COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State operating backs coach Tony Alford is a straight shooter. He’s not going to sugarcoat something. In case you’re nice, he’ll inform you you’re uncommon. In case you’re not, he’ll present you methods to attain your potential.
It’s one cause recruits soak in his message.
One in every of Alford’s newest provides is Alvin Henderson, a promising 2025 operating again out of Elba, Alabama. Ohio State turned his 52nd supply on Friday as Alford and Henderson spoke over the telephone for the primary time.
”He saved it actual,” Henderson informed cleveland.com. “The issues he informed me over the telephone, no different coach that I had talked to ever mentioned something like that.”
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These phrases have been honesty, a price that Alford encourages all of his recruits to embrace. He reduce to the chase with a robust message.
“He was like, ‘I’m not the kind of a coach that’s going to promote you lies and desires. Out of all of the coaches which have already provided you, have they informed you why they really need you?’”
Henderson had heard that sort of discuss solely as soon as earlier than.
“I mentioned, ‘No coach has ever informed me that besides at Alabama,’ ” he mentioned. “We talked, me and my mother, and he informed us about The Ohio State. He mentioned he didn’t need me to suppose he was promoting me desires. He needed me to see it with my very own eyes.”
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That dialog trickled into Alford doubling down on what he believes Henderson can turn into a lot later down the street.
“He mentioned, ‘I’m going to be trustworthy with you, there are only some guys in your class that I’m recruiting that may make it to the NFL. You might be one of many premiere-type guys.’”
Ohio State has provided six operating backs within the class, ther others being Jordon Davison, Byron Louis, Gideon Davidson, Donovan Johnson and Harlem Berry.
Alford scouted Henderson for 2 months earlier than extending the supply.
“He mentioned he isn’t the kind of coach that simply goes out and provides you,” Henderson mentioned. “He desires to get to know you earlier than he provides you.”
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Alford’s trustworthy strategy planted the seed, however there may be nonetheless an extended method to go to try to pull certainly one of Nick Saban’s targets out of his personal yard. The Buckeyes have provided simply 20 prospects from the Yellowhammer State since 1999. They’ve by no means earned a dedication from an Alabama prospect within the trendy recruiting period (1999-present).
Residing only a three-hour drive from Tuscaloosa, Henderson grew up an Alabama fan. He’s been on Saban’s radar for fairly some time, with the Crimson Tide extending the supply after a camp final month. The elite prospect has additionally recorded a number of visits to campus. One take a look at the movie, and it’s straightforward to see why Alabama desires him to remain dwelling.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound all-purpose again burst onto the highschool scene with 24 touchdowns and 1,115 yards in his freshman season with the Elba Tigers. However what’s most spectacular is that he wasn’t even the starter in a few of his video games. That didn’t cease him from dominating the competitors, as chatter swirled across the South of his skills.
“I am going to a smaller faculty, however the place I am going to, we play a bit of competitors,” Henderson mentioned. “I actually wasn’t the beginning operating again final yr. When coaches discuss to my coaches and so they came upon that I didn’t begin, and each time I touched the ball and scored, that opened plenty of coaches’ eyes.”
Now all eyes are on him, as he’s being courted by school soccer’s most prestigious packages. His plan is to navigate a full-length recruitment with a end line set for Nationwide Signing Day in 2025, which is in December of 2024. Though, he admits, that plan might change.
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Henderson has visited Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Troy. He’s eyeing visits later this yr to Oklahoma, USC, Penn State, Florida, Texas A&M and Ohio State.
Alabama, and some others, have established a gradual line of communication with him.
“It’s actually Alabama,” Henderson mentioned when requested who he has the strongest relationship with. “I discuss to Alabama each week, USC each week. All the large colleges which have provided me, I discuss to them at the least as soon as per week.”
Ohio State has developed 43 operating backs into the NFL, adequate for fourth all-time, in line with Eleven Warriors. The Buckeyes well-documented historical past at operating again all the time offers them a powerful benefit in recruitments, and this one isn’t any totally different.
“I consider Ezekiel Elliott and all of the operating backs they’ve had over time,” Henderson mentioned. “I informed Coach Alford, yearly you possibly can anticipate an amazing operating again or receiver that comes out of Ohio State to be fairly good.”
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The Southern prospect has by no means been to Ohio, however he’s intrigued by the Buckeyes, saying they’ll “positively keep excessive” on his board.
Between 7-on-7, a number of sports activities, and a nationwide recruitment, the three-sport athlete (baseball and basketball) is juggling a dozen issues without delay, however his focus is rarely out of sync.
“I’m doing the identical factor I did final yr actually simply more durable,” Henderson mentioned. “About seven days per week, perhaps not Sunday, however seven days per week, I’m within the lab. I solely may be higher.”
He mentioned he desires to fall in love with a program that’s actual from begin to end. Crucial a part of his recruitment is who exhibits essentially the most real like to Henderson and his household.
“No matter coaches keep in contact with me and my mother essentially the most,” Henderson mentioned. “I don’t wish to go to a college that my mother doesn’t actually know something about. I wish to go to a faculty a pair occasions earlier than I can really commit. Like Coach Alford mentioned, coaches be promoting me desires. I wish to see what it’s about earlier than I commit.”
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The SEC has taken the men’s college basketball world by storm this season. When this week began, the SEC had nine teams in The Associated Press top 25, including six in the top 10.
Auburn and Alabama are in the top 10 and making their marks as favorites to win the national championship. Before they cut down the nets in the Final Four, they will try to win a conference championship.
The SEC regular season conference winner odds for Auburn and Alabama show a pair of teams expected to be there at the end. That’s what we are examining today.
Note: Odds are based on the best value our experts find as of publication; check lines closer to game time to ensure you get the best odds.
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SEC regular season conference winner odds
These are the odds for each team to win the SEC regular season men’s basketball conference title from BetMGM Sportsbook:
Team
BetMGM odds to win SEC regular season
Auburn
-115
Alabama
+450
Tennessee
+500
Florida
+800
Kentucky
+1800
Mississippi State
+2000
Texas A&M
+2000
Ole Miss
+5000
Arkansas
100-to-1
Georgia
125-to-1
Oklahoma
125-to-1
Texas
125-to-1
Missouri
200-to-1
Vanderbilt
200-to-1
LSU
250-to-1
South Carolina
250-to-1
The top five teams in this betting odds market rank in the top eight in this week’s AP poll. The next two are not far behind at Nos. 10 and 14. After that, the odds drop significantly, but even Ole Miss is a top-25 team.
Don’t nitpick about how the odds and rankings compare. Tennessee entered this week undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation but lost to Florida on the road by 30 points. With so much parity in college basketball, the regular season is more of a survival challenge than an expectation to win every game.
Auburn and Alabama were among the favorites to win the regular season title when the season began and both teams have played well thus far. They’ll be favorites if they win a large majority of their games and beat a couple of fellow contenders along the way.
Auburn SEC championship odds
Sportsbook
SEC championship odds
BetMGM
-115
FanDuel
-130
DraftKings
-105
No. 2-ranked Auburn (14-1) has lit the court on fire throughout its 14-1 start, including marquee wins over Houston, North Carolina, Iowa State and Purdue. The Tigers’ only loss came on the road against Duke.
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The biggest spark has been forward Johni Broome, who averages 18.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 blocks. His performance has catapulted him to the top of the Wooden Award odds listed by DraftKings Sportsbook. Broome has odds of -280 while Duke’s Cooper Flagg is at +230. No other player has odds better than 16-to-1.
Broome is the MVP, but five other Auburn players average at least 10 points per game. That’s an incredible feat in this day of college basketball.
The Tigers rank fourth in the nation in points per game with 87.9. They rank first in blocks per game with 6.9 and 26th in shooting percentage allowed at 39.2%
Auburn hits the road to play South Carolina on Saturday before returning home to face No. 14 Mississippi State on Tuesday. A home game against Tennessee looms Jan. 25.
Alabama SEC championship odds
Sportsbook
SEC Championship odds
BetMGM
+450
FanDuel
+380
DraftKings
+550
No. 5 Alabama (13-2) has had an incredible season with the only blemishes being losses to Oregon and Purdue. The Crimson Tide have big wins over Illinois, Houston, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
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The whole SEC schedule will be tough, but the next three games especially stand out for Alabama. The Tide play Texas A&M on the road, Ole Miss at home and Kentucky on the road.
Like Auburn, Alabama has balanced scoring at the top. Five players average double figures, led by Mark Sears’ 18.3 points. Fellow returner Grant Nelson has been pivotal, too. He averages 13.1 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds.
If Alabama is going to win the regular season title, it will have to earn it over the final handful of games. The Tide’s final five games are against Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida and Auburn.
North Alabama Lions (10-6, 2-1 ASUN) at Stetson Hatters (4-12, 2-1 ASUN)
DeLand, Florida; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: North Alabama visits Stetson after Jacari Lane scored 22 points in North Alabama’s 75-70 loss to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.
The Hatters have gone 3-3 at home. Stetson has a 0-2 record in one-possession games.
The Lions have gone 2-1 against ASUN opponents. North Alabama has a 0-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
Stetson’s average of 8.1 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.2 fewer made shots on average than the 8.3 per game North Alabama allows. North Alabama has shot at a 45.7% rate from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points greater than the 44.8% shooting opponents of Stetson have averaged.
The Hatters and Lions square off Saturday for the first time in ASUN play this season.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Mehki is averaging 15.8 points for the Hatters.
Corneilous Williams is averaging 9.8 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Lions.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hatters: 3-7, averaging 74.5 points, 30.5 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 6.2 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 82.0 points per game.
Lions: 6-4, averaging 76.3 points, 34.6 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.2 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said student’s mental health, and cell phone use are at the top of his priorities this year.
“We certainly have a mental health crisis in families,” he said. “And particularly in youth in this country, and we want to make sure we’re addressing that.”
That crisis, Dr. Mackey said, is fueled by cell phone use and social media. He said this is a concern that he will be very vocal about in the upcoming legislative session.
“It’s really limiting social media. But, the only way we can get social media away from students during the school day is to limit the access to cell phones or smartphones,” Dr. Mackey said.
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Rep. Mary Moore (D-Birmingham) said it’s not just about cell phone use in schools. She wants to see a better pay frequency for educators, and recruiting in this session.
“Some of the problems that we have is recruiting the type of; not only educators, but child nutrition workers, custodians, bus drivers, and people that can be committed to the system,” she remarked. “If the system was committed to them.”
Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) said cell phones should be put away from bell to bell. She said she wants to put more money towards the school choice program.
“We probably, with our current budget of $100 million allocated to school choice, only have room for up to 16,000 students,” said DuBose. She said over 11,000 students have applied to the program so far. “So, in less than a week, we’ve almost already utilized our full budget allocation.”
Besides cell phone use, Dr. Mackey said the board wants to see reading and math scores continue to go up. And, he said extended learning programs like after school and summer school will be key in 2025.
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“Those times that we have children outside of the regular school day, how are we using that time to make sure that we are promoting learning?” said Dr. Mackey. “But also, promoting high quality childhood, keeping those children off the streets, out of trouble, and in very good, engaging programs.”
Dr. Mackey said he doesn’t know what the solution will be to cell phone use in the classroom. Some bills have already been pre-filed for the upcoming session that address the topic.
The 2025 legislative session starts on February 4th.
