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.”

Gay and transgender rights advocates in Alabama and beyond are gearing up for more attacks on LGBTQ rights after newly sworn-in President Donald Trump vowed that under U.S. policy there are “only two genders.”

“We take the remark to be a denial of all trans folks’ lived experiences, especially within the context of expected executive actions,” the Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition, said in an email to AL.com. “Science and medicine affirm the existence of a whole spectrum of gender that includes cisgender and transgender people alike. The administration’s stance on this benefits no one, and contradicts widely accepted medical best practice.”

Trump is expected to sign an executive action restricting the government’s definition of gender and sex.

“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” Trump said Monday during his inaugural address, to loud applause.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., praised Trump’s comments.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for recognizing that there are 2 genders: male and female,” Tuberville said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Now, we need to pass my bill to get men OUT of women’s sports.”

Tuberville reintroduced the bill that would bar transgender athletes from women’s sports earlier this week with numerous co-sponsors, including Alabama’s junior Republican, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt.

The Alabama coalition for transgender rights condemned Tuberville’s remarks.

“Transgender people (including nonbinary folks) exist in Alabama, and many are born here — and we just want to be free to participate in society like everyone else,” the advocacy group said in an email to AL.com. “In the coming years, some politicians will continue to proclaim falsehoods in an effort to distract from issues that they can’t solve without upsetting the interests that fund them. Alabama’s working-class people aren’t helped by the introduction of anti-trans policy, by a rejection of science, or by the embrace of anti-intellectualism.”

An incoming White House official told reporters that Trump will sign an executive action on Monday dictating that the policy of the U.S. is that there are two biologically distinct sexes: male and female, according to NPR.

The sexes are “not changeable,” according to the official, who spoke on background to reporters. The change in definition would apply to documents like passports, visas, and employee records.

Taxpayer funds would not be allowed to be used for “transition services,” according to the report from NPR.

But transgender rights advocates urged caution.

“Today, the Trump Administration is expected to release a barrage of executive actions taking aim at the LGBTQ+ community instead of uniting our country and prioritizing the pressing issues the American people are facing,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, in an email to AL.com. “But make no mistake: these actions will not take effect immediately.”

Robinson said the actions “serve no purpose” other than hurting LGBTQ+ families and communities.

She said the Trump administration “is trying to divide our communities in the hope that we forget what makes us strong.”

“But we refuse to back down or be intimidated.”

Trump is expected to sign numerous executive actions Monday, primarily related to immigration.

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Wisconsin LSC Short Course Senior Champion Mazie Paradis has committed to continuing her swimming career at the University of Alabama in the fall of 2025. Paradis is currently a senior at New Glarus High School and trains with the Verona Area Swim Team.

I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Alabama! I first want to thank my family, coaches & teammates for helping me through this process. I also want to thank the amazing coaching staff at Alabama who have given me this opportunity. ROLL TIDE 🐘❤️🤍

Paradis earned her best 200 IM time of 2:02.99 last month at the Speedo Winter Junior Championship West (SCY) in Austin, Texas. At the meet, she qualified for the 2025 Futures Championship in Madison in four events: the 100 back (55.23), 200 back (1:59.46), 100 fly (55.95), and the 200 IM.

Earlier in the year, in March, Paradis secured her SCY 100 fly personal best of 55.71 at the NCSA Spring Championships in Orlando, Florida. She also set a personal best in another SCY event, the 50 breast, with a time of 29.45. She made it to the finals in both events, which were held in LCM.

Paradis was the 2023 Wisconsin LSC Senior Short Course Champion (SCY) in the 100 IM (56.76) and 100 back (54.68), with her 100 back time remaining her personal best. She was also a finalist in the 200 back (1:59.49), finishing 2nd, the 200 IM (2:04.69), earning 3rd, the 100 fly (56.90), placing 5th, and the 50 back (25.83), where she took 6th.

Paradis set her personal best in the SCY 200 back at the 2023 NCSA Spring Championships in March, finishing 20th overall in the finals with a time of 1:59.22. She also reached the finals in the 50 back (26.17), 100 back (54.85), and 200 IM (2:03.92).

In November 2023, at the IA IFLY A3 Midwest Challenge (SCY) in Iowa City, Paradis set a new personal best in the 50 free with a time of 23.37, placing 2nd. She also made it to the finals in the 100 back (55.37), finishing 2nd, the 200 back (2:00.82), also placing 2nd, the 100 fly (55.83), where she finished 3rd, the 200 IM (2:03.69), earning 2nd, and the 400 IM (4:27.68), where she claimed 1st.

Top SCY Times

• 50 Free – 23.37
• 100 Back – 54.68
• 200 Back – 1:59.22
• 100 Fly – 55.71
• 200 IM – 2:02.99

The Alabama women placed 6th out of 12 teams at the SEC Championships last season, down from 4th the previous year. Paradis’s best 200 IM time (2:02.99) could help strengthen the IM group at Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s fastest time last season, 1:58.24, was held by Olympic swimmer Diana Petkova, who competed in the 100 breast and 200 IM at the Tokyo Games, representing Bulgaria. She is currently a graduate student. Paradis is also strong in the 100 back (54.68). The fastest time last season, 52.11, was held by sophomore Ella Menear.

Paradis will join Madyson Hartway, Lili Ratzlaff, Sarah Parker, Isabella Chavez-Varela, and Lolly Milbaum as part of Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class. Chavez-Varela also shows strength in the 200 IM, with a time of 2:00.89.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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