Alabama

Kentucky's Mark Pope needs Jasper Johnson, but Wildcats have competition from Alabama, UNC

Published

1 year ago

July 20, 2024

Kentucky's Mark Pope needs Jasper Johnson, but Wildcats have competition from Alabama, UNC

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Jasper Johnson’s recruitment is winding down, a decision likely coming in the next month, and his commitment could be a litmus test of sorts for three of the biggest brands in college basketball: Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama. Also known as his … parents’ alma mater, the other shade of blue blood and the SEC’s new powerhouse.

Johnson, a top-10 prospect in the 2025 high school class, grew up 15 minutes from Rupp Arena, the son of Dennis, a local legend and former football star at Kentucky. New Wildcats coach Mark Pope badly wants Johnson to become his first five-star commitment, proof that Pope can land the kind of elite talent predecessor John Calipari hoarded for the past 15 years. He isn’t taking for granted that a blue-chipper sprouted right in the program’s backyard.

“He’s definitely got to get — he wants to get — that first big piece,” Dennis said. “He went to see Jasper play with USA Basketball in Argentina. He sat down with us in his office on a visit and talked for two hours. He called me the other day, and we talked for 45 minutes. He’s made it very, very clear that he wants Jasper to be the first piece of this recruiting class.”

Pope’s problem? This doesn’t appear to be a 2-foot putt. Despite Johnson’s proximity to the program and his family’s allegiance — his mother is “the biggest Kentucky fan,” a cousin of former UK football star Craig Yeast — Johnson grew up a North Carolina basketball fan.

The Pulse Newsletter

Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up

Buy Buy The Pulse Newsletter

“We went to Kentucky games when he was young, but he wasn’t just a diehard,” Dennis said. “He’s a different kid. Being this close, he understands what the lure of Kentucky basketball is, but he just loves watching basketball, period, and he always really liked Carolina. Once he met Hubert Davis, he just thinks he’s a great guy. I talk to that staff every single day. We went to the Carolina-Duke game, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever been to in my life. Him seeing that, being on the front row for that, I think just pricked something in his brain.”

And then there are the rising Tide. Under Nate Oats, Alabama won the SEC in 2021 and 2023, reached the program’s first Final Four last season and has produced six NBA draft picks during the past four years, including No. 2 overall Brandon Miller in 2023. Oats and his electric offense have become attractive to top transfers and five-star recruits. Now he has a chance to deliver an early blow to the approval rating for Kentucky’s new coach.

Jasper Johnson (2) is being recruited by three of the biggest brands in college basketball: Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama. (Stu Boyd II / USA Today)

“Their style of play is very big,” Dennis said. “Nate has talked a lot to him about style of play and analytics. We got a chance to talk to Brandon Miller, and he said, ‘I didn’t really become a greater player; it’s just that I stopped taking dumb shots because their analytics helped me know which shots were better.’ And they’re coming off a Final Four. I mean, come on. Nate’s sitting in his office pointing to the draft guys on his wall and the trophies, saying, ‘Listen, you’re not going to be an experiment for me. I’ve already done this.’”

Alabama assistant Preston Murphy is an elite recruiter, and “I’ve talked to Preston every day for two months,” Dennis said.

Pope is being welcomed to the world of big-time recruiting. Johnson has taken official visits to the three biggest contenders, plus Missouri and Illinois — and he might still sneak in an official visit to Arkansas, Calipari’s new home, before the decision. Louisville and Baylor are pushing for visits. Recruiting in these waters, there are no gimmes. Pope happens to be Johnson’s only serious suitor without proof of concept, having won zero NCAA Tournament games and coached zero NBA draft picks.

“That’s always a question mark in my head,” Johnson said.

But that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker.

“The day we went over there for a visit, that night, I went up to his room, and he was in there watching some BYU videos,” Dennis said. “He’s kind of trying to figure it out, envision how they’ll use him. That’s definitely the style he wants to play. It’s going to be super tough to decide because right now, Alabama, Kentucky and Carolina are probably neck-and-neck.”

Both Alabama and North Carolina have signed friends and former teammates of Johnson’s. Oats was the first high-major coach to start seriously recruiting him, back in the summer before his freshman season in high school. It’s not hard to understand why Johnson might leave home for college, but there are things those places just can’t offer.

“My mom wants me to stay home,” Johnson said. “She’s proud of me wherever I go, doesn’t really put any pressure on me to stay home. (But) Coach Pope has really been pushing to me that I’m one of the best guards in the country, if not the best — that he’s wanting me to stay home but also prioritizing me because I’m one of the best players in the class. He always pitches to me that he wants to win a banner as well, and he sees me coming in and being a big impact from day one. Hearing that is good.”

The Johnson family is hearing a lot of things lately. Dennis connected with former Kentucky star Jeff Sheppard, whose son, Reed, just traveled the path from homegrown hero to Wildcats star to a one-and-done lottery pick, for advice on how to handle the circus. Sheppard also happens to be Pope’s old roommate at Kentucky.

“He’s been very helpful to us. He always says, ‘Do what’s best for Jasper,’” Dennis said. “It’s almost time. He’ll decide sooner than later. Whether he goes to Kentucky or he doesn’t, I want him to make the best decision for him, where he feels most comfortable. Everybody I see, whether I’m out walking or working out or in the store, talks about Kentucky. But my dad let me make my own decision and he has to make his own.”

(Top photo: Stu Boyd II / USA Today)

Source link

Click to comment

Alabama

Tuberville officially files for 2026 Alabama governor’s race

Published

43 minutes ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Tuberville officially files for 2026 Alabama governor’s race

HOOVER, Ala. (WSFA) – Senator Tommy Tuberville officially filed the paperwork to run for governor at the Alabama Republican Party Headquarters in Hoover Monday morning.

“I want to make the lives of the people of this state better,” said Sen. Tuberville. “If I thought that staying in the U.S. Senate would be best for Alabama, I would’ve stayed. but I think the best thing for Alabama is for me to come back.”

He talked about the need to grow Alabama’s economy, with attracting manufacturers being a primary focus. Sen. Tuberville said that to do that, he would focus on improving the state’s infrastructure and making the state’s education and workforce systems more attractive to new residents.

When asked about cutting waste, fraud and abuse, a focus of his time in Washington, D.C., alongside President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Sen. Tuberville said, he expects to make changes if elected governor.

“You have a lot of different agencies here, we want to make them all better,” he said. “We also want to make sure that we save the taxpayers’ money, that we use it wisely and we give it back to them.”

The former Auburn football coach said he did not expect to go into politics, but now, he is ready to transition from national to state politics.

“It’s time to come home, put together a staff and worry about the state of Alabama and the people here,” he said.

According to Alabama’s constitution, someone running for governor has to have lived in the state for at least seven years. Some have questioned whether Sen. Tuberville fits that requirement. He said during the candidacy filing that the Republican Party of Alabama says he does fulfill the requirement.

The filing deadline for candidates to qualify for a major political party is Jan. 23.

Alabama’s Democratic primary has the following candidates:

Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones
Dr. Will Boyd – businessman and engineer
JaMel Brown – pastor and talk show host
Chad ‘Chig’ Martin – businessowner

Alabama’s Republican Primary has the following candidates:

Sen. Tommy Tuberville
Ken McFeeters – former congressional candidate

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!

Source link

Alabama

Who has Alabama football lost in the transfer portal so far?

Published

13 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Who has Alabama football lost in the transfer portal so far?

Alabama football has already seen some of its roster clear out via the transfer portal in the days following its loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. The Crimson Tide will likely see more attrition in the coming days, with players allowed to enter through Jan. 16.

As of Monday morning, 15 Alabama players had entered the portal. Here’s a look at what the Crimson Tide is losing via transfer.

Cam Calhoun

The Utah transfer was a backup cornerback for the Crimson Tide this season. He played a major role on special teams but had trouble cracking the lineup on defense for Alabama.

Calhoun began his college career at Michigan

Rico Scott

Scott was perhaps the fastest receiver on the team, but there were too many players on the depth chart ahead of him. Scott finished the year with 11 catches for 55 yards.

Keon Keeley

When he arrived in Tuscaloosa, Keeley was one of the nation’s top recruits, at the edge position. After a year with the Tide, he moved over to the more traditional defensive end spot that Kane Wommack calls the “bandit.”

Keeley finally was able to make an impact on the field this year after two season on the bench. He likely could have played an increased role with LT Overton off to the NFL, but opted to portal instead.

Wilkin Formby

Formby moved around in Alabama’s lineup during the 2025 season, his first as a full-time starter. He began the year at tackle, but wound up playing right guard as Michael Carroll took over the outside spot.

Cole Adams

Adams was the Crimson Tide’s primary punt returner. However, he didn’t have much of a role at wide receiver.

The Oklahoma native had five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown this season.

Micah DeBose

DeBose joined Alabama as a highly touted recruit before the 2025 season. He saw action in just one game for the Crimson Tide this year, against Eastern Illinois.

Peter Notaro

The Alabama kicking game was an issue at times during the 2025 season. Notaro battled with Conor Talty for the starting job in preseason camp, but Talty eventually earned the spot.

Notaro was a five-star kicker in the 2025 recruiting class according to Kohl’s.

Noah Carter

Carter was a four-star edge recruit for the Crimson Tide ahead of the 2024 season. He redshirted that season, but got more action in 2025.

He finished the year with nine total tackles before deciding to find greener pastures.

Olaus Alinen

Alinen was not a major part of what was an extremely large offensive line rotation this season. The member of Alabama’s 2023 recruiting class earned the most praise from coaches due to his versatility, with the native of Finland able to play both guard and tackle.

Jalen Hale

Hale was a contributor at receiver in 2023, before a major leg injury cost him the 2024 campaign. He returned in 2025, but wasn’t able to get significant playing time at receiver given the amount of talent ahead of him.

Joseph Ionata

Ionata was listed as Alabama’s backup center during the 2025 season. However, when it came down to it, Geno VanDeMark slid to the spot if Parker Brailsford needed to leave the field.

The redshirt freshman did see some playing time on special teams.

Jaylen Mbakwe

Mbakwe joined Alabama as a five-star prospect in the 2024 class and proceeded to have an interesting career in Tuscaloosa. He spent most of 2024 as a defensive back, before deciding to enter the transfer portal, then backing out and switching to wide receiver before the ReliaQuest Bowl.

He stuck at wideout for 2025, without seeing major playing time at that position.

Richard Young

Some turnover among Alabama’s running backs came as no surprise. Young was thought of as a potential starter at running back, but got lost in a struggling rotation.

He finished 2025 with 23 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

Roq Montgomery

Montgomery did not see the field during the 2025 season. He had been a special teams contributor in 2024, and saw some snaps on the offensive line as well.

Kam Howard

Howard spent two seasons as a cornerback in Tuscaloosa after transferring in from Charlotte. He didn’t play much in 2025, finishing the year with two tackles.

Source link

Alabama

A major overhaul ahead for the Alabama Crimson Tide offensive line

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

A major overhaul ahead for the Alabama Crimson Tide offensive line

The first phase of good news for the Alabama Crimson Tide is happening. While indications are the two best Alabama offensive linemen will move to the NFL, there are eight other (and counting) offensive linemen who not return for the 2026 season. Three are out of eligibility: Jaeden Roberts, Kam Dewberry, and Geno Van DeMark. Five more are portal entries: Micah DeBose, Joe Ionata, Olaus Alinen, Roq Montgomery, and Wilkin Formby.

Why is the attrition good news? There are two reasons. Kalen DeBoer’s offensive lines have needed skill sets in short supply the last two seasons. His offense needs agile, quick-footed offensive linemen. Not many Alabama football fans will disagree, but for those who do, when two late-season games (Georgia and Indiana) are lost by a combined 56 points, a major overhaul is required.

For an offensive line overhaul, the Crimson Tide needed to free up roster slots, to improve talent, and reallocate money. The count of returning offensive linemen (as of late afternoon on Jan. 4) is six: Mike Carroll, Casey Poe, Jackson Lloyd, Mal Waldrep, Red Sanders, and Arkel Anugwon. In addition, the 2026 class added five more: Tyrell Miller (JUCO), Jared Doughty, Chris Booker, Bear Fretwell, and Bryson Cooley

Next for the Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama could get lucky and have Parker Brailsford decide to play another season of college ball. Assuming that luck will not occur, three or four offensive linemen need to be added through the Portal. At least two of them need to be tabbed as near-locks to start in next fall’s season opener.

So far, the only target known publicly is Texas State center, Brock Riker. New targets are expected to surface soon, some of whom may not be in the portal yet. According to Yahoo Sports, Riker has been targeted by at least nine Power Four programs, with more offers expected soon.

The large number of transfer exits may be an indication that offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic will also move on. Many Alabama football fans are looking forward to DeBoer bringing in a new OL coach.

Source link