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:
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FOUR-STAR DE JARED SMITH – AUBURN SIGNEE
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.
FOUR-STAR RB ANTHONY ROGERS – OHIO STATE SIGNEE
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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.
FOUR-STAR DL MALIK AUTRY – AUBURN SIGNEE
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.
FOUR-STAR LB TYLER LOCKHART – MISSISSIPPI STATE SIGNEE
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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.
FOUR-STAR OL MICAH DEBOSE – ALABAMA SIGNEE
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.
FOUR-STAR QB KJ LACEY – TEXAS SIGNEE
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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.
FOUR-STAR ATH DERICK SMITH – AUBURN SIGNEE
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.
FOUR-STAR OL MAL WALDREP – ALABAMA SIGNEE
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.
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FOUR-STAR OL TYLER MILLER – LSU SIGNEE
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.
THREE-STAR PK EVAN NOEL – FLORIDA SIGNEE
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.
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.
