Alabama

NFL playoffs: Alabama still No. 1 in postseason players

Published

5 hours ago

January 17, 2025

NFL playoffs: Alabama still No. 1 in postseason players

After having the most players on the active rosters of the playoff teams for the Wild-Card Weekend of any college program, Alabama will have the most representation in the Divisional Weekend, too.

With 31 former players on the original 14 postseason teams, Alabama now has 19 on the active rosters of the NFL playoffs’ remaining eight teams – and that doesn’t include Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, but only those players who went directly from the Crimson Tide to the NFL. Hurts played a season at Oklahoma between his three at Alabama and his second-round selection by Philadelphia.

But it’s still possible for Super Bowl LIX to go off without an Alabama alumnus because neither the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC nor the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC have a former Crimson Tide player on their roster.

The playoffs started with Florida and Michigan as the college programs guaranteed to have a representative at this season’s NFL championship game. The results of the Wild-Card Weekend assured six other college programs of having an alumnus in Super Bowl LIX – Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Washington and Wisconsin.

But no college program is guaranteed of having an alumnus on the winning team yet.

In addition to Alabama, colleges with at least 10 alumni remaining on the playoff teams’ active rosters are Georgia with 15, Oklahoma with 12, Florida, Ohio State and Penn State with 11 apiece and Notre Dame with 10.

The Wild-Card Weekend results were hard on other colleges’ representation. For example, former Hewitt-Trussville standout and Washington Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene is the only Auburn alumnus still playing. Five of the six teams that lost on Wild-Card Weekend had Auburn alumni on their active rosters, and former Tigers offensive tackle Jack Driscoll was placed on injured reserve by the Philadelphia Eagles.

The playoffs began with 65 players from Alabama high schools and colleges on the active rosters. Now there are 34. Here are the players with Alabama football roots on the remaining postseason teams:

Baltimore Ravens

Reserve/injured: Jalyn Armour-Davis, cornerback, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Alabama
Practice squad: Malik Cunningham, wide receiver, Park Crossing
Practice squad: Darrian Dalcourt, guard, Alabama
Derrick Henry, running back, Alabama
Marlon Humphrey, cornerback, Hoover, Alabama
Michael Pierce, defensive tackle, Daphne, Samford

Buffalo Bills

Amari Cooper, wide receiver, Alabama
Tylan Grable, offensive tackle, Jacksonville State
Practice squad: Kareem Jackson, safety, Alabama
Practice squad: Tyrell Shavers, wide receiver, Alabama
Javon Solomon, edge, Troy

Detroit Lions

Terrion Arnold, cornerback, Alabama
Brian Branch, defensive back, Alabama
Reserve/injured: Carlton Davis, cornerback, Auburn
Jahmyr Gibbs, running back, Alabama
Brodric Martin, defensive lineman, Northridge, North Alabama
Za’Darius Smith, defensive end, Greenville
Jameson Williams, wide receiver, Alabama

Houston Texans

Will Anderson Jr., defensive end, Alabama
Practice squad: Anthony Averett, cornerback, Alabama
Nico Collins, wide receiver, Clay-Chalkville
Reserve/injured: Tank Dell, wide receiver, Alabama A&M
Christian Harris, linebacker, Alabama
Tytus Howard, offensive lineman, Monroe County, Alabama State
Kamari Lassiter, cornerback, American Christian
John Metchie III, wide receiver, Alabama
Irv Smith Jr., tight end, Alabama
Henry To’oTo’o, linebacker, Alabama
Reserve/injured: Jimmie Ward, safety, Davidson
Practice squad: Kilian Zierer, offensive tackle, Auburn

Kansas City Chiefs

Practice squad: Chris Oladokun, quarterback, Samford
Practice squad: Justyn Ross, wide receiver, Central-Phenix City
Practice squad: Montrell Washington, wide receiver, Samford

Los Angeles Rams

Darious Williams, cornerback, UAB

Philadelphia Eagles

Reed Blankenship, safety, West Limestone
Practice squad: Khari Blasingame, fullback, Buckhorn
Reserve/injured: James Bradberry, cornerback, Pleasant Grove, Samford
Landon Dickerson, guard, Alabama
Reserve/injured: Jack Driscoll, offensive lineman, Auburn
Bryce Huff, defensive end, St. Paul’s Episcopal
Jalen Hurts, quarterback, Alabama
Eli Ricks, cornerback, Alabama
DeVonta Smith, wide receiver, Alabama
Tyler Steen, offensive lineman, Alabama
Reserve/injured: C.J. Uzomah, tight end, Auburn
Reserve/injured: Byron Young, defensive tackle, Alabama

Washington Commanders

Jonathan Allen, defensive tackle, Alabama
Noah Igbinoghene, cornerback, Hewitt-Trussville, Auburn
Daron Payne, defensive tackle, Shades Valley, Alabama
Jeremy Reaves, defensive back, South Alabama
Brian Robinson Jr., running back, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Trent Scott, offensive lineman, Lee-Huntsville

The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs take the field for the postseason this weekend. The No. 1 seeds on each side of the Super Bowl LIX bracket, they received a first-round bye through the Wild-Card Weekend.

The results and schedule for the NFL postseason include (with all times CST):

WILD-CARD WEEKEND

Saturday, Jan. 11

AFC: No. 4 Houston Texans 32, No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers 12
AFC: No. 3 Baltimore Ravens 28, No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers 12

Sunday, Jan. 12

Monday, Jan. 13

NFC: No. 4 Los Angeles Rams 27, No. 5 Minnesota Vikings 9

DIVISIONAL WEEKEND

Saturday, Jan. 18

AFC: No. 4 Houston Texans (11-7) at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (15-2), 3:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
NFC: No. 6 Washington Commanders (13-5) at No. 1 Detroit Lions (15-2), 7 p.m. (FOX)

Sunday, Jan. 19

NFC: No. 4 Los Angeles Rams (11-7) at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (15-3), 2 p.m. (NBC)
AFC: No. 3 Baltimore Ravens (13-5) at No. 2 Buffalo Bills (14-4), 5:30 p.m. (CBS)

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sunday, Jan. 26

NFC, 2 p.m. (FOX)
AFC, 5:30 p.m. (CBS)

SUPER BOWL LIX

Sunday, Feb. 9

AFC champion vs. NFC champion, 5:30 p.m. at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans (FOX)

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

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Alabama

Former Alabama safety joins Arkansas coaching staff

Published

12 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Former Alabama safety joins Arkansas coaching staff

Former Alabama safety Nick Perry has been hired as secondary coach at Arkansas, it was announced Thursday.

The 33-year-old Perry has spent the last four seasons in the NFL, most recently as a defensive assistant with the Seattle Seahawks. He coached with the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23 after spending four seasons at Alabama, two years as a defensive analyst (2019-2020) and two as a graduate assistant (2017-18).

A Prattville native, Perry played at Alabama from 2010-14 — starting for an SEC championship team as a senior — and spent for one season each with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. He was part of two national championship teams as a player with the Crimson Tide, and two more as a member of the football staff.

At Arkansas, Perry replaces Deron Wilson, who left to become defensive coordinator at Georgia State. He’ll work under former Auburn linebacker Travis Williams, who is entering his third season as the Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator.

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Alabama

Justice Department says Alabama institutionalizes too many children with disabilities

Published

21 hours ago

January 16, 2025

Press Room

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama children with physical disabilities are being unnecessarily institutionalized in nursing homes, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday, warning it would file suit against the state unless changes are made to allow more of these children to live at home.

A Justice Department investigation found Alabama is violating the requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act to administer services to individuals with disabilities in the setting most appropriate to the person’s needs.

“Many children with physical disabilities in Alabama are unnecessarily institutionalized or are at serious risk of unnecessary institutionalization,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke wrote to state officials.

Clarke announced the probe’s findings in a letter to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the Alabama Medicaid Agency and the Alabama Department of Senior Services. It listed changes the state should make to provide more community services and threatened a federal suit if action isn’t taken.

Alabama’s Gov. Kay Ivey’s office and the Department of Human Resources did not immediately respond to an email late Thursday afternoon seeking comment.

The federal investigation found that Alabama policies effectively limit community-based services, or long-term support services, which allow children with physical disabilities to live at home.

Federal officials said the state has not adequately developed its community-based workforce. The Justice Department also said Alabama fails to support foster parents who care for — or are considering caring for — foster children with physical disabilities.

Alabama parents too often face a difficult choice of sending their children to nursing homes for life or quitting their jobs to become full-time caregivers, the Justice Department wrote.

“Some children who could otherwise be cared for in family homes have spent their formative years growing up in nursing homes, separated from their families and communities. Others live on the brink of such institutionalization, as their families struggle physically, financially, and emotionally to keep them at home,” Clarke wrote.

The Justice Department in 2022 released similar findings regarding the state’s foster care system. Federal officials said the state’s foster care program has illegally placed hundreds of students with disabilities into “segregated and inferior educational programs,” which it called a direct violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Alabama

WWE wrestler on playing for Alabama: Nick Saban ‘definitely had his eye on me’

Published

1 day ago

January 16, 2025

Press Room

WWE wrestler on playing for Alabama: Nick Saban ‘definitely had his eye on me’

Oba Femi, the Alabama football star?

It apparently isn’t as far-fetched as you would think.

Before he was “The Ruler” of NXT and winner of the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship, he was Isaac Odugbesan of Nigeria who joined the Middle Tennessee State track team before transferring to Alabama, where he won the 2021 SEC indoor and outdoor shot put titles and defended his indoor title the following year.

During an appearance on the “No-Contest Wrestling” podcast, Femi was asked if he was ever approached to play football by former Alabama football coach Nick Saban.

“Not personally, but he definitely had his eye on me for sure,” he said, per Fightful.com. “Him and all the strength coaches, especially when we got to the end of the year and we started doing tests to find out our maxes and I’m throwing 700 pounds on the squat and all that so one go around, we have this freaking animal here. It came down to an issue where because I hadn’t played before, I’m from Nigeria, we don’t play football. So, you can’t give a full ride to someone who’s never played in a top tier school like Alabama, let’s just put it that way.”

Femi told AL.com in October his most memorable moment in Tuscaloosa was football-related.

“The one (football) game is Alabama vs. LSU in 2019,” he said. “We actually lost, but that was the very first Alabama game I ever went to, so it has a very special place in my heart.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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