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USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN names Kalen DeBoer's second season at Alabama a top 2025 college football storyline
ESPN names Kalen DeBoer's second season at Alabama a top 2025 college football storyline If you think your job is tough and carries lofty expectations, try following only the greatest coach in college football history: Alabama's Nick Saban. That's the challenge Kalen DeBoer accepted when he left Washington for the Alabama job after Saban's decision to retire from coaching in January 2024. Alabama went 9-4 in Year 1 of DeBoer in a season filled with several highs. The Crimson Tide beat No. 1 Georgia in a thriller at Bryant-Denny Stadium, defeated Auburn for its fifth straight Iron Bowl win, and ran LSU completely out of Tiger Stadium. There were also some lows: a loss to Vanderbilt for the first time in 40 years, an ugly blowout at Oklahoma late in the season, and an uninspiring loss to a Michigan team that was missing countless starters in the Outback Bowl in Tampa. The jury is still out on exactly how much DeBoer's first-year record is indicative of future success or failure. With 100 days until the start of the 2025 college football season, ESPN's staff got together on Thursday to name the 10 'must-know' storylines heading into the season. Year 2 for DeBoer in Tuscaloosa was named the third biggest on ESPN's list, with Kyle Bonagura saying: "Replacing Nick Saban at Alabama was always going to be a unique conundrum because it's completely unfair to expect anyone to replace the greatest college football coach of all time. The coach who came after Saban was going to be measured against him. That's just how this works. While that dynamic is probably unfair, that doesn't make DeBoer's task any easier. He left a place where the external pressure would be relatively nonexistent for the foreseeable future after leading Washington to a national title game appearance in his second season. The Crimson Tide were disappointing last year, but it also made sense that Year 1 was transitional as Saban's shadow still loomed quite large. That will be the case for a long time, to varying degrees, but now that there has been adequate time to shape the roster into his own vision, it will be interesting to see how Alabama looks in Year 2 under DeBoer." To that end, DeBoer reunited with longtime offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Grubb in the offseason. Ty Simpson seems to have a leg up on the quarterback race after some public backing from Grubb and DeBoer, and Alabama brought in depth at wide receiver -- Miami transfer Isaiah Horton, plus freshmen Derek Meadows and Lotzeir Brooks -- to help sophomore sensation Ryan Williams and senior Germie Bernard. Alabama opens the 2025 season against Florida State on Aug. 30 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Kickoff was announced this week for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Start time, TV channel announced for Alabama vs Florida State in college football Week 1
Start time, TV channel announced for Alabama vs Florida State in college football Week 1 The showdown between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season now has a reported start time and TV channel. Veteran college football scribe Brett McMurphy reported Tuesday that the SEC, ACC and its television partner ESPN had agreed to kickoff times for four games featuring the two conferences in head-to-head action. Alabama and Florida State will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. The game will be televised on ABC, McMurphy reported. That same day, LSU will visit the Clemson Tigers in prime time at 6:30 p.m. CT, and Tennessee will open the season vs. Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 11 a.m., in other SEC vs. ACC play. On Sunday, Virginia Tech and South Carolina are scheduled to meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 2 p.m. CT. For Alabama and Florida State, it will be their first meeting since the 2017 season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Crimson Tide defense smothered the Seminoles in a 24-7 win. The only other time Alabama has placed FSU in the state of Florida was on Sept. 29, 2007, a 21-14 loss to Bobby Bowden's Seminoles in Jacksonville during Nick Saban's first season as Crimson Tide coach. This year's meeting will be the sixth all-time between Alabama and Florida State. The Tide lead the series, 3-1-1. Alabama went 9-4 a season ago under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, beating rivals Auburn, LSU and Georgia and falling to Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma before losing to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl). Florida State went 2-10 last season under coach Mike Norvell. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL Draft 2025: Alabama football QB Jalen Milroe taken in second round
Alabama football has officially sent another quarterback to the NFL. Jalen Milroe was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 92nd overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday. Crimson Tide and Seahawks legend Shaun Alexander announced the selection. Milroe is the fifth straight Alabama starting quarterback taken in the draft dating back to Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts in 2020. Mac Jones, taken 15th overall by New England in 2021, and Bryce Young (No. 1 overall to Carolina in 2023) are also on that list. Milroe is the first quarterback taken in the first three rounds of any NFL Draft by the Seahawks since Russell Wilson in 2012. He's also the first Crimson Tide player drafted by Seattle since defensive tackle Jarran Reed in 2016. Behind offensive lineman Tyler Booker (No. 12 overall to the Dallas Cowboys) and linebacker Jihaad Campbell (No. 31 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles, Milroe is the third Crimson Tide player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft and the 103rd overall player to be drafted out of Alabama since 2014. Milroe started two years at Alabama under Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer, and made one start for the Crimson Tide in 2022 vs. Texas A&M. He threw for 2,844 yards with 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions last year as part of a 9-4 season that ended with a loss to Michigan in the Outback Bowl. Milroe rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns on 168 carries. As a sophomore in his first full season at quarterback in 2023, Milroe was benched after a Week 2 loss to Texas but returned to lead Alabama to 10 straight victories and a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena against national champion Michigan. Milroe was 21-6 as Alabama's starting quarterback. He committed to the Crimson Tide out of Tompkins High School in Katy, Texas, in August 2020 as a 4-star recruit. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion from the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Guardian
11-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Built different: Is the 6XL, 464lb Desmond Watson too large for the NFL?
Desmond Watson is pro football's next very big thing: a 6ft 6in, 464lb defensive tackle who is poised to become the heaviest player ever selected at the NFL draft, which takes place later this month. 'He's a unicorn,' his coach at Florida, Billy Napier, said last month. 'You'll go the rest of your career, and you'll never be around a guy that's that stature. A native of Plant City, Florida, the state's strawberry capital, Watson was the Gators' big man on campus, a larger-than-life folk hero to match the school's 7ft 9in basketball prospect. When Watson arrived at college, he already weighed 440lb – or about as much as a standup piano. Watson's legend grew once he cracked the team's starting lineup the following year. During a 2022 game against South Carolina, Watson left 89,000 fans gasping after he split a double team and ripped the ball away from his opponent in a hit reminiscent of Jadeveon Clowney's helmet-popping hit against Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl. (It's a wonder Spencer Rattler, the Gamecocks' 6ft 1in, 218lb quarterback, managed to tackle Watson to the ground afterwards.) At last year's Gasperilla Bowl, Watson's college swan song, the Gators handed the ball off to him to get a first down late in the game. 'I can do it all,' he said afterward. At Florida's pro day, Watson showed NFL scouts the full range of that versatility and the extent to which it bends the rules of physics. Besides out-benchpressing every other draft prospect, Watson logged a 25in vertical and a 5.93-second time in the 40-yard dash – poor scores for most NFL hopefuls but impressive for someone of his size. The performance won Watson fans across the country and had analysts buzzing about his pro prospects like never before. The former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson told Watson he'd 'look good in stripes' – but any team that's appraising the Gators bulldozer will also have to think about his literal locker room fit. At Florida, he wore a size-6XL jersey along with custom-made pads and cleats. The only small thing on Watson was his number, 21 – digits that are usually reserved for skill position players. (He picked it to honor his younger brother, Dyson, who wore the number before suffering a life-altering stroke.) But the thing that really has Watson's admirers excited is his potential to be just the immovable object to stand up to the NFL's unstoppable force – the tush push. After a season that saw the Philadelphia Eagles call the 'brotherly shove' time and again as they won the Super Bowl, the league is considering banning the play – a quarterback sneak with a teammate or two providing a boost. Tush push detractors believe the play gives too much of an advantage to teams with jumbo-sized offensive linemen. But until the play is officially banned it may be that teams need to stock up on bigger defensive linemen as a counter. That's what makes Watson so intriguing: he could be one of those prospects who affects the players who come after him. In the 1980s, 330lb rookie William 'Refrigerator' Perry was the one dazzling crowds with his strength and speed on both defense and offense during the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl XX run. In the 1990s, Nate Newton (nicknamed the Kitchen because he was 5lb heavier than Perry) went from USFL castoff to the linchpin offensive lineman of Dallas Cowboys' championship dynasty. In the noughties, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Orlando Brown was such a sight to behold at 6ft 7in and 360lb that people called him Zeus. But linemen Brown's size are fixtures in the game now – with do-it-all big men like the Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell setting the standard. Watson has a chance to break the NFL mold again with his even bigger frame. Just the sight of him clashing with average-sized (for football) players had onlookers gushing about how he makes Perry, the Bears legend, look like 'a mini fridge'. The idea that he could usher in a new era of 400lb pound linemen is intriguing. 'People see that number and think My 600-pound Life,' Watson's high school coach, Evan Davis, told the Gainesville Sun in 2021. But is playing a punishing game at Watson's weight even sustainable? Football already exacts a brutal physical toll on players. Bigger bodies mean bigger collisions, more strain on joints and an increased risk for injury. To Watson's immense credit, he never missed a game in his college career – but he has also struggled to maintain his weight, and the Florida pro day marked his heaviest weigh-in yet. Fans who watched Watson's workout were quick to point out Watson huffing and puffing through portions of some agility drills – worrying signs, perhaps, of a lack of stamina. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe reckons Watson could be a reliable playmaker at 420lb – but Watson was reluctant to put any limits on himself. 'I played against Tennessee, which was the fastest offense in the nation, all four years [of college],' he told Sharpe. 'So [weight] isn't really a worry of mine. But I know the lighter I get, the more I can dominate because that's the goal.' He added that he is working with a nutritionist to address his diet. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Believe it or not, Watson actually was the smallest at birth among his six siblings – a little over 8lb. But it was only a matter of time before he filled out. That's perhaps no surprise: his father is 6ft 4in and 300lb. His mother, a former basketball standout, is 250lb – weight she chalks up to having six kids and a lack of activity during Covid lockdowns. That said, not everyone in his family is big. 'I come from a family of receivers and running backs, track athletes,' Watson said. 'I think it was just destined for me to play in the interior. My older brother is 5ft 9in, 165lb.' Watson is referring to Darrian McNeal, a former University of Oregon slot receiver. At the moment, he projects as a late-round selection or a priority free-agent signee – but it wouldn't come as a surprise to see Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who built the sport's tallest and heaviest offensive line, snap up Watson to preserve the team's tush-push monopoly. One could also envision Watson being selected with the very last pick in the draft and becoming the NFL's largest ever Mr Irrelevant. But historic size doesn't guarantee a long NFL career. Aaron Gibson, who was 410lb when the Lions made him the heaviest player ever drafted, in 1999, played five seasons and missed time every year but one because of nagging injuries. Watson should get an opportunity to prove himself. Whether it's a right-sized opportunity will be up to him. 'I don't care who it is,' Watson said of the teams that might draft him. 'If anybody's trying to put me in a jersey, I'm ready for it.' In a 6XL or slimmer fare, the reward could wind up dwarfing the risk.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Built different: Is the 6XL, 464lb Desmond Watson too large for the NFL?
Spencer Rattler of the South Carolina Gamecocks is stiff armed by Desmond Watson during a game in 2022. Photograph:Desmond Watson is pro football's next very big thing: a 6ft 6in, 464lb defensive tackle who is poised to become the heaviest player ever selected at the NFL draft, which takes place later this month. 'He's a unicorn,' his coach at Florida, Billy Napier, said last month. 'You'll go the rest of your career, and you'll never be around a guy that's that stature. Advertisement A native of Plant City, Florida, the state's strawberry capital, Watson was the Gators' big man on campus, a larger-than-life folk hero to match the school's 7ft 9in basketball prospect. When Watson arrived at college, he already weighed 440lb – or about as much as a standup piano. Watson's legend grew once he cracked the team's starting lineup the following year. During a 2022 game against South Carolina, Watson left 89,000 fans gasping after he split a double team and ripped the ball away from his opponent in a hit reminiscent of Jadeveon Clowney's helmet-popping hit against Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl. (It's a wonder Spencer Rattler, the Gamecocks' 6ft 1in, 218lb quarterback, managed to tackle Watson to the ground afterwards.) At last year's Gasperilla Bowl, Watson's college swan song, the Gators handed the ball off to him to get a first down late in the game. 'I can do it all,' he said afterward. At Florida's pro day, Watson showed NFL scouts the full range of that versatility and the extent to which it bends the rules of physics. Besides out-benchpressing every other draft prospect, Watson logged a 25in vertical and a 5.93-second time in the 40-yard dash – poor scores for most NFL hopefuls but impressive for someone of his size. The performance won Watson fans across the country and had analysts buzzing about his pro prospects like never before. The former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson told Watson he'd 'look good in stripes' – but any team that's appraising the Gators bulldozer will also have to think about his literal locker room fit. At Florida, he wore a size-6XL jersey along with custom-made pads and cleats. The only small thing on Watson was his number, 21 – digits that are usually reserved for skill position players. (He picked it to honor his younger brother, Dyson, who wore the number before suffering a life-altering stroke.) Related: The Cowboys have a brilliant scouting network. They also have Jerry Jones But the thing that really has Watson's admirers excited is his potential to be just the immovable object to stand up to the NFL's unstoppable force – the tush push. After a season that saw the Philadelphia Eagles call the 'brotherly shove' time and again as they won the Super Bowl, the league is considering banning the play – a quarterback sneak with a teammate or two providing a boost. Tush push detractors believe the play gives too much of an advantage to teams with jumbo-sized offensive linemen. But until the play is officially banned it may be that teams need to stock up on bigger defensive linemen as a counter. Advertisement That's what makes Watson so intriguing: he could be one of those prospects who affects the players who come after him. In the 1980s, 330lb rookie William 'Refrigerator' Perry was the one dazzling crowds with his strength and speed on both defense and offense during the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl XX run. In the 1990s, Nate Newton (nicknamed the Kitchen because he was 5lb heavier than Perry) went from USFL castoff to the linchpin offensive lineman of Dallas Cowboys' championship dynasty. In the noughties, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Orlando Brown was such a sight to behold at 6ft 7in and 360lb that people called him Zeus. But linemen Brown's size are fixtures in the game now – with do-it-all big men like the Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell setting the standard. Watson has a chance to break the NFL mold again with his even bigger frame. Just the sight of him clashing with average-sized (for football) players had onlookers gushing about how he makes Perry, the Bears legend, look like 'a mini fridge'. The idea that he could usher in a new era of 400lb pound linemen is intriguing. 'People see that number and think My 600-pound Life,' Watson's high school coach, Evan Davis, told the Gainesville Sun in 2021. But is playing a punishing game at Watson's weight even sustainable? Football already exacts a brutal physical toll on players. Bigger bodies mean bigger collisions, more strain on joints and an increased risk for injury. To Watson's immense credit, he never missed a game in his college career – but he has also struggled to maintain his weight, and the Florida pro day marked his heaviest weigh-in yet. Fans who watched Watson's workout were quick to point out Watson huffing and puffing through portions of some agility drills – worrying signs, perhaps, of a lack of stamina. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe reckons Watson could be a reliable playmaker at 420lb – but Watson was reluctant to put any limits on himself. 'I played against Tennessee, which was the fastest offense in the nation, all four years [of college],' he told Sharpe. 'So [weight] isn't really a worry of mine. But I know the lighter I get, the more I can dominate because that's the goal.' He added that he is working with a nutritionist to address his diet. Believe it or not, Watson actually was the smallest at birth among his six siblings – a little over 8lb. But it was only a matter of time before he filled out. That's perhaps no surprise: his father is 6ft 4in and 300lb. His mother, a former basketball standout, is 250lb – weight she chalks up to having six kids and a lack of activity during Covid lockdowns. That said, not everyone in his family is big. 'I come from a family of receivers and running backs, track athletes,' Watson said. 'I think it was just destined for me to play in the interior. My older brother is 5ft 9in, 165lb.' Watson is referring to Darrian McNeal, a former University of Oregon slot receiver. Advertisement At the moment, he projects as a late-round selection or a priority free-agent signee – but it wouldn't come as a surprise to see Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who built the sport's tallest and heaviest offensive line, snap up Watson to preserve the team's tush-push monopoly. One could also envision Watson being selected with the very last pick in the draft and becoming the NFL's largest ever Mr Irrelevant. But historic size doesn't guarantee a long NFL career. Aaron Gibson, who was 410lb when the Lions made him the heaviest player ever drafted, in 1999, played five seasons and missed time every year but one because of nagging injuries. Watson should get an opportunity to prove himself. Whether it's a right-sized opportunity will be up to him. 'I don't care who it is,' Watson said of the teams that might draft him. 'If anybody's trying to put me in a jersey, I'm ready for it.' In a 6XL or slimmer fare, the reward could wind up dwarfing the risk.
