Connect with us

Alabama

Voisin twins playing together for final time at South Alabama in Salute to Veterans Bowl

Published

on

Voisin twins playing together for final time at South Alabama in Salute to Veterans Bowl


For as long as they can remember, Jaden and Devin Voisin have been not only teammates, but roommates.

That’s soon to change for the twin brothers on the South Alabama football team, which faces Western Michigan in Saturday’s IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery. Jaden — a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference safety — will suit up for the Jaguars for the final time as a sixth-year senior, while Devin — a starting wide receiver — has one year of eligibility remaining thanks to a knee injury that led to a medical redshirt in 2023.

“Not everyone in this world can do that stuff, and I was blessed to do that for all my years here, so it’s awesome,” Jaden said. “… My parents come to every game, have not have to go to different games. We both grew as men and as football players here, and it’s just a blessing to be here.”

The Voisin twins starred in multiple sports at Crestview High School, winning a state championship in basketball and playing for one in football. They signed with South Alabama in the 2019 recruiting class, and were joined their first two years on the team by older brother Keon, who eventually transferred away and finished his career at West Florida.

Advertisement

Both had fits and starts in their early years at South Alabama, including a knee injury in fall camp that cost Jaden the entire 2020 season. But both blossomed during the 2022 season, with Jaden becoming a starter at safety and Devin one of the team’s top receivers.

Devin caught 64 passes for 867 yards and five touchdowns that season, but had his career sidetracked when he tore his ACL in Week 2 the following year. Following a grueling rehab, he has returned this season to catch 31 passes for 365 yards in 12 games.

Because he missed virtually the entire 2023 season, Devin was able to secure a rare seventh season of eligibility. Asked if he’ll spend that final season at South Alabama, Voisin said that’s the most likely outcome.

“We’re still talking about that,” he said, “but that’s the plan right now, to come back here.”

Jaden Voisin also had a breakout season in 2022, when he 79 tackles, five pass breakups and two interceptions in his first year as a starter. He followed that up with 71 tackles, seven PBUs and a team-high four interceptions in 2023, earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors.

Advertisement

After briefly entering the NCAA transfer portal during the offseason, Jaden has been even better in 2024, totaling 74 tackles, five PBUs and five interceptions. His 11 career interceptions are a South Alabama program record, and he’s on a very short list of Jaguars players to twice earn first-team All-Sun Belt recognition.

“It’s all a salute to my teammates, honestly, and my coaches,” Jaden said. “I could have been somewhere else and my career could have been something different. So it’s honestly a blessing that I was here, and I’m just going to say it’s a salute to them, honestly.”

Assuming he returns to South Alabama, Devin Voisin will be leaned on even more as part of an offense that loses four senior receivers — including All-Sun Belt pick Jamaal Pritchett. Quarterback Gio Lopez did announce Wednesday that he’s planning to return in 2025 rather than explore a possible transfer.

But for the first time in six years, the South Alabama program won’t have multiple Voisins on the roster. Jaden is likely to be in an NFL camp somewhere, while Devin will be preparing for his final college season.

There’s one more game to go, however, as the Jaguars (6-6) take on the Broncos (6-6) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl. The game will air live via ESPN.

Advertisement

“It’s bittersweet, because I know he (Jaden) will have a chance at the next level which is good thing,” Devin said “But it’s just different because I’m losing my roommate. And then, me and Jaden have been together forever, from all the way through elementary (school) to college. We haven’t really been apart, so it’s gonna be new to both of us.

“It’s gonna be cool. I guess I won’t be known as ‘Twin’ anymore. It’s more like, that’s Devin.”



Source link

Alabama

Top-30 overall recruit Jaxon Richardson commits to Alabama

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

More on Richardson

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.



Source link

Continue Reading

Alabama

Alabama Baseball Ties Stolen Base Record In Win Over Hornets

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Alabama

New Alabama law to set screen time limits for kids in day care, pre-K and kindergarten

Published

on

New Alabama law to set screen time limits for kids in day care, pre-K and kindergarten


The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act was signed on Wednesday, March 4, by Governor Kay Ivey to introduce limits on children’s screen time access in Alabama.

The Act is one of Ivey’s 2026 legislative priorities.

“Video screen access in classrooms can boost learning skills among our young children, but too much screen exposure can also be detrimental, harming critical social and cognitive development,” Ivey said. “The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act ensures our youngest students are provided a healthy balance of screen time and traditional learning in order to protect social and emotional development.”

Under the Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act, the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education will be required to work with the Department of Human Resources and the State Department of Education to develop guidelines for screen-based media.

Advertisement

Guidelines will be implemented in early childhood education programs like day care centers, day care homes, night care facilities, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and group day care homes. The Act was sponsored by Representative Jeana Ross and Senator Donnie Chesteen.

“House Bill 78 establishes clear, research-based expectations for how technology is used in early childhood settings,” said Ross. “The goal is not to eliminate technology, but to ensure its use is developmentally appropriate and never replaces the hands-on learning and human interaction young children need most. By setting thoughtful guardrails and aligning classroom practices with the best available research on early brain development, this legislation supports educators, protects the quality of early learning and reinforces our commitment to giving Alabama’s youngest students the strongest possible start.”

A training program will also be created by the Department of Early Childhood Education to create a baseline for the appropriate use of child screentime for teachers and staff members supervising children.

“The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act represents another important step in ensuring Alabama’s youngest children grow and learn in environments that prioritize human interaction, exploration and healthy development,” said Chesteen. “Building on the progress made with last year’s FOCUS Act, this legislation continues our commitment to protecting the most formative years of childhood. I am grateful to Governor Kay Ivey and my colleagues in the Legislature for recognizing the importance of this issue and working together to support Alabama families.”

The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act will become effective on January 1, 2027.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending