Alabama
Alabama NFL roundup: No Jalen Hurts, no problem for DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia wide receiver DeVonta Smith has played in five of his 68 NFL games without former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts as the Eagles quarterback, including on Sunday. In two of those five games, Smith has caught two touchdown passes, including on Sunday.
In the Eagles’ 41-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Smith had six receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns even though Hurts missed the game after sustaining a concussion in last week’s 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders.
While Hurts has been on the throwing end of 23 of Smith’s 27 TD catches, the former Alabama All-American has had two of his three two-touchdown games with Hurts’ backups on the field.
Against the Cowboys, Smith caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett as Philadelphia took a 14-7 lead with 6:38 left in the first half.
After Pickett left with a rib injury, Smith caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Tanner McKee with 10:03 remaining.
Smith caught two touchdown passes from Hurts in a 30-13 victory over the Denver Broncos on Nov. 14, 2021, and two touchdown passes from Gardner Minshew in a 40-34 loss to Dallas on Dec. 24, 2022.
Smith’s second 100-yard game of season was the 11th of his career. He has two more in postseason play.
By improving to 13-3, the Eagles clinched the NFC East title and the accompanying home game in the first round of the postseason.
WHAT DOES JALEN HURTS HAVE TO DO TO PLAY QUARTERBACK AGAIN FOR THE EAGLES?
Smith was among the 32 former Alabama players who got on the field on the 17th Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.
Six other former Alabama players were involved in the Dallas-Philadelphia game:
Landon Dickerson started at left guard for the Eagles.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was designated as a game-day inactive. Hurts sustained a concussion in Philadelphia’s previous game.
Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks did not record any stats.
Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen did not record any stats.
Eagles defensive tackle Byron Young is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
In the other Sunday games:
Buffalo Bills 40, New York Jets 14
Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper had three receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown. Cooper caught a 30-yard pass from quarterback Josh Allen as Buffalo took a 19-0 lead with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter. The receptions boosted Cooper’s career totals to 711 catches for 10,033 yards and 64 touchdowns. Cooper became the 57th player in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards in regular-season play.
Bills safety Kareem Jackson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (Theodore) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers caught a 69-yard touchdown pass. Buffalo elevated Shavers from its practice squad to make him eligible to play on Sunday for the third time in his NFL career. The only pass by Bills backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Sunday went to Shavers, and he turned his first NFL interception into a long-distance touchdown even though he caught the football behind the line of scrimmage.
TYRELL SHAVERS SCORES 69-YARD TOUCHDOWN ON HIS FIRST NFL CATCH
Quinnen Williams (Wenonah) started at defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams made two tackles.
Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Tennessee Titans 13
Mac Jones started at quarterback for the Jaguars. Jones completed 15-of-22 passes for 174 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and ran six times for 22 yards. Jones threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Parker Washington as Jacksonville took a 10-0 lead with 8:59 left in the first half and an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. as the Jaguars went ahead 20-10 with 7:05 to play. The Thomas TD came at the end of a 16-play, 74-yard drive that took 9:11. Jones made his fourth start since Trevor Lawrence went on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Jones had a 66.6 passing-efficiency rating in the first start – a 10-6 victory over Tennessee on Dec. 8. His rating has improved each game since, reaching 122.2 on Sunday for the fifth-best showing of his career. The Jaguars converted on 8-of-13 third-down snaps, and Jones got half of the conversions on the ground with three quarterback sneaks and a 9-yard scramble.
J.C. Latham started at left offensive tackle for the Titans. Latham became the 16th rookie to start at least 16 games for Tennessee. In the Titans’ regular-season finale next week, he could join cornerback Roger McCreary, a former Williamson High School and Auburn standout, as the only players to start 17 games as rookies for Tennessee.
Calvin Ridley started at wide receiver for the Titans. Ridley had five receptions for 84 yards and one rushing attempt that gained 7 yards. Ridley will go into the final game of the season needing 59 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the 2024 campaign.
Jaguars running back Keilan Robinson did not record any stats.
Las Vegas Raiders 25, New Orleans Saints 10
Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry (Pinson Valley) started at right cornerback for the Saints. McKinstry made three tackles.
New York Giants 45, Indianapolis Colts 33
Colts defensive tackle Raekwon Davis made one tackle.
Colts safety Ronnie Harrison did not record any stats.
Ryan Kelly started at center for the Colts.
Evan Neal started at right offensive tackle for the Giants.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Carolina Panthers 14
Buccaneers safety Marcus Banks is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Buccaneers outside linebacker Chris Braswell recorded the first full sack of his NFL career. The second-round rookie had a strip sack of Carolina QB Bryce Young on a third-and-5 snap at the Tampa Bay 33-yard line with 7:39 left to play. Braswell caused Young to fumble, but the Panthers recovered.
Panthers defensive end LaBryan Ray (James Clemens) made one tackle.
A’Shawn Robinson started at defensive end for the Panthers. Robinson made two tackles.
Bryce Young started at quarterback for the Panthers. Young completed 15-of-28 passes for 203 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and ran twice for 8 yards. Young returned to the Carolina lineup on Oct. 27 in a 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos and started a nine-game streak with at least one touchdown pass in that contest. For the first time in his career, Young had two or more touchdown passes in consecutive games after throwing for two TDs in last week’s 36-30 overtime victory against the Arizona Cardinals. On Sunday, Young threw touchdown passes to wide receiver Adam Thielen of 17 yards with 8:15 left in the first quarter and 40 yards with 50 seconds left in the first half. On third down, Young completed 1-of-5 passes for 10 yards, was sacked twice and scrambled for a first down.
Miami Dolphins 20, Cleveland Browns 3
Browns cornerback Tony Brown is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Browns guard Javion Cohen (Central-Phenix City) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Jerome Ford started at running back for the Browns. Ford ran for 22 yards on six carries and returned a kickoff 23 yards before leaving the game because of an ankle injury.
Dolphins defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand made one tackle and recovered one fumble. Hand recovered a fumble by Cleveland quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the Browns 45-yard line with 5:23 left in the third quarter. Hand’s only other NFL fumble recovery came on Oct. 7, 2018.
Jerry Jeudy started at wide receiver for the Browns. Jeudy had 12 receptions for 94 yards. Jeudy reached a career high for receptions, surpassing his 11 catches in a 21-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 15.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was designated as a game-day inactive. A hip injury kept Tagovailoa out of the lineup.
Dalvin Tomlinson started at defensive tackle for the Browns. Tomlinson made three tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury sidelined Waddle for the second game in a row.
Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Minnesota Vikings 27, Green Bay Packers 25
Josh Jacobs started at running back for the Packers. Jacobs ran for 69 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. He extended his touchdown streak to seven games with a 2-yard run with 5:07 left in the third quarter as Green Bay cut Minnesota’s lead to 20-10. Jacobs also lost a 19-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to a holding penalty.
Xavier McKinney started at safety for the Packers. McKinney made seven tackles.
Vikings kicker Will Reichard (Hoover) made 2-of-4 field-goal attempts after entering the game 19-of-22 in his rookie season. Reichard made a 25-yard field goal with 2:16 left in the first half and a 50-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Reichard had a 57-yard field-goal attempt hit the crossbar and a 43-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright. Reichard also made three extra-point kicks on Sunday.
Cam Robinson started at left offensive tackle for the Vikings. Robinson’s 100th regular-season game was his 100th NFL start.
Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner recorded one sack. The sack was the third of the first-round rookie’s career.
Washington Commanders 30, Atlanta Falcons 24 (OT)
Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen made one tackle. Allen returned from a nine-game injury absence and played in a reserve role for the first time in his 108 NFL regular-season games.
Falcons linebacker Rashaan Evans (Auburn High) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Falcons running back Jase McClellan is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Daron Payne (Shades Valley) started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne made two tackles.
Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa) started at running back for the Commanders. Robinson ran for 60 yards on 13 carries and caught two passes for 7 yards.
Week 17 started on Wednesday, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Houston Texans 31-2.
STEELERS’ NAJEE HARRIS HAS 4 1,000-YARD RUSHING PERFORMANCES IN 4 SEASONS
Week 17 continued on Thursday night, when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Chicago Bears 6-3.
Three games were played on Saturday: The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the New England Patriots 40-7, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Denver Broncos 30-24 in overtime and the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals 13-9.
Week 17 concludes on Monday, when the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
Alabama
Alabama Basketball Acquires Third Player from Transfer Portal
Alabama basketball has landed former NC State Cole Cloer from the transfer portal, per Yea Alabama, UA’s NIL collective.
The small forward is the Crimson Tide’s third transfer portal addition, joining Kentucky big Brandon Garrison and Mississippi State forward Jamarion Davis-Fleming.
Cloer redshirted as an early enrollee with the Wolfpack this season. That said, he will have a full four years of eligibility when he arrives in Alabama.
The 6-foot-8, 190-pounder is a member of the 2026 recruiting class. The 4-star recruit attended IMG Academy and is ranked as the No. 59 overall prospect, the No. 23 small forward and the No. 8 player in the state of Florida, per On3.
Prior to his time at IMG Academy, Cloer spent his junior year at Caldwell Academy in Greensboro, N.C., where he led the Eagles to the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A state title. Cloer averaged 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Excluding NC State, Alabama was one of four schools that Cloer took official visits to, as he also checked out Florida, UConn and Arkansas. Cloer came to Tuscaloosa as a recruit on Sept. 16, per 247 Sports.
Early enrollees aren’t very common in college basketball, so why did Cloer transfer out ahead of his freshman campaign?
“I committed to NC State in October and have been preparing with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming season,” Cloer wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on April 3. “With the news of coach Wade’s departure, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. Thank you to the City of Raleigh and the entire NC State community for welcoming me with open arms. I love North Carolina and Wolfpack Nation!”
Cloer is referring to former NC State head coach Will Wade leaving and taking the LSU position. However, when Cloer signed with NC State last November, here’s what Wade said about him:
“Cole is an exciting pickup for us,” Wade said in a press release. “It was a great recruitment and really excited that Cole is running with the Pack. He is a great, great player. He’s somebody that’s going to be able to step in and make an immediate impact for us.
“He can really shoot the ball. He’s got great height, he’s got great length and really shoots the ball at a high, high level. He’s somebody that does a really good job getting his shot off, has a quick trigger and every time he shoots it you think it is going in.
“He’s continued to expand his game, being able to beat guys off the bounce, does a great job getting on the offensive glass. He’s a plus-defender because of his length and athleticism and being able to switch.
“He’s really just a great fit for us all around. It’s a bonus that he’s right up the road and grew up an NC State fan, but we would have recruited him if he was anywhere in the country. We’re thrilled he’ll be with us and know he’s ready to go and help us from day one.”
Alabama now has 13 scholarship players for the 2026-27 season, meaning it only has two more spots available to fill.
The transfer portal opened on April 7, the day after the National Championship, and will close on April 21. BamaCentral is keeping track of the Crimson Tide’s outgoing and incoming players and coaches right here ahead of next season.
For those eyeing the next level, the NCAA’s early entry withdrawal deadline for the 2026 NBA Draft is May 27 at 10:59 p.m. CT.
Alabama Players Who Could Still Return, Transfer or Enter NBA Draft
G Aden Holloway (would be a senior)
G Davion Hannah (would be a sophomore *pending redshirt*)
G Preston Murphy Jr. (would be a senior)
F Amari Allen (would be a sophomore)
F London Jemison (would be a sophomore)
F Keitenn Bristow (would be a junior *pending redshirt*)
C Collins Onyejiaka (would be a sophomore *pending redshirt*)
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Alabama
Former Alabama player allegedly impersonated Michael Penix, Xavier McKinney, David Njoku in loan scam
If you think a story about a cabinet secretary cutting the penis off of a dead raccoon is the craziest thing you’ll hear all day, think again.
Actually, it’s hard to top the raccoon penis thing.
In any event, Daniel Kaplan recently reported for the Guardian on the case of Luther Davis. He’s a former member of the Alabama football team. More recently, he allegedly scammed lenders out of nearly $20 million, in part by impersonating a trio of NFL players: Michael Penix Jr., Xavier McKinney, and David Njoku.
Per the report, Davis plans to plead guilty later this month on charges based on allegations that he “obtained at least thirteen fraudulent loans totaling more than $19,845,000.” Of the amount, $11.6 million was obtained by pretending to be Penix, McKinney, and Njoku.
Davis allegedly worked with CJ Evins to secure the loans. Evins also plans to plead guilty.
As Kaplan explains it, the scheme began with the registration in Georgia of fake companies with names closely related to the players’ names or initials. Then, bank accounts and fraudulent email accounts were opened. Next, Davis and Evins secured fake identification documents for the players. At that point, they contacted loan brokers, providing fabricated documents.
Then came the kicker — Davis would attend the loan closings disguised as the player. The effort included makeup, wigs, and (when Davis was impersonating Penix) a durag.
The only connection by the players to the scam is that they had their identities stolen.
The fake loan obtained in McKinney’s name became the subject of civil litigation between the lender and the broker. A trial is set for July 2026.
Alabama
Cardinals hosted Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor on top 30 visit, per report – Arizona Sports
The Arizona Cardinals hosted Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor for a top 30 visit on Wednesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport adds Proctor has met with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.
The 6-foot-7, 352-pound Proctor is coming off his third and final season at Alabama, appearing in 15 games for the Crimson Tide.
He was impressive these past two seasons, allowing just five sacks and seven quarterback hits in 26 games played, per Pro Football Focus. For his efforts, he was named co-winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which is given to the SEC’s top offensive lineman. Proctor was also a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which is handed down to the nation’s top lineman.
At the NFL Draft Combine, he ran a 5.21-second 40-yard dash and posted a 32.5-inch vertical and 25 bench press reps.
Proctor is getting a lot of late first-round love from draft analysts this offseason. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has the tackle heading to the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 23 overall pick in his seven-round mock draft published Wednesday.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., meanwhile, has Proctor going as high as No. 12 to the Cleveland Browns following a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.
Which other OT prospects have met with the Cardinals this draft cycle?
The Cardinals have also reportedly hosted Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan and Florida’s Austin Barber on top 30 visits this offseason.
Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor also had a local visit with the franchise.
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