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The decision from two years ago that made fourth-and-31 possible for Alabama football

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The decision from two years ago that made fourth-and-31 possible for Alabama football


LOS ANGELES — Imagine if, when Alabama football needed a miracle play against Auburn on fourth-and-31 in the 2023 Iron Bowl, Isaiah Bond would have been on the sideline with the defense.

Imagine if the hero wouldn’t have been with the offense to make the catch in the end zone that beat Auburn and kept the Crimson Tide’s College Football playoff hopes alive.

It’s not that wild of a concept because Bond could have been a defensive back. Two years ago when he came to Alabama, he had a decision to make. Play defensive back at Alabama? Or play receiver?

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“Coming out of high school, I was an athlete, so I played DB as well,” Bond said Thursday. “So they wanted me to play DB at first, but I ended up making that switch to offense because I wanted to play receiver.”

The decision has proved to be a good one of late especially, and not just because of the game-winning catch in the Iron Bowl. Bond has become a reliable target for quarterback Jalen Milroe. Another example: The receiver made some important grabs in the SEC Championship Game to beat Georgia.

ALABAMA FOOTBALL: Nick Saban explains ‘good, bad and ugly’ meetings: How they help Alabama football

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PRACTICE REPORT: Alabama football practice report: Intel from Dec. 28 practice before Rose Bowl

This season, Bond has caught 44 passes for 621 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Even though Bond won’t likely be playing defensive back anytime soon for Alabama (Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold have the Crimson Tide covered there), Bond’s time as a defensive back wasn’t a waste. Far from it.

“I felt like honestly it helped me a lot,” Bond said. “Just knowing really what a DB, what goes in their head because I was a DB, what coverages are, what a DB might do in a situation. I feel like all that background knowledge does actually help me at receiver as well.”

It’s helped him so far, and Alabama hopes it will help Bond again vs. Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Monday (4 p.m. CT, ESPN) in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.





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Alabama

How cold did Alabama get last night? These cities had the lowest temperatures

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How cold did Alabama get last night? These cities had the lowest temperatures


Very cold temperatures greeted Alabamians on Sunday morning.

The National Weather Service said temperatures overnight bottomed out in the low 20s in parts of the state and even were at the freezing mark in south Alabama.

Here were the lowest temperatures between midnight and 6 a.m. Sunday from around Alabama from the National Weather Service:

* Alexander City: 30 degrees

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* Anniston: 23 degrees

* Auburn: 28 degrees

* Birmingham: 24 degrees

* Decatur: 25 degrees

* Demopolis: 25 degrees

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* Dothan: 30 degrees

* Evergreen: 28 degrees

* Eufaula: 28 degrees

* Gadsden: 21 degrees

* Haleyville: 22 degrees

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* Huntsville: 26 degrees

* Mobile: 31 degrees

* Montgomery: 25 degrees

* Muscle Shoals: 24 degrees

* Ozark: 29 degrees

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* Prattville: 25 degrees

* Sylacauga: 24 degrees

* Talladega: 22 degrees

* Troy: 26 degrees

* Tuscaloosa: 25 degrees

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Temperatures today will be a few degrees higher than on Saturday. Highs will range from the low to mid-40s in south Alabama to the 50s in central Alabama, to the mid-50s in south Alabama (today’s forecast is at the top of this post).

Tonight will be chilly again, but not as cold as last night. Here are the forecast low temperatures from Sunday night into Monday morning:

Tonight’s low temperatures won’t be quite as cold as last night.NWS

Gradual warming is expected to continue this week, with the next chances for rain arriving on Wednesday, Christmas Day. The weather service isn’t expecting a lot of rain, and no severe weather is anticipated.

High temperatures on Christmas Day will be warmer, with 60s expected across a wide area and possibly some 70s near the coast. Here are the expected Christmas Day temperatures:

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Wednesday highs

It will be warmer across much of Alabama on Christmas Day. Above is the forecast for Wednesday.NWS

The warming trend looks to hold past Christmas. Here is the six- to 10-day temperature outlook, and it shows a high probability of above-average temperatures for Alabama through the end of December:

6-10 day temp outlook

Alabama has a high probability of experiencing above-average temperatures from Dec. 27- Dec. 31.Climate Prediction Center



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Seth McLaughlin Brings Alabama's Tennessee Victory Cigar Tradition to the Ohio State Sideline

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Seth McLaughlin Brings Alabama's Tennessee Victory Cigar Tradition to the Ohio State Sideline


Seth McLaughlin wasn’t able to play against Tennessee on Saturday night.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t celebrate his team’s dominating 42-17 win the way he used to when he suited up for the Alabama Crimson Tide as an undergraduate student. 

The cigar he had with him was not random or a prop. It was part of a tradition he learned in Tuscaloosa.

As the legend has it, in 1961 one of Bear Bryant’s trainers lit up a stogie following a Tide win which had ended a five-game slide to the Volunteers. This created a tradition maintained over the next two decades – which eventually spread to the opposite sideline.

The Volunteers have been participating in the victory cigar tradition since the early 1980s. It has spread from the sideline into the stands and tailgates. Earlier this season, the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide in Knoxville, creating a plume of smoke above Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee students light up cigars after an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.

Tennessee students light up cigars after an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So it was appropriate that McLaughlin, now with the Buckeyes following his Rimington Award-winning season in Columbus found a way to pay homage to his first alma mater while celebrating with his second one.

Ohio State plays Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. 





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Colorado LB Nikhai Hill-Green to transfer to Alabama football. What it means for Crimson Tide

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Colorado LB Nikhai Hill-Green to transfer to Alabama football. What it means for Crimson Tide


An all-conference linebacker is joining Alabama football for the 2025 season.

Nikhai Hill-Green, a former Michigan and Charlotte linebacker who was second-team All-Big 12 at Colorado in 2024, told On3 he would transfer to the Crimson Tide for his final season of eligibility.

Hill-Green is the seventh player to join Alabama ahead of 2025 along with Cal long snapper David Bird, Colorado School of Mines punter Blake Doud, Florida defensive lineman Kelby Collins, Utah cornerback Cameron Calhoun, Texas A&M offensive lineman Kam Dewberry and Miami wide receiver Isaiah Horton.

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Hill-Green is the third transfer commitment Saturday along with Horton and Dewberry.

What Alabama football gets in Colorado LB Nikhai Hill-Green

Hill-Green is coming off his most productive collegiate season yet.

The former four-star linebacker out of Baltimore was the Buffaloes’ second-leading tackler with 82, adding 11.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, four pass deflections and two interceptions.

Hill-Green had a 13-tackle performance against Kansas State. He also had back-to-back games against Texas Tech and Utah where he had an interception.

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Hill-Green improved upon his productive 2023 season at Charlotte where he had 73 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, two sacks and three pass deflections.

Hill-Green originally signed with Michigan in the 2020 class and played two seasons with the Wolverines.

Alabama football depth chart: Where does Nikhai Hill-Green fit?

Alabama’s linebacker room is about to get a lot younger.

The Crimson Tide added four linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class: Ohio four-star Justin Hill, Georgia four-star Darrell Johnson, Georgia four-star Luke Metz and California four-star Abduall Sanders Jr.

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It’s a room currently in a bit of a transition period, one that will not have Que Robinson and Justin Jefferson in 2025 while Jihaad Campbell and Deontae Lawson are both NFL draft eligible.

Depending on the status of Campbell and Lawson, Alabama could be looking to fill two linebacker spots next to Wolf Qua Russaw. And other than the four freshmen, Alabama’s room does not have many options with players expected to return such as Justin Okoronkwo, Jeremiah Alexander and Cayden Jones.

Hill-Green is a plug-and-play starter, likely at the Mike, one that gives Alabama a chance to develop younger members of the room instead of throwing them into the fire as freshmen.

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. 



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