Alabama

Florida coach Todd Golden says Gators have ‘a lot on the line’ against Alabama basketball

Published

1 year ago

March 3, 2025

Florida coach Todd Golden says Gators have ‘a lot on the line’ against Alabama basketball

Last week, maturity was make-or-break for Alabama basketball and Florida ahead of the SEC foes’ meeting in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday.

While the No. 6 Crimson Tide was tested with keeping its composure against Mississippi State after completing the season sweep against Kentucky, the No. 3 Gators suffered a wild upset by unranked Georgia last Tuesday. On Saturday, Florida (25-4, 12-4 SEC) bounced back with a win over Texas A&M, but Alabama (23-6, 12-4 SEC) blew its momentum in a matter of 30 seconds against Tennessee.

Nate Oats recalled Alabama veterans throwing themselves pity-parties heading into last season’s game in Gainesville, egos bruised by Tennessee. The Crimson Tide finds itself in the same situation once again, but it’ll need a better response than the one that saw the Gators drop over 100 points on UA in both the 2024 regular season and SEC Tournament.

Here are three things to know before Oats and Florida coach Todd Golden meet again.

Todd Golden says Florida has ‘a lot on the line’ entering trip to Tuscaloosa

After an 89-70 win against a Texas A&M squad that’s navigating a four-game losing streak, Golden found Auburn a deserving lock to win the SEC regular-season. However, he has no problem with being the runner-up to the top overall seed ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

“Obviously Auburn is gonna win the league by themselves, what they’ve done this year. It’s incredible,” Golden said on Saturday. “But we have a chance to go into Tuscaloosa on Wednesday and if we win that game, then we’re in the driver’s seat to get second place. So we have a lot on the line left.”

Golden added the Gators, who have yet to have lost two games straight, are still playing for a No. 1 seed, too.

Gators F Alex Condon recovering well ahead of Alabama visit

Georgia marked UF forward Alex Condon’s first time back on the floor in four games. A couple weeks earlier at Mississippi State, the sophomore went down with a low ankle sprain, but the recovery process appears to be moving along just fine. Against the Aggies, Condon went 5-for-6 for 11 points with a game-high nine rebounds and split a team-best four assists with Walter Clayton Jr.

However, as the Gators went 11-for-16 from the one-line, Condon was 1-for-5. Every free throw is going to count against the Crimson Tide, which ranks fifth in Division I converting about 18.9 attempts per game.

“I was feeling a little bit more comfortable. Just got to make some free throws next game,” Condon said.

Another dogfight on deck for Crimson Tide

For the first time in the Nate Oats era, Alabama basketball scored more than 75 points against Tennessee. Florida’s offense, led by an average 16.9 points per game for Clayton, is a bigger threat than that of the Volunteers, and the Gators still give the Crimson Tide another defense to be worried about.

Florida guards Alijah Martin and Denzel Aberdeen understood the assignment against A&M, which resulted in a scoreless first-half for Aggies star Wade Taylor IV.

“Both those guys, their ability to impact at the top of our defense has been a big part of our growth that way this year. Ball pressure, staying in front, making it harder on guys. We didn’t have that last year, the way we do this year,” Golden said.

Behind the Volunteers, Florida’s defense from the floor and from deep rank No. 2 in the SEC at 39.3% and 29.2%, respectively. Against Tennessee, Alabama went 12-for-29 on layups while shooting 37.5% from three. The Gators are also second in the SEC — and 12th in DI — in offensive rebounds after Texas A&M, who leads Division I with 15.8 per game.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

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Alabama

New Alabama football coach Adrian Klemm faces massive task | Goodbread

Published

7 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

New Alabama football coach Adrian Klemm faces massive task | Goodbread

Adrian Klemm, meet the challenge of a career.

Alabama football’s first-year offensive line coach is one of three new faces at Kalen DeBoer’s conference table. And, next year, history says there might be three more. At the major college level, heavy turnover among assistant coaches is business as usual. But make no mistake; Klemm was DeBoer’s most important hire of the offseason. He might well be the most important hire DeBoer has made in his 26 months on the job.

That’s the magnitude of the mess that Alabama’s 2025 offensive line left behind.

The Crimson Tide’s 2025 rushing attack was an insult to the word attack. It was more like a rushing surrender; ranked 123rd out of 134 FBS teams, and 15th of 16 SEC teams, at 104.1 yards per game. Rock bottom came in the SEC Championship Game, when Georgia sent it backward for minus-3 yards. It’s frankly remarkable that quarterback Ty Simpson assembled a 28-5 TD-INT ratio, as a first-year starter no less, with virtually zero help from a ground game. And while we’re on the subject of the passing game, Simpson wasn’t very well-protected, either. At 2.13 sacks allowed per game, UA ranked 90th in the country.

If Klemm even bothered to watch film of last year’s offensive line, he had to do it with one eye closed.

UA tried all sorts of combinations up front, looking for a solution to what was plainly its biggest problem. In 45 years paying attention to college football, I never saw so many substitutions on an offensive line as Alabama made in 2025. Backups got every chance that could have asked for. On one hand, it was understandable that now-fired offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic refused to stay with a failing five all season.

But it also smacked of desperation.

In the end, it was clear that no combination was effective; the first-team unit Kapilovic finally settled on late in the season was the one that got manhandled by Georgia in Atlanta.

It was a shock to the system for Alabama fans, who know what a dominant run game looks like whether they’re young or old. Jam Miller led Alabama with 504 rushing yards on the season; former UA star Derrick Henry once ran for 557 in a three-game stretch against Tennessee, LSU and Mississippi State.

Miller, of course, is no Henry. But the gap between those two is no bigger than the gap between Henry’s 2015 offensive line and the disastrous line that took the field a decade later.

Klemm is tasked with turning that mess around in a single offseason, with only one returning part-time starter in sophomore Michael Carroll, a promising cornerstone to be sure. But an offensive line is only as strong as its weakest link, and Klemm must find four links to line up beside Carroll. A collection of returning backups, transfers and incoming freshmen have a lot of improvements to make, along with a strong impression on a new position coach.

With spring practice underway, that process has begun in earnest.

And Klemm faces a taller task than any assistant on the practice field.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.

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Alabama

Mother who reported AL toddler missing now faces murder charge

Published

19 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Mother who reported AL toddler missing now faces murder charge

The mother of an Enterprise toddler, reported missing Feb. 16, has been charged with capital murder, said Police Chief Michael Moore.

Adrienne Reid, mother of Genesis Nova Reid, reported her daughter as missing to authorities and said the two-year-old was not in the home and the door was open. On March 9, she was charged with capital murder of a child under the age of 14 and abuse of a corpse, Moore said. March 9 would have been Genesis’ birthday, he said. Adrienne Reid had previously been charged with filing a false report about her daughter’s disappearance.

She is being held without bond, Moore said. Adrienne Reid could not be reached for comment and court records do not show if she has an attorney.

The case shocked Enterprise and southeast Alabama. Hundreds of volunteers searched for her, and people were asked to wear pink to honor her.

Early on in the investigation neighbors told law enforcement that they hadn’t seen the child for several weeks.

Moore said evidence points to the capital murder charge even though Genesis’ body has not been found. The last time she was seen was Christmas night while visiting family in Dothan, Moore said. Video footage at the apartment complex where they lived showed Adrienne Reid about 11:30 p.m. Christmas night pulling a rolling duffle bag to a dumpster at the complex, and throwing the duffle bag inside, he said.

Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd said his office began the process of planning to search the landfill early in the investigation. The landfill covers 100 acres. He said the area where the contents of the dumpster that allegedly contained Genesis’ body was likely dumped has been narrowed down to an area covering a few hundred feet.

Active searches will begin soon, he said. District Attorney James Tarbox said the state will be seeking the death penalty.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

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