HOUSTON – Alabama State University’s football program suffered a significant setback at the 2024 Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic. Representatives of quarterback Andrew Body informed HBCU Legends that he would need arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder, effectively ending his 2024 season with the Hornets.
Body’s family made the difficult decision to shut down his season after consulting with physicians in Alabama. It was the best course of action to extend Andrew’s football career. The shoulder injury occurred during the Hornets’ final drive, ultimately dealing a major blow to ASU’s championship aspirations.
During a crucial first-and-ten play at the 25-yard line, Alabama State’s offensive coordinator Barnett called for a quarterback draw. As Andrew Body gained four yards, NCCU linebacker Jaki Brevard tackled him, landing on Body’s right shoulder. The Alabama State QB held his arm still and sprinted to the sidelines, where the ASU medical staff promptly examined his shoulder in the medical tent. Unfortunately, Body was unable to return to complete the game.
Following the game, an MRI revealed the extent of Andrew Body’s injury. Alabama State’s quarterback will have arthroscopic surgery to add an additional anchor to one of the muscles supporting the rotator cuff. The procedure requires sutures passing through the torn tendon to be tied to the bone to aid in healing.
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Despite this setback, Andrew Body will remain at Alabama State throughout his rehabilitation process, demonstrating his dedication to the team and the university.
Quarterback Andrew Body during Alabama State University football practice on the ASU campus in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday August 7, 2024. / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK
Considering Body’s exceptional performance in the game, the injury came as a particularly tough blow. The Corpus Christi native demonstrated that he was the driving force behind the Hornets’ offense during their 31-24 loss to NCCU.
Andrew Body made Alabama State history by becoming the first Hornets quarterback since Darnell Kennedy in 1998 to rush for at least 125 yards and score multiple touchdowns in a single game. His impressive stats included 142 rushing yards and two scores.
Also, Body became the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s leading rusher with 134 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in Week 1.
Andrew Body’s achievement also placed him in elite company among HBCU quarterbacks. He joined former Bethune-Cookman player Allen Suber (2022) as only the second HBCU signal-caller to accomplish this feat in a season opener.
With Andrew Body’s injury sidelining him for the remainder of the season, Alabama State hoped to have quarterback Jonah O’Brien to lead the offense. However, reports of O’Brien sustaining an injury could prevent him from playing against Miles on Saturday. The Hornets need help adapting their game plan and maintaining their competitive edge without their star quarterback and O’Brien being able to suit up.
As Alabama State navigates this unexpected turn of events, fans, and alums, wonder about the program’s future. SWAC coaches and SIDs predicted that Eddie Robinson Jr.’s football team would finish first in the Eastern Division. Some pundits forecast that ASU would represent the conference in the 2024 Celebration Bowl.
How will the Hornets’ offense perform without Andrew Body? More importantly, how will Coach Robinson handle a once-promising season that appears murky at best?
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.
Philon is the first pick of the Mike Gansey era after he replaced Daryl Morey as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Who is Labaron Philon Jr.?
Philon, 20, led the Crimson Tide in scoring last season, averaging 22.0 points on nearly 40% shooting on 3-pointers. He was the focal point of one of the nation’s most potent offenses, as Alabama led the country in points per game in the 2025-26 season. The Crimson Tide (No. 16) finished the season with a 25-10 record and went 13-5 against conference opponents.
Philon, who helped lead Alabama to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, earned Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors in his sophomore season.
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In 33 games last season for Alabama, Philon scored 725 total points, which is ranked third-most by a player in a single season in program history.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with Labaron Philon Jr. after he is drafted twenty-second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images
Philon was the 34th-ranked basketball recruit in the country entering his freshman season at Alabama, according to 247sports. The four-star guard initially committed to playing at Auburn, but decommitted. He then signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas, but didn’t play there, either. He then committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2024.
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Philon impressed as a freshman at Alabama and averaged 10.6 points in 37 games. He declared for the 2025 NBA draft but then withdrew and returned for his sophomore season, where he saw his scoring average jump more than 10 points.
Philon is a Mobile, Alabama, native and played at Baker High School in Mobile County, where he scored 2,334 points in three seasons. He was named the Class 7A Player of the Year twice.
As a junior, he averaged 35 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists and was named Alabama Mr. Basketball, which is given to the best high school boys’ basketball player in the state. Philon transferred to Link Academy, a boarding school in Missouri, for his senior year of high school.
Philon now joins a backcourt headlined by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe heading into the 2026-27 season. Quentin Grimes could return to Philadelphia next season and add even more depth, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
The pick the Sixers used to pick Philon was acquired in the deal that sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline.
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Labaron Philon Jr. scouting report
CBS Sports had Philon ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the 2026 NBA draft.
Here are his strengths and weaknesses, according to CBS Sports:
Strengths
On-ball creator who made an extreme leap as a sophomore, ranking in the 99th percentile in isolations (was 24th percentile as a freshman) and 94th as a pick-and-roll handler (was 32nd percentile as a freshman). Combines smooth attack with sudden change of speed and direction, dexterity, and finishing craft in the lane.
Shot-maker who can make tough shots off both the catch (36% on contested catch-and-shoot 3-pointers), dribble (38% from deep), and has extreme gravity when he’s spacing the floor (46% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers).
Shown pliability to thrive in different roles over the years and is a similarly versatile creator, because he’s a scoring threat at multiple levels and also an accurate, and somewhat creative, passer with both hands off the dribble.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent defensive approach. Showed more engagement and potential as a freshman, but couldn’t maintain that as a sophomore when taking on a bigger offensive role.
Lacks overwhelming physicality or highest level explosiveness, and didn’t add any notable muscle mass between his freshman and sophomore seasons (175 pounds at 2025 combine and 176 at 2026 combine).
Unclear how well his creation scales to the NBA level when he will have less usage and volume coupled by more physicality in opposing defenders.
Alabama football hosted a hometown kid for an official visit last weekend when it got Jeremiah Beverley on campus for an official visit.
Beverley attends Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and ESPN currently has him rated as a four-star recruit. He is considering Alabama, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and others.
The Crimson Tide offered Beverley earlier this month and got him on campus for an official visit last weekend. The Alabama target told Touchdown Alabama he used the visit to learn what the Tide has planned for him if he commits.
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“I’m truly happy that I went on that official visit,” Beverley said. “Blessed for that. All I was talking about was the next step, what I got to do? So, just knowing what they have planned for me, knowing what they have set for me.”
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Beverley makes plays for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa as a defensive end. Alabama has plans to use him similarly at the next level.
“They’re going to have me at wolf mostly,” Beverley said. “I know coach (Kane) Wommack and coach (Christian) Robinson, I think they see me at other positions, but I know it is guaranteed they’re going to see me at Wolf and me working my way up on special teams, and they expect that out of me.”
Beverley is expected to announce a commitment decision on Friday.
Watch Jeremiah Beverley’s Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
Alabama football is hiring Noah Fisher to be its assistant tight ends coach, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Fisher spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends at Louisville before joining the Tide’s staff. He played three years on the offensive line at South Alabama and spent one season with Tulane. The Jaguars started Fisher along its offensive line when he was a player for multiple games.
The Crimson Tide appear to want to use their tight ends in multiple ways in the future including as extra blockers along the line of scrimmage. Fisher looks as if he can assist the Tide with this mission.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
