Alabama

Why Josh Heupel was proud of Nico Iamaleava in Tennessee football vs Alabama

Published

1 year ago

October 20, 2024

Why Josh Heupel was proud of Nico Iamaleava in Tennessee football vs Alabama

Nico Iamaleava picked the seat between Dont’e Thornton and Chris Brazzell.

The two Tennessee football wide receivers had changed or cleaned up. Not Iamaleava. The Vols quarterback was still in his uniform when he settled in for a postgame press conference.

“I couldn’t get to my locker and change my stuff up,” Iamaleava said.

That’s what happens to the Vols quarterback when you beat Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC). Iamaleava — missteps and all — joined that club as an Alabama-beating QB on Saturday as No. 10 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1) downed No. 7 Alabama 24-17 at Neyland Stadium.

What Josh Heupel liked about Nico Iamaleava’s game against Alabama

Iamaleava made a perfect throw when he had to. He spiraled the ball to Brazzell, who dove and hauled in a 16-yard catch for the eventual game-winning touchdown.

It was the culmination of what Vols coach Josh Heupel loved about Iamaleava in the second half.

“Here’s a lot of things, just physical, mental toughness that I really liked,” Heupel said.

Iamaleava was 14-for-27 passing for 194 yards with the touchdown to Brazzell and an interception.

He had moments of greatness. The touchdown to Brazzell was notable. So was the throw Iamaleava uncorked to Thornton, a 55-yard beauty rolling to his right. That third-down success set up a touchdown for the Vols to take a 14-10 lead. He set up another touchdown earlier in the quarter with a 27-yard run.

OVERREACTIONS: Tennessee football has evened the Alabama rivalry and other overreactions from Vols win

The Vols scored twice on three drives in the third quarter after going scoreless in the first half for the third straight game.

“Quarterbacks, it’s toughness,” Heupel said. “It’s mental toughness and it matters the most.”

What is next for Nico Iamaleava

Iamaleava had a quick answer for what went wrong with Tennessee’s offense in the first half.

“I missed a shot to Squirrel (White) on the touchdown,” Iamaleava said.

Iamaleava believed if he made that throw for an early touchdown, the offense would have gotten rolling and the game would have gone differently. He has missed those throws often in the past few games, including the walk-in touchdown to White.

He missed another to Brazzell in the first and one to Bru McCoy in the fourth.

Iamaleava made his eighth career start Saturday. He has struggled in SEC play and has yet to throw for more than 200 yards in an SEC game. Inconsistencies throwing downfield have been the main issue in conference play.

“I got to be better on that,” Iamaleava said of the early miss to White.

ESTES: Before long, Tennessee won’t storm the field when it beats Alabama | Estes

He was good enough thanks to a pair of elite fourth-quarter throws. Those throws will be remembered because Tennessee won, which caused the celebration that led to “Ni-co!” chants from fans who stormed the field.

Iamaleava sat in his dirty jersey saying he was glad that Tennessee played the way it did in the second half. But he also knows he has to be better.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

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Alabama

Alabama Adds JUCO Defensive Back, Tuscaloosa Native to 2026 Signing Class

Published

3 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Alabama Adds JUCO Defensive Back, Tuscaloosa Native to 2026 Signing Class

Alabama football added another member to its 2026 signing class in cornerback Nick Sherman on Sunday evening.

Sherman is the Crimson Tide’s 24th signee, as this news comes 11 days after early national signing day.

The JUCO product was formerly at Itawamba Community College. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is also a Tuscaloosa native, as he went to Northridge High School.

This season at Itawamba CC, Sherman logged 24 tackles and two interceptions in eight games as a sophomore.

Sherman is the fifth defensive back in the Crimson Tide’s 2026 signing class, as he joins cornerbacks Zyan Gibson and Jorden Edmonds, along with safeties Jireh Edwards and Rihyael Kelley.

Coming HOME, COMMITTED 🐘🐘 . pic.twitter.com/6xKIhWIK56
— Nick “ vibez” Sherman ✞ (@nickvibeez) December 15, 2025

Alabama’s 2026 Signing Class

CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177 lbs. – Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)
CB Jorden Edmonds, 6-foot-2, 175 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 03/26/2025)
EDGE Jamarion Matthews, 6-foot-2, 240 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 02/21/2025)
EDGE Kamhariyan Johnson, 6-foot-4, 260 lbs. – Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Committed 04/12/2025)
OL Chris Booker, 6-foot-4, 285 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 02/20/2025)
QB Jett Thomalla, 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. – Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/17/2025)
S Rihyael Kelley, 6-foot-3, 180 lbs. – Cincinnati, Ohio (Committed 06/23/2025)
SN Eli Deutsch, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Franklin, Wisconsin (Committed 06/24/2025)
RB Ezavier Crowell, 5-foot-10, 210 lbs. – Jackson, Alabama (Committed 06/26/2025)
TE Mack Sutter, 6-foot-5, 230 lbs. – Dunlap, Illinois (Committed 06/26/2025)
LB Zay Hall, 6-foot-2, 222 lbs. – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 06/27/2025)
LB Xavier Griffin, 6-foot-3, 200 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 06/29/2025)
WR Cederian Morgan, 6-foot-4, 220 lbs – Alexander City, Alabama (Committed 07/02/2025)
DL Nolan Wilson, 6-foot-4, 250 lbs. – Picayune, Mississippi (Committed 07/04/2025)
S Jireh Edwards, 6-foot-2, 210 lbs. – Baltimore, Maryland (Committed 07/05/2025)
QB Tayden Kaawa, 6-foot-5, 235 lbs. – Orem, Utah (Committed 07/22/2025)
OT Bear Fretwell, 6-foot-6, 295 lbs. – Brooklet, Georgia (Committed 07/25/25)
OT Jared Doughty, 6-foot-5, 300 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 10/05/2025)
EDGE Corey Howard, 6-foot-6, 245 lbs. – Valdosta, Georgia (Committed 10/19/2025)
OL Tyrell Miller, 6-foot-5, 305 lbs. – College of San Mateo (Committed 11/29/2025)
EDGE Malique Franklin, 6-foot-5, 250 lbs. – Daphne, Alabama (Committed 12/02/2025)
TE Jude Cascone, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 11/30/2025)
RB Traeshawn Brown, 5-foot-10, 190 lb. – Huntsville, Texas (Committed 12/04/2025)
CB Nick Sherman, 6-foot-3, 190 lb, – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 12/14/25)

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Alabama

Alabama community rallies to save Ringo, an injured dog looking for a home: ‘Full of hope’

Published

15 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Alabama community rallies to save Ringo, an injured dog looking for a home: ‘Full of hope’

Ringo, an abandoned puppy that was dropped off at the Madison Police Department earlier this week, will get the surgery he needs thanks to an outpouring of donations from the city’s residents.

On Dec. 9, the Madison Police Department said in a Facebook post it was trying to raise $2,000 so Ringo could get an injured leg amputated.

“Citizens of Madison, we need your help. Recently, an abandoned and abused puppy was brought to us—sweet, loving, and still full of hope despite what he’s been through,” the post said.

“To give him the chance at a healthy, happy life, he needs a surgery to amputate an injured leg. Once he recovers, he’ll be ready for adoption and would make an incredible addition to a loving Madison family—just in time for Christmas.”

Just three days later, the department said in an update that they’d raised the money they needed, and Ringo would get his surgery in the middle of January.

During a vet visit, the pup was given a clean bill of health and all his required shots.

“We completely met the goal and could not have done it without the help of all our citizens here so we greatly appreciate everything you guys donated for him,” an update video said.

Now the police department is asking for the community to step up again and help get Ringo adopted before his surgery.

“Our next thing we can do is have him adopted. He is ready to go into somebody’s home so he can get acclimated and ready to go before his surgery,” the post said.

Anyone interested in adopting Ringo is asked to call Madison’s Animal Control at 256-772-5694.

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Alabama

BamaCentral Courtside From Arizona’s 96-75 Win Over Alabama

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

BamaCentral Courtside From Arizona’s 96-75 Win Over Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No. 12 Alabama fell to No. 1 Arizona in Legacy Arena in the fifth annual C.M. Newton Classic. The Crimson Tide held a 2-point halftime lead, but got decimated in the second half, opening the first six minutes of the second frame with just two field goals made.

The top-ranked Wildcats went on to claim a 96-75 victory and dropped the Crimson Tide’s record in the event to 2-3.

“They’re obviously a really good team,” Nate Oats said. “There’s a reason they’re number one in the country. I thought the first half we played pretty well. We were down five on the glass and needed to clean it up a little bit, and then the second half we had this issue where we just haven’t had very good starts to the second half. We came out and didn’t have a very good start, and it got progressively worse. I think they scored, shoot 39 the entire first half. They had 39 in less than 12 minutes to start the second half.

“Start of the second half was bad. Obviously, they came out of halftime ready to play; we didn’t. The toughness factor was a problem. It’s impossible – I shouldn’t say impossible. It’s nearly impossible to win a game when your opponent gets 28 more field goal attempts than you. If you look, we outshot them from the field and from the free throw line, both percentage-wise. Free throws, they made one more free throw than we did and they got 28 more field goal attempts. You can’t win games giving your opponent 28 more field goal attempts. Offensive glass we had three the whole game, they had 22. We lost the rebounds by 20 again. This has been a recurring issue for us.”

Alabama History in C.M. Newton Classic

2021 – Davidson 79, Alabama 78
2022 – Gonzaga 100, Alabama 90
2023 – Alabama 101, Liberty 56
2024 – Alabama 100, Illinois 87
2025 – Arizona 96, Alabama 75

Watch the above video as BamaCentral writers Katie Windham, Hunter De Siver, and Will Miller, provide thoughts and takeaways from the Alabama men’s basketball team’s 96-75 loss against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday. The trio discusses the performance of the No. 12 Crimson Tide and the rebounding issues that continue to plague the program.

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