Alabama
Where ESPN ranked Alabama football newcomers among teams in college football
Alabama football brought back significant portions of its defense and chunks of its offense from a season ago. But it still managed to land plenty of newcomers.
The group of transfer portal additions and signees via recruiting make up a class of newcomers that ESPN ranked No. 15 among all college football teams this offseason.
Oregon earned the No. 1 spot. No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Texas Tech rounded out the top five. Other SEC teams ahead of Alabama include No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 10 Missouri, No. 11 South Carolina and No. 14 Georgia.
The Crimson Tide’s transfer portal class included Miami receiver Isaiah Horton, Colorado linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, Texas A&M offensive lineman Kam Dewberry, Florida defensive lineman Kelby Collins, Utah cornerback Cam Calhoun, Louisiana running back Dre Washington, Troy tight end Brody Dalton and West Virginia tight end Jack Sammarco.
Horton, Hill-Green, Dewberry and Collins all figure to have a shot at significant snaps this fall.
The freshmen class included quarterback Keelon Russell, offensive lineman Michael Carroll, cornerback Dijon Lee, defensive back Ivan Taylor, offensive tackle Jackson Lloyd, wide receiver Derek Meadows, edge rusher Justin Hill, running back Akylin Dear, linebacker Duke Johnson, tight end Marshall Pritchett, offensive lineman Mal Waldrep, offensive lineman Micah DeBose, linebacker Luke Metz, linebacker Abduall Sanders Jr., receiver Lotzeir Brooks, defensive lineman Steve Bolo Mboumoua, defensive lineman Fatutoa Henry, punter Alex Asparuhov, cornerback Chuck McDonald, tight end Kalen Edwards and defensive lineman London Simmons.
Lee, Brooks, Taylor and several others have already stood out early during their time with Alabama.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for Follow him on X and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
Alabama basketball’s Nate Oats weighs in on 2026 NBA Draft exits | VIDEO
Alabama basketball’s Amari Allen and Labaron Philon are off to the 2026 NBA Draft. Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats weighed in on their decisions.
Alabama basketball’s 2025-26 season was one of the most injury-filled years that Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats has experienced in Tuscaloosa.
The health of last year’s Alabama team was a storyline before exhibition play even began. Veteran Latrell Wrightsell Jr. was returning amid recovery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. Transfer guard Jalil Bethea joined the bench after a left foot injury. Collins Onyejiaka and Davion Hannah both spent the majority of their freshman seasons sidelined with medical conditions. Down the stretch, Taylor Bol Bowen played with a fractured hand. Amari Allen, Aden Holloway, London Jemison and Aiden Sherrell all dealt with tweaks and dings.
As the Crimson Tide’s Sweet 16 run came to a close, even Labaron Philon revealed that his injury wasn’t limited to December or January. He played hurt for the entire year.
With the only Alabama player to appear in each game being Houston Mallette, who redshirted his first year with the program, the training room was busy for athletic training and conditioning staffers Clarke Holter, Henry Barrera and Amanda Branson.
Here’s a breakdown of the salaries for the trio who worked behind the scenes to make another NCAA Tournament possible, per information acquired by The Tuscaloosa News from an open records request to the University of Alabama.
What are salaries of Alabama men’s basketball training staff?
Holter has served as athletic trainer for the men’s basketball team for 11 seasons. Barrera has been the program’s strength and conditioning coach since 2022.
Holter received a salary increase in July 2025, making his new annual salary $139,050.
Barrera also received a pay increase in July 2025. He is the highest-paid of the three at $257,500.20 annually.
The exact date of Branson’s hire is unknown. However, public UA payroll data for Branson dates back to 2019.
Branson’s increase letter ahead of the 2025-26 season said that she would be paid $128,750.16.
In a season defined by injuries, their work became as critical as anything that happened on the court.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The Alabama Wildlife Federation and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama are building a new interactive Gopher Tortoise Habitat Display to give Alabamians a chance to immerse themselves in the state’s longleaf pine ecosystem.
The exhibit, which is being funded by a $50,000 HMMA investment, will be located in the NaturePlex at the Alabama Nature Center.
The exhibit spotlights the gopher tortoise as a keystone species in Alabama, showing how its burrows shelter other wildlife.
It will feature interactive, age-appropriate elements to teach habitat conservation and responsible stewardship of Alabama’s natural resources.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
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With students and families on campus this weekend for spring 2026 graduation, here’s a rundown of University of Alabama campus history that originally published Nov. 14, 2025.
1820
● The Alabama General Assembly officially established the first public university and named it the University of the State of Alabama. By the 1860s, the school was called the University of Alabama.
1831
● Harvard graduate and Vermont native Alva Woods became the first president of the University of Alabama. First day of classes was held on April 18 with four professors and 52 students. By the end of the term there were nearly 100 students.
1841
● The President’s Mansion was built.
1860
● The Round House was built for the use of the student sentinels.
1865
● All but a few buildings — the President’s Mansion, the observatory, the Round House, the Gorgas House and a few faculty residences — were burned by Union troops.
1892
● Student William G. Little introduced his fellow UA students to the sport of football.
1893
● Anna B. Adams and Bessie Parker became the first women to enroll at the university.
1914
● The first Tutwiler Hall was built on the site of today’s Rose Administration Building. It was the first building exclusively for women.
1915
● The University of Alabama Student Government Association was founded.
1926
● The Alabama Crimson Tide football team won the Rose Bowl, becoming national champions for the first time.
1929
● Denny Chimes, funded in part by student donations, was dedicated in honor of beloved UA President George H. Denny. UA also opens Denny Stadium.
1939
● Construction on the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library was completed.
1956
● The first Black student enrolled. Autherine Lucy attended classes for three days before being removed from campus and then expelled.
1963
● The university was officially desegregated when Vivian Malone and James Hood enrolled. Gov. George Wallace made good on a threat to “stand in the schoolhouse door” to stop them, but his actions were symbolic and did not stop their enrollment.
1975
● The on-campus football stadium is renamed Bryant-Denny Stadium to honor legendary football coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant.
1980
● UA’s 1979 squad wins the Sugar Bowl, giving Bryant back-to-back national championships. The 1979 championship was also the sixth and final title of Bryant’s career.
2011
● On April 27, 2011, a tornado destroyed much of Tuscaloosa, and six students lost their lives.
2013
● Judy Bonner becomes the university’s first female president.
2016
● The university’s strategic plan, Advancing the Flagship, was unveiled.
2019
● The university achieved R1: Very High Research Activity status, according to the Carnegie Classification.
2020
● The COVID-19 pandemic caused spring classes to be moved online. In-person classes resumed by the fall semester.
● UA wins its 18th national championship in football.
2022
Julia Tutwiler Hall, the 13-story dorm near Bryant-Denny Stadium, was demolished just after 7 a.m. on July 4. UA built a new Tutwiler Hall, just a few yards to the west of the old Tut.
2024
● The Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center, an immersive and engaging visitor center named in honor of longtime University supporters, opened in the restored and reimagined historic Bryce Main.
● The football arena is renamed Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium to honor retired coach Nick Saban. Saban earned six national championships during his 17-year career at the Capstone.
2025
● Peter Mohler is hired to become UA’s 30th president.
● UA sets a new enrollment record by welcoming 42,360 students in the fall.
Sources: The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa News files
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