Umpire Brent Sowell played on the offensive line at Alabama from 1982-85 under coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ray Perkins. A Florida native, Sowell spent three seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

College football is more than just a game, especially for the fanbases that were left out of the College Football Playoff.

Airline wide receiver Kenny Darby continues his rise as a national prospect in the 2026 Recruiting Class with the top programs remaining in his ear. Darby, a former Mississippi State pledge, received an offer from Brian Kelly and LSU Tigers in November where he wasted no time in joining the class in Baton Rouge.

Cincere Johnson, one of the Alabama Crimson Tide's top recruiting targets, thinks big things are on the horizon in Tuscaloosa in the post-Nick Saban era. Johnson, 6-foot-3/225 lbs from Cleveland, OH,

Alabama fans are just built different. Today is a big day in the United State of America. We’ve got a Presidential Inauguration, MLK Day, and the championship game of one of our country’s best athletic exports: college football.

In 2025, Alabama has a defense with a multitude of returning starters, each looking to take a next step in a scheme heading into year two while adding supplemental pieces like former Colorado linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, former Utah cornerback Cameron Calhoun and former Florida defensive lineman Kelby Collins to fill out the two-deep.

Here's how four ex-Alabama players, including Caleb Downs and Seth McLaughlin, can make an impact in the national title game for Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Alabama has not yet announced its plans for the 2025 A Game. The 2024 game was April 13. Alabama will kick off its 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 [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Former Alabama football quarterback Greg McElroy talked about the landscape of college football ahead of the CFP national championship. McElroy explained that while parity is great for the sport, polarizing super teams like the Nick Saban-era Alabama programs also hold great long-term value for college football.

Jason Jones, a Tuscaloosa native, former Alabama defensive back and cornerbacks coach at North Carolina, was added to the Crimson Tide 's staff as an assistant defensive backs coach, Yea Alabama, the University of Alabama Name, Image and Likeness collective, announced Friday.

On3 Sports' Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman released their way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2025 season on Monday and Alabama checked in at No. 14 in the list. SEC rival Texas checked in at No. 1 with Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Notre Dame rounding out the top five.

Ray Perkins, who started with an 8-4 record in 1983, led the Crimson Tide to a 5-6 record in 1984 with losses to Boston College, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU. Alabama entered the season No. 9 in the AP poll, and finished the season unranked.