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Nick Saban reveals his five favorite Alabama football players to coach

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Nick Saban reveals his five favorite Alabama football players to coach


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Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban had hundreds of players across 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide, including 66 All-Americans and 44 NFL first-round draft picks. But the players he enjoyed coaching the most were the ones who were first to recognize their own shortcomings.

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“I liked the guys that were always in my office because they were screwing up,” he told The Pivot this week. “I got closer to them.”

Choosing just one as his favorite to ever coach at Alabama wasn’t easy for the ESPN College GameDay analyst, but when asked by ESPN’s Ryan Clark, who played for Saban at LSU, Saban came up with five: wide receiver Julio Jones, linebacker Rolando McClain, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, running back Derrick Henry and linebacker Reuben Foster.

Jones and McClain were foundational cornerstones for Saban’s first Alabama national championship team in 2009. Jones caught 43 passes as a sophomore on that team, while McClain was the captain of a dominant defense at middle linebacker. Henry and Foster were teammates on UA’s 2015 national title team when Henry rushed for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns, while Foster anchored the defense with eight tackles for loss and nine pass breakups. Two years later, Tagovailoa came off the bench to lead a second-half comeback and win the 2017 national championship against Georgia.

Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.

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Commerce announces Alabama business development offices in Japan and South Korea

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Commerce announces Alabama business development offices in Japan and South Korea


The Alabama Department of Commerce announced it has engaged two internationally respected advisory firms to represent the state’s economic development interests in Japan and the Republic of Korea, further strengthening efforts to attract foreign direct investment, expand export opportunities and build enduring business partnerships in key global



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Jalen Hurts’ milestone pass reaches NFL, Alabama firsts

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Jalen Hurts’ milestone pass reaches NFL, Alabama firsts


When Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jahan Dotson with 5:59 left in Sunday’s 38-20 victory over the New York Giants, the former Alabama signal-caller reached a milestone in his NFL career.

And the 100th regular-season touchdown pass for Hurts also established an NFL first and an Alabama first in the league.

The touchdown pass was Hurts’ fourth of the game, and at the same time on Sunday, former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa was passing for four touchdowns in the Miami Dolphins’ 34-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

ALABAMA NFL WEEK 8 ROUNDUP

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Six Crimson Tide alumni have produced 27 NFL games with at least four touchdown passes, but Sunday was the first day in league history that two accomplished the feat on the same date.

Hurts has three games with at least four touchdown passes and Tagovailoa has five – four with four and one with six.

Ken Stabler had seven regular-season games with at least four touchdown passes, Joe Namath had six and Bart Starr and Richard Todd had two apiece in regular-season play. Starr and Stabler had one such game each in the playoffs.

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

Hurts also became the first player in NFL history with at least 15 touchdown passes, five TD runs and no more than one interception eight games into a season.

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No player in NFL history has had that set of numbers eight games into a season before Hurts. The closest had been another Philadelphia quarterback. In 2010, Michael Vick had 13 touchdown passes, five touchdown runs and one interception after eight games.

“Playing like the quarterback that we know he can be, and that’s the best in the league,” Dotson said of Hurts after Sunday’s game. “He’s doing a great job commanding the offense and making sure that everyone’s in the right spots, putting the ball out on time. So it’s nothing new to us. We see it every single day, and it’s cool to see it come true on Sundays.”

Hurts has completed 151-of-215 passes for 1,677 yards with 15 touchdowns and one interception and run for 208 yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries.

One odd note about Hurts’ three four-touchdown games: All have occurred in the eighth week of the season. Hurts also had four TD passes in a 35-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 30, 2022, and a 38-31 victory over the Washington Commanders on Oct. 29, 2023.

Hurts became the sixth player with 100 regular-season touchdown passes for the Eagles. Donovan McNabb holds the franchise record with 216 while playing for Philadelphia from 1999 through 2009. The other players with 100 TD passes for the Eagles are Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham, Carson Wentz and Norm Snead.

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How did former Alabama basketball star Mark Sears do in NBA debut with Milwaukee Bucks?

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How did former Alabama basketball star Mark Sears do in NBA debut with Milwaukee Bucks?


Former Alabama basketball star Mark Sears made his NBA regular season debut with the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night.

In the Oct. 26 matchup, the All-American point guard was called off the bench as the Bucks navigated a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers without guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Cole Anthony due to ankle injury and illness, respectively.

After showing off in the clutch during the preseason, Sears wasn’t able to come up with any of the hero plays he was known for through five years in college and ultimately suffered his first loss as a pro. The Bucks fell 118-113 to the Cavs.

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How did Alabama basketball alum Mark Sears perform in NBA debut?

Sears went scoreless in seven minutes of action for the Bucks. He had just one field goal attempt.

The two-way rookie had a turnover and a foul, finishing with a plus-minus of -5. Sears didn’t have the worst plus-minus of the night, though. Starting guard Gary Trent Jr. took the cake with -23.

Sears’ most well-rounded performance thus far with Milwaukee came against Oklahoma City and former Crimson Tide teammate Chris Youngblood. In eight minutes, Sears scored three points, added a board, an assist and a steal.

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Sears and Youngblood are two of four players from Alabama’s most recent Elite Eight roster that advanced to the next level. Center Clifford Omoruyi signed a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. in September after failing to make the training camp roster with the Toronto Raptors, who initially signed the undrafted prospect to an Exhibit 10. In October, forward Grant Nelson signed another Exhibit 10 contract with the Brooklyn Nets worth $1,272,870, which was first reported by The Tuscaloosa News.

The Bucks − and potentially Sears − get back to action on Tuesday, Oct. 28, against the New York Knicks.

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Tuscaloosa News reporter on major moments in Alabama basketball win at Furman

Tuscaloosa News reporter Emilee Smarr talks how Amari Allen and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. made big differences in Alabama basketball’s 96-71 Furman win.

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Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.



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