Crimson Tide Begins Two-A-Day Practices
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| Tide holds first two-a-day practices yesterday Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team began the the first day of two-a-day practices yesterday morning at 9:30 a.m. CT and again at 7:30 p.m. CT for approximately two hours for each session. The first practice was in full pads on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields, with the second practice in shells, which is in accordance with NCAA rules. This was the first of three two-a-day practices scheduled, with the next one coming up Thursday.
There is a single-session practice scheduled for today, another two-a-day on Thursday and then back to a single on Friday. Saturday is Alabama's first intrasquad scrimmage of the fall, slated for Bryant-Denny Stadium. Sunday will be the team's first off day since the start of fall camp.
Inside linebacker Keith Holcombe wasn't on the field for the morning session during the media viewing period, but was practicing during the evening session. Pairings for linebackers yesterday morning were Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton on the inside, with the second group consistings of Rashaan Evans and Keaton Anderson. The third group was Joshua McMillon and Ben Davis.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Kendall Sheffield was working with the first-team secondary yesterday morning. At cornerback Marlon Humphrey and Sheffield, at nickel back it was Minkah Fitzpatrick and in the safety position it was Eddie Jackson and Ronnie Harrison. Second team secondary consisted of Anthony Averett and Jared Mayden at cornerback, Shyheim Carter at nickel back and then Hootie Jones and Tony Brown at safety.
First team offensive line remained unchanged with Cam Robinson at left tackle, Lester Cotton at left guard, Ross Pierschbacher at center, Bradley Bozeman at right guard and Jonah Williams at right tackle. The second group consisted of Matt Womack at left tackle, Brandon Kennedy at left guard, J.C. Hassenaur at center, Alphonse Taylor at right guard and Korren Kirven at right tackle.
Freshman receiver Trevon Diggs worked at the safety position at both practice sessions yesterday.
The evening workout was almost comfortable, but a bit humid following an afternoon shower.
Several more NFL scouts were present to observe certain unnamed players once again.
The Crimson Tide opens the 2016 football season on Saturday, September 3rd with the 17-ranked USC Trojans at 7 p.m. CT in the AdvoCare Classic. The game is being held inside AT&T Stadium, where Bama has played numerous times before. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder will be on hand calling the game for ABC.
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| Tide freshman QB Jalen Hurts Photo Credit: AL.com/Vasha Hunt |
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CBS Sports Top-25 Football Rankings
CBS Sports college football experts have teamed up for the first time with 247Sports to provide college football rankings. Each week both will contribute their ballots, then average them together to come up with the rankings.
The Alabama Crimson Tide comes in first this for this first of the rankings. The SEC is well-represented, with five teams. They are Alabama (1), LSU (6), Ole Miss (11), Tennessee (12) and Georgia (19).
Here are the top 25 as released by CBS Sports:
| Preseason Rank | Team | 2015 Record | Final 2015 Rank |
| 1 | Alabama | 14-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson | 14-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 11-2 | 4 |
| 4 | Florida State | 10-3 | 15 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 12-1 | 5 |
| 6 | LSU | 9-3 | 17 |
| 7 | Stanford | 12-2 | 3 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 10-3 | 11 |
| 9 | Michigan | 10-3 | 12 |
| 10 | UCLA | 8-5 | 35 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 10-3 | 10 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 9-4 | 24 |
| 13 | TCU | 11-2 | 8 |
| 14 | Houston | 13-1 | 7 |
| 15 | USC | 8-6 | 28 |
| 16 | Baylor | 10-3 | 13 |
| 17 | Michigan State | 12-2 | 6 |
| 18 | Washington | 7-6 | 44 |
| 19 | Georgia | 10-3 | 30 |
| 20 | Louisville | 8-5 | 47 |
| 21 | Iowa | 12-2 | 9 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | 10-3 | 16 |
| 23 | North Carolina | 11-3 | 14 |
| 24 | Miami (FL) | 8-5 | 50 |
| 25 | Oregon | 9-4 | 21 |
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Tide Men's Tennis Announces Schedule
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The University of Alabama men's tennis team has announced its 2016-17 schedule, featuring six fall tournaments and 21 regular season contests. The Crimson Tide will be hosting two tournaments, the Crimson Tide Four-In-The-Fall (September 23-25) and the SEC Fall Classic (November 4-6). Bama will appear at home for 10 dual matches in the spring.
The Tide will begin its fall portion of the schedule by hosting the Four-In-The-Fall team event for the second consecutive year. The tournament includes Alabama, Columbia, Memphis and Tulane. Alabama will then be on the road for its next four tournaments. First up will be a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma on Oct. 1-10 to compete in the annual Saint Francis Health Systems ITA All-American Championships. Then on October 13-16 the Tide will travel to the Plains to in-state rival Auburn to participate in the USTA/ITA Regional Championships, before hopping over to Birmingham, Alabama on October 28-Nov. 6 to participate in the USTA $10K Futures tournament. For the final two fall tournaments Alabama will travel to Flushing Meadows, New York on Nov. 3-6 as a part of the USTA/ITA National Indoors and then end the fall season by hosting the SEC Fall Classic.
Alabama men's tennis head coach George Husack said, "The fall season allows our team to compete and be exposed to a wide variety of events. The Four-In-The-Fall brings a dual match atmosphere, which is always exciting and a preview of what's to come in the spring. We have a stellar field that have been successful at the conference and national level. The Regional Championships and SEC Classic allow us to face opponents not only from the South but in the deep and strong Southeastern Conference. The All-American and National Indoor Championships are two grand slam events that feature the best in college tennis. In the Birmingham Future, and other pro events we will look to compete and give our players the opportunity to face others playing tennis for a living. So, all in all, it's a full spectrum of opportunities that will prepare us for the dual match season."
To say that Alabama has an extremely competitive schedule for the spring season is an understatement. It features 19 teams that finished the 2016 season nationally ranked, with 11 of those teams completing the season ranked in the top-25. Alabama will host a doubleheader on Monday, January 16th with East Tennessee State and Samford to begin the 2017 spring season. On Sunday, January 22nd Bama will face Michigan in Orlando, Florida. The Tide will then travel to Athens, Georgia for ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Friday, January 27th to compete against Washington, and then either Georgia or Purdue on Saturday or Sunday. Alabama then will return to Tuscaloosa on Friday, February 3rd to battle Texas Tech, and then the Clemson Tigers on Sunday, February 3rd. Then its a trip to the state of Oklahoma for its last two scheduled non-conference matches, as the Tide faces Oklahoma State on Friday, February 10th, and Oklahoma, a semifinalist team from last year's NCAA championships, on Sunday, February 12th. The National Indoors will be held in Charlottesville, Virginia on Feb. 17-20. Then to conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule Alabama will compete in the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery on February 24-25.
Husack again commented, "The spring is going to be challenging and competitive from the start. It's important for us to compete against strong programs indoors and outdoors, at home and on the road, during this stretch. We have some great non-conference opportunities ahead of us that will prepare us very well for the rigors of the SEC."
The SEC schedule this season will be tough, as all but one of Alabama's opponents in the 2017 SEC slate finished last season nationally ranked, and six of them finished in the top-25 nationally. The Crimson Tide will stay in Tuscaloosa for its first two conference matches, as it faces Ole Miss on Friday, March 3rd, and Arkansas on Sunday, March 5th. The following week, the Tide hits the road to Starkville, Mississippi for a battle on Thursday, March 9th facing Mississippi State. Then it's a trip to the Plains to Auburn, Alabama to face the Tigers on Saturday, March 11th. Bama then returns to Tuscaloosa for its next two matches, first with Texas A&M on Friday, March 17th, and then against LSU on Sunday, March 19th. Alabama's next two matches include a pair of top-10ers from a year ago, with the first being Georgia, in Athens and then Florida in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide will play its last scheduled home match of the season against South Carolina on Saturday, April 1st.
The Crimson Tide will be on the road for its final three scheduled matches of the regular season. Friday, April 7th Bama battles Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee and then heads to Lexington, Kentucky on Sunday, April 9 meet the Wildcats. Alabama will head to Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday, April 13th to face the Vols of Tennessee in the last scheduled match of the regular season.
The 2017 SEC Championship will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's scheduled for April 26-30. NCAA first and second round action takes place May 13-14, and the 2017 NCAA Championships will be played at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia on May 18-29.
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Women's Tennis Announces 2016-17 Schedule
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The Alabama women's tennis team yesterday announced its 2016-17 schedule. This season's schedule includes seven fall tournaments as well as 20 regular season matches in the spring. The Crimson Tide will hold two tournaments, the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships on October 14-17, and the Roberta Alison Fall Classic on October 28-30, in the middle of its fall schedule, and will compete at home 11 times in the spring.
Alabama will open the fall season with a trip to Houston, Texas to compete in the Rice Invitational from September 23-25. Alabama will also travel for its next two tournaments. Next up will be to Charleston, South Carolina to participate in the ITF $10K Charleston from September 26-October 2, and then on to Los Angeles, California from October 1-9 to compete in the annual ITA Riviera All-American Championships.
The Crimson Tide will then return to Tuscaloosa for its next two fall tournaments. Bama will host the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships on October 14-17, and then the Roberta Alison Fall Classic on October 28-30. Alabama will then participate in one more fall tournament, the Seminole All-Conference Showdown, in Tallahassee, Florida on November 4-6. During that particular time frame, the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships will also be held in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Crimson Tide women's head coach Jenny Mainz commented, "We are looking forward to a competitive fall schedule to help prepare us for the spring. We will get plenty of quality matches and see some non-conference opponents this fall. We are excited about hosting two tournaments and playing in front of our Alabama fans. It's great to have the ITA Southern Regionals back in Tuscaloosa as our team will enjoy playing at home with our Bama fans."
Turning to the spring portion of the schedule, Alabama faces 17 opponents that finished last season nationally ranked, with 10 of those teams having ended the season ranked in the top 25. The Tide gets its first four matches of the 2017 season at home, before traveling to Columbus, Ohio to take on Harvard as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Saturday, Janurary 28th. Bama then battles either Ohio State or Florida State in the second match of the event. This year's ITA National Team Indoor Championships will be held in New Haven Connecticut on February 10-13. Alabama will conclude its non-conference side of the schedule by participating in the annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery on February 24-25, before beginning conference play in the first week of March.
All but one of the Crimson Tide's conference opponents this season finished nationally ranked this past season, and nine of those teams ended the season ranked in the top 25. Bama will travel to the take on Ole Miss and Mississippi State on Friday, March 3, and Sunday, March 5, respectively in a pair of road contests. Alabama will return to T-town the following weekend to compete against Georgia on Friday, March 10th, before facing Tennessee on Sunday, March 12th. The Tide then must face seven conference opponents who all finished last season ranked in the top 25. The final two scheduled conference matches of the regular season will be held in Tuscaloosa, as the Crimson Tide will meet Arkansas on Friday, April 14th, and Missouri on Sunday, April 16th.
"It will be nice to start and finish our spring season at home," said Mainz. "We have a lot of fantastic opportunities built into our schedule. The strength of the SEC continues to improve every year. We are eager to see how we stack up against our conference rivals."
The 2017 SEC Championship will be at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, April 19-23. NCAA first and second round action takes place May 12-14. The 2017 NCAA Championships will be played on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, May 18-29.
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