Eye-catchers from Day 1 of Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game practice
MOBILE, Ala. — The 2024 edition of the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game week got underway on Tuesday night as blue-chip talent from both states took the field before arriving on college campuses nationwide.
Rivals will be live on-site with daily updates from practices throughout the week, which will with the annual contest, which will kick off at noon CT on Saturday, December 14 from Hancock Whitney Stadium on South Alabama’s campus.
Eye-catchers from Day 1 of All-Star practice were headlined by several Auburn signees, including Jared Smith and Malik Autry. Here’s more from Rivals National Recruiting Analysts John Garcia, Jr. and Sam Spiegelman:
Jared Smith enjoyed an absolutely dominant senior season for Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson High School flying off the edge. That theme continued for the blue-chipper during Day 1 of Alabama-Mississippi All-Star practice. The lengthy EDGE defender is explosive off the ball and his length and wingspan is a problem for opposing offenses. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Smith is a dangerous pass-catcher with the reach to impact plays even if he can’t sack the quarterback. We saw on several occasions Smith provide pressure off the edge and completely derail the offense’s plans.
Anthony Rogers showed up wearing No. 22 and got us thinking of a former dual-threat back sporting the number in Dexter McCluster. It’s not just that the Ohio State signee is a legitimate threat out of the backfield with speed and shiftiness to his name, but it’s the fact that an offensive coordinator could line him up there permanently and get by. Rogers made the most second and third-level plays of any Team Alabama player during the first impression. As a ball carrier, he is smooth in and out of his cuts and maintains a low center of gravity through the wash. Rogers also looked to be in great shape following the season, too.
Malik Autry has the tools to be a difference-maker in the trenches with his unique blend of athleticism and power in a 6-foot-6, 320-pound frame. The four-star Auburn signee pops off the ball and is a handful to contain. Autry is able to generate a pass rush from the middle of the defensive line and has a knack for creating chaos behind the line of scrimmage. We saw Autry stuff the run and make several splash play during Day 1 of action.
Tyler Lockhart is a true speed-rusher capable of getting after the quarterback from the edge or second level of the defense. The Mississippi State signee out of Winona (Miss.) High School forced the issue flying around the edge. The four-star outside linebacker is a jolt with immense closing speed and a knack for disrupting offensive rhythm. During Day 1 of action, Lockhart played at a pace different from several of his peers.
Micah Debose showed up relatively trim in his frame and worked an active first night of drills among the state’s best. The Alabama signee has experience up and down the offensive line and he looked comfortable in both tackle and guard alignments to kick off his all-star circuit. Debose flashes good footwork and redirection skill at the point of contact and also worked with high energy on Tuesday.
KC Lacey was smooth and operated in cruise control during Day 1 of Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game practice. The four-star Texas signee capped his historic run at Saraland (Ala.) High with 10,985 career passing yards, including 3,044 yards passing with 40 touchdowns as a senior. Lacey has fantastic command of his offense, which was on display on Tuesday night. Lacey is poised sifting through reads, making good decisions, and consistently delivering accurate passes at various levels of the field.
Derick Smith made plays on both sides of the ball during his run at Selma (Ala.) Southside High. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder passed the eye test seeing reps at wide receiver for the Alabama All-Star team. Smith made a ton of vertical plays for his high school offense and looked comfortable catching passes downfield outside the numbers and also in the middle of the field on Tuesday. Smith was able to come away with a few contested catches and in a swollen frame, the four-star playmaker heading to Auburn is a threat to make things happen with the ball in space, too.
Mal Waldrep may have had the best look and performance among offensive linemen on Tuesday. Another in-state win for Alabama, the Phenix City (Ala.) Central star is strong with his leverage and comes out of his stance with purpose on both ends of the line. Waldrep worked mostly tackle reps on Tuesday but looks like he is plenty broad enough to handle interior duty at the next level if need be. The swing line prospect is more valuable than ever and that future feels more believable for the senior in looking at his prospects in Tuscaloosa.
Tyler Miller is one of the most intriguing prospects at a premium position in this 2025 cycle. The four-star offensive tackle from Laurel (Miss.) High School is built with an NFL frame — at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds — with an athletic profile to match. Miller plays with outstanding leverage and has immense power and good technique to contain an array of different pass-rushers. Miller is physically dominant and can pave running lanes with ease. During Day 1 of practices, the LSU signee from the Sip was superb in pass protection.
Among all of the trench and skill position talent on hand, Evan Noel found a way to capture attention with his footwork. The specialist was simply booming kicks all evening long, with great force and arc from distance. We saw him work comfortably from 50-plus yards away from a leg strength and distance standpoint. Noel would get better as the workout wore on, too, nailing several from long distances, including a 55-yarder on one occasion.
NORMAN, Oklahoma — The stage was set for Oklahoma. Heck, the Sooners earned the right to set it. This was supposed to be the ushering in of a new era of postseason football for the No. 8 team in the country that had won 10 games in what was one of the toughest schedules this year.
No. 9 Alabama was even one of those teams that Oklahoma beat on its way to earning this spot. And Saturday night, all was going well for the Sooners. It was going so well, in fact, that after the first quarter, some Oklahoma fans might’ve peeked at flights and hotel rates for the Rose Bowl from inside Memorial Stadium.
And then the Alabama Crimson Tide curled and rolled the Sooners, 34-24, and are headed to Pasadena. After opening with 17 unanswered points, Oklahoma collapsed under the weight of that wave, becoming the only team in College Football Playoff history to blow a 17-point lead. And now, the Sooners have done it twice — before Saturday, in 2018 against Georgia.
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Here are my takeaways from Alabama’s College Football Playoff first-round victory against Oklahoma on Saturday:
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: Zabien Brown #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide stiff-arms John Mateer #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners during the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff first-round game on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson is an avid reader and listener of college football news. Following the largest comeback win in Alabama postseason history, Simpson took a moment to facetiously thank media members for choosing Oklahoma to win on Saturday night.
“I guess we can thank you guys for that,” an emboldened Simpson said. “You guys kind of wrote us off in a sort of way. So I appreciate that.”
After building a three-score lead, the Sooners watched the Crimson Tide recover a fumbled punt, pick off Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer and return it 50 yards to the end zone — all before their First Team All-American kicker Tate Sandell missed not one but two field goals in the final minutes to solidify the worst collapse in College Football Playoff history.
Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide will prepare to take on No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl for the CFP quarterfinal game. This team that punches back and played its best football with its back against the wall is one that the Hoosiers must prepare for on New Year’s Day.
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NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: John Mateer #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners is hit by Deontae Lawson #0 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter during the College Football Playoff first-round game on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
The Crimson Tide began down — just like they did against Georgia in the SEC championship game. But the last three quarters of Saturday’s game demonstrated Alabama to be just who it says it is: the kind of team that can open with a loss to a bad Florida State and also be the first team in six years to walk into Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, and come out with a win.
DeBoer’s task now is to find a way to make certain that the team that showed up at Georgia earlier this season and at Oklahoma in the first round is the same one against the Hoosiers. Linebacker Deontae Lawson said that’s his job too. But Bama’s best trait isn’t one that shows itself until it’s in a fight for its life.
“Man, I just think we’re a resilient team,” Lawson said. “And even though we were down 17-0, we didn’t really look at the scoreboard. Coach DeBoer always says, ‘Keep playing the game. The game will come back to you.’ … We just keep fighting.”
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners speaks to an official during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Let’s look at the bigger ones:
These are blunders. Errors that aren’t forced but self-inflicted. It’s difficult to win any game with those kinds of mistakes on your drive chart. It’s nearly impossible in a game of this magnitude, against a team as talented and as resilient as the Crimson Tide.
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: Keon Keeley #31 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates after defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff first-round game. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Oklahoma usually plays 50 Cent’s “Many Men” before the start of the fourth quarter. In an attempt to make a statement for its first CFP game at Owen Field, the Sooners brought the rapper himself out onto the field to perform the song for fans in a Hard to Kill Hoodie.
“I didn’t know it was live,” DeBoer said.
“I didn’t know who 50 Cent was,” Simpson said, “but I know that song.”
“We play that song at practice on Fridays,” Lawson said.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.
Hello college football fans, and welcome to The Athletic’s live coverage of the 2025 College Football Playoff!
Yes, after a 2025 season full of an incredible amount of twists, turns, controversy and pure chaos, the second edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff gets underway tonight. Our opening matchup is a battle of blue-bloods whose first meeting this season contributed to that chaos, as No. 9 Alabama takes on No. 8 Oklahoma in Norman.
Follow along for live pregame build-up and the latest news, play-by-play updates and real-time analysis from The Athletic’s college football staff!
The College Football Playoff gets underway Friday night as Alabama heads to Norman to take on Oklahoma. But to ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, there’s even more at stake for Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer.
DeBoer’s name has been the subject of rumors throughout the offseason in the coaching carousel. Most recently, he received questions about the opening at Michigan following Sherrone Moore’s firing for cause, though he made it clear he intends to be at Alabama in 2026.
However, Wilbon didn’t sound as convinced. He predicted Alabama would not only lose to Oklahoma on Friday night, but DeBoer would also be on a flight to Ann Arbor to take the Michigan job afterward.
“Let me tell you about … two schools that could be in the coaching carousel after [Friday night],” Wilbon said Thursday on Pardon The Interruption. “Because when Alabama loses to Oklahoma – let me say it again, when Alabama loses to Oklahoma – the coach of Alabama, half the people in the state will want to run him out. And he’ll be on the carousel – oh, wait, that’s a G5 being flown to Ann Arbor, Mich., where he has said, ‘Oh, no. I ain’t got no interest in that.’ He’ll have interest [Friday night].
“And then, Alabama will be in the coaching carousel because they’ll be looking for a coach. … The Alabama coach is going to have a job-on-the-line situation in 24 hours and then, headed to Michigan once he loses. And then, Alabama’s looking. Then, what are you going to say?”
During a press conference this week ahead of the College Football Playoff opener, Kalen DeBoer was directly asked if he intended to be Alabama’s head coach next season. He responded, “Yes.”
Earlier in that press conference, DeBoer received a question about the rumors surrounding him. He again spoke highly of his tenure at Alabama so far and made it clear he’s happy in Tuscaloosa.
“A lot of the same things I said before, a couple weeks ago, when asked really the same question, just feel completely supported,” DeBoer said. “My family loves living here. Just all the things that we continue to build on, love the progress. Haven’t talked with anyone, no plans of talking with anyone. So just, I think that’s a lot of what I said a couple weeks ago, and continues to be the same thing.
“Feel strong about it. And our guys, if there’s been any distraction, I haven’t seen it, haven’t felt it. I’m really proud of the way they’ve handled whatever noise is out there. And again, we probably all season long, have dealt with enough noise to where it wouldn’t surprise me on how they handle this.”
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