The Alabama Crimson Tide is searching for a new head women’s basketball coach.

Longtime head coach Kristy Curry — who has been in Tuscaloosa since 2013 — took the same job at South Florida, the program announced this week.

https://x.com/Greg_Byrne/status/2036554895029866613

“Coach Curry did a commendable job with our women’s basketball team over the past 13 years leading the program back to the NCAA tournament and winning 20-plus games in each of the last five seasons,” Alabama AD Greg Byrne wrote on X. “We appreciate her contributions and wish her and her family well moving forward. As we begin a national search for our next head coach, Alabama athletics remains committed to the continued growth and investment in women’s basketball.”

Curry took over a dormant Alabama program and brought it back to the NCAA Tournament five times during her tenure, winning four first round games but falling short of the Sweet Sixteen.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Kristy Curry to our Bulls family as the leader of our outstanding women’s basketball program,” South Florida’s Rob Higgins said. “Kristy is a proven winner at the highest levels, with head coaching success across the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC. She has guided her teams to the NCAA championship game and built an exceptional resume that includes 16 20-win seasons and 21 postseason appearances over 27 years as a head coach. I’m incredibly excited about the future of South Florida women’s basketball under her leadership.”

As a heavy underdog against Louisville, Curry had Alabama on the brink of the Sweet Sixteen this week, falling 69-68 in an absolute heartbreaker.

Byrne will announce a new hire soon as a national search is now underway.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) has proposed a new bill which would get a handle on the chaos that the NCAA transfer portal has produced over the last half decade.

This week, Tuberville proposed a bill he is calling the “Student Athlete Act Of 2026” which would prevent athletes from being able to transfer as many times as they want and return to a system where a second transfer would require sitting out a full season.

https://x.com/outkick/status/2036489655864975790?s=46

“The transfer portal has made it easier than ever for athletes to move from one program to another, and repeated transfers have contributed to a system that often resembles unrestricted free agency rather than amateur competition,” Tuberville said.

During an appearance on Outkick, Tuberville spoke about the bill and shared his goals in what it would mean for the future of college athletics, a future that looks more and more precarious by the day.

“Sixty to seventy percent of them (college programs) don’t even look at high school athletes, they look at the portal and say ‘How can we win now? How can we bring players in?’ It’s going to bring the price down on a lot of these players in which to me, it’s ok because they’re going to be making money anyway,” Tuberville said. “I’m all for them making money. But for them to keep selling themselves for $50,000 to $100,000 more, I think it’s creating a huge problem.”

The bill also targets eligibility concerns as athletes increasingly remain in college longer to maximize NIL earnings.

It would give student-athletes a hard five years of eligibility to play five years of intercollegiate athletics, regardless of any sort of injury or hardship request to prevent the endless court cases regarding eligibility.

“I’ve talked to President Trump about it, he knows it and understands it. We can’t get into all the antitrust, the agents, we can’t do that,” Tuberville continued. “That’s gotta be handled by the NCAA. But one thing we can do is stop this transfer every year, and give these kids the chance to get a degree, and one time transfer if they have a death in the family, circumstances or don’t get along with the coaches…But, if you use it, it’s over with. But if you use it, you have to sit out a year, though most of them won’t do that anyway.”

Citing statistics of over 10,000 college football players entering the portal this year alone, Tuberville says the emphasis on education has been completely lost.

“This year alone, in 2026, we’ve had over 10,000 young men get into the transfer portal in college football, that probably will not get a degree when they transfer because once you transfer, it takes forever to get those hours back because most of them don’t transfer,” he said. “So, we’re trying to put education back into college sports, common sense.”

What happens next remains uncertain, but Tuberville’s proposal is promising — and likely to gain broad support from fans if it can clear the necessary hurdles.

The Alabama Crimson Tide football program announced some major updates to the spring game format, and it sounds like fans are going to be pretty happy with what they hear.

According to a release from the University, full details have been announced regarding the annual event, which will be held on Saturday, April 11 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. After last year’s game was largely a glorified practice in front of an empty crowd, Alabama is returning to the intrasquad scrimmage format.

https://x.com/AlabamaFTBL/status/2036096195609739606

A two-hour scrimmage will begin at 1:00 p.m. CST after gates open at noon, and the annual Walk of Fame ceremony at Denny Chimes will begin at 11 a.m. featuring Kalen DeBoer along with 2025 captains Parker Brailsford, Tim Keenan III, Deontae Lawson and Ty Simpson.

At 12:45 p.m., the 2026 roster will participate in the Walk of Champions leading into Saban Field before the scrimmage begins.

According to the announcement, several modifications have been made to the stadium experience which are as follows:

• Premium Areas Closed: There will be no access to suites or club spaces for A-Day.
• Seating: Seating for A-Day will be available in the lower bowl.
• Limited Concessions: A select number of market pads will be open with a limited menu on the south, east and west sides of levels 1 and 2. Concessions in the north will not be open.
• Crimson Tide Access: There will be no upgraded experience offerings such as locker room tours, reserved seating or parking passes.
• TIDE PRIDE Breakfast/Luncheon: There will be no TIDE PRIDE Breakfast/Luncheon in Coleman Coliseum prior to A-Day.
• Vector Security Champions Lane: The pregame fan fest area will not be in operation on the northwest side of the stadium prior to A-Day.

More info can be found here.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is headed back to the Sweet Sixteen after a dominating victory on Sunday night over Texas Tech to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row.

Nate Oats has ushered in a golden era of hoops in Tuscaloosa and brought Alabama to its most successful run in program history, with potentially no real sign of slowing down.

That does not mean he doesn’t know how difficult it is to win this time of year, and he made sure fans understood that while speaking on Monday during the Hey Coach show.

https://x.com/UA_CTSN/status/2036216422259630577

“This is not easy to do. Please don’t take it for granted,” Oats said of the fourth straight trip ahead of a very tall task against No. 1 seed Michigan. “Let’s get everybody supporting this team any which way we can. We’re gonna give it everything we got. Michigan is not gonna be easy. We’ve been underdogs before in this game. We’ve come out with some big wins in the past. And we’ve lost some of these Sweet 16 games, too.”

“I think our guys will be ready, and we’re gonna have to have an elite coaching performance, elite playing performance. But our guys are ready. Super excited to coach this game.”

The Tide will tip off on Friday evening against Michigan with a third Elite Eight run under Oats on the line, something the program had done just once before his arrival.

It should be a tremendous night of basketball in Chicago, and though Alabama is a massive underdog, fans should heed Oats’ advice and appreciate how far the program has come in less than a decade under the head coach.

The Troy Trojans are looking for a new head men’s basketball coach.

Just a day after they were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament at the hands of a lopsided defeat against the No. 4 seed in the South Region Nebraska Cornhuskers, Troy head coach Scott Cross agreed to a deal to make him the next head coach at Georgia Tech.

https://x.com/GTMBB/status/2035003593640616367?s=20

Cross led Troy to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in more than two decades after winning Sun Belt titles in each of the last two years.

In his seven years with the Trojans, he has posted a 125–99 record and brought back the program from the depths of the conference to form a true Sun Belt powerhouse with five consecutive seasons of 20 or more victories.

He replaces Damon Stoudamire, who was fired by the Yellow Jackets earlier this month after three years with a 42–55 record.

Losing Cross stings tremendously, but it’s also a huge statement about the program he has built and yet another team in the state of Alabama who has performed at a high level as of late.

Troy began their search over the weekend once Cross finalized his contract with the Yellow Jackets.

The Auburn Tigers are moving on in the NIT, winning their first two games at Neville Arena to advance as one of the last eight teams remaining after handling Seattle University in a close 91-85 game.

It will now be an extremely challenging matchup against Nevada on Wednesday again on The Plains, with a trip to the semifinals in Indianapolis on the line.

It’s safe to say the Tigers have certainly shown up nicely in the event.

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“I want to thank our fans that came out tonight. Our guys felt their presence, and they’ve been phenomenal for us all year,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “To score 91 points against that team is good. As the game went on, guys made shots…We did a good job of making the easy pass and getting downhill. We shared it. We did a lot of good things offensively that we can build off.”

Offensively, it was Kevin Overton and Elyjah Freeman leading the way with 23 points and 19 points respectively. Keyshawn Hall did not have a strong shooting night but found other ways to make an impact with 15 rebounds and five assists. 

“He did a good job of doing the things we ask him to do. Fifteen rebounds is huge,” Pearl said on Hall before praising the others as well. “[Overton] has been playing well offensively since SEC play got started…Every time he shoots it, we think it’s going in. He’s been a great spark for us offensively.”

The game on Wednesday will tip off at Neville Arena at 8:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday evening.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is headed back to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive season, becoming one of just three programs in men’s college basketball who can say that along with Houston and Tennessee.

After pulling away late in the first round on Friday afternoon against Hofstra for a 20-point victory, it was the Texas Tech Red Raiders standing in Alabama’s way of a return to the second weekend of the tournament.

What followed was the Tide’s most inspired performance of the season and a thorough beatdown from start to finish, defeating Texas Tech 90-65.

https://x.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/2035904817512501299

While much of the story will be the absurd three-point shooting — the team shot 19 of 42 from the three-point line — it was the defensive effort and offensive rebounding that really made the result so lopsided.

https://x.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/2035926839638561004

“That was a fun game to be a part of. Texas Tech is a very good and they have done a lot to win the number of games they have and beat the teams they have this season,” Nate Oats said after the game.

“I give our seniors a ton of respect tonight. They came ready to go…All of our seniors had the mentality that they didn’t want to go home. I tell our guys all the time to lose yourself in the game, and everything will take care of itself. This is the fourth straight Sweet 16 we’ve been to, and these guys know what it takes to win.”

Alabama dominated on the glass, winning the overall rebound battle 47-35 as well as pulling down 18 offensive boards.

Scoring wise, it was Latrell Wrightsell leading the way with 24 points, while Houston Mallette came off the bench and made five threes for 15 points. It was not a prolific scoring night for LaBaron Philon with just nine points, however he still found a way to make a massive impact with 12 assists and six rebounds.

Next up for the Tide is the biggest challenge they have faced all season in No. 1 seed Michigan, who many have pegged as a favorite to win the national championship. Opening up as a double-digit underdog, Alabama will need a heroic effort to be able to even have a chance.

The game will be played on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. CST on TBS and TruTV.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week which will keep Army vs. Navy as a standalone broadcast as it has been for near the last two decades.

https://x.com/On3/status/2035031236595347793

The executive order, which is entitled “Preserving America’s Game,” says no college football game including potential CFP matchups are able to be broadcast at a time and date conflicting with the Army vs. Navy game, which has been played the week after conference title games as of late.

It’s a move that was first reported on by Alex Byington of On3.

“Trump’s executive order directs FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to coordinate with the College Football Playoff management committee, the NCAA, and its broadcast partners — namely ESPN, which owns the CFP broadcasting rights through 2032 — with the goal of establishing an exclusive window for the Army-Navy Game, during which no other college football game is broadcast. The EO also recommends the FCC consider reviewing the public interest obligations of broadcast licensees to determine whether those obligations would require that the Army-Navy Game remain a national service event,” Byington wrote in quoting the EO.

The order was first discussed in January with American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti thanking Trump for committing to protecting the game window

“We thank President Donald J. Trump and our legislators for their commitment to protecting the Army-Navy game. This game is a national treasure where the true commitment of our future leaders is on display. As collegiate athletics continues to moderize in an unchartered landscape, the support of our leaders in Washington is crucial,” Pernetti wrote in January on X. “Alongside our member institutions, we look forward to working together to enhance the experience for student-athletes. There are opportunities for change that provide creative, sustainable economic solutions, without compromising tradition, while protecting the mission of delivering educational opportunities through sports.”

The Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Scholarship Program has announced its 2026 regional scholarship recipients, recognizing 104 senior student-athletes from across Alabama for their achievements in academics, athletics, and leadership.

According to the announcement, 52 students were selected as regional recipients of the Larry D. Stripling Scholar-Athlete Award, while an additional 52 earned recognition through the Ken and Betty Joy Blankenship Student-Athlete Achievement Award.

Each recipient will receive a $3,000 scholarship and will be honored at the 41st annual Bryant-Jordan Awards Banquet on April 13 at the Sheraton Hotel in Birmingham. Class winners and overall state winners will receive additional scholarship funds.

The program, established by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in partnership with the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), honors student-athletes who excel both in competition and in the classroom, as well as those who have overcome significant challenges.

Named after legendary coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ralph “Shug” Jordan, the scholarship program has awarded more than $11 million to over 3,300 student-athletes since its inception in 1986.

2026 Scholar-Athlete regional winners

Class 1A

• Region 1 – Piper Bulger (Pleasant Home HS)

• Region 2 – Deion Blanks (Sweet Water HS)

• Region 3 – Kennedy Maness (Fayetteville HS)

• Region 4 – Asa Burge (Woodland HS)

• Region 5 – Zoe Whitson (Hubbertville HS)

• Region 6 – Callee Taylor (Donoho School)

• Region 7 – Regan LeDuke (Marion County HS)

• Region 8 – Addie Pollard (Waterloo HS)

Class 2A

• Region 1 – Ellis Bentley (St. Luke’s Episcopal School)

• Region 2 – Cade May (Pike Liberal Arts School)

• Region 3 – Jon Murray (J.U. Blacksher HS)

• Region 4 – David Layfield (Horseshoe Bend HS)

• Region 5 – Vale Richie (Westminster-Oak Mountain HS)

• Region 6 – Ella Dickerson (Cold Springs HS)

• Region 7 – Grayson Lane (Sand Rock HS)

• Region 8 – Duncan Wilks (North Sand Mountain HS)

Class 3A

• Region 1 – Aiden Becker (T.R. Miller HS)

• Region 2 – Ellie Cox (Wicksburg HS)

• Region 3 – Rob Ashworth (Montgomery Academy)

• Region 4 – Aubrey Sanders (Altamont School)

• Region 5 – Gunter Cagle (Winfield HS)

• Region 6 – Cooper Gomez (Glencoe HS)

• Region 7 – Dawson McCollum (Fyffe Home HS)

• Region 8 – Mallory McConnell (Lauderdale County HS)

Class 4A

• Region 1 – Samantha Kokoska (St. Michael Catholic School)

• Region 2 – Caroline Short (Opp HS)

• Region 3 – Emory Causey (Trinity Presbyterian School)

• Region 4 – Alex Busbin (Handley HS)

• Region 5 – Serenity Mathura (Curry HS)

• Region 6 – Catha Butterworth (Cleburne County HS)

• Region 7 – Charlie Bottoms (Brooks HS)

• Region 8 – Austin Shadinger (Randolph School)

Class 5A

• Region 1 – Seth Williams (UMS-Wright School)

• Region 2 – Cooper Wingate (Eufaula HS)

• Region 3 – Mary Elizabeth House (Montevallo HS)

• Region 4 – Carleigh Mae Rivers (Sylacauga HS)

• Region 5 – Marshall Teofilo (Moody HS)

• Region 6 – Joeh Kim (Jacksonville HS)

• Region 7 – Lela Moser (Scottsboro HS)

• Region 8 – Elizabeth Murphy (Priceville HS)

Class 6A

• Region 1 – Myleigh Dobbins (Saraland HS)

• Region 2 – Hanna Burdett (Wetumpka HS)

• Region 3 – Kate Thom (Northridge HS)

• Region 4 – Uriah Barginere (Pelham HS)

• Region 5 – Sophie Hicks (Mountain Brook HS)

• Region 6 – Kensley Evans (Pell City HS)

• Region 7 – Tanner Griggs (Southside HS)

• Region 8 – Abigail Preuitt (Hartselle HS)

Class 7A

• Region 1 – Jacob Warner (Foley HS)

• Region 2 – Conrad Suter (Enterprise HS)

• Region 3 – Griffin Armstrong (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa HS)

• Region 4 – Arnav Maskey (Bob Jones HS)

2026 Student-Athlete Achievement regional winners

Class 1A

• Region 1 – Lillie Sumblin (Kinston HS)

• Region 2 – Grace Bradley (Georgiana HS)

• Region 3 – Janiyah King (Keith HS)

• Region 4 – Kayden Bland (Billingsley HS)

• Region 5 – Luke Ramos (Holy Spirit Catholic School)

• Region 6 – Carlie Chesson (Jacksonville Christian Academy)

• Region 7 – Meri Kate Flynn (Addison HS)

• Region 8 – Emily Crocker (Cherokee HS)

Class 2A

• Region 1 – Aydin Noblitt (Houston County HS)

• Region 2 – Blayne Wood (G.W. Long HS)

• Region 3 – Enrigue Bagui (Loachapoka HS)

• Region 4 – Jonni Kneer (Tuscaloosa Academy)

• Region 5 – Lyndsee Thomas (Lamar County HS)

• Region 6 – Lynleigh Cobb (Winston County HS)

• Region 7 – Natalee Franks (Tharptown HS)

• Region 8 – Briley Miller (Lindsay Lane Christian School)

Class 3A

• Region 1 – Jaylen Griffey (T.R. Miller HS)

• Region 2 – Thomas Evans (Houston Academy)

• Region 3 – Jackson Burton-Elahiyan (Alabama Christian Academy)

• Region 4 – Cam Estelle (Childersburg HS)

• Region 5 – Jack Hayden Cook (Winfield HS)

• Region 6 – Olivia Patterson (Locust Fork HS)

• Region 7 – Michelle Howard (Geraldine HS)

• Region 8 – Richard Green (Lauderdale County HS)

Class 4A

• Region 1 – Nick Russo (St. Michael Catholic School)

• Region 2 – Bryant Crumpier (New Brockton HS)

• Region 3 – Ellie O’Conner (Montgomery Catholic School)

• Region 4 – George Dorman (Oak Grove HS)

• Region 5 – Kate Cagle (Haleyville HS)

• Region 6 – Caden Howard (Hokes Bluff HS)

• Region 7 – Eva Armstead (Hatton HS)

• Region 8 – Keonta Hill (Madison County HS)

Class 5A

• Region 1 – Daisy Howard (St. Paul’s Episcopal School)

• Region 2 – Sha’Miya Jackson (Eufaula HS)

• Region 3 – Kylie Snowden (Holtsville HS)

• Region 4 – Lane Wilson (Beauregard HS)

• Region 5 – Mady Kirkpatrick (John Carroll Catholic HS)

• Region 6 – Brayden Chandler (Springville HS)

• Region 7 – Lexie Bennett (Boaz HS)

• Region 8 – Kade Taylor (Lawrence County HS)

Class 6A

• Region 1 – Samuel Sullivan (Baldwin County HS)

• Region 2 – Nick Frazier (Stanhope Elmore HS)

• Region 3 – Leland Brown-Foster (Brookwood HS)

• Region 4 – Bradley Williams (Spain Park HS)

• Region 5 – Samantha Giffin (Homewood HS)

• Region 6 – Brayden Butler (Clay-Chalkville HS)

• Region 7 – Katie Adams (Jasper HS)

• Region 8 – Caleb Carnes (Mae Jemison HS)

Class 7A

• Region 1 – Dean Gearhart (Fairhope HS)

• Region 2 – Hayden Suggs (Smiths Station HS)

• Region 3 – Julie Cooke (Hoover HS)

• Region 4 – Katherine Harris (Austin HS)

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at sherri@yellowhammernews.com.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will begin its NCAA Tournament run on Friday afternoon against Hofstra as Nate Oats tries to get his team back to the Final Four, but he will be doing so without one of his most important players.

Star guard Aden Holloway was arrested on Monday on a felony marijuana charge after authorities found more than two pounds of marijuana in his apartment following the execution of a search warrant.

Holloway is currently removed from campus and not with the team as both his basketball and legal status remain up in the air, but that has not stopped Oats from communicating with the player.

While speaking at his press conference upon the team’s arrival to Tampa Bay, Oats said he will continue to love and support Holloway in any way he can rather than just ignoring him because he made a mistake.

https://x.com/mikerodak/status/2034675872481866181

“I’m an adult. I’ve made mistakes. We all have things we’d like to do differently,” Oats said after revealing that he had met with Holloway both in person and over the phone. “Now is not the time to ignore a kid you’ve built a real relationship with. Now is the time he needs more love from the adults in his life at any point…You get into [coaching] to help impact young men’s lives. If you disappear when they made a mistake, not so sure that’s a genuine relationship you built. I’ve got three daughters — they’ve made mistakes. You don’t disappear on them when they need your help.”

Though Holloway clearly is not in a great situation, hopefully having his coach there for him will help his personal and professional development both now and in the future.

The Auburn Tigers are beginning a new era this spring under a new head coach in Alex Golesh, and the former South Florida standout young coach is already making an impression on his team.

While Golesh’s predecessor Hugh Freeze was elite on the recruiting trail, the results never translated to game day. As a result, the Tigers have a new head coach for the third time in the last half decade.

After spring practice this week, one Auburn star — linebacker Xavier Atkins — made it very clear that things have changed when he was asked what he has seen from Golesh so far.

https://x.com/NextRoundLive/status/2034658576594043348

“It’s different,” Atkins said. “It’s more structure and leadership. It’s not where they’re asking, they’re demanding greatness…you are gonna show up and do your job. And that’s the type of stuff that we need as a team. Last year we shouldn’t have felt like we can just walk in here…you gotta come in here and do your job and prove yourself. Nobody’s job is guaranteed, so that’s the biggest thing he emphasized in the first practice. We’re gonna make sure we compete every day.”

While Atkins likely did not mean his words as a shot at Freeze, it’s hard to take it any other way than the culture on The Plains was not where it needed to be while the former head coach was in charge.

If Golesh can fix it and get his team to be able to get it done on Saturdays, he is going to have a tremendous chance of succeeding as the Auburn head coach.

An Alabama-based youth sports safety initiative is making its way outside of the Yellowhammer State and into Louisiana after Governor Jeff Landry publicly endorsed it during his recent State of the State address.

The CoachSafely Foundation training program — which focuses on identifying injuries, preventing common youth sports risks, and responding appropriately when injuries occur  — was passed by Alabama lawmakers back in 2018 and made Alabama the first state in the nation to require youth coaches of athletes age 14 and under to complete specialized training focused on injury recognition and prevention.

“Governor Landry’s leadership on this issue sends a powerful message that protecting young athletes should be a priority everywhere youth sports are played,” said former UAB head coach and president of the CoachSafely Foundation Bill Clark. “We are grateful for his support and for the work of Senator Edmonds and Louisiana lawmakers who recognize the importance of equipping volunteer coaches with the knowledge they need to keep kids safe.”

According to the foundation, approximately 60,000 volunteer coaches in Alabama have completed CoachSafely certification over the past year alone, impacting more than 900,000 young athletes participating in youth sports programs.

The program is made possible through partnerships with municipal and county parks as well as recreation departments, being supported by organizations including the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association.

The goal of course is to make youth sports safer for all kids who participate, and clearly it’s already making a huge impact.

Louisiana joining the movement could be the next step the foundation needs in order to take things nationwide and continue to put young athletes in the best spot possible for the present and future.

Legendary Alabama Crimson Tide golfer Justin Thomas has become one of the biggest names on the PGA Tour throughout his career, but the most interesting aspect of the two-time Major winner’s career may be his relationship with Tiger Woods.

Thomas is one of the closest friends of Woods on the entire tour, and he spoke about that relationship as well as the relationship he’s developed with Woods’ son Charlie during an appearance on “The Smylie Show” with Birmingham native and former PGA pro Smylie Kaufman.

“I wanna be if he wants me to be,” Thomas said when Kaufman asked him if his relationship with the younger Woods is a big brother little brother type situation. “I was very lucky to have some people like that in my life and I know how helpful that was…I wanna help in any way I can. The shots that he can hit, a lot of guys on Tour can’t hit. He’s very, very impressive and I’m rooting for the best…he’s grown up a lot. He’s still a little punk but not a total punk kid, he can beat me up so I can’t say too much.”

Thomas will be teeing it up on Thursday in the first round of the Valspar Championship as he tries to get back into the winner’s circle for the first time this season.

Young football coaches who want to learn from the best of the best just got a huge piece of news — the annual Alabama coaching clinic was revealed on social media by the program this week.

Legendary former Crimson Tide linebacker and current Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is making his return to Tuscaloosa for the clinic and giving budding coaches a chance to learn from one of the best defensive minds in the business.

Ryans will be teaming up with Kalen DeBoer and numerous other high profile assistants to bring the clinic to town.

https://x.com/AlabamaFTBL/status/2034039120087945561?s=20

The clinic will be held in Tuscaloosa on April 10 and 11 and will cost $50 to register and attend.

The Auburn Tigers defeated the South Alabama Jaguars 78-67 in the first round of the NIT at home on Tuesday night after failing to make the NCAA Tournament, but there was a notable absence from the Tigers lineup with star big man KeShawn Murphy.

Shortly before the game tipped off, it was revealed that the Mississippi State transfer did not attend practice on Monday without telling the coaching staff and decided to opt out of the tournament.

The story was broken by Justin Hokanson of On3 a little over an hour before tip off.

https://x.com/_JHokanson/status/2034068651368710605

After the win, head coach Steven Pearl was asked about Murphy, and he confirmed that the forward had chosen not to play but that he was not certain as to why.

https://x.com/NextRoundLive/status/2034230196551778422

“Murph has decided not to play in these games and I’m not sure why,” Pearl said before getting his player’s back. “Listen, we love Murph. Have a lot of love for everything he’s done for us and his commitment to this program, so wish him well. We want him to still finish up academically. I’ve got nothing but love for Murph….we’re just gonna pour into the guys that are here and want to hoop.”

Murphy — a Birmingham native — averaged 10.7 points per game and nearly seven rebounds in his lone season on The Plains after three years in Starkville.

Meanwhile, the Tigers will continue their NIT bid at home this weekend in the second round against Seattle.

The Auburn Tigers are beginning a new era this season under a new head coach in Alex Golesh, and with spring practice finally getting underway this week, fans are getting their first glimpse into how he is going to run things on The Plains.

It was pointed out by several savvy media members that it looks like Auburn has a new program slogan donning the walls of the facilities.

https://x.com/JFergusonAU/status/2033915630424879546

All over the facade of the practice field is the new phrase entitled “Be Who You Say You Are,” likely a motto from Golesh directly which will encourage players to work as hard as they may present that they are going to work.

Coming off the last two eras of Auburn football, it feels like a fitting way to transition the program into what fans hope is a completely different time in terms of results.

Golesh looked to be extremely hands on with all position groups at practice, walking from place to place and giving each group his take on technique and intensity as he gets the Tigers ready for a season which he hopes lays the groundwork for future success.

https://x.com/_JHokanson/status/2033917506188968232

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With plenty of time left to go until the season begins, Golesh is just getting started. Chances are, he’s going to be exactly who he says he is.

More details on the arrest of Crimson Tide basketball star Aden Holloway have been revealed.

According to a story from ALdotcom, police found a little over 2 pounds of marijuana in Holloway’s apartment Monday, including both loose and housed within a vacuum sealed bag.

A rolling tray and packaging material were also found, though his representatives are claiming it was only for personal use.

The drugs were found during the execution of a search warrant.

“What we’ve learned so far, even though it was a large quantity of marijuana, it’s personal use on his part,” Jason Neff, Holloway’s attorney said Tuesday. “Sounds like there’s no evidence of drug distribution or sales.”

The article also cited an agent from the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force in court records, who said that while the junior guard initially said he wanted to remain silent, then would state that he “only smokes.”

Alabama head coach Nate Oats reacted to the news during his radio show on Monday night, saying that while he is disappointed in Holloway and the program has standards to uphold, he is still going to love and support his player in any way he can as the legal process plays out.

The Tide will play on Friday afternoon without Holloway in the lineup in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Hofstra.

The Crimson Tide is going to be without one of its best players on Friday when the team kicks off the NCAA Tournament against Hofstra following the arrest and suspension of star guard Aden Holloway on a marijuana charge.

Holloway has been charged with first-degree possession and failure to affix a tax stamp after authorities found more than two pounds of marijuana following a search on Monday morning.

On Monday afternoon, news broke that Holloway had been removed from campus and the team while the university conducts an internal investigation of its own, and head coach Nate Oats spoke about the situation during his weekly appearance on Hey Coach to preview the tournament.

“We’ve got standards in our program. We’ve got ways we’ve held our guys accountable. We try to keep everything in house. Obviously some of the situations you can’t. This is one of those,” Oats said via Nick Kelly of ALdotcom. “The situation is a little different. We found out about what was going on this morning. I found out this morning. I guess it all went down this morning. We had to suspend him, pending the investigation by the UA office of student conduct. We’re certainly disappointed in his behavior. That being said, we still love him. He’s still our guy. We’re helping him get the help he needs. We’re going to continue to help him whatever way we can.”

Oats addressed Holloway’s absence from a basketball perspective as well and expressed optimism that the team’s backcourt depth will be able to make up for the loss.

“As far as our team goes, I thought we had a great practice,” he said. “We’re preparing to play without him this weekend. We’re preparing for Hofstra, who is very good. They’ve got a good backcourt of their own. I thought our guys, while at the same time, Aden is one of our guys and everybody wants to wrap their arms around him and love him. Everybody makes mistakes in life. But they also understand we’ve got to move on. We’ve got a whole other group of guys and the team’s got to go play Friday. I thought we did a good job of that this morning, kind of addressing the situation, what we currently knew at the time. Got our guys focused on practice. I thought we had a really good practice.”

The No. 4 seeded Crimson Tide will take on the No. 13 seed Hofstra in the Midwest Region from Tampa, FL on Friday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. CST.

The Auburn Tigers’ bid to play in the NCAA Tournament officially came to a close on Selection Sunday, with the team falling just short of the field in Steven Pearl’s first season following a dreadful stretch in February and early exit in the SEC Tournament.

While the Tigers are not going to the big dance, they did accept their bid to the NIT where they are the No. 1 overall seed and will face the South Alabama Jaguars on Tuesday night in a rare in-state postseason matchup.

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Things will tip off at Neville Arena on Tuesday night at 9:00 CST, and the winner is going to face the winner of No. 4 Seattle University and No. 5 St. Thomas (MN). If Auburn wins on Tuesday, the second round game would be at Neville Arena as well.

South Alabama finished the season 21-11 overall and 11-7 in the Sun Belt Conference, failing to win the conference tournament which would have given them an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Auburn meanwhile finishes the year with a record of 17-16 and 7-11 in conference play, marks which were not able to get them into the tournament despite having one of the hardest schedules in the country.

While everyone is of course disappointed with the way things ended for the Tigers, the NIT represents an opportunity for a fresh start and to build some momentum into next year, while also providing Pearl with some additional coaching experience.

It should be a good one between the Tigers and Jaguars on Tuesday night.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time under Nate Oats and will be playing in the Midwest Region with a No. 4 seed, announced on Selection Sunday.

It’s the fourth consecutive season and fifth in the last six years that Oats has led Alabama to a No. 4 seed or higher, a feat the program had only achieved a total of four times in its entire history prior to Oats.

Up first for Alabama — who does not play until Friday afternoon — will be a matchup with No. 13 seed Hofstra, who is fresh off the CAA Conference tournament title and had a record of 24-10 on the season.

Should the Tide get by that test, waiting for them will be the winner between No. 5 Texas Tech and No. 12 Akron, where another win and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen would presumably set up a matchup with No. 1 seed Michigan.

Interestingly, Alabama’s region features four total teams from the SEC with Tennessee at the No. 6 slot, Kentucky at No. 7, and Georgia at No. 8.

In total, 10 SEC teams are in the bracket with Florida taking the No. 1 seed in the South Region, Vanderbilt securing the No. 5 seed and Texas A&M the No. 10. Arkansas is the No. 4 seed in the West Region with the Missouri Tigers as the No. 10, there after they narrowly made the tournament field.

Texas will take on North Carolina State in the first four for the right to earn the No. 11 seed in the West Region as well.

All in all, it’s shaping up to be a great tournament once again, and the SEC is heavily involved.

In a rare example of the NCAA doing something right, an absurd request from the Big 10 Conference to suspend tampering rules and ongoing investigations with a complete moratorium on enforcement was denied by the association.

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“There have been no changes in tampering rules, and there is no moratorium on enforcement activity for possible tampering violations,” NCAA spokesperson Meghan Durham Wright said via On3’s Pete Nakos. “Any changes to the infractions process — or a moratorium on enforcement of certain rules — would need to be approved by the Division I Board of Directors. The NCAA is committed to enforcing the rules as agreed to by NCAA member schools and will always work with members to ensure fair competition and to protect student-athlete well-being in this new era of college sports.”

During a time in college sports where everyone feels things are out of control, especially in the area of tampering, the idea from the Big 10 felt like a step in the wrong direction.

Right now, the NCAA is not doing enough to prevent tampering or stop teams from abusing transfer rules. However, ongoing legal battles aim to address those issues rather than allowing the system to become a complete free-for-all.

“The fundamental structural problem is this: the current framework has chosen to impose significant negative consequences on student-athletes who enter the transfer portal — loss of scholarships, NIL arrangements, facilities access, academic support, and relationships with coaches — while simultaneously prohibiting the pre-portal communication that would allow those student-athletes to determine whether risking those consequences is worthwhile,” the Big 10 argued. “These rules were not designed for a world in which student-athletes are compensated market participants making annual decisions with significant economic consequences. The collision between the old rules and the new reality is producing outcomes that harm the very population the rules were designed to protect.”

The conference is correct in arguing that the rules need to be overhauled, but suspending them completely would lead to full-blown chaos at a time where folks are trying to bring the chaos to an end.

President Trump is supposed to be signing an executive order following this month‘s roundtable, which will face its own set of challenges. Still, in a time like this, steps in the right direction over the wrong one feel necessary.

The Alabama Crimson Tide received some rough news on Monday morning — star guard Aden Holloway was arrested, according to report from Bama247.

The story cited a spokesperson with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force who revealed that agents conducted a search of a residence in Tuscaloosa and recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash.

Holloway was charged with first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp, both of which are felonies in the state of Alabama.

He was transported to the Tuscaloosa County Jail with bond set at $5,000 and was bonded out later this morning according to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Alabama is set to play their first round game in the NCAA Tournament on Friday against Hofstra, and Holloway — a junior guard who is the second leading scorer on the team with 16.8 points per game — obviously now has a status that is in question.

The University of Alabama declined initial comment on the story.

When the largest youth archery competition in Alabama, the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Alabama State Championship, kicks off on April 9, the Bray brothers from Decatur will be ready to compete at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl located at 220 Hall St. in Montgomery.

About 2,000 student archers in Grades 4-12 from schools across the state will compete, starting at noon on Thursday, April 9, and shooting until the last flight is finished on Friday, April 10. Those archers earned the opportunity to compete in the state championship after advancing in one of eight regional qualifying tournaments. State champions from each category will advance to the NASP Eastern National Championship on May 7-9, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Easton Bray, the eldest of the three brothers at age 18, is currently on a roll and hopes that continues through the Alabama Championship, although he’s a latecomer to the sport of archery.

It took a little prodding four years ago from his younger brother Noah to begin his archery career. Noah had started shooting at Centershot, a Christian ministry that uses archery as an outreach program.

“He started dogging on me, saying he was so much better than me,” Easton said. “He said if I took up archery, he would beat me every time. So, I just got tired of hearing all this trash talk and said I’ve got to do this now. The next year, I started archery; we’ve been competing against each other ever since.”

Easton has taken his archery pursuit so seriously that he constantly keeps a lookout on social media for sanctioned competition. One such search led him to an adventure as well as a place on the podium at the Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Archery Classic, the largest indoor archery tournament on the East Coast.

“I was looking at the NASP Facebook page, and it said they were opening up a new division,” he said. “The Lancaster Classic is one of the biggest tournaments there is, and they were opening up a division for Basic Compound for Genesis bows, which is what I shoot. I thought it would be a fun deal to go up there and shoot. My granddad (Scott Carmichael) liked the idea, so we rented a car and got a hotel and headed up there.”

Their trip lasted longer than expected when a snowstorm covered the Lancaster area with a foot of snow.

“We got stuck in the snow with ice and a whole bunch of snow,” Easton said. “We heard there was going to be snow, so we packed our hunting clothes. We stayed an extra three days and played in the snow. That’s the most snow I’d ever seen.”

When they finally headed back to Alabama, Easton brought back a gold medal, winning the Basic Compound for High School Male category with a score of 543.

“I was expecting to do the best I could,” he said about the Classic. “I was expecting to have fun. I knew it was a highly competitive tournament. Pennsylvania is pretty big on their NASP program. I was expecting to have a good time. We shot for like five hours straight, but it was a blast.”

Easton took advantage of the practice ranges in Lancaster to tweak his bow to shoot the 15-meter distance and credited his mentor, Steve Cox, for being prepared. Cox runs Centershot Ministry in Decatur and is involved with the ministry nationally as well as being involved in the NASP event in Alabama.

Each round, Easton shot 60 arrows at the 80-centimeter target, which has an 8-centimeter center. Each competitor was allowed two practice arrows followed by three-arrow volleys. That was done 20 times.

“At NASP, you switch up between 10 and 15 meters, but up there, it was 15 meters the whole time,” he said.

When he was announced winner of his division, Easton said he was “pretty surprised.”

“But I was praying to the Lord the whole time that whether I win or lose, let me have some fun,” he said. “I made some pretty good friends up there too. I shot with the guy who won the state NASP up there last year. I got to meet a whole lot of people. It was pretty great.

“I just want to give all the glory to God. No matter what nerves we have on the shooting line, God is with us.”

When the Alabama NASP event starts, Easton hopes to continue his success with at least a top three finish. The Bray brothers are homeschooled and compete as individuals.

“I’ve been No. 1 in bullseye for most of the year,” he said. “I’ve just got to have the right mindset and focus. If you can hit a 10, you can shoot a 300. What I’ve learned about archery is that it’s more of a mind game than a mechanics game. Once you get the mechanics down, it’s whether you can do it 30 times in a row.”

Of course, Easton will also be competing against Noah and his youngest brother, Silas, in Montgomery. Their mom, Brittany Bray, serves as their coach.

“Noah scored his personal best this year with a 290,” Easton said. “He beat me in a couple of tournaments when my mind frame was not right and his was. My youngest brother, Silas, also had his personal best at 272. It’s pretty fun driving around to these tournaments with my family.”

Justin Grider, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Assistant Chief of the R3 Section with the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, said Bray’s success in the national event helps to promote the success of the NASP and overall archery participation in Alabama.

“Alabama has a rich history of archers from the state who historically do well in national and even international competition,” said Grider, whose R3 Program oversees NASP in Alabama with Hunter Education Coordinator Katie Burks serving as the NASP State Coordinator. “We, as a state agency, feel it’s important for people to have the opportunity to participate in shooting sports, and archery is one of those shooting sports. We have more archery parks (20) in Alabama than any other state.

“We have a strong stake in the NASP program in Alabama to make sure students in Alabama in grades 4-12 get an opportunity to participate in the program. It’s a pathway to get people involved in shooting sports, and that’s really important. At the end of the day, the excise tax on sporting goods like archery equipment, firearms and ammunition go to support conservation. That benefits bald eagles and salamanders and everything in between.”

Visit www.outdooralabama.com/archery-schools/nasp-alabama-state-championship for more information on the NASP State Championship.

David Rainer is an award-winning writer who has covered Alabama’s great outdoors for 25 years. The former outdoors editor at the Mobile Press-Register, he writes for Outdoor Alabama, the website of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Former Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl may now be the biggest fan of the program in the country, with his son Steven taking the reins this season following his surprising retirement before the year began.

For the younger Pearl, it’s been a rough go of it since the start of February.

It’s very much beginning to look like Auburn will miss the NCAA Tournament following their SEC Tournament defeat against Tennessee. As for the elder Pearl, he had some choice words for officials while spectating his son’s team on Thursday in a viral social media clip.

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Pearl’s expletive-laced tirade brought shades of him back on the sidelines to mind, however, the referees no longer have the ability to assess him with a technical foul.

While Pearl has been at peace with his retirement all year long, it cannot be easy to watch his son try to find his way as a coach while having no control from the sidelines.

It’s likely a spot that will take some getting used to for the veteran coach.