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6 days ago
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Will Deontae Lawson be ready for 2025 season? What Alabama football linebacker said
ATLANTA − Kalen DeBoer will be the first one to tell you. He didn't think Deontae Lawson would be back for Alabama football's 2025 season. "We thought a year ago at this time he'd be wearing an NFL jersey," DeBoer said at SEC media days, an adage he's repeated each time he talks about his only returning captain. An ACL injury against Oklahoma changed Lawson's path, one that "wasn't a light injury whatsoever," the linebacker said. But while expressing his admiration for the Alabama injury staff, Lawson said he thinks he'll be ready for 2025. "I'm sure I won't take every rep, but they'll definitely monitor me and make sure I'm ready to go for August 30," Lawson said. Lawson later clarified he thinks he's a "9 out of 10" when it comes to his recovery path. Lawson missed spring practice rehabbing his ACL injury, something he called difficult. "You can't feel sorry for yourself," Lawson said. "You've got to do what you can." The injury was one of Lawson's "biggest" reasons for coming back, while he said that the decision itself carried much more weight than just performing on the field. "It was definitely a very hard decision," Lawson said. "I think any college athlete, any college football player, we all have dreams and aspirations of playing at the next level. I feel like I had that opportunity. But I had to look past that a little bit. There was still some things I had to work on. Being a leader more, a vocal leader, building more relationships off the field. I feel like this would be a great year to kind of set me up for life after football. Obviously I have dreams and aspirations to play at the next level, but I think the injury kind of made me realize it can be taken away from you at any point. It kind of made me just want to dig deeper in life after football." Lawson had 76 tackles, 7 tackles-for-loss and 2 sacks in 2024, adding four pass deflections. Alabama opens its 2025 season at Florida State Aug. 30. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Deontae Lawson talks recovery ahead of Alabama football 2025 season
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7 days ago
- Sport
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Why Kalen DeBoer felt Alabama football offense was 'limited' in 2024, and won't be in 2025
Kalen DeBoer made it clear. The Alabama football head coach feels the Crimson Tide's offensive output will be different in 2025. It's not only because of Alabama's addition of Ryan Grubb, the Crimson Tide's new offensive coordinator who's been closely tied to DeBoer throughout his coaching career. It's a matter of reps and experience. "I think football, if you're doing what you should be doing, you should always be built around your personnel," DeBoer said on "The Millers' Edge" podcast July 15. "Both sides of the ball, all phases. … It starts with your quarterback. I think you're always going to evolve as you go through a season. And last year we evolved in some ways, but I think we were still limited. I don't mean limited because of the players. I just think it's limited because of the amount of work, the volume of work that you had together." In 2024, Alabama had the third-best scoring offense in the SEC with 33.8 points per game, but finished seventh in total offense (410.2 yards per game). And while DeBoer said it starts with the quarterback, someone who "has to have full confidence that everyone is on the same page" when making a check, the Alabama coach said it continues into the offensive line room that has shown continuity, and in a receiver room he feels is "just different." "We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things, which is going to make you hard to defend," DeBoer said, mentioning Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, Rico Scott and Miami transfer Isaiah Horton by name. At quarterback, DeBoer mentioned the growth of both Ty Simpson and Austin Mack with "another year in the system," while five-star freshman Keelon Russell has done "a really great job ... of getting those reps that he needs to be comfortable." With Grubb at the helm of the offense, DeBoer said Alabama has someone who "hashes out the details," explaining not only the "how" of a scheme, but also the "why." "There's just another level of depth to the just the feeling that you know what to expect when you've had the relationship that we have had for so many years," DeBoer said. Alabama opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at Florida State. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kalen DeBoer feels Alabama football offense won't be 'limited' in 2025
Yahoo
03-07-2025
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Woman charged with capital murder after July 2 shooting in Northport
A 47-year-old woman has been arrested after a July 2 shooting that killed a man in Northport. Joyce Reed was charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting. She is being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond due to the capital charge, said Capt. Marty Sellers of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. At around 7:42 p.m., officers with the Northport Police Department received a report of a man who had been shot in the 11400 block of Fairwood Avenue in Huntington Place. When officers arrived, they found a man who had been shot multiple times, Sellers said. The man, later identified as 28-year-old Jermaine Dashun Witherspoon of Tuscaloosa, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries. More: Accessing local journalism is even easier with the News app Sellers said Witherspoon and Reed were acquaintances who had been involved in a disagreement before the shooting. Investigators believe Witherspoon was sitting in Reed's car while Reed was standing nearby. According to investigators, Reed shot Witherspoon and there was no evidence that Witherspoon was armed before he was shot. Sellers said the exact nature of their relationship is still being determined by investigators. Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@ To support her work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Woman charged with capital murder in Northport shooting
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
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Nate Oats hires another NBA assistant to Alabama basketball staff. What to know
Alabama basketball has rounded out its coaching staff. Chris Fleming, a former NBA assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and, most recently, the Portland Trail Blazers, was hired on Nate Oats' staff for the 2025-26 season, Yea Alabama announced May 21. Advertisement Fleming replaces Ryan Pannone, who became the head men's basketball coach at Arkansas State. Fleming joins an Alabama staff that includes assistant coaches Preston Murphy and Brian Adams, who was hired after a one-season stint as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons. Fleming worked with NBA All-Stars like DeMar DeRozan, Brook Lopez, Lauri Markkanen and D'Angelo Russell. Alabama does not have a full schedule set for the 2025-26 season, but has non-conference games against Arizona, Yale, Purdue, Illinois and St. John's, along with a trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nate Oats hires another NBA assistant to Alabama basketball staff
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
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Why a 'Bear' Bryant commercial is often shared on social media on Mother's Day
As we approach Mother's Day, which falls on Sunday, May 11, 2025, here's a look back at a story about the holiday's connection to legendary Alabama football coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant that The Tuscaloosa News originally published on May 6, 2021: It's become a Mother's Day tradition. Advertisement Somewhere in the world of social media, folks will begin sharing video of a heart-tugging South Central Bell Co. commercial from the 1970s that features legendary University of Alabama coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant. The 30-second ad ends with Bryant asking viewers if they've called their mothers today. A YouTube video of the Bryant/Bell ad has been viewed more than 300,000 times. Last year, tweeted the video, garnering 210 retweets and nearly 500 "likes." The ad begins with Bryant, clad in a crimson sweater, hanging up the phone in his office. "One of the first things we tell our players is to keep in touch with their families. And when our freshmen first arrive, we ask them to write a postcard home, right then," Bryant says in a gravelly voice as the camera gradually gets closer. Advertisement "You know, we keep them pretty busy, but they always have time to pick up the phone and call. And it's really important to keep in touch. "Have you called your mama today? I sure wish I could call mine." Legend has it that Bryant, who died in 1983 at the age of 69, veered away from the script and ad-libbed the last line. The ad ends with a vocalist singing South Central Bell's slogan, "Reach out and touch someone." More: Mother's Day 2025 deals and specials for fast food, brunch, dining: What to know in Alabama Bryant's mom was Ida Mae Kilgore Bryant of Moro Bottom, Arkansas. He was the 11th of her 12 children and grew up to play college football at the University of Alabama. Advertisement As a coach, Bryant won 323 games in 38 years. He started his career at the University of Maryland, moved on to the University of Kentucky, then Texas A&M University before settling in at his alma mater. During 25 seasons in Tuscaloosa, Bryant earned six national championships and 13 SEC titles, while launching the careers of future NFL legends Joe Namath and Ken Stabler. When asked why he was leaving Texas A&M for Tuscaloosa, Bryant had a simple answer: "Mama called." This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Mother's Day has longtime connection to legendary coach 'Bear' Bryant
