Alabama
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.
Alabama
3 Alabama players who helped their draft stock at 2026 NFL combine
Each player had a pivotal role on the Crimson Tide in 2025.
Alabama had a multitude of former players who performed at an elite level at the NFL combine this past weekend.
Former Alabama star quarterback Ty Simpson was among those who put his talents on full display in Indianapolis, as Simpson continues to emerge as a top quarterback prospect available in April’s draft.
Numerous Crimson Tide stars on both sides of the football were able to have an excellent showing at the combine as well, with each playmaker a vital component to the Tide’s success in 2025.
Here are three Alabama players who helped their draft stock rise at the NFL combine.
Ty Simpson, Quarterback
Simpson is widely regarded as the best quarterback prospect available outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The talented redshirt junior put on an absolute show at the NFL combine, as Simpson delivered multiple perfect throws and put his talents on full display throughout Saturday’s events.
The former Alabama star is a candidate to potentially shine day one in his campaign in the NFL, as Simpson’s draft stock continues to rise prior to April.
Jam Miller, Running Back
Miller is an extremely fast and athletic running back, despite struggling in the Tide’s backfield last season. The star running back recorded an impressive 4.43u 40-yard dash time, as Miller could very easily shine in the NFL next season with consistent playing time.
Miller was nothing short of elite throughout his entire performance at the combine in Indianapolis, as the former Tide running back continues to rise in a multitude of draft rankings around the football world.
Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Tackle
Proctor played a crucial role on Alabama’s offensive line last season. The star lineman reportedly slimmed down prior to the NFL combine, as Proctor displayed elite speed and athleticism throughout Sunday’s combine in Indianapolis.
Proctor is widely expected to be a mid-to-late first round selection in April, as the talented lineman’s efforts during the combine could quickly begin to work in Proctor’s favor during next month’s draft.
The 2026 NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starting on April 23, as each Crimson Tide star will look to shine throughout their rookie campaign in the NFL.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Alabama
Husband, 19, fatally shot wife, 24, himself at Alabama hospital moments after welcoming their first child
A husband fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself at an Alabama hospital just moments after they welcomed their first child on Sunday.
Kynath Terry Jr., 19, gunned down 24-year-old Precious Johnson before fatally shooting himself inside the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, WTVM 13 reported.
Johnson delivered a healthy baby just before she was murdered. It’s not immediately clear if the baby was present during the shooting, but police said that Terry and Johnson were the only ones injured.
Terry’s mother told the outlet that the couple were having some marital issues leading up to Johnson’s due date, but nothing that made her fear her son would become violent.
She told the outlet that Terry completed Army National Guard training before tying the knot with Johnson.
She noted that Johnson didn’t want Terry’s side of the family at the hospital for her child’s birth, but it’s unclear if anyone from the mother-to-be’s own family was there.
The hospital was plunged into a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution” while police investigated reports of a shooting. It wasn’t lifted until hours later when they determined there was “no active threat to patients, team members or the public,” the outlet reported.
The Homewood Police Department described the tragedy as “an apparent murder-suicide and is domestic in nature.”
Danne Howard, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, told the outlet that the chilling attack “was an isolated incident” unlike anything she’d encountered during her three decades working in the state.
Howard said, in the wake of the tragedy, the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital would undergo a security overhaul implementing “lessons learned” from a mandated after-action report.
Just three months ago, in a town six miles outside of Homewood, a beloved sports reporter was fatally shot by her husband before taking his own life. Their 3-year-old son, who was unharmed, led his grandfather to his parents’ bodies.
Alabama
Air Force base security tightens, AL reacts after attacks in Iran
Hegseth on Iran: ‘This is not Iraq. This is not endless.’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said operations on Iran won’t be “endless” like Iraq.
The United States and Israel-led attacks on Iran are having an impact in Central Alabama.
The military actions that began Saturday targets the military forces of Iran and the nation’s ability to build nuclear weapons.
In Montgomery, Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex have stepped up security so that all entry points will have a 100 percent ID check, the bases said on social media. The Trusted Traveler Program is suspended, which allowed Department of Defense identification holders to vouch for passengers.
Visitors without base access will have to go through the visitor center to get a pass.
Central Alabama residents react to the Iran attacks
For Travis Jackson of Montgomery, the attacks bring back memories, bad memories. He served one tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 with the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of sergeant before leaving the service and has worked the last 10 years as a community activist and diversity, equality and inclusion coordinator.
“I had a flashback of being overseas again,” he said when he first heard news of the attack. “The first thing I thought of was corporate greed. Of yet again seeing what has transpired throughout the years of any war overseas.”
He feels the attacks are a mistake.
“It’s going to be detrimental to the economy, notably with the increase in oil prices,” he said.
Removing the current regime in Iran and establishing a more western friendly country could improve hopes for a more stable Middle East, said Amy Stephens of Elmore County.
“I don’t know if there will ever be peace there,” Stephens said. “But Iran has been the causing trouble over there for almost 50 years.”
Ray Roberts of Prattville served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990 and 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait. He served in an ordinance company with the Alabama Army National Guard. He was a sergeant when he left the service and now works as a draftsman at a Montgomery manufacturing plant.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” Roberts said of the attacks. “President Trump had said they were coming. When he says something like that, he means it. I am glad we are working with Israel so it’s not just the United States. I wonder if Europe and some of the other Gulf nations will join the attacks.”
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
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