(AP) TUSCALOOSA, AL Johni Broome had 19 points and 14 rebounds and five teammates scored in double figures as No. 1 Auburn beat in-state rival and second-ranked Alabama 94-85 on Saturday in a matchup of top-ranked teams.
Mark Sears scored 18 points and Grant Nelson added 12 points and 12 rebounds for Alabama, which rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half, but failed to complete the comeback.
Denver Jones scored 16 points, Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly added 15 points apiece, Chaney Johnson had 14 and Tahaad Pettiford 13 for Auburn (23-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference).
Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway each scored 10 for Alabama (21-4, 10-2).
Auburn: Baker-Mazara, a vital bench player, fouled out with just over two minutes left, while Dylan Cardwell, the starter, fouled out after only 12 minutes of play.
After averaging 23 minutes per game, Johnson took up a lot of the load, playing 33 minutes.
Alabama: The Tigers were able to shoot 46% from the field thanks to the Crimson Tide. Against Alabama, the squad shot over 40% from the field for the first time in conference play.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) receives a snapped ball against the Mercer Bears during the third quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images
There are some burning questions surrounding Alabama football ahead of the start of spring practice next month.
The Crimson Tide are looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 2024 football season.
Here is a look at some questions facing Alabama at the moment.
Who will be Alabama’s starting quarterback?
Alabama football has a quarterback battle which appears to be wide open ahead of spring practice. The lack of experience between Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell points to each of them having an opportunity to be QB1 in Tuscaloosa next season. Simpson continues to be the favorite based on him being the Tide’s primary backup in 2024. He also has been a college quarterback for more years than Mack and Russell.
The spring typically gives a small snapshot of what the Tide could look like in the following season. Picking a starter in the spring is not likely to happen, but it should give a clear look at the peaking order of the competition.
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Can Kalen DeBoer get Alabama to play consistent in Year 2?
Inconsistent is the perfect way to describe Alabama football in 2024. The Crimson Tide was inconsistent from week to week and inconsistent throughout the flows of some games. Alabama looked like the best team in college football at times. This would often take a turn, and the Tide would look undisciplined and unprepared. Consistency was one of the many strengths of the Nick Saban era. Can Kalen DeBoer capture a similar standard in this new era of college football?
Will Ryan Grubb improve Alabama football’s offense?
Alabama fans are excited to have Ryan Grubb back in Tuscaloosa, and it is no secret why. Grubb is bringing experience and proven production as a college offensive coordinator with him to Tuscaloosa. He has made it clear he wants the Tide to make defenses feel threatened by Alabama’s ability to move the football down the field.
“We should be able to push the ball down the field,” Grubb said. “We should be able to finish runs and block in an explosive manner that I think, will really show what we want this offense to look like from a standpoint that we want people to be threatened with the football down the field.”
He will be tasked with improving an Alabama offense that struggled and lacked creativity and consistency as the 2024 season progressed.
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Who takes over at kicker and punter?
The Crimson Tide graduated their starting kicker and punter from the 2024 season.
James Burnip was one of the top punters in college football in 2024. The Tide signed a punter in the 2025 class in Alex Asparuhov. They also have added Blake Doud to the fold. Doud is a transfer from the Colorado School of Mines. He was a consensus All-American in 2024, averaging 46.6 yards a punt while landing 19 inside the 20.
Graham Nicholson is moving on to the NFL after not seeing much action as the Tide’s starting kicker. Alabama returns Conor Talty. He handled all kickoff duties for Alabama in 2024. He has not attempted to kick a field goal in a game in his career, but he has made every extra point he has attempted.
In the biggest Iron Bowl of Basketball in series history, Alabama needs to do these three things in order to knock off No. 1 Auburn.
The full attention of the college basketball world is transfixed on the Iron Bowl of Basketball featuring a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup for the first time in the history of hoops in the SEC. Tomorrow, the two bitter rivals meet on the hardwood in the biggest litmus test of the season for either team. Both have played an extremely challenging schedule. Neither has played a game that meant as much as this one does.
Along with the bragging rights that come with any win over a rival, the winner on Saturday will have the inside track on the SEC regular season crown. Both the Crimson Tide and Tigers enter the matchup tied for 1st place in the league at 10-1.
It will be a tremendous challenge for Alabama, even inside the friendly confines of Coleman Coliseum, to knock off Auburn. The Tigers have been the best team in college basketball to date, something that was further driven home by the fact that they remained No. 1 in the AP Poll this week despite dropping a game last Saturday at home to Florida.
It will take Alabama’s “A” game to beat Auburn, something we haven’t seen the Tide sustain often for a full 40 minutes. Nate Oats’ team tends to play really good halves of basketball at a time. If that is the first half, they tend to slack off, at least defensively, for the final 20 minutes. That’s what happened in Tuesday night’s win in Austin over Texas. Alabama dominated defensively in the first half and then gave up 49 second-half points to the Longhorns.
It nearly cost Alabama last Saturday against Arkansas. Alabama led by 16 points with six minutes to play and had to hold off a furious Razorback rally to escape Bud Walton with a win.
It will take a full 40-minute effort for Alabama to knock off Auburn on Saturday. The Tigers are too good to succumb to anything other than the Tide’s best shot.
3 keys to an Alabama victory over Auburn
3. Take care of the basketball
Alabama is always going to be a high-turnover team. Oats’ system is designed to play at lightning speed and that tends to result in more turnovers than your average team. But lately, Alabama has really struggled to take care of the ball, even against their own standards.
In SEC play, Alabama is turning it over on 18.7% of its possessions. They had more turnovers than made field goals in the home loss to Ole Miss last month.
Auburn plays an aggressive man-to-man scheme and they force a lot of turnovers in their own right. Alabama tends to not need any help from opponents when it comes to turning the ball over. A high turnover percentage game on Saturday could spell doom for the Tide.
2. Shoot the ball well
It’s probably unrealistic to expect Alabama to shoot the ball as well as it did against Texas on Tuesday. It sure would be nice, though wouldn’t it?
Alabama shot over 60% in the 103-80 win over the Longhorns and knocked down 17-of-29 attempts from three and 18-of-20 from the free throw line. There’s not a team in the country that can beat Alabama when it shoots it that well.
It won’t take a ridiculously hot night for the Crimson Tide to beat the Tigers. But Alabama can’t have a poor shooting night, either.
Alabama has seen a big uptick in three-point shooting in SEC play. They’re shooting 38.4% against conference opponents, good for 2nd in the league. Aden Holloway has been one of the best shooters in the country since SEC play began. He’s hit 50% of his attempts from downtown. Chris Youngblood has hit 41.4% of his attempts. Jarin Stevenson has shot 38% on the season since his 0-of-18 start, including a 4-of-5 game en route to a breakout 22-point performance on Tuesday.
Mark Sears struggled some in non-conference action with his shot, but he’s up to 37.7% against league opponents. The scary thing is that Sears has another level he can reach. He was one of the most efficient players in the country a year ago.
Grant Nelson, Labaron Philon, and even Mo Dioubate have been streaky from behind the arc. If one or two of those guys can knock down a shot or two from deep, that would be a bonus.
Finishing at the rim will be an immense challenge against Auburn’s front line of Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell. Alabama will need to hit some threes in order to pull defenders out of the paint.
1. Dominate the offensive glass
Auburn has one of the biggest front lines in the country. Broome is a center starting at forward so they can play Cardwell with him. Interestingly enough, though, Auburn gives up a ton of offensive rebounds in spite of that.
The Tigers rank 14th in the SEC since league play began and allow opponents to rebound 34.2% of their misses. On the other hand, Alabama is one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the conference. The Crimson Tide ranks 2nd in the league since SEC play began by corraling 37.5% of their misses.
Dioubate and freshman big Aiden Sherrell have been two of the best in the country on the offensive glass in the minutes they get. Sherrell could be an X-factor for the Crimson Tide with his ability to stretch the floor offensively and possessing the length and size to hold up against Broome and/or Cardwell.
Crashing the glass and cleaning up misses will be key if Alabama’s shots are a little off, too. The ability to offensive rebound at a high rate is why Alabama boasts one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball despite shooting just 34.4% from three on the season.
Keeping Auburn off the glass on the other end of the floor will be just as important. The Tigers are good enough without getting a lot of second-chance looks.
Grubb arrives in Tuscaloosa with the chance to help Kalen DeBoer maintain the high level of success Alabama football has sustained for over a decade. As a seasoned college offensive coordinator, he aims to seize this opportunity by creating a dynamic and explosive offense.
“We should be able to stretch the field,” Grubb said. “We should finish runs and block with force in a way that showcases the offense we envision—one that makes defenses fear the ball being thrown downfield. We want teams to know that if they don’t play two-high (defense), and give us the chance, if they overload the box, we’ll take advantage with deep throws. On the other hand, when they deploy a shell coverage, respecting the passing game, we need to be able to dominate in the run game, and that’s a goal we definitely have.”
The Alabama fanbase will see Grubb’s take on the Tide’s offense for the first time this spring.
Nine former Alabama players were invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, the league announced Thursday.
The Crimson Tide will be represented by quarterback Jalen Milroe, guard Tyler Booker, tight ends CJ Dippre and Robbie Ouzts, defensive lineman Tim Smith, outside linebacker Que Robinson, inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell, safety Malachi Moore and punter James Burnip. The Tide had two other draft-eligible players kicker Graham Nicholson and long snapper Kneeland Hibbett, who were not invited.
Booker and Campbell were both projected to be first-round picks in ESPN draft analyst Field Yates’ latest mock draft released this week. Milroe might have the most to gain out of any of Alabama’s combine invitees, as he’s been projected anywhere from the first round to mid-rounds.
National champion Ohio State had the most invites with 15, followed by Texas and Georgia with 14. Alabama also trailed Oregon (12 invites), Ole Miss (11), South Carolina (11) and Miami (10) in terms of players invited.
Alabama’s nine invites mark its lowest total since 2016 when it was also represented by nine players at the even. Last year, the Tide sent 10 players to the combine.
This year’s combine will be held in Indianapolis from February 27 to March 2. Alabama will also hold its Pro Day on Mark 26.The NFL draft will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin from April 24-26.
Alabama football’s freshman quarterback, Keelon Russell is happy to have Ryan Grubb back in Tuscaloosa as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator.
in Tuscaloosa after a very short stint with the Tide upon Kalen DeBoer’s hiring at Alabama and a year as the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach. He returns to work under DeBoer which is what he did for two years at Washington.
Russell feels this move will benefit him and the Tide’s offense.
“What he did with Michael Penix, it’s legendary,” Russell said, per ON3’s Nick Schultz. “I’m excited…the offense finna turn up this year. We’re finna be great.”
The Crimson Tide have a quarterback competition in front of them, and Russell looks to have an opportunity to make some noise in year one.
The five-star is an early enrollee with the Tide at the moment and is participating in Alabama’s off-season program.
Alabama football is trending for an elite CB prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle who has a commitment scheduled for next Wednesday, February 19th.
4-star CB Jorden Edmonds from Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia is trending toward the Crimson Tide with a little over a week to go until he makes his announcement.
The 6-foot-3, 175 pound rising high school senior is ranked as the 106th best prospect and 10th best CB in the 247Composite rankings.
It’s an all-SEC affair for the blue-chip corner. Along with Alabama, his final five consists of Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Alabama extended an offer to Edmonds in March of last year and they are currently trending for his commitment. The On3 RPM (recruiting prediction machine) gives Alabama a 97.8% chance of landing his commitment.
As things currently stand, Alabama only has a single commitment in the 2026 class. 4-star CB Zyan Gibson from Gadsden, AL committed to the Crimson Tide in December. Early commitments tend to mean very little in today’s recruiting climate, but Gibson seems pretty solid at the moment.
Alabama has one of the top defensive back coaches in the country in Maurice Linguist and he helped the Tide sign an outstanding secondary class a year ago. Expect the Crimson Tide to do that again in 2026.
Alabama is also in the Top 5 for another recruit who is expected to announce his college choice this month. 3-star OL Bear McWhorter from White, GA is scheduled to announce his commitment on February 28th and has Alabama in the final group with Michigan, South Carolina, Clemson, and Florida.
There’s no crystal ball picks in for McWhorter, but he was named after legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant. That seems like good news for the Crimson Tide.
Elite TE Kaiden Prothro also recently announced Alabama as one of the final five schools in contention for his services.
5-star WR Tristen Keys recently locked in an official visit with the Crimson Tide.
We are technically in a “dead period” for recruiting, but a lot of work has gone in and Alabama should start seeing a flurry of commitments in the coming months as the 2026 class begins to take shape.
Alabama football is finding a way to use both Ryan Grubb and Nick Sheridan this season.
Sheridan, who called plays as offensive coordinator in 2024, will remain on staff and coach the quarterbacks in 2025, a source with knowledge of the situation told AL.com. It’s unclear yet what Sheridan’s exact title will be.
Sheridan spent the past year with the title of quarterbacks coach in addition to offensive coordinator. Then Alabama added Grubb this offseason to be offensive coordinator after he became available because the Seattle Seahawks fired him after one year.
Grubb and Sheridan also worked together on the Washington staff where Grubb was offensive coordinator and Sheridan was tight ends coach. Then Sheridan and Grubb were set to fill the same role on the Alabama staff in 2024, but then Grubb left after a few weeks to be the Seahawks’ play caller. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer then promoted Sheridan to offensive coordinator for the 2024 season.
Sheridan worked with Ty Simpson and Austin Mack in 2024, who were backups to starting quarterback Jalen Milroe. Sheridan was also the primary recruiter for freshman Keelon Russell, the top recruit in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite.
A lot of critics once doubted Jalen Hurts’ ability to thrive as an NFL quarterback. Fast forward to 2025, and he’s proven them all wrong, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a dominant victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, earning both the championship and Super Bowl MVP honors.
Hurts’ journey to this point has been remarkable. His first glimpse of the spotlight came during Alabama’s 2016 season opener when, as a freshman, he replaced an ineffective Blake Barnett. Despite fumbling on his first snap, Hurts showcased his resilience by scoring four touchdowns and leading Alabama to a 52-6 victory over USC. This early performance was just a glimpse of what was to come. Hurts quickly became a dominant force, winning the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award and leading Alabama to a 26-2 record as the starting quarterback, including two consecutive national championship appearances. In his first title game, he scored a crucial go-ahead touchdown but fell short as Deshaun Watson led Clemson to a game-winning drive.
The following year, Hurts found himself benched in the national championship game against Georgia. Tua Tagovailoa came off the bench to lead Alabama to victory, but Hurts stayed composed and supported his team. His unselfishness in that moment made him a beloved figure in Tuscaloosa. Hurts transferred to Oklahoma for his final season to start, and after a stellar year, he was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, doubts about his future as an NFL quarterback lingered, with some questioning whether he could succeed at the pro level. Even his selection by the Eagles, with Carson Wentz as the starter, was met with criticism and mockery.
Now, Hurts is the one holding the Super Bowl MVP trophy, and Carson Wentz is watching from the sidelines in Kansas City. Hurts’ leadership, poise, and offensive contributions, including 221 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a team-leading 72 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl, cemented his legacy. He not only silenced his doubters but proved to the world that he could lead the Eagles to the ultimate victory. Hurts’ Super Bowl MVP win marked a historic achievement, making him the first former Crimson Tide player to earn that honor since Joe Namath in Super Bowl III.
The critics who once labeled him a “system QB” or a mere athlete pretending to be a quarterback have been proven wrong. Jalen Hurts is now not just an NFL quarterback—he is a Super Bowl champion.
Former Alabama star and current Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith joins a very short list of elite players after winning the Super Bowl.
Ex-Alabama and current Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith made college football and NFL history in the Super Bowl game.
Ex-Alabama and current Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith made college football and NFL history in the Super Bowl game.
DeVonta Smith made all kinds of history as the Philadelphia Eagles clobbered the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, thwarting pro football’s first would-be three-peat, and putting his own name in the record books in the process.
By catching a 46-yard touchdown from quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles wide receiver became the first player drafted from Alabama to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl game.
Granted, a few Alabama players have been responsible for touchdowns in a Super Bowl before ─ notably quarterbacks like Bart Starr, Joe Namath, and Ken Stabler ─ but the NFL doesn’t technically count touchdown passes as individual points credited to a player, and thus, not to a college.
But not only that, Smith also became the fifth player ever and the first wide receiver in history to…
Alabama produced four Heisman Trophy winning players during Nick Saban’s head coaching career, but Smith is the first Crimson Tide alum to complete this historic trifecta.
Smith is also the Alabama record-holder in three critical categories, finishing his collegiate career with 235 total receptions, 3,965 receiving yards, and 46 receiving touchdowns.
He completed his legendary Crimson Tide career by catching 117 passes for 1,856 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns during Bama’s national title run in 2020.
From there, Smith was selected as the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, the first step towards his becoming a Super Bowl champion.
Over his NFL career leading up to this year’s Super Bowl game, Smith has 308 catches for 4,011 yards and 27 touchdowns over four seasons.
Who are the other players to win a national championship, the Heisman Trophy, and the Super Bowl? It’s a very short list.
Tony Dorsett: The legendary running back won the national championship at Pittsburgh in the 1976 season, rushing for 2,150 yards and 22 touchdowns, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy.
The No. 2 overall draft pick to Dallas the next year, Dorsett went on to win Super Bowl XII with the Dallas Cowboys in 1977 while rushing for over 1,000 yards and earning Rookie of the Year honors.
Marcus Allen: The former running back was on a national championship team at USC in the 1978 football season, one that is recognized by the Coaches Poll, when he was backup to Heisman running back Charles White.
Allen then won the Heisman himself in the 1981 season after rushing for a career-high 2,342 yards and 22 touchdowns. He went on to win Super Bowl XVIII with the Los Angeles Raiders after the 1983 season, defeating the Washington Redskins, 38-9.
Charles Woodson: The cornerback won the Heisman Trophy as a rare defensive honoree in 1997, the same year he and Michigan won a share of the national championship.
Woodson won Super Bowl XLV as a member of the Green Bay Packers and finished his Hall of Fame career in a three-way tie for the most defensive touchdowns in NFL history.
Reggie Bush: The former USC tailback won the Heisman after his 1,740 yard performance in the 2005 season.
USC won a share of the national championship in 2003 — AP voters broke with the BCS despite LSU winning the designated title game and named the Trojans the No. 1 team in the country — and another title in 2004, and then Bush won Super Bowl XLIV with the New Orleans Saints in 2009.
