Tag: Alabama Football News

Alabama near the top in latest college football Top-25 rankings

No Saban? No problem. Alabama still ranks as one of the top teams in the nation, according to the latest college football Top-25 rankings.

The 2024 college football season is rapidly approaching, and fans are eager to watch their favorite teams take the field with a blank record, a clean slate, and a chance to make the College Football Playoffs and compete for a national championship. One team fans from across the country will have their eyes on is the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The offseason started off rough for Crimson Tide fans, as legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement and the program was sent into a frenzy as the search for a replacement for the greatest of all time commenced.

Though Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne made a strong hire in former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer, fans were concerned about his ability to fill the mighty shoes left behind by Saban and the numerous high-profile, key contributors from the Crimson Tide’s 2023 roster.

Initially losing players to the transfer portal Caleb Downs (to the Ohio State Buckeyes), Isaiah Bond (to the Texas Longhorns) and Kadyn Proctor (to the Iowa Hawkeyes… temporarily), there was fear that a mass exodus would follow.

Fortunately for DeBoer and Alabama fans, there wasn’t a steady flow of players exiting the program, and one of the three players mentioned above, Proctor, ended up transferring back to the Crimson Tide program in the spring transfer portal window.

The Tide coaching staff didn’t just suffer losses from the transfer portal, a handful of immediate starters for the program transferred in, as well as some young, talented players who could contribute in the next few seasons.

Andy Staples of On3 recently revealed his latest college football Top-25 rankings following the conclusion of the spring transfer portal. While there are a lot of drastic changes going on in Tuscaloosa, Staples isn’t convinced that it is going to lead to the program’s downfall. He has DeBoer and Alabama ranked No. 3, behind only No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 1 Ohio State.

“That first weekend felt a little touch and go, but since then Kalen DeBoer has done just about everything right as he tries to replace the greatest of all time. Nick Saban left DeBoer a pretty spectacular roster, and DeBoer added to it with some of his favorite former Washington players.

“Getting offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor back from Iowa was huge for Alabama, and while there’s no sugarcoating the loss of Downs, getting Keon Sabb from Michigan to play alongside veteran Malachi Moore should help Alabama’s secondary remain formidable.”

The 2024 regular season may prove to be challenging for DeBoer in his first season at the helm of the historic program, but iron sharpens iron, and it’s impossible to build an impressive resumé without obtaining some impressive wins.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news and projections as the 2024 college football season approaches.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Alabama RB Justice Haynes tabbed as potential breakout player in college football

Alabama running back Justice Haynes is ready for the spotlight, and experts and putting the nation on notice.

The Alabama Crimson Tide football roster is loaded with talent heading into the 2024 college football season. Though legendary head coach Nick Saban retired, the program is still in good hands as former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer is now at the helm.

Plenty of key contributors return from last season. While many would initially think of star quarterback Jalen Milroe, another member of the Tide’s offense may be stealing headlines this upcoming season.

In 2023, running back Justice Haynes was a true freshman, but managed to see some meaningful playing time, amassed 168 rushing yards on 25 carries, and even reached the end zone twice—a small role, but significant for a freshman in a Saban-coached team.

Heading into 2024, Haynes is primed for a lead role in the Alabama backfield. While it’s still unclear what plans DeBoer has for the team’s offense, it will certainly feature Haynes.

ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti named Haynes in a list of 10 players nationwide who could break out and become big-time names in the sport. Haynes was No. 5 on the list.

“Last year in Tuscaloosa may not have gone the way Haynes, then a true freshman, envisioned. He finished with 168 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, but he showed enough flashes to let the Tide faithful know what was coming in the future. Now, under new head coach Kalen DeBoer and with the departure of both Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams, Haynes could be primed for a big second season.”

Haynes is entering a golden opportunity to showcase his talents on one of the biggest stages in all of college football, as the eyes of the nation will follow Alabama throughout the 2024 season due to a difficult schedule and it being DeBoer’s first season in Tuscaloosa.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Haynes and other Alabama football news as the 2024 college football season approaches.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Alabama vs. Georgia ranked the top must-watch game of 2024 college football season

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs meet in Tuscaloosa for a Week 4 battle that experts claim is the must-watch game of the 2024 season.

The 2024 season for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program will be under a microscope, as the program looks to maintain the success it had for nearly two decades under the now-retired legendary head coach, Nick Saban. Former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer has taken over and will be tested in many ways throughout the regular season.

Not only is DeBoer looking to fill some very big shoes, but he is tasked with taking over a historical powerhouse during a time of drastic change.

Name, Image, Likeness has taken over, the transfer portal is as wide open as it ever has been, the College Football Playoff field has expanded to 12 teams and conference realignment is going into effect, which means the SEC will welcome the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners in 2024.

Along with all of that, DeBoer and the Crimson Tide don’t have the easiest schedule.

In Week 3, Alabama travels north to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison. The very next week, the Tide returns to Tuscaloosa for a Week 4 matchup in Bryant-Denny Stadium against the Georgia Bulldogs.

This matchup will be a massive test for DeBoer and this Crimson Tide team. No matter the outcome, it will set the tone for the rest of the season, and possibly the first few seasons of the DeBoer era.

Recently, ESPN’s David Hale ranked the top-10 matchups of the 2024 college football season and ranked this Alabama-Georgia game as the No. 1 must-see game of the year.

“These teams combined for nine championship game appearances during the 10-year run of the four-team playoff, and while much has changed over the past year at both schools, there’s no reason to assume the Dawgs and the Tide won’t be at the very top of the college football power rankings again in 2024.”

Hale makes it clear that this game, though no longer featuring Saban vs. Kirby Smart on opposing sidelines, is still a meeting between two national title contenders. With an expanded CFP field, it’s likely that these two teams, assuming they follow the trends of recent seasons, will be back in the playoffs in 2024. With that, this regular season contest could be a preview of the SEC conference championship, as well as a CFP game.

A few months still sit between today and the start of Alabama’s 2024 regular season. However, there will surely be more news and analysis to come as the Week 1 matchup against Western Kentucky inches closer.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Cincinnati Bengals officially sign WR Jermaine Burton, contract details revealed

Former Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton has officially signed with the Cincinnati Bengals!

Former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jermaine Burton joined the program during the 2022 offseason via the transfer portal after spending two seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs. Now, he is officially a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Burton was selected in the third round, No. 80 overall, of the 2024 NFL draft by the Bengals. He now joins former SEC foe, quarterback Joe Burrow, who was at the center of the LSU Tigers‘ success in 2019.

Today, the NFL franchise’s social media page shared the news that Burton was officially under contract. According to Spotrac, his deal is worth just over $5.8 million over the next four years with a signing bonus of roughly $1 million.

Burton had a career season in 2023, reeling in 39 passes for 798 yards and eight touchdowns.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Burton and other former members of the Crimson Tide now in the NFL, as well as Alabama football news as the 2024 season progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Where does Alabama rank in the post-spring college football power rankings?

The College Football season is rapidly approaching. With spring in the books, see where Alabama ranks in the top-25 power rankings!

The 2024 season will be an interesting one for the Alabama Crimson Tide, as it will be the first time in nearly two decades that legendary head coach Nick Saban will not be roaming the sidelines of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Instead, it will be head coach Kalen DeBoer. That change, along with the SEC adding two new programs and the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams makes for this upcoming season to be one of mass change.

How will all of this impact the Crimson Tide’s ability to compete? Well, some pundits argue that it won’t knock them out of national title contention.

Patrick Conn and Tyler Nettuno of College Sports Wire‘s “College 12-pack” put together a post-spring practice top-25 power rankings. Alabama ranked No. 5 on the list.

“The Alabama Crimson Tide is going to have a West Coast flare in 2024 with four former Washington Huskies joining the team as they followed head coach Kalen DeBoer from Seattle. Jalen Milroe returns as the signal caller with plenty of talent around him. But how does this Tide squad look in the post-Nick Saban era?”

There are plenty of reasons to be excited for the 2024 Crimson Tide season, with “West Coast flare” being one of them. However, many fans are worried about DeBoer’s ability to maintain the high-level of success left behind by Saban. After all, in his last season before retiring, Saban led his team all the way to a conference championship title, the College Football Playoffs, and an overtime-loss in the Rose Bowl against the No. 1 team and the eventual national champion.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason continues.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Alabama’s 2024 season-opening kickoff time vs. Western Kentucky revealed

The stage is set for the Kalen DeBoer era to start in Tuscaloosa with a kickoff time revealed for Alabama vs. Western Kentucky in Week 1.

A new era of Alabama Crimson Tide football will begin on Aug. 31, 2024 as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers take on the Kalen DeBoer-led Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium to kickoff the 2024 season.

With Nick Saban announcing his retirement at the conclusion of the 2023 season, fans are not sure how to feel about DeBoer, who was previously at the helm of the Washington Huskies program and made it all the way to the national championship game after defeating the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl.

Though the offseason has been filled with exciting Alabama football news regarding recruiting and the transfer portal, fans are still a bit uneasy about the change.

Aside from Alabama’s A-Day spring game, the Week 1 matchup against Western Kentucky will be the first time in nearly two decades, aside from the Iron Bowl in 2020, that a coach not named Nick Saban will be roaming the sidelines in Bryant-Denny.

As the season inches closer, kickoff times are being announced and there’s none more important than the one that tells us when the 2024 season begins for the Tide.

When does the 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide football season kickoff?

Alabama and Western Kentucky will meet in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. CT for the Week 1 matchup to get the season started.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Alabama football held players-only meeting to address issues

After an ugly win against USF, Alabama had a players-only meeting to discuss the team’s problems.

Alabama football ranks No. 13 in the nation with a 2-1 record. The hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff have dwindled significantly and it seems like any changes to the team are done in the interest of damage control. Unless something drastic changes, like the mentality of the team.

Well, Crimson Tide offensive lineman Tyler Booker revealed on Next Round Live that the team held a players-only meeting to address the issues the team is having.

https://x.com/NextRoundLive/status/1703780317851504707?s=20

https://x.com/NextRoundLive/status/1703780317851504707?s=20

Alabama will host Ole Miss for an afternoon start to SEC play in Week 4.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Crimson Tide football as the 2023 season progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

David Pollack: ‘Not a chance’ that Texas football wins the Big 12

ESPN analyst David Pollack does not believe Texas will win the Big 12.

ESPN college football analyst David Pollack doesn’t like the Texas Longhorns’ prospects to win the Big 12. When asked if the team would take home the conference crown in 2023, Pollack emphatically refuted the idea.

It’s not the first time the former Georgia defensive lineman has doubted the Longhorns and almost certainly won’t be the last. Last fall ahead of the Alabama game, Pollack had the following to say about the team.

“They’re gonna get smoked today. Absolutely smoked. Alabama is the best team in the country for a reason. Texas, just try to hold on, try to stay healthy. Have a fun rest of the year, but you ain’t winning today.”

Texas didn’t exactly get smoked. Alabama won on a late field goal. Nevertheless, until the team lives up to expectations, the national talking point will be that the Longhorns continue to underwhelm.

Despite past failures, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian leads the prohibitive favorite to win the conference. Unlike past teams, the depth of talent is not lacking at receiver. Offensive line coach Kyle Flood has perhaps the program’s best offensive line since Colt McCoy’s freshman season, led by an All-American left tackle candidate in Kelvin Banks. Over the spring, quarterback Quinn Ewers looks more like the player who had Alabama on the ropes in 2022.

On the other side, coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense has finally put it all together. We’ll have a better idea of how high the team can climb after they face the Crimson Tide. Nevertheless, in regard to Texas winning the Big 12, there is certainly a chance.

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Former Alabama RB makes bold statement regarding Texas’ Week 2 matchup against Tide

Former Alabama running back Keilan Robinson made a strong declaration about Texas’ matchup with the Tide.

One former Alabama player didn’t hold back when speaking on Texas’ matchup with the Tide in September. Former Alabama and current Texas Longhorns running back [autotag]Keilan Robinson[/autotag] recently spoke about their matchup on a Twitter space that he hosted. Here is what Robinson said:

“Ain’t no chip on our shoulder, it’s just a … it might be a chip (because) it’s Texas, because you there’s a few people that might be trying to count us out, but knowing what I know, seeing what I see every day being here and being there, I know we can beat them boys. We just got to do what we got to do.”

Robinson spent just one season at Alabama in 2019 before sitting out the following season due to COVID-19. In that one season, he had 39 carries for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Soon after Alabam won the 2020 national championship, he elected to transfer to Texas and re-unite with several former Alabama coaches and players.

He wasn’t the only former member of the Crimson Tide to head to the Texas. Alabama lost numerous players and coaches to the Longhorns once former Tide offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian left for Texas.

Since then, there has been tension between the two programs. Robinson and former Alabama wide receiver [autotag]Agiye Hall[/autotag] have both had things to say about the program after transferring.

When speaking with 247Sports’ Chip Brown, Hall had this to say:

One thing that really stood out is the culture. Bama fans — they’re not really loving, if I could say — even when you leave. Texas fans are like a family. They love you unconditionally.”

This Week 2 contest will mean something special. It will likely be one of many matchups to come as the Longhorns are slated to join the SEC in the coming years. This game will likely determine how each team’s season will go. It is shaping to be a game for the centuries.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama Football throughout the 2022 offseason.

UGA football in 5-star DB’s final four

The Georgia Bulldogs have made five-star defensive back Tony Mitchell’s top four schools.

The Georgia Bulldogs have made five-star defensive back Tony Mitchell’s top four schools. Mitchell is already an accomplished high school athlete in Alabaster, Alabama.

The five-star defensive back considers Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, and Texas A&M to be his top schools. Mitchell is favored to commit to the Alabama Crimson Tide per 247Sports.

In 2020, Mitchell won a state championship (Class 7A) in dramatic fashion with Thompson High School. Mitchell has won three state championships during his impressive high school career. The talented five-star recruit is a rising senior and received immense recruiting interest from some of the nation’s top college football programs.

Thompson defensive back Tony Mitchell (3) breaks up a pass intended for Central wide receiver Karmello English (2) during the 7A state championship game. [Gary Cosby Jr./Tuscaloosa News]

Tony Mitchell is ranked as the No. 2 cornerback in the class of 2023 and the No. 15 overall prospect. Mitchell is the No. 2 recruit in Alabama. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound defender has desirable size for a cornerback prospect.

Mitchell no longer is strongly considering some of his previous top schools like LSU, Clemson, Florida, and Oregon.

The Alabaster standout announced his latest list of top schools via his Twitter account:

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