Alabama football did not leave much of a final impression on the 2024 season.

After regular-season road losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide missed the College Football Playoff and lost to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl, securing Alabama’s first season without 10 wins since 2007.

Last season, the lowest Alabama football was ranked in the final US LBM Coaches Poll was No. 8 by then-Central Florida coach Gus Malzahn. To end the 2024 season, the Crimson Tide finished much lower.

Washington coach Jedd Fisch, New Mexico coach Bronco Mendenhall, San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo, UNLV coach Barry Odom and Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor did not have Alabama ranked.

Of the coaches that ranked the Crimson Tide, Ohio coach Tim Albin, Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell and South Florida coach Alex Golesh each had Alabama at No. 24

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun had the Crimson Tide as its highest ranked, putting Alabama at No. 11 ahead of Boise State and Clemson.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart had Alabama at No. 12.

Ryan Day, who led Ohio State to a CFP national championship win against Notre Dame on Monday, had Alabama ranked at No. 19 behind South Carolina, Miami, Illinois and BYU.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer ranked the Crimson Tide at No. 15 in his final coaches poll.

Alabama will open the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Florida State.

Final US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25: Where did Alabama rank?

Here’s the final US LBM Coaches Poll:

1. Ohio State (53)
2. Notre Dame
3. Texas
4. Oregon
5. Penn State
6. Georgia
7. Arizona State
8. Tennessee
9. Boise State
10. Indiana
11. SMU
12. Clemson
13. Ole Miss
14. BYU
15. Iowa State
16. Illinois
17. Alabama
18. Miami
19. South Carolina
20. Missouri
21. Army
22. Syracuse
23. Memphis
24. UNLV
25. Colorado

Others receiving votes

LSU 44; Navy 28; Louisville 28; Michigan 20; Kansas State 20; Ohio 6; TCU 5; Marshall 1

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

On Monday, Donald Trump was officially sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. As he returns to office, 48 percent of Americans say they have an unfavorable opinion of Trump while 46.4 percent express favorability. That public division in approval is representative of a larger partisan divide which has only grown since Trump was first elected in 2016, with Republicans largely coalescing around Trump as the leader of their party while Democrats vehemently reject Trump and his policies.

Trump’s inauguration once again shined a spotlight on the stark partisan division between the rhetoric, policies, and values of the modern Republican and Democratic parties.

Prominent Democrats, including U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and Ilhan Omar, D-MN, refused to attend Trump’s inauguration as a public display of disapproval aimed at the president and his incoming administration. “I do not celebrate rapists, so no, I’m not going to the inauguration tomorrow,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a video posted to her social media. A 2023 civil case found Trump liable of sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996.

Meanwhile, Republicans, including those from Alabama’s congressional delegation remained largely supportive of the president and vocally celebrated Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

“Welcome back, Mr. President!” tweeted U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., alongside images of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at the inauguration ceremony.

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., also praised Trump’s return to office. “President Trump is back. The American Dream has a bright future,” she posted to her X account.

The official ALGOP X account also made a post celebrating inauguration day. “Stay tuned to the Alabama Republican Party’s social media for updates and highlights from our nation’s capital as we celebrate this historic day and the swearing in of @realdonaldtrump!” the post reads with an attached image that states, “Time to Make America Great Again.”

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., also made a post welcoming Trump back to office.

“Today is the day we have been waiting for. Donald J. Trump overcame every attempt by the establishment to stop him. His election came as an overwhelming mandate by the American people –to secure the borders, restore our economy, unleash American energy, and re-establish the United States as a respected world leader,” Strong wrote.

“He did not have to fight through this adversity, but he did,” Strong continued. “Today marks a new beginning. I am honored to serve the people alongside President Donald J. Trump, and I look forward to Making America Great Again. Our time is NOW!!”

Strong also made a post in support of executive orders related to immigration policy which Trump is expected to make soon after returning to office, including: “building the wall,” “designating cartels as terrorist organizations,” “deploying the National Guard to stop border crossings,” “ending an open border with catch-and-release policies,” and “suspending refugee resettlements.” Trump has also promised to issue mass deportations of undocumented immigrants soon after his inauguration.

Civil rights advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have decried Trump’s immigration agenda, calling the policies “inhumane” and “based on xenophobia and racism.”

Alabama’s two Democratic congresspeople were not as celebratory of Trump’s inauguration as the Republican delegation was. However, neither U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., or Shomari Figures, D-Ala., chose to explicitly criticize the president’s agenda on Inauguration Day, unlike other members of their party.

“Today, we were once again reminded of what sets our nation apart as a beacon of freedom and democracy as we witnessed the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next,” Sewell said in an official statement Monday. “I remain hopeful that the new administration will govern on behalf of all Americans, and I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner, where possible, for the benefit of Alabama’s 7th Congressional District.”

Rep. Figures, meanwhile, did not publicly comment on Trump’s inauguration. Instead, Figures chose to speak in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the federal holiday celebrating the life and legacy of the historic civil rights leader happened to coincide with Inauguration Day.

“As we celebrate the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I reflect on the lasting impact he made not only on this country and the world but also on the great state of Alabama. I would not be in my position if Dr. King had not marched in Selma, boycotted in Montgomery, and resisted in Birmingham,” Rep. Figures wrote on his X account. “I strive to fulfill the dreams Dr. King spoke of, not just for myself and my family but for all the people of Alabama.”

Rep. Figures did not respond to APR’s request for further comment on President Trump’s inauguration.

Even with a foot in a boot due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, Ohio State’s Seth McLaughlin stood on a chair in celebration. A cigar in his mouth, the former Alabama football center took the moment in, enjoying the national title the Buckeyes had won.

“Feels good,” McLaughlin shouted through the giddy yells and rap music. “Feels great.”

McLaughlin didn’t play in the 34-23 win over Notre Dame due to the injury he suffered late in the Buckeye season. Still, he used the season in Columbus to rebuild his confidence, and the night in Atlanta was a perfect ending.

Fitting for him and his Ohio State teammates, whose season was in question when they fell in in the regular season finale against Michigan.

“There isn’t a single person in here that hasn’t been doubted by everybody in the country,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just a testament to these guys’ resiliency and just, even to hang on in those final moments, find a way to win.”

Near the entrance to the locker room, McLaughlin’s fellow Alabama transfer, quarterback Julian Sayin, had a black commemorative t-shirt stretched over his shoulder pads. The freshman, who signed with Alabama and participated in Rose Bowl practices after the 2023 season, then transferred to OSU after Saban retired, posed for pictures with his teammates.

Sayin didn’t play in the game, sitting behind Ohio State starter Will Howard. Still, he was thrilled by reaching the college football mountaintop, the first Buckeye title since the 2014 season.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Sayin told AL.com. “Proud of the guys. Will Howard had an amazing game. I was able to learn a lot from him this season, and was really excited to see him do so well.”

Toward the back of the room, still in his game uniform, eyeblack running down his face as his teammates interrupted interviews to celebrate, Caleb Downs sat in a folding chair. Of all the ex-Alabama players now at Ohio State, he’d had the most impact on the field Monday.

Downs finished with five total tackles, playing the game in his home state. Both he and fellow Buford, Ga. native McLaughlin said they were undefeated in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, dating back to high school.

“It’s a blessing,” Downs said. “I can’t even describe it. It’s an unreal feeling for me just to come back home. To see my home, my family here, grandparents. And then I saw two of my elementary school teachers here today, like, I can’t describe it.”