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Jumbo Package: Kalen DeBoer and Alabama jump into spring practice

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Jumbo Package: Kalen DeBoer and Alabama jump into spring practice


With spring practice kicking off, there is some actual news and quotes starting to seep out into the mediasphere. First up, we got an interview from coach DeBoer:

Speaking to reporters after he came off the practice field in Tuscaloosa Monday, DeBoer was asked what the winner of the competition will show him.

“It’s got to be a guy who can deliver the ball, command the huddle, command everything we do with the team,” DeBoer said. “That presence, that belief and confidence in your signal caller. It starts with a lot of that — just the belief. The belief comes because you’re making the throws and you’re getting the ball in a fashion where they can go make their plays and reap the rewards of all the work they’ve put in.”

This is pretty similar to what Nick Saban always said in QB battle years – essentially, confidence is king. The guy who can make the throws, be confident he’ll make those throws, and his teammates have that same confidence in him will be the guy.

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And hey, AL.com even got us a couple of clips of the three QBs tossing the ball.

Alabama football fans are more concerned about depth at offensive tackle. When Kadyn Proctor returns, there will still be doubts about the right tackle slot. Even if Wilkin Formby is an improved player from last season and locks down the right tackle starting role, depth is a legitimate worry. On Monday Kalen DeBoer stated that redshirt sophomore Olaus Alinen and 5-star freshman, Michael Carroll would also work at multiple positions this spring, including tackle.

I think Michael Carroll could very well win the starting RT job just as well as he could win a guard job. He’s the kind of freshman that I don’t expect will be kept off the field. I’m also pretty interested in Alinen playing tackle, as he does have the body type, but we’ve seen so little of him so far.

DeBoer also gave us an injury run down, and this list may have been what contributed to his declaration of a “modified” A-Day this year.

The Tide also added one more offensive tackle as a transfer walk-on:

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Offensive tackle Jayden Hobson was included on the Crimson Tide’s roster update shared by the school’s NIL collective, Yea Alabama, on Sunday. Hobson spent the 2024 season at South Alabama after beginning his collegiate career at Mississippi State. He did not see the field at either of his stops, redshirting in 2023. He will be a walk-on for the Crimson Tide.

After transferring to South Alabama in 2024, Hobson didn’t contribute to the Jaguars last year. He left the team in fall camp “with intentions to drop out of school and enter the workforce,” according to AL.com. But now, he will provide Alabama with needed depth.

A Tuscaloosa, Alabama native, Hobson committed to Mississippi State over South Miss, West Virginia and others after his senior season at Hillcrest High School. A 3-star recruit in the 2023 class, Hobson was rated as the 61st-best player in Alabama and the No. 103 offensive tackle, per the On3 Industry rankings. Before playing for coach Jamie Mitchell at Hillcrest in 2022, Hobson previously attended Paul W. Bryant High School, located in Tuscaloosa.

After playing for Mississippi State and then transferring to South Alabama, Hobson does at least have SEC-level practice field experience, and will be a good player to have rounding out the scout teams.

Out For Spring:

Alex Asparuhov, kicker/punter

David Bird, long-snapper

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Bubba Hampton, receiver

Fatutoa Henry, defensive line

Domani Jackson, defensive back

Deontae Lawson, linebacker

Danny Lewis Jr., tight end

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Keon Sabb, defensive back

Limited For Spring:

Justin Jefferson, linebacker

Kadyn Proctor, offensive line

James Smith, defensive line

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This one is a pretty big list, but in a lot of cases, it gives some younger players a chance to shine. I’m very interested to see if freshman TE Marshall Pritchett can take advantage of Danny Lewis being out, and to see who steps up as the 3rd cornerback behind Domani Jackson.

Finally, DeBoer also talked a little about new OC, Ryan Grubb in a recent interview:

“It’s funny; I haven’t spent much time with him. We’ve been so busy. He’s trying to dive into getting the offense and the staff and getting to know the players. I’m busy doing things, too, with the team and a lot of engagements and meetings and so forth. I think this is Year 13 or 14. I’ve lost track now. But going back to 2007 when our first year was together. There’s been a break or two in between. But it’s someone I really trust. We see the game similarly.

“We’ve talked through — because we’ve been in the staff room together for so many years — the things that we value, what it takes to win, what it takes to be a great offense, how that all meshes and comes together. He’s going to put his stamp on it. I think the coaching staff this last year, led by Nick Sheridan as the OC, did a great job really in the transition. It’s hard being a first-year team, first-year coordinator, staff, coming together and putting it all in place and learning your personnel. They did a good job setting the stage, and I know Ryan is going to do an amazing job here taking it and continuing to move it forward. But yeah, he’s off and running.”

With a full year under him, a roster committed to him, and his original intended coaching staff, all signs point to DeBoer seeing legitimate improvement in year 2. Let’s hope that winds up being the case!

Roll Tide

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How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Feb. 28

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How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Feb. 28


Labaron Philon’s No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-7, 11-4 SEC) hit the road to match up with Ja’Kobi Gillespie and the No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers (20-8, 10-5 SEC) at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, Feb. 28. The game starts at 6 p.m. ET.

We have more details below, including how to watch this matchup on ESPN.

Prepare for this matchup with everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s college hoops action.

Tennessee vs. Alabama: How to watch on TV or live stream

  • Game day: Saturday, February 28, 2026
  • Game time: 6 p.m. ET
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)

Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

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Tennessee vs. Alabama stats and trends

  • Tennessee ranks 78th in the nation with 80.5 points per game so far this year. At the other end, it ranks 62nd with 69.1 points allowed per contest.
  • The Volunteers are thriving when it comes to rebounding, as they rank third-best in college basketball in boards (39.9 per game) and second-best in rebounds allowed (25.9 per contest).
  • So far this season, Tennessee ranks 30th in college basketball in assists, averaging 17.1 per game.
  • With 11.8 turnovers per game, the Volunteers are 257th in the country. They force 10.7 turnovers per contest, which ranks 224th in college basketball.
  • This season, Tennessee is making 6.9 threes per game (271st-ranked in college basketball) and is shooting 34.7% (139th-ranked) from three-point land.
  • With a 30.2% three-point percentage allowed this season, the Volunteers are 22nd-best in the country. They rank 182nd in college basketball by giving up 7.8 three-pointers per contest.
  • Tennessee has taken 67.3% two-pointers and 32.7% three-pointers this year. Of the team’s buckets, 75.8% are two-pointers and 24.2% are three-pointers.

Tennessee vs. Alabama Odds and Spread

  • Spread Favorite: Volunteers (-4.5)
  • Moneyline: Tennessee (-222), Alabama (+179)
  • Total: 164.5 points

NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 4:11 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.



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Alabama ‘Fully Aware’ of Losing Streak to Tennessee Ahead of Road Rematch

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Alabama ‘Fully Aware’ of Losing Streak to Tennessee Ahead of Road Rematch


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Losing to a rival almost always hurts more than falling to another opponent during the regular season. Years of hatred, unforgettable moments and tradition boiled up into one game, and the delivery is nowhere to be found for one team.

No. 17 Alabama has won seven straight games and is eyeing an eighth on Saturday on the road against No. 22 Tennessee. This is the second time that Crimson Tide will face the Volunteers, as Alabama lost in Tuscaloosa in January.

The loss a month ago to head coach Rick Barnes and company brought UA’s losing streak against Tennessee to five games. It’s the first time that the Tide has dropped this many games to the Vols since 1968-72 — a streak that came two years before Alabama head coach Nate Oats was born (Oct. 13, 1974). It’s why Oats is not treating Tennessee as a faceless opponent or like any other team the Tide has faced.

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“Every year we’ve been here they’ve caused us issues,” Oats said during Friday’s press conference. “Our players, are fully aware that we’ve lost five in a row. They’re fully aware of what happened out there last year. I’ve taken ownership for my share of what happened up there last year.

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“We’re fully aware that they beat us at home. We haven’t lost very many home games in conference, period, really since we’ve been here, and they handed us one this year.”

After falling to Florida on Feb. 1, Alabama moved down to the ninth spot in the conference standings, and the college basketball world started to question whether or not the Crimson Tide would be a threat in the postseason.

But a switch flipped after that loss, and the current winning streak has Alabama tied for the No. 2 spot in the SEC standings. Everything seems to be trending in the Tide’s direction, as there are only three games remaining on the schedule.

Oats is in his sixth year as Alabama’s head coach. Following the retirement of former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl during the offseason, Oats became the second-longest tenured coach for one team in the conference. The coach in front of him: Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, who has held his position since the 2015-16 season.

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Both Alabama and Tennessee have finished conference play in the top-4 of the standings since the 2022-23 season. The Crimson Tide was the regular-season and SEC Tournament champions in both the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons, while the Vols won the 2022 SEC Tournament and were the conference’s regular-season champions in 2023-24.

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“So our guys know, but at the same time, we’ve got a lot of respect for how they play and what they do. We’ve got to come in with a healthy amount of respect for them, but we got to try to win this game.

“There’s a lot riding on this game. What happens in Arkansas-Florida, you’re either going to be all alone in second place if we could get a win, or you’re going to be one game out first. If you take a loss, now you’re in danger of losing a top-4 seed. They’ll be tied with us if we take a loss.”

“So there’s a lot riding on the SEC standings in this game here. They know that. They know what our struggles against Tennessee have Been as well.”

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Selmont seeks incorporation to become independent Alabama city

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Selmont seeks incorporation to become independent Alabama city


SELMONT, Ala. (WSFA) – An unincorporated community in Dallas County is seeking to establish itself as an independent city, hoping to gain control over local government services and community priorities that have long been managed at the county level.

Selmont, located across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma, is home to approximately 2,700 registered voters and carries a significant place in civil rights history.

The community was the site of a pivotal moment during the Bloody Sunday march in 1965, when roughly 600 civil rights marchers were tear-gassed by Alabama state troopers, including 13-year-old Mae Richmond.

“People ask us ‘Were we afraid?’ No. We were not afraid. We were not afraid, first of all, even as a 13-year-old child, we knew that we were doing what God was permitting us to do,” Richmond, a 60-plus year resident of Selmont, said of the historic event.

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As an unincorporated community, Selmont lacks its own municipal government. Residents must contact the Dallas County Commissioner for public works services. It’s a situation that community leaders say limits responsiveness to local needs.

Erice Williams, a community activist leading the incorporation effort, said the change would fundamentally alter how the community operates.

“It would give us decision power and allow us to get funding that we can allocate to our own community that we can make our own priorities be clear and resolved at the same time,” Williams said.

Williams also highlighted the strain on current county services. “Connel Towns (county commissioner) is the only person we have to call, and the resources and time that he would have to serve our community is very limited,” he said.

Operation Selmont, the group spearheading the incorporation effort, is currently gathering signatures on a petition to present to the local probate judge. The organization needs approximately 500 signatures to move forward with the incorporation process and has already collected 40 percent of its goal.

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The next meeting for Operation Selmont is scheduled for March 6 at 6 p.m.

For longtime residents like Richmond, incorporation represents an opportunity to ensure Selmont’s future and maintain its identity for generations to come.

“That we will be able to teach and train our children to give them the strength that our foreparents had that they will be able to stand up for justice and for equality,” Richmond said of her hopes for the community’s future.

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