Another day of spring practice, another day of recruits on campus and this Thursday afternoon is shaping up to be an impressive one
Thursday marks the first team scrimmage in the Kalen DeBoer era. A loaded group of visitors is expected to be in Tuscaloosa to watch the Crimson Tide compete and continue to build relationships with the new staff.
Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class has jumped to No. 6 in team rankings after a wave of commitments over the last few weeks. DeBoer and his staff have added six commits to the class, bringing the total to eight.
Four-star defensive lineman Antonio Coleman (Saraland, AL) kicked off the impressive month by flipping back to Alabama from Auburn on March 2. Four-star S Zymear Smith (Rigely, MD) committed a week later on March 9 followed by four-star ATH Derick Smith (Selma, AL) two days later on March 11. Four-star linebacker Darrell ‘Duke’ Johnson (Eastman, GA) joined the wave on March 20, three-star linebacker Abduall Sanders (Santa Ana, CA) on March 21 and three-star linebacker Luke Metz (Hoschton, GA) committed on March 24.
Before playing his hometown team, Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson reflects on freshman season
“I saw that down the line, it could happen, and now that it’s happening, I’m excited for it, for sure.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Jarin Stevenson couldn’t help but smile on Selection Sunday.
When the bracket for the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball was revealed 10 days ago, North Carolina was shown as the 1-seed in the West Region. A few spots later, Alabama was shown as the 4-seed.
Stevenson, the Crimson Tide’s 6-foot-11, 210-pound freshman forward, initially zeroed in on that first-round matchup against No. 13 Charleston, but he couldn’t help but wonder about a potential Sweet 16 matchup against the Tar Heels.
“I was more focused on one game at a time,” said Stevenson, a Chapel Hill native who grew up 10 minutes from the North Carolina campus. “But I saw that down the line, it could happen, and now that it’s happening, I’m excited for it, for sure.”
The Crimson Tide are back in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years. They will play top-seeded North Carolina here at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday (approx. 8:39 p.m. CT, CBS). Winner heads to the Elite Eight.
For Stevenson, it’s a chance to play against the school he grew up rooting for; the school that initially offered him as a high-schooler; the place where his mom played college basketball; and the place that has so much history within the game.
“This is a little bit of a meaningful game for him,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said Wednesday.
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