Alabama

3 bold predictions for Alabama football against Mercer

Published

1 year ago

November 14, 2024

3 bold predictions for Alabama football against Mercer

Alabama football has seemingly turned the corner after a difficult October that saw the Crimson Tide go just 2-2 and see its hopes of a national championship go up in flames.

But the beauty of an expanded playoff is that the second loss was not the end of the season for Alabama. All it did was remove the margin for error. Since the loss to Tennessee in Knoxville, Alabama responded with dominant wins over ranked opponents in Missouri and LSU.

Last week’s 42-13 win in Baton Rouge might have been Alabama’s single most impressive win of the season, perhaps more so than the home win over Georgia at the end of September.

Alabama now sits at 7-2 and seemingly controls its own destiny for the College Football Playoff, and sits in a good position to make it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship if things break the way most expect.

Prior to Alabama finishing the regular season with back-to-back SEC games against Oklahoma and Auburn, the Crimson Tide faces Mercer at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.

In last week’s bold predictions, we correctly predicted that Alabama would force multiple LSU turnovers. And while Jalen Milroe didn’t quite get to 400 yards of total offense, he was still the star of the game as predicted. The only real miss was Ryan Williams leading the team in receiving as Alabama’s passing game revolved around the running backs.

So even in a game that isn’t getting as much hype as the others, we’re still going to come up with some bold predictions that are guaranteed to be 100% accurate.

3. Caleb Odom scores his first career touchdown

Ryan Williams was obviously the prized WR of Alabama’s 2024 class, but Caleb Odom was highly ranked in his own regard and has unicorn traits. Odom has yet to be a big factor in the passing game, but he has seen his playing time increase in recent weeks.

With Cole Adams out for the season, Odom has more of a path to getting on the field. Against Mercer, if Alabama takes care of business, this should be a game where the starters are out by halftime. That should open the door for Ty Simpson to come into the game and run the full offense, and a guy like Odom could benefit from that.

I’m betting Odom finds the endzone for the first time in his career on Saturday.

2. Richard Young leads the team in rushing

I’m banking on Alabama coming out of the gate and playing well, learning from its lesson against Vanderbilt following the big win over Georgia earlier in the season. If that’s the case, there should be plenty of playing time for backups like Richard Young.

Young missed some time earlier in the season following an injury he suffered against Wisconsin. He’s been the No. 3 guy in the pecking order behind Justice Haynes and Jam Miller, but Young has impressed when he has gotten the opportunity.

He broke a 62-yard run three weeks ago against Missouri, and he found the endzone for the first time this season last week against LSU in the 4th quarter. I think Young will get a lot of playing time in the second half this week, and I think he’ll break a big run or two and ultimately be the team’s leading rusher.

1. Alabama finally scores a non-offensive touchdown

Alabama is fourth in the country in takeaways forced per game. It’s almost mind-boggling that they haven’t turned a single turnover into a defensive touchdown yet.

Either by a pick-six, scoop-and-score, or a special teams punt/kick return, I believe Alabama will find the endzone this week.

Ryan Williams looks explosive as a punt returner and if the Tide’s defense plays well then he should get a plethora of opportunities early in the game to make a big play in the return game. Williams had a 28-yard punt return last week against LSU.

I think it will be Williams who finds the endzone, but I won’t be surprised if Alabama houses a pick-six, either.

Alabama a championship contender with Milroe. dark. Next. Alabama a championship contender with Milroe

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Alabama

Alabama offensive lineman transferring to Georgia Tech

Published

8 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Tech

Joseph Ionata, who spent two years with the Tide, will be joining former teammate Jaylen Mbakwe.

Georgia Tech fans celebrate during the second half against Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2025)

A second former member of the Alabama Crimson Tide is transferring to Georgia Tech.

Offensive lineman Joseph Ionata intends to play for the Yellow Jackets, according to On3. Ionata spent two years with the Tide and would be joining former Alabama defensive back and wide receiver Jaylen Mbakwe.

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Chad Bishop is a Georgia Tech sports reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Alabama

Alabama Farmers Federation endorses Kristin Nelson for House District 38

Published

20 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Alabama Farmers Federation endorses Kristin Nelson for House District 38

The Alabama Farmers Federation has endorsed Kristin Nelson in the upcoming special election for Alabama House District 38, a seat left vacant following the resignation of Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley). The district includes portions of Chambers and Lee counties.

Nelson recently secured the Republican nomination after winning a runoff election. The special general election is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3.

“Kristin Nelson is a well-respected community leader in Chambers County, and we are proud to endorse her,” said Jason McKay, president of the Chambers County Farmers Federation. “We know she will represent us well in Montgomery and ensure District 38 gets the attention it needs in the business and agricultural arenas.”

Support for Nelson’s candidacy also came from farmers in neighboring Lee County. “Kristin Nelson is a strong conservative with incredible knowledge of House District 38,” said Robert Walters, president of the Lee County Farmers Federation. “There is no doubt she will work hard and represent the people of Lee and Chambers counties well in the Legislature.”

Nelson grew up along the Chambers-Lee county line and brings experience from both the public and private sectors. Her background includes seven years in city administration with the City of Valley and three years as a third-grade teacher with Lanett City Schools.

She has also been active in homeschooling through Classical Conversations, where she has served as both a tutor and a local representative supporting other families.

In addition to returning to part-time work with Harris Gray LLC, Nelson serves as worship leader at Fairfax Methodist Church, secretary of the Junior Variety Club and president of the EAMC Lanier Auxiliary Board.

She also founded the Chambers County Young Republicans and currently serves as the chair of the Chambers County Republican Party.

“The farmers of this district and I share the same strong work ethic and conservative values,” said Nelson. “It is an honor to have their support and to be able to represent them and all the people of this district in Montgomery.”

Nelson and her husband, Jeff, live in the Huguley community with their two teenage sons.

The Alabama Farmers Federation is the state’s largest farm organization, representing more than 360,000 member families. The organization uses a grassroots endorsement process that relies on decisions made by county Farmers Federation boards of directors in local elections.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].

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Alabama

Tuberville officially files for 2026 Alabama governor’s race

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Tuberville officially files for 2026 Alabama governor’s race

HOOVER, Ala. (WSFA) – Senator Tommy Tuberville officially filed the paperwork to run for governor at the Alabama Republican Party Headquarters in Hoover Monday morning.

“I want to make the lives of the people of this state better,” said Sen. Tuberville. “If I thought that staying in the U.S. Senate would be best for Alabama, I would’ve stayed. but I think the best thing for Alabama is for me to come back.”

He talked about the need to grow Alabama’s economy, with attracting manufacturers being a primary focus. Sen. Tuberville said that to do that, he would focus on improving the state’s infrastructure and making the state’s education and workforce systems more attractive to new residents.

When asked about cutting waste, fraud and abuse, a focus of his time in Washington, D.C., alongside President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Sen. Tuberville said, he expects to make changes if elected governor.

“You have a lot of different agencies here, we want to make them all better,” he said. “We also want to make sure that we save the taxpayers’ money, that we use it wisely and we give it back to them.”

The former Auburn football coach said he did not expect to go into politics, but now, he is ready to transition from national to state politics.

“It’s time to come home, put together a staff and worry about the state of Alabama and the people here,” he said.

According to Alabama’s constitution, someone running for governor has to have lived in the state for at least seven years. Some have questioned whether Sen. Tuberville fits that requirement. He said during the candidacy filing that the Republican Party of Alabama says he does fulfill the requirement.

The filing deadline for candidates to qualify for a major political party is Jan. 23.

Alabama’s Democratic primary has the following candidates: