Alabama
A year after playing in CFP semifinal, No. 11 Alabama and Michigan meet again in ReliaQuest Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The stakes aren’t as high as they were when No. 11 Alabama and Michigan last met in the postseason, however the Crimson Tide and Wolverines say they’re excited about their New Years Eve matchup in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Tuesday’s game at Raymond James Stadium is a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal won by eventual national champion Michigan at the Rose Bowl.
And while some of the big names have changed, highlighted by the departures of Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh, there’s still plenty of star power on the marquee.
Former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, who lost to Michigan in last season’s CFP final, moved to Alabama after Saban retired and is completing his first season with the Crimson Tide.
Sherrone Moore, meanwhile, replaced Harbaugh when the former Wolverines coach left Michigan for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and has experienced some ups and downs in 2024, too.
Despite losing three times and failing to get to the Southeastern Conference championship game, Alabama (9-3) was disappointed to be left out of the expanded 12-team CFP field.
Michigan (7-5) finished seventh in the Big Ten, but enters the ReliaQuest Bowl on a high note after defeating archrival and CFP participant Ohio State.
“Our players are excited. It’s going to be a great challenge with a great team, great opponent,” Moore said Monday. “Ready to kick this thing off.”
It’s not an easy task to follow Saban or Harbaugh, and the ReliaQuest Bowl is not where the Crimson Tide and Wolverines hoped to wind up when the season began.
Still, DeBoer and Moore say it’s good to be in warm weather Florida with an opportunity to finish a year filled with challenges.
“You want to win them all, right? That’s a given. But I think just finishing this year off with a positive would be big for just the direction, for this team to kind of put an end to it, but also to help us just moving forward and the trajectory,” DeBoer said.
“It’s been a whirlwind of 11 months,” the Alabama coach added. “But I like where we’re at with the mindset, like where we’re at with how things are coming together, and looking forward to taking those next steps.”
Nice to see you again
This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the tradition-rich programs. The Crimson Tide and Wolverines have each won three.
It’s also Michigan’s seventh appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl, which was called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022.
This will be the third time Alabama has played in the game.
10 wins
Jalen Milroe will start at quarterback for Alabama as the Crimson Tide try to get their 10th victory and extend an impressive streak of 16 consecutive seasons with double-digit wins.
“It means a lot,” offensive lineman Tyler Booker, a second-team AP All-American, said.
“We had a lot of goals set out before this year took place, and obviously we can’t achieve all or most of our goals now,” Booker added. “But one of the goals we can still achieve is reaching 10 wins. And that’s at the forefront of our minds.”
Replacing Malachi
Alabama must replace second-team All-America safety Malachi Moore, who had surgery for an unspecified injury. The Tide were already missing injured safety Keon Sabb.
Candidates to fill the role could include King Mack, Kameron Howard and freshman Zavier Mincey.
Receiver depth
Injuries and transfers have left Alabama with just four healthy scholarship wide receivers. Two are established starters, Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard. Redshirt freshman Jaren Hamilton has no catches in his first two seasons and freshman Rico Scott has four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
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AP Sports Writer John Zenor in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed to this report.
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SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WALA) – The YMCA of South Alabama held a Healthy Kids Day at Spanish Fort Town Center Park.
Saturday’s event featured games and demonstrations, along with interactive activities featuring police and fire vehicles.
“I think just seeing so many organizations come together that serve kids, and just seeing kids have fun,” said Gwen Summer, CEO of the YMCA of South Alabama.
Marissa Rennaker, director of development for the YMCA of South Alabama, said the event exposed children to new activities.
“I think it’s been seeing all the kids laugh and try different things that they probably haven’t tried before,” Rennaker said. “There was a big group doing pickleball and yoga. We had ballet earlier, so just getting them out and exposed to things, I think it’s been great.”
The event was designed to kick off a healthy, active summer.
The YMCA of South Alabama is located at 27080 Pollard Road in Daphne.
Copyright 2026 WALA. All rights reserved.
Former Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. has reportedly signed a three-year, $150 million extension with the Houston Texans, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Anderson instantly solidified himself as one of the top defensive players in football throughout his rookie campaign in 2023. The star defensive end was named as the Rookie of the Year in 2023, as Anderson’s extension will officially keep him in Houston long-term, as well as make him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Anderson recorded an impressive 12 sacks on the Texans’ defensive line in 2025, as the former Alabama star has made history following his head turning extension with Houston.
Anderson was nothing short of a superstar throughout his time at Alabama. Houston drafted the talented lineman with the third overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, as Anderson was widely regarded as one of the top overall selections from his class.
The former Crimson Tide superstar has officially inked a massive extension with the Texans, as Anderson will undoubtedly continue playing a critical role on Houston’s defensive line over the coming seasons.
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Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said that No. 4 Texas would be “hungry” against the No. 11Crimson Tide coming off its first series loss of the season to Texas A&M.
The Longhorns certainly were, as they pounced all over Vaughn’s team, striking out 17 Alabama batters en route to a 10-2 win.
“The story of the game was they just kind of kicked our tail in every phase tonight,” Vaughn said.
Alabama starter Tyler Fay had been elite over his past four starts, dating back to his complete-game no-hitter against Florida, allowing just six earned runs over the 26.0 innings pitched in those games. That changed instantly on Friday evening, as leadoff batter Aiden Robbins opened the game with a double and catcher Carson Tinney took him deep for a two-run blast moments later.
Texas added a third run in the first off an Ethan Mendoza RBI double, setting the tone for a dominant day. Alabama did not record a hit until the fourth inning as Longhorn ace Dylan Volantis tore through batters, striking out 12 over six innings.
Fay ended up going 5.1 innings, just the second time he did not make it through the sixth. The other, against Auburn, was only due to Vaughn wanting to keep his pitch count down in the wake of the no-hitter. He allowed season-highs of seven earned runs and 12 hits in the loss.
The Longhorns added a run each in the third and the fifth, before Alabama put the slightest amount of pressure on Texas in the top of the sixth. Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron scored on the basepaths off an error and a wild pitch, respectively, to cut the Texas lead to three runs.
“You’ve got to find ways to score,” Vaughn said. “Those two guys just created two runs for us, and did a great job creating those runs and we crawl back in at 5-2, and it’s like, ‘Let’s go back to work…’ So thought we had that chance in those middle innings.”
The Longhorns effectively put the game to bed in the next frame, responding with three runs as Fay was relieved by Connor Lehman. Texas would add two more runs on the day, with the only silver lining coming in the fact that Alabama avoided a run-rule.
The Crimson Tide has now lost four straight SEC games after winning three consecutive series. Zane Adams takes the mound with the series on the line on Saturday, in a game that has been moved up to 12 p.m. CT due to anticipated rain in Austin.
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