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Saban touts one of 'most amazing seasons in Alabama history' after CFP loss – UPI.com

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Saban touts one of 'most amazing seasons in Alabama history' after CFP loss – UPI.com


1 of 5 | Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban leaves the field after the first half against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 Rose Bowl Game on Monday at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 2 (UPI) — The 2023-24 campaign was one of the “most amazing seasons in Alabama football history,” coach Nick Saban told reporters after a College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Michigan.

Saban made the comments after the No. 4 Tide lost to No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl Game on Monday in Pasadena, Calif. The Tide held a 29-13 lead with 4:41 remaining before the Wolverines tied the score and won in overtime.

“We just didn’t finish the last 4 minutes of the game like we liked to,” Saban said at his postgame news conference at Rose Bowl Stadium. “We are all very disappointed and the players are disappointed as well.

“But one thing I told them in the locker room after the game was that this was one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history, in terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do. … I’m really really proud of this group.”

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Monday’s game marked the Tide’s eighth semifinal appearance in 10 years. They won four national titles in the College Football Playoff era, which started in 2014.

The Tide (12-2), who haven’t lost more than two games in a season since 2010, lost to the Texas Longhorns in their second game of their 2023-24 campaign. That Sept. 9 setback was the earliest ever in a season for a Saban-led team at Alabama.

Alabama then won their next 10, advancing to the Southeastern Conference title game. There, they upset the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal.

The Tide did not reach the Top 4 of the College Football Playoff rankings until the final week of the season. They ranked No. 8 in the initial rankings, which were released Oct. 31. They kept that spot in the next four revisions.

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“I don’t look at it necessarily from winning and losing or you won the championship, you didn’t win the championship,” Saban said of the 2023-24 season. “As a coach, you are always trying to get your team to improve and be the best they can be.

“I think this team probably improved from the South Florida and Texas game early in the season as much as any team I’ve ever coached. That takes a lot of hard work, a lot of people being very committed to doing things they need to do to self assess and improve their game.

“All these players bought in on this team and did it in first-class fashion. That’s why, I think, it is one of the teams I’ll remember most and be the most proud of.”

The Tide averaged 34 points and 401.2 yards per game this season. They totaled just 288 yards and allowed six sacks in Monday’s loss.

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“I just wish I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful, help them finish,” Saban said. “All we can do now is learn from the lessons that sometimes failings bring to us.

The No. 1 Wolverines will face the No. 3 Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff finale on Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston. That game will air at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Michigan Wolverines quarterback and offensive MVP J.J. McCarthy celebrates after the Wolverines defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20 in the 2024 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on January 1, 2024. Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI | License Photo



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Alabama

Southern 88-85 Alabama A&M (Mar 5, 2026) Game Recap – ESPN

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Southern 88-85 Alabama A&M (Mar 5, 2026) Game Recap – ESPN


HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — — Terrance Dixon Jr.’s 19 points helped Southern defeat Alabama A&M 88-85 on Thursday.

Dixon shot 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Jaguars (15-16, 11-7 Southwestern Athletic Conference). Michael Jacobs scored 15 points while going 4 of 11 and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line, and added five rebounds. AJ Barnes shot 3 for 7 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points, while adding six rebounds.

Koron Davis finished with 23 points for the Bulldogs (17-14, 10-8). James Graham added 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals for Alabama A&M. Kintavious Dozier also had 12 points.

The Jaguars led by 10 points with 59 seconds to go, before the Bulldogs executed a three-point play from Bilal Abdur-Rahim then got a 3-pointer from Dozier in the span of nine seconds, cutting the deficit to four. A free throw battle closed out the result for the Jaguars.

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



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Top-30 overall recruit Jaxon Richardson commits to Alabama

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Top-30 overall recruit Jaxon Richardson commits to Alabama


Jaxon Richardson, the No. 27 overall recruit in the 2026 class per the Rivals Industry Ranking, has committed to Alabama.

The 6-foot-6 four-star small forward out of Southeastern Prep (FL) ultimately chose the Crimson Tide over USC, Creighton, and Ole Miss. He also received offers from Miami, Cincinnati, Michigan, Florida, Villanova, and others.

Richardson, a McDonald’s All-American, becomes the Crimson Tide’s third commitment of the 2026 cycle. He joins four-star shooting guard Qayden Samuels (No. 28 NATL) and four-star small forward Tarris Bouie (No. 54 NATL).

He’s the son of NBA veteran and two-time NBA Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson. His older brother, Jase, played for Michigan State last season before being selected 25th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.

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Rivals’ National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw says Richardson is one of the most explosive players in the 2026 class:

Jaxon Richardson is able to combine fluid athleticism with explosive burst in a way no other player in this class can. He uses his athleticism to his advantage on the floor. He fills the outside channels with a purpose in transition, he is aggressive in the passing lanes, and he plays as a vertical floor spacer in the dunker spots and lob plays. Last summer, playing with the Florida Rebels on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged 12.8 points on 54.0 percent shooting and 10.5 attempts per game. Last high school season, he averaged 12.9 points on 61.0 percent shooting on 8.9 attempts per game. He is a highly efficient player, as 84.4 percent of his makes last high school season were at the rim.



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Alabama Baseball Ties Stolen Base Record In Win Over Hornets

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Alabama Baseball Ties Stolen Base Record In Win Over Hornets


Alabama baseball cruised to a win over Alabama State on Wednesday night, beating the Hornets 13-4 to complete the season sweep. The Crimson Tide tied a program record with nine stolen bases in one of the stranger contests that will be played this season.

The tone was set for a tumultuous night on the basepaths in the opening minutes of the game. Leadoff batter Bryce Fowler, who exited Tuesday’s game after getting beaned in the head, was walked, and promptly took second base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch in Justin Lebron’s at-bat, paving the way for Lebron to steal second when he was ultimately walked as well.

The successful baserunning instantly paid off, as Brady Neal drove both in with a double to left-center field before John Lemm walked two at-bats later. Both runners stole their respective bases on the same pitch in Jason Torres’ plate appearance, meaning that four of the first five batters of the game stole a base.

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Alabama has been exceptional on the basepaths, sitting at 30-for-30 on the season. Lebron, who swiped two bags on Wednesday, leads the team with 12. The junior had an up-and-down night, hitting his eighth home run of the season, but also committing an error at shortstop for the fourth consecutive game.

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“Get those things out of there now, baby. The dude is unbelievable,” an unconcerned Rob Vaughn said on Tuesday of Lebron’s errors. “We’re going to look up at the end of the year, and that guy is going to have five or six errors, which one he’s got right now, and we’ll be like, ‘Man, that guy is the best of all time to do it.’”

Wednesday’s game was a very prototypical midweek contest with no shortage of quirks and oddities throughout its nearly four-hour runtime. Fifteen Alabama batters were walked, falling just one shy of the program record, and the hit by pitch record was tied as seven batters were plunked.

The game was never competitive from an on-field standpoint. After barely escaping with a 2-1 win in the first matchup with the Hornets two weeks ago, this was a far more accurate representation of what these games typically look like, as Alabama now leads the all-time series 15-0.

Freshman Joe Chiarodo made his first career start, allowing two hits and one walk over two scoreless innings. He was named the winning pitcher. Luke Smyers, Connor Lehman, Anthony Pesci and Tate Robertson were the other pitchers to take the mound. Lehman allowed a three-run blast in the sixth inning, and those were the only runs until the incredibly-named Skywalker Mann drove in a run off Robertson in the ninth.

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Perhaps the most shocking figure from the game was that Alabama had 19 runners left on base. The Crimson Tide left the bases loaded in four different innings. As stated, this was just a bizarre baseball game across the board. With the midweeks out of the way, the Crimson Tide gets to prepare for its final weekend tune-up before SEC play as North Florida heads into Tuscaloosa on Friday.



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