But that didn’t mean he couldn’t celebrate his team’s dominating 42-17 win the way he used to when he suited up for the Alabama Crimson Tide as an undergraduate student. 

The cigar he had with him was not random or a prop. It was part of a tradition he learned in Tuscaloosa.

pic.twitter.com/LWmqzNKovd

— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) December 22, 2024

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As the legend has it, in 1961 one of Bear Bryant’s trainers lit up a stogie following a Tide win which had ended a five-game slide to the Volunteers. This created a tradition maintained over the next two decades – which eventually spread to the opposite sideline.

The Volunteers have been participating in the victory cigar tradition since the early 1980s. It has spread from the sideline into the stands and tailgates. Earlier this season, the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide in Knoxville, creating a plume of smoke above Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee students light up cigars after an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So it was appropriate that McLaughlin, now with the Buckeyes following his Rimington Award-winning season in Columbus found a way to pay homage to his first alma mater while celebrating with his second one.

Former Alabama center Seth McLaughlin is smoking a cigar on the Ohio State sideline as time expires and the Buckeyes beat Tennessee.

— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) December 22, 2024

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Ohio State plays Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. 

An all-conference linebacker is joining Alabama football for the 2025 season.

Nikhai Hill-Green, a former Michigan and Charlotte linebacker who was second-team All-Big 12 at Colorado in 2024, told On3 he would transfer to the Crimson Tide for his final season of eligibility.

Hill-Green is the seventh player to join Alabama ahead of 2025 along with Cal long snapper David Bird, Colorado School of Mines punter Blake Doud, Florida defensive lineman Kelby Collins, Utah cornerback Cameron Calhoun, Texas A&M offensive lineman Kam Dewberry and Miami wide receiver Isaiah Horton.

Hill-Green is the third transfer commitment Saturday along with Horton and Dewberry.

What Alabama football gets in Colorado LB Nikhai Hill-Green

Hill-Green is coming off his most productive collegiate season yet.

The former four-star linebacker out of Baltimore was the Buffaloes’ second-leading tackler with 82, adding 11.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, four pass deflections and two interceptions.

Hill-Green had a 13-tackle performance against Kansas State. He also had back-to-back games against Texas Tech and Utah where he had an interception.

Hill-Green improved upon his productive 2023 season at Charlotte where he had 73 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, two sacks and three pass deflections.

Hill-Green originally signed with Michigan in the 2020 class and played two seasons with the Wolverines.

Alabama football depth chart: Where does Nikhai Hill-Green fit?

Alabama’s linebacker room is about to get a lot younger.

The Crimson Tide added four linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class: Ohio four-star Justin Hill, Georgia four-star Darrell Johnson, Georgia four-star Luke Metz and California four-star Abduall Sanders Jr.

It’s a room currently in a bit of a transition period, one that will not have Que Robinson and Justin Jefferson in 2025 while Jihaad Campbell and Deontae Lawson are both NFL draft eligible.

Depending on the status of Campbell and Lawson, Alabama could be looking to fill two linebacker spots next to Wolf Qua Russaw. And other than the four freshmen, Alabama’s room does not have many options with players expected to return such as Justin Okoronkwo, Jeremiah Alexander and Cayden Jones.

Hill-Green is a plug-and-play starter, likely at the Mike, one that gives Alabama a chance to develop younger members of the room instead of throwing them into the fire as freshmen.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Justice Haynes is leaving, Jam Miller is staying, but what about the rest of Alabama’s backfield? Barring any more offseason transition, the Crimson Tide will still have five running backs who were rated as four-star talents coming out of high school

While talent shouldn’t be an issue, Miller is the only member of that bunch with extended in-game reps. Heading into this month’s ReliaQuest Bowl, the rising senior’s 209 career carries are more than three times as many as the rest of the Tide’s current backs combined.

Still, Alabama feels good about its upcoming backfield, even after Haynes’ departure. While the Tide might pounce if the right back hits the portal, the position is low on its list of offseason priorities. With that said, here’s a look at how next year’s backfield could shape up.