Alabama
Alabama guard Chris Youngblood finds form in win over Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, TX — Nate Oats’ continued faith in Chris Youngblood was rewarded Saturday. The fifth-year guard had his best performance of the season during No. 5 Alabama’s gritty 94-88 win over No. 10 Texas A&M, helping the Crimson Tide notch a massive top-10 victory.
Youngblood finished with a season-high 14 points and tallied five rebounds, one assist and a steal in just 18 minutes on the floor. He was one of four double-digit scorers and made a few big shots in the second half to help Alabama survive on the road.
Most critical for Youngblood, and Alabama’s ability to come away with a win, was his 3 of 6 clip from the 3-point line. While the Aggies made things difficult for the Tide with its pressure defense and ability on the glass, Alabama shot the ball superbly well from beyond the arc in the first half, going 10 of 22 from deep.
Youngblood was responsible for a pair of those makes. His three total triples are the most he’s made in a game for Alabama and he finished in double figures for just the second time this season.
“It’s the best feeling,” Youngblood after the game. “But what really helped me do that was just getting lost in the game. Like [Oats] said, the blue-collar points and I knew if I focus on that the offense, that’ll come.”
Youngblood’s focus on the blue-collar plays was crucial as the Tide cooled down slightly from 3 in the second half. He played a vital role in Alabama’s 8-0 run that pushed its lead to 15 points with just under 11 minutes remaining. Youngblood first drilled a 3 to make it 65-55, then stole the ball from Aggies guard Zhuric Phelps, converting an and-1 layup on the other end.
When Texas A&M gutted and ground its way back into the game, it was Youngblood who answered the call when Alabama needed it most. Oats has previously praised Youngblood for his ability on the glass, and he grabbed a big rebound off a Phelps miss with 2:51 remaining and the Tide up by 3. He did the same thing on the offensive end for Alabama, putting himself on the line and making two free throws to put the Tide up 90-84.
“I told him we were gonna get him some shots this game,” Oats said. “We kind of tried to put him up with the press to have some other guys handle it, get him open. He goes 3 of 6. He made a bunch of tough plays too. He’s a winner. He’s a competitor. He’s a leader. You want him in.”
Alabama has high expectations for Youngblood. He was billed as a player who would make a big impact on the offensive end after he averaged 15.3 points per game and shot 41.6% from 3, winning Co-American Conference Player of the Year at South Florida.
Youngblood suffered an ankle injury this offseason after transferring to Alabama. He missed the Tide’s first nine games of the season and has struggled to regain that form since coming back. Being able to step up on the road in one of the Tide’s biggest games of the season will do wonders for Youngblood’s confidence going forward and his performance showcased what kind of a difference-maker he can be on both ends of the floor.
“I thought he did the best job on Phelps tonight and that’s with him still not 100% because he’s still trying to get back from the ankle surgery,” Oats said. “So, his competitiveness, his winning attitude and then, boy it was great to see him drop some shots tonight.”
Going forward, Alabama will continue to depend on Youngblood’s leadership and ability, especially with fellow veteran guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Oats’ confidence in Youngblood never wavered, and that faith was re-paid in a big way Saturday as Alabama notched another big win in the race for the SEC title. As Alabama looks ahead to No. 23 Ole Miss on Tuesday, Oats is confident that Youngblood’s performance isn’t a blip, but a sign that he’s turned a corner at a critical time for the Tide.
“We knew what we were getting with him from South Florida. He’s the conference player of the year. He shoots at a really high clip. He just had to get off that surgery, get himself back comfortable.
Alabama will take on Ole Miss at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday night inside Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN U.
Alabama
Top-30 overall recruit Jaxon Richardson commits to Alabama
Jaxon Richardson, the No. 27 overall recruit in the 2026 class per the Rivals Industry Ranking, has committed to Alabama.
The 6-foot-6 four-star small forward out of Southeastern Prep (FL) ultimately chose the Crimson Tide over USC, Creighton, and Ole Miss. He also received offers from Miami, Cincinnati, Michigan, Florida, Villanova, and others.
Richardson, a McDonald’s All-American, becomes the Crimson Tide’s third commitment of the 2026 cycle. He joins four-star shooting guard Qayden Samuels (No. 28 NATL) and four-star small forward Tarris Bouie (No. 54 NATL).
He’s the son of NBA veteran and two-time NBA Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson. His older brother, Jase, played for Michigan State last season before being selected 25th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
More on Richardson
Rivals’ National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw says Richardson is one of the most explosive players in the 2026 class:
Jaxon Richardson is able to combine fluid athleticism with explosive burst in a way no other player in this class can. He uses his athleticism to his advantage on the floor. He fills the outside channels with a purpose in transition, he is aggressive in the passing lanes, and he plays as a vertical floor spacer in the dunker spots and lob plays. Last summer, playing with the Florida Rebels on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged 12.8 points on 54.0 percent shooting and 10.5 attempts per game. Last high school season, he averaged 12.9 points on 61.0 percent shooting on 8.9 attempts per game. He is a highly efficient player, as 84.4 percent of his makes last high school season were at the rim.
Alabama
Alabama Baseball Ties Stolen Base Record In Win Over Hornets
Alabama baseball cruised to a win over Alabama State on Wednesday night, beating the Hornets 13-4 to complete the season sweep. The Crimson Tide tied a program record with nine stolen bases in one of the stranger contests that will be played this season.
The tone was set for a tumultuous night on the basepaths in the opening minutes of the game. Leadoff batter Bryce Fowler, who exited Tuesday’s game after getting beaned in the head, was walked, and promptly took second base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch in Justin Lebron’s at-bat, paving the way for Lebron to steal second when he was ultimately walked as well.
The successful baserunning instantly paid off, as Brady Neal drove both in with a double to left-center field before John Lemm walked two at-bats later. Both runners stole their respective bases on the same pitch in Jason Torres’ plate appearance, meaning that four of the first five batters of the game stole a base.
Alabama has been exceptional on the basepaths, sitting at 30-for-30 on the season. Lebron, who swiped two bags on Wednesday, leads the team with 12. The junior had an up-and-down night, hitting his eighth home run of the season, but also committing an error at shortstop for the fourth consecutive game.
“Get those things out of there now, baby. The dude is unbelievable,” an unconcerned Rob Vaughn said on Tuesday of Lebron’s errors. “We’re going to look up at the end of the year, and that guy is going to have five or six errors, which one he’s got right now, and we’ll be like, ‘Man, that guy is the best of all time to do it.’”
Wednesday’s game was a very prototypical midweek contest with no shortage of quirks and oddities throughout its nearly four-hour runtime. Fifteen Alabama batters were walked, falling just one shy of the program record, and the hit by pitch record was tied as seven batters were plunked.
The game was never competitive from an on-field standpoint. After barely escaping with a 2-1 win in the first matchup with the Hornets two weeks ago, this was a far more accurate representation of what these games typically look like, as Alabama now leads the all-time series 15-0.
Freshman Joe Chiarodo made his first career start, allowing two hits and one walk over two scoreless innings. He was named the winning pitcher. Luke Smyers, Connor Lehman, Anthony Pesci and Tate Robertson were the other pitchers to take the mound. Lehman allowed a three-run blast in the sixth inning, and those were the only runs until the incredibly-named Skywalker Mann drove in a run off Robertson in the ninth.
Perhaps the most shocking figure from the game was that Alabama had 19 runners left on base. The Crimson Tide left the bases loaded in four different innings. As stated, this was just a bizarre baseball game across the board. With the midweeks out of the way, the Crimson Tide gets to prepare for its final weekend tune-up before SEC play as North Florida heads into Tuscaloosa on Friday.
Alabama
New Alabama law to set screen time limits for kids in day care, pre-K and kindergarten
The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act was signed on Wednesday, March 4, by Governor Kay Ivey to introduce limits on children’s screen time access in Alabama.
The Act is one of Ivey’s 2026 legislative priorities.
“Video screen access in classrooms can boost learning skills among our young children, but too much screen exposure can also be detrimental, harming critical social and cognitive development,” Ivey said. “The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act ensures our youngest students are provided a healthy balance of screen time and traditional learning in order to protect social and emotional development.”
Under the Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act, the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education will be required to work with the Department of Human Resources and the State Department of Education to develop guidelines for screen-based media.
Guidelines will be implemented in early childhood education programs like day care centers, day care homes, night care facilities, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and group day care homes. The Act was sponsored by Representative Jeana Ross and Senator Donnie Chesteen.
“House Bill 78 establishes clear, research-based expectations for how technology is used in early childhood settings,” said Ross. “The goal is not to eliminate technology, but to ensure its use is developmentally appropriate and never replaces the hands-on learning and human interaction young children need most. By setting thoughtful guardrails and aligning classroom practices with the best available research on early brain development, this legislation supports educators, protects the quality of early learning and reinforces our commitment to giving Alabama’s youngest students the strongest possible start.”
A training program will also be created by the Department of Early Childhood Education to create a baseline for the appropriate use of child screentime for teachers and staff members supervising children.
“The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act represents another important step in ensuring Alabama’s youngest children grow and learn in environments that prioritize human interaction, exploration and healthy development,” said Chesteen. “Building on the progress made with last year’s FOCUS Act, this legislation continues our commitment to protecting the most formative years of childhood. I am grateful to Governor Kay Ivey and my colleagues in the Legislature for recognizing the importance of this issue and working together to support Alabama families.”
The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act will become effective on January 1, 2027.
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