Alabama
2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Alabama A&M OL Carson Vinson
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 300 pounds
Career Statistics: 48 Career Games, 3,428 Career Snaps, 18 Sacks Allowed, 79 Pressures Allowed
Accolades: 1st Team All-SWAC (2024), FCS All-American Selection (2024), BOXTOROW HBCU All-American Honorable Mention (2024), HBCU+ National Player of the Year Finalist (2024), Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List (2025)
Carson Vinson’s football journey began in Morrisville, North Carolina, where he honed his athleticism at Panther Creek High School. A dual-sport athlete, Vinson’s basketball experience as a center translated seamlessly to his role on the football field. Starting his high school career in 2016, Vinson played on both sides of the ball as a defensive and offensive tackle. By his junior season in 2018, he transitioned exclusively to the offensive side, focusing on guard and tackle positions.
During his senior year in 2019, Vinson continued to develop as a consistent presence on the offensive line, earning recognition for his size and technique. His high school career culminated with a commitment to Alabama A&M University in 2020, where he joined the Bulldogs as an offensive lineman.
Vinson’s early college career was marked by limited action. He appeared in three games as a freshman in 2020 and seven games as a sophomore in 2021. He had a breakout season in 2022, starting in all 11 games for the Bulldogs.
Vinson continued his dominance in 2023, earning All-SWAC honors from FCS Football Central. In 2024, he put together his best season, starting in 12 games and only allowing two sacks and 10 quarterback pressures. He was a finalist for the HBCU+ National Player of the Year, earning FCS All-American honors from multiple media outlets.
At 6-foot-7 and 300 lbs, Carson Vinson has the prototypical height for an offensive tackle, paired with a long, lean, and athletic frame. His standout physical attributes include exceptional arm length, which allows him to keep defenders at bay. While his weight is below average for the position, his athleticism and mobility help compensate for this limitation, making him an intriguing prospect in a zone-blocking scheme.
Vinson’s footwork and lateral quickness are among his strongest traits. His ability to change direction and move fluidly across the line of scrimmage allows him to excel in space, whether pulling, climbing to the second level, or executing reach blocks. His ability to stay square with defenders during run-blocking assignments ensures that he can seal the edge effectively. However, he struggles to generate consistent movement on solo blocking assignments and doesn’t always drive defenders off the ball, a limitation that may stem from his lighter frame.
In pass protection, Vinson demonstrates solid technique and patience, utilizing his length to control pass rushers effectively. His hand placement is commendable, and he shows the ability to reposition his hands inside the defender’s frame to maintain leverage. While his anchor is generally reliable, heavier and more powerful rushers could pose a challenge, particularly when they engage his chest or exploit his occasional tendency to bend at the waist. These moments of imbalance can result in Vinson losing leverage, especially when defenders force him off his center.
Vinson’s ability to reach the second level and his strong body control make him a valuable asset in zone-blocking schemes. However, his timing in combination blocking can be inconsistent, as he sometimes engages too early or loses balance when trying to transition from one defender to the next.
Carson Vinson projects as a fringe NFL roster prospect. His best fit is a zone-blocking scheme that leverages his length, mobility, and athleticism. His ability to protect the edge in pass protection and move effectively in space makes him an appealing option for teams seeking developmental depth along the offensive line.
While Vinson may not project as a Day 1 starter, his physical traits and technical foundation give him the tools to develop into a reliable backup tackle with the potential to earn a starting role in the right system. To reach his full potential, Vinson will need to add bulk and strength to his frame, improve his ability to generate movement in the run game and refine his consistency in combination blocking.
NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jackson State RB Irv Mulligan
NFL Draft Scouting Report: William & Mary OL Charles Grant
NFL Draft Scouting Report: Montana State OL Marcus Wehr
NFL Draft Scouting Report: Central Arkansas EDGE David Walker
Follow all of FCS Football Central’s coverage throughout the season on X, Facebook, and YouTube.
Alabama
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!
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.
Alabama
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.
“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.
“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.
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.
“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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Alabama
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.
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.
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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