Your latest Crimson Tide news and notes.
Happy Gump Day, everyone. Alabama 5-star freshman RB Ezavier Crowell was named Mr. Football in Alabama for the 2025 season.
“I told myself that I was going to be the best high school football player in Alabama next year,” Crowell said. “To be here holding these awards, it’s just a blessing and shows that I’m a man of my word.”
Crowell was named the ASWA’s Mr. Football of the 2025 high school football season in Alabama.
The Jackson running back and University of Alabama signee, earned the right to say he’s the best player in the 2025 football season after rushing for 2,632 yards and 35 rushing touchdowns. In the AHSAA Class 4A title game, Crowell broke a 25-year-long record for most rushing yards in a Class 4A title game with 304 yards and five scores.
Crowell is in college a year early after reclassifying, but you’d never know it looking at him. Alabama lists him at 5’11” and 205 lbs. You’ve likely seen most of these already, but his speed and power speak for themselves.
Can’t wait to see what he can do.
Colin Gay has a look at the projected defensive depth chart after portal additions.
Alabama is in a very different spot at linebacker than it was a season ago. Instead of three veteran pieces — Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson and Nikhai Hill-Green — much of Alabama’s linebacker corps is unproven. Of the room’s returning talent, Cayden Jones leads with 53 snaps, per PFF. It’s why Alabama added Caleb Woodson, a veteran Virginia Tech linebacker with one season of eligibility, through the transfer portal. And moves could still be made. But for now, players like Jones, QB Reese and even five-star freshman Xavier Griffin seem to be in line for significant reps.
The defensive line looks solid enough and the secondary is loaded. Linebacker will be the question mark, as Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson leave big shoes to fill. Reese looked ready when he got time last year and should be the leader of the pack.
Chris Hummer at CBS listed the Tide among his transfer portal “losers.”
What’s also fair is those losses are reflective of the changing landscape for Alabama, which no longer gets to hoard elite depth like it did in the Nick Saban era.
The Tide are competitive in the name, image and likeness landscape but they are not on the same upper tier as the new big dogs like Miami, Oregon and Texas, and that’s why you’re seeing those like Keon Keeley, a former five-star and key rotation piece, walk out the door for Notre Dame.
It’s harder than ever to hold onto key depth — heck, even starters — and Alabama’s portal cycle is an example of that reality.
It’s not as if Alabama didn’t add good players. Bringing in Devan Thompkins and Terrance Green is a net positive for the Tide along the defensive front, even while losing James Smith. Yet in totality, especially when you consider the depth that departed, Alabama’s roster is a little worse coming out of January.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder here. The most noteworthy portal losses and their replacements:
- Isaiah Horton – Noah Rogers
- Keon Keeley – Devan Thompkins
- James Smith – Terrance Green
- Qua Russaw – Desmond Umeozulu
- Wilkin Formby – Ty Haywood
It will be much more difficult to replace the guys who departed for the NFL than the ones who left via the portal.
Navy’s coach decided to rank Alabama 21st in the final poll.
Navy coach Brian Newberry ranked Alabama No. 21 in his ballot for the final coaches poll of the season.
Newberry ranked Texas, BYU, Utah, Oklahoma (who Alabama beat in the first round of the playoff), Vanderbilt and others ahead of the Crimson Tide. That included ranking Navy at No. 19 in his ballot.
Alabama was ranked as high as No. 6 in the poll by two coaches: Delaware’s Ryan Carty and new Florida coach Jon Sumrall.
The Crimson Tide ended up No. 9 in the official poll.
Last, Emilee Smarr has some basketball recruiting intel for you. Alabama is pursuing several top 20 prospects hard, and seems to be in the clear lead for 6’5” wing Qayden Samuels.
Tipton said that Alabama is the favorite, but Branham quoted Samuels, who said, “It’s really difficult because I don’t know what I am going to do. It’s two great schools, it’s crazy, it’s really difficult.”
What draws Samuels to the Tide, he told Branham, is the program’s play style.
“I like how they play. They shoot a lot of layups and threes. They play hard, they play together and I feel like that will fit me,” Samuels said to 247Sports, adding that Georgetown would allow his family to come support him in the stands more frequently.
Come on down, Qayden.
That’s about it for now. Have a great day.
Roll Tide.
Category: General Sports
