Mark Sears missed what would have been a dagger from 3-point range, forcing North Dakota to begin fouling.

Mo Dioubate sank four foul shots in the final minute to help Alabama close out the victory. Nelson added 10 rebounds as part of a double-double, and Sears finished with 23 points on 7-of-14 shots from the field to help the Tide survive what would have been the biggest upset of the year in college basketball.

Eaglestaff’s 40 points for North Dakota included eight 3-pointers. He finished the night 15-of-30 from the field .

With the win, Alabama improved to 9-2 overall. North Dakota fell to 4-9 but will feel better about their chances in Summit League play after taking the No. 6 team in the country down to the wire.

RELATED: Instant reactions to Alabama’s close victory at North Dakota

Alabama basketball schedule 2024-25

The Crimson Tide return to Coleman Coliseum to face the Kent State Golden Flashes (8-2) Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for noon CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

Instant reactions to Alabama’s close victory at North Dakota

The Crimson Tide survived a potential road upset in unfamiliar territory Wednesday night.

The Alabama Crimson Tide were back in action late Wednesday night, as the program traveled far away from Tuscaloosa for a true road game against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

In what was certainly unfamiliar territory for the Crimson Tide, Alabama originally struggled early-on during this contest, even trailing going into halftime by a score of 38-35.

However, Alabama would eventually rebound in the second half, and went on to survive this trip with a close, 97-90 victory in the end, even despite North Dakota receiving a game-high 40 points from star Treysen Eaglestaff, while also shooting a combined 41.5% from three.

Let’s take a look at a few instant reactions to Alabama’s road victory at North Dakota:

Welcome home, Grant Nelson

Alabama forward Grant Nelson returned to his home state of North Dakota on Wednesday night, and was back with an impressive performance to lead the Crimson Tide. Nelson finished with a double-double at 23 points – which tied a team-high – 10 rebounds, two assists, and three blocks on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.

5 Alabama scorers in double-figures

Nelson, who had 23 points, was not the only Alabama player to score in double-figures Wednesday night. Joining the Alabama forward was Mark Sears with 23 as well, along with Labaron Philon (16), Houston Mallette (10), and Chris Youngblood (10).

Alabama dominates points in paint

While the Crimson Tide did knock down their fair share of three’s in this win, Alabama’s biggest advantage was in the paint. Alabama dominated the points in the paint a combined 44-22, while also holding a significant advantage in fast break points at 21-4.

Alabama struggles at free throw line

Despite an overall solid shooting game, Alabama struggled at the free throw line Wednesday night. In all, the Crimson Tide went a combined 20-for-30 (66.7%) at the line.

Alabama now sits at 9-2 overall

With this result against North Dakota, Alabama now improves to 9-2 overall for the 2024-25 season. The Crimson Tide’s next game will be Sunday, Dec. 22 at home against Kent State.

Alabama lands commitment from Big 12 transfer cornerback

Alabama landed their second transfer portal commitment Wednesday afternoon.

Only a day after landing a commitment from Florida Gators transfer Kelby Collins, the Alabama Crimson Tide have now landed yet another prospect out of the transfer portal Wednesday afternoon in Cameron Calhoun.

Calhoun, a redshirt freshman, is a cornerback who played for the Utah Utes in 2024, and is the Crimson Tide’s second transfer portal addition so far this cycle.

RELATED: Alabama football 2024-25 offseason transfer portal tracker

This season, Calhoun appeared in 11 games at Utah where he was a key member of the Utes secondary. Over that span, Calhoun had a stat line of 21 tackles, one TFL, one interception, and nine PD.

Prior to Utah, Calhoun spent his freshman season in 2023 with the Michigan Wolverines where he was a four-star prospect in their class that year out of Winton Woods High School in Ohio, the same school as Alabama signee Justin Hill. Calhoun however did not see much action at Michigan on their national title team as a true freshman, redshirting at seasons end.

Calhoun now gives Alabama another cornerback in 2025 alongside the likes of Zabien Brown and Jaylen Mbakwe, a position group that could also return starter Domani Jackson next season as well.

Alabama AD Greg Byrne calls on Crimson Tide fans to ‘fight back’ with NIL

Alabama’s athletic director commented on NIL via a statement Wednesday.

In the growing landscape of college athletics today, NIL continues to become more-and-more of a factor in the day-to-day of programs across the country.

This thought is likely echoed by many across college football, with athletic programs seemingly starting to get in bidding wars in order to potentially acquire talent via recruiting and the transfer portal.

Many in athletic departments across college football have commented on this before also, the latest of which was Alabama Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne on Wednesday afternoon via a statement on social media.

“Over the past few years, there have been drastic changes in college athletics,” Byrne said. “We have been careful during this transitional period to protect our position at the top of college athletics while being mindful to listen, engage and learn from our generous supporters, proud alumni and unrivaled fans to make sure that we protect our great traditions here at Alabama. But there’s a time for talk and a time for action. Now is a time for action.”

“Although we have been competitive from an NIL standpoint, our competition has us in their sights and are actively trying to surge ahead with NIL. You have heard examples of other teams using promises of million-dollar paydays to lure away our players or convince them not to come to Alabama. It is time for the Bama Nation to fight back.”

In the statement Wednesday, Byrne called on Alabama fans to “fight back” with NIL by donating to Alabama’s “Yea Alabama.”

The full statement from Byrne posted Wednesday on social media can be found below:

Alabama starter to reportedly miss ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Michigan due to injury

An Alabama starter will reportedly miss the ReliaQuest Bowl due to injury.

According to head coach Kalen DeBoer on Wednesday afternoon, Alabama Crimson Tide starting safety Malachi Moore will miss the ReliaQuest Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines due to an injury.

“Malachi Moore, he’s been going through an injury pretty much a lot of the season,” DeBoer said. “Just got to the point where he wasn’t going to be able to play, so just kind of putting that out there. He’s having surgery actually today. He wanted to do everything he could to get out there, was trying to wait it out to see if it could possibly be something he’s able to participate in. Probably the biggest thing I’ll say is he just grinded through the year with it. It’s not something recent, it’s been something that’s been ongoing. Maybe some kind of saw or felt something like that.”

A graduate student, the game vs. Michigan would have been Moore’s last of his lengthy Alabama career, meaning that the veteran safety’s time with the Crimson Tide has now officially come to an end.

Moore leaves Tuscaloosa as one of the more experienced Alabama safeties in recent program history, spending five seasons with the Crimson Tide dating back to his freshman year in 2020. Over those five years, Moore was a multi-year starter in Alabama’s secondary, and leaves Tuscaloosa with a combined stat line of 214 tackles, 16 TFL, 2.5 sacks, seven interceptions, 25 PD, two fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles, as well as with one national championship in 2020.

This season, Moore had a career-year for the Crimson Tide where he started in 12 games, amassing a career-high 70 tackles with three TFL, one sack, two interceptions, eight PD, one fumble recovery, and two forced fumbles.

“Just hats off to how much he loves this place, how bad he wanted to be out there on the field each-and-every Saturday, and even how bad he wanted to be out there with these guys and finish off his career for the bowl game,” DeBoer said. “Unfortunately we’re not gonna have him. Love that kid to death. He has a bright future in everything he does. He poured a lot into this place, a lot of passion, a lot of want-to, a lot of desire. A lot of things that I know the rest of our team really took from him and learned along the way.”

Alabama will play Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Former Alabama, Auburn transfer commits to SEC program

A former Alabama transfer will once again play in the SEC.

A former transfer from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Antonio Kite officially announced his commitment to the Ole Miss Rebels on Tuesday night.

Kite previously played for the Auburn Tigers during the 2024 season, with whom he had previously transferred to last offseason.

A defensive back, Kite originally came to Alabama as a member of the Crimson Tide’s 2022 class as an in-state prospect out of Anniston High School. Kite remained at Alabama for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons in which he did not record any stats prior to transferring to Auburn.

This past season, Kite appeared in eight games with the Tigers in which he had six tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. Kite previously announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal earlier this month.

Kite was one of multiple former Alabama transfers to enter the portal so far this cycle, a list that also included the likes of JoJo Earle and Christian Leary, among others.

Alabama 2024-25 Opponent Preview: North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Alabama’s next opponent is an unfamiliar one in the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

After returning home to pick up a big victory Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide are now set to hit the road once again Wednesday to face an unfamiliar opponent in the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

A road trip that you did not often see as well, Alabama will be traveling to North Dakota for this game, which will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs on the hardwood.

As expected, this is also an unfamiliar opponent for most Alabama fans, and likely a team that some have never even seen play.

Let’s take a bit of a deeper look at the Fighting Hawks, and list some things you need to know about North Dakota entering Wednesday night.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks Team Overview

  • Team Name: North Dakota Fighting Hawks
  • Conference: Summit
  • Arena: Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, Grand Forks, North Dakota
  • 2024-25 Record: 4-8 overall
  • Ranking: Unranked in AP Poll, Unranked in Coaches Poll

Beginning with a team overview, North Dakota has struggled so far this year as they currently sit at 4-8 overall this season. Entering this game on a three-game losing streak, North Dakota’s toughest opponent up to this point has been a road game at Notre Dame in which the Fighting Hawks fell by a final score of 75-58.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks Coaching Staff

  • Head Coach: Paul Sather
  • Assistant Coach: Jamie Stevens
  • Assistant Coach: Randall Herbst
  • Assistant Coach: Estevan Sandoval

The Fighting Hawks are led by sixth-year head coach Paul Sather, who has led North Dakota to only one winning season (18-14 overall in 2023-24) during his time with the program. North Dakota has also not made a NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016-17.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks 2024-25 Stats

  • PPG: 71.6 (No. 270 in NCAA)
  • PPG Allowed: 77.2 (No. 310 in NCAA)
  • FG%: 40.4
  • 3P%: 29.8
  • FT%: 66.8
  • RPG: 39.8
  • APG: 10.8
  • SPG: 5.1
  • BPG: 2.7

Stats-wise, North Dakota ranks among the lower half of college basketball in both points scored and allowed per game, while also ranking nationally in the 300’s in shooting percentage’s across the board. The Fighting Hawks most impressive stat is likely their team offensive rebounding, which ranks No. 8 nationally at 15.1 per game.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks Names to Know

  • Treysen Eaglestaff, Guard – Junior
  • Amar Kuljuhovic, Forward/Center – Senior
  • Mier Panoam, Guard – Sophomore
  • Dariyus Woodson, Forward – Junior
  • Eli King, Guard – Junior

North Dakota is led by the Summit’s leading scorer in junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff, who is currently averaging 18.6 PPG on 37.1% shooting from three-point range. The Fighting Hawks also have three others who currently average in double-figures in Mier Panoam, Amar Kuljuhovic, and Dariyus Woodson.

Alabama basketball schedule: Are the Crimson Tide playing today? 

Is Alabama playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come. 

On Wednesday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide will be back in action for a college basketball game that you do not necessarily see very often.

That is because the SEC power and one of the nation’s top programs will hit the road to face a team from the Summit League in a true road game against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Usually games like this take place on the homecourt of the P4 conference team, but the roles will be reversed for the Crimson Tide on Wednesday night when Alabama travels across the country to face a completely unfamiliar opponent.

Pitting the No. 6 ranked Crimson Tide against the Fighting Hawks, Alabama (8-2 overall) and North Dakota (4-8 overall) will begin at 9 p.m. ET, and will be available to watch on CBS Sports Network.

Alabama Crimson Tide basketball 2024-25 schedule

  • Nov. 4: vs. UNC Asheville (W, 110-54)
  • Nov. 8: vs. Arkansas State (W, 88-79)
  • Nov. 11: vs. McNeese State (W, 72-64)
  • Nov. 15: at Purdue (L, 87-78)
  • Nov. 20: vs. Illinois (W, 100-87) at C.M. Newton Classic in Birmingham, Alabama
  • Nov. 26-30: vs. Houston (W, 85-80), Rutgers (W, 95-90), Oregon (L, 83-81) at Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Dec. 4: at North Carolina (W, 90-79) in ACC/SEC Challenge
  • Dec. 14: vs. Creighton (W, 83-75)
  • Dec. 18: at North Dakota
  • Dec. 22: vs. Kent State
  • Dec. 29: vs. South Dakota State
  • Jan. 4: vs. Oklahoma
  • Jan. 8: at South Carolina
  • Jan. 11: at Texas A&M
  • Jan. 14: vs. Ole Miss
  • Jan. 18: at Kentucky
  • Jan. 21: vs. Vanderbilt
  • Jan. 25: vs. LSU
  • Jan. 29: at Mississippi State
  • Feb. 1: vs. Georgia
  • Feb. 8: at Arkansas
  • Feb. 11: at Texas
  • Feb. 15: vs. Auburn
  • Feb. 19: at Missouri
  • Feb. 22: vs. Kentucky
  • Feb. 25: vs. Mississippi State
  • March 1: at Tennessee
  • March 5: vs. Florida
  • March 8: at Auburn

Record: 8-2 overall

Alabama lands transfer portal commitment from SEC defensive lineman

Alabama lands its’ first transfer portal addition of the cycle.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are now officially on the board when it comes to landing players via the transfer portal, as Florida Gators defensive lineman Kelby Collins officially committed to the program Tuesday night.

Collins is the first transfer portal addition for Alabama so far this cycle.

A name that might be familiar to some Crimson Tide fans, Collins is a former highly-rated four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle who was from the state of Alabama where he attended Gardendale High School. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Collins was the nation’s No. 42 overall player in the class, as well as the No. 5 defensive lineman.

Committing to Florida out of high school, Collins has spent the past two seasons in Gainesville where he has amassed a combined 29 tackles, two TFL, 1.5 sacks, one PD, and one fumble recovery. This past season, Collins appeared in six games where he had six tackles for the Gators.

Collins projects to be an instant-impact player for Alabama’s defensive unit in 2025 as a lineman who could line up either inside or outside.