Your latest Crimson Tide news and notes.
Happy Monday, everyone. The Gym Tide hosted Mizzou on Friday night and thing went well.
Competing in front of its home crowd for the first time this season, in front of 9,216 fans, the No. 3 Alabama gymnastics team (2-1, 1-1 SEC) used a season-high score to defeat the seventh-ranked Missouri Tigers (4-2, 0-2 SEC), 197.500 – 197.225.
A trio of Crimson Tide gymnasts picked up four total event titles in the victory, as freshman Jasmine Cawley won vault (9.925), junior Chloe LaCoursiere claimed the uneven bars (9.975) and senior Gabby Gladieux won both floor exercise (9.975) and the all-around (39.575).
Kristy Curry’s squad also bounced back from a rough week.
In a game that saw 18 lead changes and 10 ties, Alabama women’s basketball team outlasted Mississippi State, 85-79, Sunday inside Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide (18-3, 4-3 SEC) earned its 18th victory overall and fourth in Southeastern Conference play.
Five UA players finished in double-figures as Jessica Timmons led Alabama with a career-high 28 points, as she shot 3-for-6 (50 percent) from deep and 11-for-11 (100 percent) from the free throw line. Diana Collins (15), Karly Weathers (13), Ace Austin (10) and Naomi Jones (10) rounded out the Tide’s top scorers.
Jones paced Alabama in the plus-minus category, finishing plus 23 with 10 points, four rebounds and six blocks in her 22 minutes of action. Austin (6), Collins (6) and Weathers (5) combined for 17 of Alabama’s 30 total rebounds, while Weathers added five steals to her stat line.
Star forward Essence Cody returned but only played 15 minutes. Getting her back to 100% will be huge.
Charles Bediako’s injunction hearing is tomorrow.
These are the craziest of times when it comes to NCAA eligibility, but in Bediako’s case, they’ll get even crazier on Tuesday. That’s when Roberts will hear arguments on a preliminary request for injunction that could make Bediako’s return to Alabama a one-game wonder, in which case he’d one day be the answer to one hell of a trivia question. If Bediako loses on the injunction, he’d once again be subject to NCAA rules that make him ineligible, and would presumably go back to the NBA G-League. If he wins, UA coach Nate Oats will lock him in as a fixture in the Alabama lineup for the remainder of the season.
College sports are in a wacky place in general, but if it does turn out that Chuck was eligible for only one game, that might take the cake. Most pundits seem to think that he will get the injunction, though.
A few pieces dropped about the lines of scrimmage this weekend.
Racin Delgatty is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound center from Cal Poly. He was All-Big Sky Second Team in 2025 after starting all 12 games for the FCS Mustangs. The former 3-star recruit allowed just 11 pressures on 460 pass-blocking snaps last season and plays with a mean streak that stands out on tape.
Delgatty steps into the Crimson Tide center position after two-year starter Parker Brailsford declared for the NFL Draft. He offers the offense an experienced player, as he’s played in 21 games for Cal Poly over the last two seasons. Delgatty becomes the centerpiece in a revamped offensive line and will be snapping to a new starting quarterback.
It’s assumed that Delgatty will slot in to start at center, but Michigan transfer Kayden Strayhorn will be in the mix as well. One returnee that fully plans to cement a starting job is guard William Sanders.
Sanders (6-3, 308) joined Alabama in the 2024 recruiting class, and ahead of the NFL Combine last year, NFL draft first-rounder Tyler Booker pointed at him as a future star.
“He’ll be borderline annoying sometimes, just asking me ‘How I look? How I look? How I look?’” Booker said. “But I appreciate that from him because he had a want to learn. He wants to learn all the time. He loves the game of football, you can tell he loves the game of football.
“He used somebody like me as an older guy to learn from, so I’m very excited to see how Will progresses over the next few years, and I’ll always be rooting for that guy. He’s a great guy and a great football player.”
Sanders looks to slot in at one of the open guard positions. If he can lock in as a redshirt sophomore, it would help stabilize and improve one of Alabama’s largest areas of need.
On the other side of the ball, Alabama needs London Simmons to take a big step forward.
Simmons said it was a blessing getting to come in and get early playing time as a 3-star and described the season as surreal. He said it was a mindset he had in order to earn the trust of the coaches as a true freshman.
“Not thinking you’re a true freshman, just acting like a vet,” Simmons said. “Doing everything you do over and over just like a vet.”
With losses to the NFL (Keenan and LT Overton) and transfer portal (James Smith, Kelby Collins and Jordan Renaud), Simmons will be one of Alabama’s most experienced players along the defensive line in 2026 and will be counted on for an even bigger role. However, the path he took to playing time in 2025 can “absolutely” be an example for other young players according to Roach.
Last, year three has been good for Alabama coaches in the past.
Three Alabama football coaches won national championships in their third season with the Crimson Tide.
Wallace Wade gave Alabama a national championship in his third season, leading the Crimson Tide to a perfect 10-0 record in 1925 and a Rose Bowl win against Washington.
Gene Stallings followed Wade 67 years later with a perfect 13-0 campaign in 1992, capped off with a Sugar Bowl national championship win against Miami in his third season.
And Nick Saban, in 2009, secured his first of six Alabama national championships in Year 3, beating Texas in the BCS Championship to secure an undefeated 13-0 season.
No pressure, Kalen.
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.
Category: General Sports
