Report: Alabama getting key offensive starter back vs. Wisconsin

Report: Alabama getting key offensive starter back vs. Wisconsin

Alabama starting left tackle Kadyn Proctor is ‘expected to play and make his season debut’ on Saturday when the Crimson Tide visit the Wisconsin Badgers, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Proctor had been trending toward playing earlier in the week. This report comes close to firming his status entering Saturday’s big game.

Related: 10 keys to Wisconsin Badgers pulling a program-defining upset against Alabama

The sophomore left tackle missed Alabama’s first two games after suffering a shoulder injury during warmups before the Week 1 vs. Western Kentucky. His return to the lineup is significant news after the Crimson Tide struggled offensively in their Week 2 win over South Florida.

Both Proctor and starting right tackle Elijah Pritchett have been dealing with injuries early in the season. Both are expected to be healthy and in the lineup on Saturday.

The matchup with Alabama is a challenging one for Wisconsin. The Badgers will be tasked with corralling a high-powered offense led by Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Milroe.

While Wisconsin’s clear weakness is its defensive front seven, there was a thought that Alabama’s lack of health along the line could neutralize its advantage in that area. Proctor and Pritchett both appearing set to play should tip the scales significantly in favor of the Alabama offense.

Wisconsin and Alabama will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. It is worth monitoring the official status of Alabama’s two starting tackles in the hours approaching game time.

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Alabama golf shares updates, previews brand new facility

Alabama Golf’s new facilities are BEAUTIFUL.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s golf social media accounts recently shared videos that show the new facilities, and the progress that’s been made on the grounds and new buildings.

The video shows the luxurious indoor amenities the team will have access to, as well as the newly-designed practice course that will help the team prepare for tournaments.

Alabama golf has two national team titles on the men’s side and one for the women. The Crimson Tide’s presence on the national golf scene continues to grow, and the updates to the facilities will surely help with preparation and recruiting.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama golf and athletics.

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SEC powerhouse offers Notre Dame quarterback commit

One of the nation’s top-ranked quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting class picked up a big time offer despite being committed to Notre Dame.

In a story we’ve seen before, Alabama has offered a top-ranked Notre Dame commitment in an upcoming class.

This time it was quarterback Deuce Knight, the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Alabama offered him on Monday.  Knight committed to Notre Dame in September 2023.

Knight checks in at 6 feet, 4 inches and 195 pounds. He has received offers from Auburn, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and plenty of others.

Knight hails from Lucedale, Mississippi, and has was on campus for junior weekend at Notre Dame this past weekend.  He has been a leader in the recruitment of other top targets in the 2025 class, but as we know all too well, an offer from Alabama tends to carry a lot of weight regardless of a commitment status.

Nick Saban not being head coach there anymore obviously takes away some of the bigness but certainly not all of it.

Former Notre Dame Five-Star Target to Transfer from Alabama

Can Notre Dame convert on second Downs?

A one-time major target of Notre Dame’s that ultimately enrolled at Alabama is on the move.  Safety Caleb Downs, who had a five-star ranking in the 2023 recruiting cycle, is entering the transfer portal.

Downs is originally from Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek and chose the Crimson Tide over Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and North Carolina.

Downs made an official visit to Notre Dame in June of 2022 but the Irish ultimately came up short.  Will they go back to the portal and attempt a do-over with Downs?

I would think Georgia is the favorite to land his talents considering where he’s from but whoever ends up with Downs will be getting a truly great defender.  As a true freshman this year for the Crimson Tide he recorded 70 tackles, a pair of interceptions, and forced a fumble.

Downs will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Further Reading:  Check out everyone who has come and gone from Notre Dame via the transfer portal this off-season

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:

[afflinkbutton text=”How to buy Nick Saban: A Career That Changed Alabama Football Forever” link=”https://www.pediment.com/products/nick-saban-alabama-crimson-tide-career-hardcover-book?ownership=client”]

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 football loses significant ground in way-too-early Top 25

In ESPN’s latest way-too-early Top 25 college football rankings, Alabama slides significantly in the wrong direction.

Since losing to Michigan in the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal, the Alabama football program has gone through a lot.

Nick Saban retired. The transfer portal produced some key departures. A few 2024 commits signed elsewhere. As a result, ESPN has grown wary of the Crimson Tide.

Though there have been plenty of negatives, it is important to remember  there has also been plenty of positive news. New head coach Kalen DeBoer is a proven winner. He has hired a strong staff. There have been some impressive pickups via the transfer portal and the recruiting trail.

ESPN’s original way-too-early Top 25 for the 2024 college football season had Alabama ranked No. 4, but that is no longer the case. In the latest rankings, the Crimson Tide have fallen to No. 9, which makes DeBoer’s team the fifth-highest-ranked SEC team.

No sense in complaining about a top-10 ranking, but being fifth in the conference the Tide just won last season is interesting.

Marco Schlabach of ESPN writes,

“Alabama’s transition under former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer has already been rocky, with Downs and highly regarded quarterback Julian Sayin transferring to Ohio State, Bond and tight end Amari Niblack jumping to Texas, offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor returning home to Iowa and several players leaving for the NFL. Then, making matters worse, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and offensive line coach Scott Huff took jobs with the Seattle Seahawks last week. Saban’s dynasty wasn’t built with Tinkertoys, so the Crimson Tide will be fine in the long run.”

The Crimson Tide’s 2024 season, and the DeBoer era, begins on Aug. 31 in Tuscaloosa against Western Kentucky. We don’t know where Alabama will be ranked to start the season. Neither do we know what to expect from this team. The standard, however, is to compete for the conference title and a national championship.

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

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PHOTO GALLERY: Top images from Alabama’s comeback win over Georgia

An Alabama comeback win over Georgia? Nothing new. Check out the top images from the Crimson Tide’s road win.

Despite a double-digit deficit early in the game, Alabama came from behind to defeat Georgia on the road to maintain sole possession of first place in the SEC.

The game began with the Bulldogs outscoring the Crimson Tide 17-2, but a strong, late second-half performance from Alabama propelled the Tide to win the game by nine with a final score of 85-76.

Mark Sears and Grant Nelson led the team in points with 23 and 20 respectively. Their strong performances were the main reasons why Alabama was able to improve to 15-6 on the season with an in-conference record of 7-1, with the lone loss being to Tennessee.

Next up, Nate Oats and his team will return home to Tuscaloosa to take on Mississippi State. Before then, relive the action from Alabama’s win over Georgia with the top images from the matchup.

Alabama makes significant jump in latest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll

Alabama’s string of recent wins boosts the Crimson Tide in the latest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll.

Alabama basketball has only suffered one loss in the SEC so far, which was on the road to Tennessee. Since then, the Crimson Tide has won two straight. The pair of wins was enough to boost the team back into the Top 25 of the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Those impressive wins came at home against in-state rival, and then-sixth-ranked, Auburn, and LSU.

Coming up for the Crimson Tide are a few interesting matchups, headlined by a short road trip to Auburn for the rematch.

In the latest ranking, Alabama moves up to No. 22, which makes it the fourth highest-ranked SEC team in the Top 25.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 UConn 18-2 766 (23)
2 Purdue 19-2 746 (8)
3 North Carolina 17-3 710
4 Houston 18-2 680
5 Tennessee 15-4 658
6 Wisconsin 16-4 593 +4
6 Duke 15-4 512 +5
8 Kentucky 15-4 510 -2
9 Kansas 16-4 503 -1
10 Marquette 15-5 454 +5
11 Iowa State 16-4 408 +7
12 Arizona 15-5 405 -3
13 Creighton 16-5 367 +3
14 Illinois 15-5 359 -3
15 Texas Tech 16-3 340 +6
16 Auburn 16-4 331 -10
17 Utah State 18-2 258 +3
18 Baylor 14-5 188 -4
19 Dayton 16-3 166 -2
20 New Mexico 18-3 162 +5
21 BYU 15-5 153 -2
22 Alabama 14-6 147 +4
23 Florida Atlantic 17-4 122 +1
24 Oklahoma 15-5 106 -11
25 TCU 15-5 99 +5

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Memphis; No. 23 Colorado State;

Others Receiving Votes

San Diego State 67; Ole Miss 57; South Carolina 46; Gonzaga 38; Memphis 26; Northwestern 23; Colorado State 14; Indiana State 13; Texas11; Grand Canyon 9; Saint Mary’s 5; Virginia 4; McNeese State 4; App State 4; Seton Hall 2; Cornell 2; Princeton 1;

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LOOK: Social media reacts to Alabama hiring Kalen DeBoer as head coach

Fans were quick to react to the news of Alabama hiring Kalen DeBoer as the Crimson Tide head coach. See what they had to say.

Nick Saban retired from coaching not even two days ago and the Crimson Tide already has his replacement. After 17 years and a half-dozen national championships, Saban won’t be on the sidelines for Alabama. Now, it’ll be Kalen DeBoer.

DeBoer joins the Crimson Tide program after coaching at Washington for the previous two seasons. In 2023, the Huskies made it all the way to the national championship game, but fell short against Michigan.

Fans had thrown around a handful of high-profile names over the last tow days as potential candidates for the Alabama head coaching job. We now have our answer and it’s DeBoer, who will head to Tuscaloosa with an impressive head coaching record of 104-12.

Here’s what fans had to say about the latest Alabama hire.

REPORT: Alabama OC Tommy Rees being considered for head coach position

Tommy Rees (31) is being considered a “wild card” candidate who is being considered for the Alabama head coaching job.

At just 31-years-old, Tommy Rees has a rather impressive resumé. The offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide can add “head coach candidate” to it, as he is being considered for the vacancy created by Nick Saban’s decision to retire.

After being the quarterback for Notre Dame, Rees found his way back onto the field as a coach. It did not take long for him to become the Fighting Irish’s offensive coordinator and, in 2023, served in the same role under Nick Saban at Alabama.

Nick Kelly of The Tuscaloosa News reports that Rees is being considered as a “wild card” candidate along with other high-profile targets including Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and Washington.

Kelly’s report was corroborated by ESPN college football reporter Adam Rittenberg, who named the same three in a recent report.

It’s not likely or expected that Rees would be handed the keys to the Crimson Tide, but it is interesting that he, at such a young age, is even being considered

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama head coaching search.

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.