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LSU Football Trending for Coveted Alabama Linebacker Following Unofficial Visit

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LSU Football Trending for Coveted Alabama Linebacker Following Unofficial Visit


Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff hosted one of the biggest recruiting events of the summer on Friday for the program’s annual Bayou Splash in Baton Rouge.

For Kelly and the Tigers, they brought in a myriad of commitments in both the 2025 and 2026 classes along with targets at the top of their Big Board.

The invite-only event was once again a huge success for the program with LSU now trending for numerous targets.

One name to keep tabs on is Gulf Shores (Ala.) native JaMichael Garrett.

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The four-star 2026 linebacker has seen his status as a recruit skyrocket over the last few months after cracking the Top 150 in the recent update.

A Top 10 linebacker in America, Garrett has the Who’s Who of college football pursuing his services, but after trimming his list, it’s LSU and Auburn who are his finalists.

On Friday, Garrett made the drive to Baton Rouge for LSU’s Bayou Splash recruiting event where he was accompanied by several of the top targets on LSU’s radar.

Following the trip to check in with LSU, he hopped back in the car to make the trip up to Auburn where he will visit with the [Auburn] Tigers on Saturday.

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With his finalists set in stone, Garrett confirmed a commitment is “coming soon” with a decision likely coming within the next week.

Right now, LSU is trending for his services following a beneficial visit to Baton Rouge for the Bayou Splash event.

Garrett is an elite-level linebacker who could thrive under defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s system. There is a need for linebackers in the 2026 cycle with the Tigers turning up the heat for Garrett.

LSU currently holds a pair of 2026 commitments, but after a huge weekend on the recruiting trail, we could see more pop sooner than later.

All signs point to Garrett joining the class.

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Late Friday night, we saw the first prediction come in from On3 Sports’ Shea Dixon with more buzz trending LSU’s way.

For the Tigers, it would be a tremendous get for a program that is eyeing improvement for the long haul on the defensive side of the ball.

A Top 10 linebacker in America, Garrett is at the top of LSU’s 2026 Big Board with the program looking to get him on board sooner rather than later.

On Friday, he was alongside several top 2026 prospects with the No. 1 prospect in the country in town, Jahkeem Stewart.

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Stewart, the the top recruit in the 2026 cycle, is just down the road from Baton Rouge and Brian Kelly’s coaching staff has kept tabs on the prospect many are preparing to call “generational”.

The prized defensive lineman plays his high school ball at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans (La.) where the Bayou Bengals have certainly dipped their toes in over the years.

From Leonard Fournette to Tyrann Mathieu, there have been several LSU greats that have come from the impressive Catholic League high school.

Now, LSU has their sights set on the next great recruit out of St. Augustine in coveted prospect Jahkeem Stewart.

The No. 1 overall player in the country, Stewart is a physical specimen of a defensive lineman who has programs across America salivating at his ceiling.

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With a myriad of programs in his ear, Bo Davis and the Tigers have made sure to get in on the action as well.

LSU Football Lands Commitment From Five-Star Cornerback DJ Pickett, America’s No. 1 CB

LSU Baseball Flips Prized Pitcher, Texas A&M Commit Cooper Williams

SEC Media Days Notebook: Brian Kelly, LSU Eyeing Growth in 2024

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.

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McDaniel has 23, Memphis defeats Alabama State 88-67

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McDaniel has 23, Memphis defeats Alabama State 88-67


MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dug McDaniel scored 23 points as Memphis beat Alabama State 88-67 on Monday night.

McDaniel went 8 of 16 from the field (7 for 12 from 3-point range) for the Tigers (5-7). Curtis Givens III scored 18 points and added three steals. Ashton Hardaway shot 4 for 8 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 15 points, while adding seven rebounds and five steals.

Asjon Anderson led the way for the Hornets (3-9) with 16 points. Damarien Yates added 13 points and nine rebounds for Alabama State. Tyler Mason also recorded 12 points. The loss is the sixth in a row for the Hornets.

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McDaniel scored 14 points in the first half to help Memphis build a 42-33 halftime lead. Memphis pulled away with a 12-2 run in the second half to extend a nine-point lead to 19 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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What Kalen DeBoer said about facing ‘great’ Indiana team with ‘swagger’ in Rose Bowl

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What Kalen DeBoer said about facing ‘great’ Indiana team with ‘swagger’ in Rose Bowl


Kalen DeBoer described Indiana as “a great football team.”

The Alabama coach was effusive in his praise of the Hoosiers and their leader.

“Coach Cignetti, just what he’s done is amazing here these last two years, just building the program as quickly as he’s done to the level it’s at,” DeBoer said. “Really looking forward to us diving back into our process here the next 10 days or so, just getting back to work.

No. 9 Alabama will face No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1 (3 p.m. CT, ESPN). The winner of that matchup will advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, set to take part in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.

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Simply put, the Crimson Tide will have its hands full. On offense, the Hoosiers led the nation in third-down conversions and rank third in scoring offense.

Indiana also owns the nation’s No. 10 rushing offense, averaging 221.2 yards per game. Roman Hemby (918 yards, six touchdowns) and Kaelon Black (799 yards, seven touchdowns) are the top two running backs.

“Still diving into it, but I think the thing that jumps out at me, with the first glance here the last day or so, is how well they work together, the offensive line, in particular, and just everyone being in sync,” DeBoer said. “They’re always moving forward.”

Transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the leader of the offense as the Heisman Trophy winner. He has thrown for 33 touchdowns to six interceptions. Mendoza has also rushed for six scores this season.

“I just think with obviously Mendoza winning the Heisman, that doesn’t happen by accident,” DeBoer said. “You put a whole season of film together, of games and stringing them each and every week and you end up undefeated because a trigger man can make some plays and do his things at an extremely high level.”

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At receiver, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt are Mendoza’s top two targets. Cooper has secured 58 passes for 804 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sarratt has caught 51 passes for 687 yards and 12 scores.

“I look at their skill around the offensive line, they just all complement each other,” DeBoer said. “They go make plays. When the opportunities are there, they get it done.”

Defensively, the Hoosiers rank second in the nation in third downs and scoring defense. Indiana’s also third in tackles for loss.

“The defense, has the tackles for losses and is physical as well,” DeBoer said.

In total, it all has led to a 13-0 season so far after Indiana went 11-2 in 2024.

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“There’s great coaching you can see to put them in spots to succeed, but also the guys, you can see they play with a swagger, with a confidence,” DeBoer said, “and as they should with the success they’ve had.”



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Alabama NFL roundup: Where was Derrick Henry?

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Alabama NFL roundup: Where was Derrick Henry?


Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Henry opened the scoring with a 21-yard run with 12:21 left in the first quarter and scored on a 2-yard run as Baltimore took an 11-point lead with 12:50 remaining.

But he did not get on the field again, and the Ravens lost to the Patriots 28-24.

New England answered Henry’s second touchdown with one of their own (plus a 2-point conversion) to cut Baltimore’s lead to three points with 9:01 to play.

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When the Ravens, playing without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson by that point, took possession, they had Keaton Mitchell at running back. He carried the football on two of Baltimore’s six snaps before the Ravens punted.

New England scored another touchdown with 2:07 left to take a four-point lead. Baltimore took the field without Henry again and threw two passes. The second was completed, but fumbled, and the Patriots recovered to seal their victory.

After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked if Henry should have been in the backfield after New England cut the lead to three points.

“I mean, yeah,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, I look back, and I say yeah. …

“Looking back, would I rather have Derrick starting the drive? Yeah, but you know, Derrick was kind of ready for Keaton to start that drive, and then he was planning on coming in next. So they were working that rotation. You look back on it, I think it’s pretty easy to say he should have been in there or shouldn’t have been in there, but we’re rotating those guys throughout the game as two backs. But yeah, game-winning drive, do I want Derrick Henry in the on the field? Sure, I do want him on the field.”

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Mitchell finished the game with 13 yards on nine carries.

“We’ve been doing the rotation for how many weeks,” Henry said. “Keaton’s doing a great job in the run game. We’re both in there doing the best we can. We got a lot of good players, so everybody has to get their touches, get opportunities. And Keaton is deserving of it.”

Between the touchdowns, Henry lost a fumble at the New England 32-yard line in the first quarter.

Including the playoffs, Henry has 33 games with at least 128 rushing yards. Sunday night’s contest was the third that his team had lost.

The loss dropped Baltimore two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North race with two games to play. The Ravens play the Green Bay Packers on Saturday and the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday before Baltimore and Pittsburgh square off in the regular-season finale on Jan. 4.

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Henry was among the 39 former Alabama players who got on the field on the 16th Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.

Four other former Alabama players were involved in the New England-Baltimore game:

  • Christian Barmore started at defensive tackle for the Patriots. Barmore registered one quarterback hit.
  • Patriots tight end CJ Dippre was designated as a game-day inactive. 
  • Marlon Humphrey (Hoover) started at cornerback for the Ravens. Humphrey made six tackles, intercepted one pass and broke up another. Humphrey picked off quarterback Drake Maye at the Baltimore 4-yard line in the first quarter. Humphrey’s third interception of the season was the 22nd of his career. That’s tied for the fifth-most by a former Alabama player in the NFL with Russ Craft and Kareem Jackson. Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) recorded his second sack of the season.
  • Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) recorded his second sack of the season.



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