Krystal Rivers Honored; 4-Star Montgomery Lists Alabama Football In Top Six; UA Boasts 102 Student-Athletes On 2017 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Krystal Rivers Nominated For
2017 NCAA Woman Of The Year

Alabama Volleyball's Krystal Rivers
Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Honors, awards and nominations continue to roll in for University of Alabama student-athletes. UA volleyball standout Krystal Rivers is has been named as the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Award nominee for the Crimson Tide.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award is now in its 27th year, and honors graduating college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their college careers. This year there are 543 nominees, representing all three NCAA divisions and 21 different women's sports.

Rivers graduated from UA with dual degrees in biology and Spanish, boasting a 3.65 grade point average. She is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, making her just the second two-time winner in Alabama volleyball history. She also is the first Southeastern Conference player to earned SEC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and SEC Player of the Year honors in the same season, doing so her senior season in 2016. She is also the first Alabama volleyball player to be named the SEC Player of the Year.

Rivers is a four-year AVCA All-American, the first Alabama player to earn four such honors. She is also a four-time AVCA All-South Region and four-time All-SEC honoree. The Birmingham, Alabama native is the Alabama career record holder for kills (2,148) and points (2,506) and is the single season record-holder for hitting percentage (.404). She also ranks in the top five at Alabama in seven other career stats.

Next, conferences will select up to two conference nominees each from the pool of school nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees, with 10 coming from each division. From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine. The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.


Alabama has had numerous student-athletes over the past six years who went on to be the SEC's nominee. They include softball player Haylie McCleney (2016), gymnasts Kim Jacob (2015) and Ashley Priess (2013) and golfer Brooke Pancake (2012). McCleney, Jacob and Priess were top-30 honorees while Rogers and Pancake were able to make the cut as top-nine finalists.

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4-Star Montgomery Lists Bama Football In Top Six

Ken Montgomery, Jr.
Twitter Photo

While still a long way from the Top 6 in football recruiting for 2018, the University of Alabama is showing a little more movement as of late in commitments. There have also been some recruits releasing lists of their top teams.

Ken Montgomery, Jr. has released his list of the top six schools in which he is showing the most interest. The 6' 2" Tampa, Florida native is listed as ATH for his position, and currently has the Alabama Crimson Tide as his leader. But be aware that numerous other schools are after the youngster. He reportedly holds over 40 other offers from football programs across the nation.

Montgomery lists his top schools like this: 

1. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
2. Ohio State
3. Penn State
4. UCLA
5. Ole Miss
6. Oklahoma

He plans to make an announcement concerning his commitment in the upcoming month.

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UA Boasts 102 Student-Athletes On
2017 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – A total of 102 University of Alabama student-athletes listed on the 2017 Southeastern Conference First-Year Academic Honor Roll. The announcement was made yesterday by the SEC office. Alabama is the only school in the Southeastern Conference with over 100 student-athletes on this year's list and one of just three schools with more than 75 honorees.

The rowing (17), football (11), baseball (nine) and women's track and field (nine) teams were the academic leaders for the Crimson Tide. Football, baseball, gymnastics, soccer, women's basketball and women's cross country all ranked second or tied for second among their respective sports for 2016-17.

The 2017 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2016-17 academic calendar year. To earn a place on the honor roll a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution, be on scholarship or a letter winner, have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial credit at the nominating institution and have been a member of the varsity team for the sport's entire NCAA championship segment.

It should be noted that in addition to those on the first-year list, the Crimson Tide had 78, 65 and 127 students-athletes named to the SEC Fall, Winter and Spring Academic Honor Rolls, respectively, giving Alabama a total of 372 on the honor roll for the 2016-17 academic year, a jump of more than 20 honorees from the year before. Congratulations!

Student-Athlete	Sport	Major
Nathan Altstadt	Baseball	Finance
Camden Bauer	Baseball	Mechanical Engineering
Logan Carey	Baseball	Human Performance Exercise Science
Will Lumpkin	Baseball	Physical Education
Walker McCleney	Baseball	Human Performance Exercise Science
Deacon Medders	Baseball	Human Performance Exercise Science
Sonny Potter	Baseball	General Business
Garret Rukes	Baseball	Human Performance Exercise Science
John Trousdale	Baseball	General Business
Braxton Key	M Basketball	Telecommunication and Film
Ashley Knight	W Basketball	Criminal Justice
Jordan Lewis	W Basketball	Marketing
DaiJia Ruffin	W Basketball	Human Environmental Science
James Brinyark	M Cross Country	Pre-Business
Patrick Grant	M Cross Country	Pre-Business
Oliver Rigg	M Cross Country	Pre-Business
Drew Williams	M Cross Country	Pre-Business
Caroline Brooks	W Cross Country	Chemical Engineering
Rebecca Buteau	W Cross Country	Nutrition
Hannah Capek	W Cross Country	Mechanical Engineering
Daley Cline	W Cross Country	Journalism
Alexa Cruz	W Cross Country	Psychology
Caroline Cumbest	W Cross Country	Philosophy
Elisabeth Danis	W Cross Country	Exercise Science
Savannah Fraleigh	W Cross Country	Pre-Major Studies
Gabriella Prizio	W Cross Country	Pre-Business
Brittany Tolson	W Cross Country	Pre-Business
Haley Wright	W Cross Country	Criminal Justice
McKenzie Yanek	W Cross Country	Exercise Science
Shyheim Carter	Football	Exercise Science
Benjamin Davis	Football	Pre-Business
Raekwon Davis	Football	Physical Education
Miller Forristall	Football	Marketing
Jalen Hurts	Football	Public Relations
Josh Jacobs	Football	Pre-Business
Nigel Knott	Football	Exercise Science
Terrell Lewis	Football	Pre-Business
Chris Owens	Football	Telecommunication and Film
Irv Smith	Football	Exercise Science
Jonah Williams	Football	Pre-Business
Jake DeZoort	M Golf	Undesignated Engineering
Kristen Gillman	W Golf	Lower Division General Business
Wynter Childers	Gymnastics	Telecommunication and Film
Caitlin Cole	Gymnastics	Biology
Maddie Desch	Gymnastics	Exercise Science
Shea Mahoney	Gymnastics	Communication Studies
Sydney Boles	Rowing	Food and Nutrition
Makena Clark	Rowing	Human Performance Exercise Science
Peyton Cowell	Rowing	Human Performance Exercise Science
Gabriella Crawford	Rowing	Biology
Olivia Degroot	Rowing	Mechanical Engineering
Kylie Diffley	Rowing	Human Performance Exercise Science
Sarah Giuliani	Rowing	Human Performance Exercise Science
Keilani Hamann	Rowing	Marketing
Hailey Higgins	Rowing	Human Performance Exercise Science
Hunter James	Rowing	Computer Science Engineering
Gabrielle Krieger	Rowing	General Business
Emma Kurz	Rowing	Electrical Engineering
Carley McCoin	Rowing	Marketing
Arielle Schafer	Rowing	Telecommunication and Film
Elaine Schutte	Rowing	Computer Science Engineering
Lauren Taylor	Rowing	Chemical Engineering
Sophia Yurosek	Rowing	General Business
Abbie Boswell	Soccer	Music
Keely Cartrett	Soccer	Communication Studies
Alexandra Dunn	Soccer	Pre-Medical
Nealy Martin	Soccer	Chemical Engineering
Alex Plavin	Soccer	Management
Emilie Saksvig	Soccer	Chemical Engineering/Public Health
Logue Shamburger	Soccer	Art
Elissa Brown	Softball	Human Performance Exercise Science
Gabby Callaway	Softball	History
Bailey Hemphill	Softball	Human Development
Claire Jenkins	Softball	Chemical Engineering
Wyatt Harrison	M Swim & Dive	Computer Science Engineering
Daniel Kober	M Swim & Dive	Chemical Engineering
Kyle Maas	M Swim & Dive	Biology
Christopher Staka	M Swim & Dive	Finance
Zane Waddell	M Swim & Dive	Management Information Systems
Cameron Brown	W Swim & Dive	Pre-Medical
Line Bruun	W Swim & Dive	Biology
Kacey Oberlander	W Swim & Dive	General Business
Alexis Preski	W Swim & Dive	Psychology
Alexis Souther	W Swim & Dive	Biology
Alexandria Surrency	W Swim & Dive	Mechanical Engineering
Thibault Cancel	M Tennis	General Studies
Alexey Nesterov	M Tennis	Finance
Maddie Pothoff	W Tennis	General Business
Juliana Valero	W Tennis	Criminal Justice
James Williams	M Track & Field	Pre-Business
Kayla Cecil	W Track & Field	Mechanical Engineering
Hannah Chappell	W Track & Field	Pre-Business
Symone Darius	W Track & Field	Exercise Science
Abigail Dickinson	W Track & Field	Exercise Science
Emma Neumann	W Track & Field	Biology
Esme Phillips	W Track & Field	Exercise Science
Takyera Roberson	W Track & Field	Exercise Science
Avery Stuchell	W Track & Field	Pre-Medical
Samantha Zelden	W Track & Field	Exercise Science
Hayley McSparin	Volleyball	Public Relations
Mahalia Swink	Volleyball	Marketing
Kayla Whitner	Volleyball	Management

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CB Armour-Davis Commits To Bama; Tide Has Five Commits For 2018 Football Recruiting Class; T.J. Simmons To Transfer From UA; Alabama 2018 Football Recruiting Ranked No. 57

Mobile CB Armour-Davis Commits To The Tide

Jalyn Armour-Davis
Twitter Photo

The University of Alabama has picked up its first in-state football recruit for 2017. He is elite four-star cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, out of Mobile (Alabama) St. Paul’s Episcopal. The youngster confirmed the rumor, and had already informed the Crimson Tide coaching staff about a month ago before recently going public.

According to BamaOnLine, Armour-Davis said, "Really with them it was just a matter of time of when I was (going to announce). He further said it had more to do with his educational opportunities, and the fact he felt comfortable at UA more-so than the football aspect of it all. He added, "It's just more of a security blanket at Alabama that I feel."

The fact that Armour-Davis has a cousin playing football for the University of Alabama didn't hurt any. However, 2017 Tide signee Chadarius Townsend didn't pressure his younger cousin to come to Alabama, although he did let him know about life in T-town. Armour-Davis said that is the model that he, too, will use to try to help persuade others to join him in the 2018 class and beyond at UA. "I'm not going to bug anyone," he said.

The 6' 0", 160-pounder is excited over his choice, and plans to be in Tuscaloosa on campus this summer just to be around the program. He likes what he sees.

Armour-Davis is rated as the No. 15 cornerback and the No. 121 overall player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite.

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2018 University Of Alabama Football Commits

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team currently has 5 student-athletes who have committed to furthering their football careers at the Capstone. As new commits and signees are announced the list will be updated and released.

Here is the complete list of 2017 commitments and signees to UA as of 06/26/17:

• Jordan Davis, DE (6-6, 240), Memphis, Tennessee
• Xavier Williams, WR/ATH (6-1, 185), Hollywood, Florida
• Quay Walker, OLF ( 6-4, 220), Cordele, Georgia
• Skyler DeLong, P (6-4, 180), Fort Mill, South Carolina
• Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB (6-0, 160), Mobile, ALABAMA*

*State of Alabama commits

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T.J. Simmons To Transfer From Alabama

T.J. Simmons
Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - In what one could call a surprise announcement, University of Alabama wide receiver T.J. Simmons says he will be leaving the Crimson Tide to head to West Virginia to play for the Mountaineers. In his announcement, the Pinson, Alabama native said, "Words are not enough to explain how thankful I am for having the opportunity to play for the University of Alabama. However I am blessed to announce that I will be transferring to continue my football career at West Virginia University." 

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Alabama 2018 Football Recruiting 

Ranked 57th According To 247Sports

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

It's not quite where one is used to finding the University of Alabama when it comes to football recruiting. After having just landed another coveted recruit, UA now has five commits for the class of 2018 in its stable, and is ranked at No. 57 in the nation. Quite a ways down from the multitudes of number ones in the Nick Saban era.

Here's a look at where the Southeastern Conference ranks nationally in football recruiting for 2018:

  3 LSU

  5 Tennessee

12 Texas A&M

23 Kentucky

27 Vanderbilt

33 Mississippi State

38 Arkansas

39 Florida

40 South Carolina

48 Ole Miss

53 Auburn

57 University of Alabama Crimson Tide

65 Georgia

87 Missouri

Bama Women's Golf Releases 2017-18 Schedule; Alabama Boasts Five Players In NFL Top 100; UA-FSU Second Most Expensive 2017 Ticket; Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility; 4-Star DE Stephon Wynn Includes Bama In Top 3; 2018 UA Football Commits

Alabama Women's Golf Releases 2017-18 Schedule

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama head women's golf coach Mic Potter has announced the 2017-18 season golf schedule. In his announcement, Potter said, "I am excited about the quality of venues, and the level of competition, that we will see this year. I am looking forward to getting started in September, and excited to see what the 2017-2018 team can accomplish."

The UA women will play in four tournaments during the fall portion of the Bama schedule, with two tournaments set for September as well as two in October. The Crimson Tide will be opening the 2017-18 campaign at the Mason Rudolph Championship on September 15th and will continue through the 17th in Franklin, Tennessee. Bama will defend its championship there after a record-setting 39-under par performance at the Vanderbilt Legends Club just last season. The Tide will then head on out to Norman, Oklahoma September 23-25 to compete in the Schooner Fall Classic for the second consecutive season. The Crimson Tide finished second in its first appearance there last season.

The month of October will feature two trips to the state of North Carolina. Bama will participate in the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill on October 13-15 and the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington on October 27-29. Alabama finished second at Chapel Hill and sixth in Wilmington last season.

The Crimson Tide returns to Southern California to open the spring portion of the schedule for the fourth consecutive year at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, California on February 11-13. Bama then heads to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate scheduled for March 2-4. This will be the seventh appearance for Alabama at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, a tournament the Tide has won four times, including the past two consecutive seasons.

The regular season will then conclude with the Evans Derby Experience in Auburn, Alabama on March 18-20 and the Liz Murphey Intercollegiate in Athens, Georgia on April 13-15. The Crimson Tide women will be making its first appearance at the Evans Derby and will be returning to the Liz Murphey for the 36th time in the history of one of the oldest tournaments in women's collegiate golf.


Postseason play will begin April 18-22 with the Southeastern Conference Championships at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. NCAA Regionals will take place May 7-9 with the University of Texas, University of Wisconsin, Stanford University and Florida State University serving as the host sites. The 2017 NCAA Women's Golf Championships will be the culmination of the season from May 18-23 at the Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

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Alabama Boasts Five Players In NFL Top 100

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide has produced champions. Southeastern Conference champions. National champions.

The Tide is also producing champions for the National Football League as well. And the NFL team rosters hold the names of 54 players from The Capstone. The league recently released the NFL Top 100 list, and Bama has five players on that list.

What is the NFL Top 100? These are the top, the best, 100 players in the National Football League according to a vote held by their peers, the NFL players themselves.

UA football can boast five players in the Top 100 prior to the start of the 2017 NFL season. Those players are Landon Collins (28), Amari Cooper (53), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (77), Dont'a Hightower (94) and Julio Jones. It is known that Julio is in the NFL Top 10, but the position will not be released until June 26th. Incidentally, Jones was the only Crimson Tide player listed in the Top 100 in 2016.

Other schools from the Southeastern Conference with players in the NFL Top 100 are:

Georgia - five players
LSU - three players
Texas A&M - three players
Mississippi State - two players
Florida - one player
South Carolina - one player
Vanderbilt - one player
Auburn - one player
Tennessee - one player

The complete NFL Top 100 can be found at NFL.com.

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UA-FSU Is Second Most Expensive 2017 Ticket

ATLANTA, Georgia - It's a big one. Perhaps the biggest game game for the 2017 college football season, according to fans of the Florida State Seminoles. Sure it's important to the University of Alabama football program. But Bama has been here before. Big name teams have fallen away time and again while Alabama keeps winning games.

No one is saying the 2017 college football season openers between Alabama and FSU is going to be an easy contest. Both sides expect a battle. Both teams are expected to be in the College Football Playoff.

The ticket price for this game has dramatically increased, and is the number two ticket so far for the 2017 season. Lowest ticket price (yes, LOWEST) for this game is $423. 

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University Of Alabama's Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility

Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Widely considered one of the finest facilities of its type in the nation, the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility is the centerpiece of Crimson Tide Athletics and home to the Alabama football program. The south wing of the building houses senior administrators of the athletic department, while the north side holds the football offices.

The building, which underwent two renovations since 2005, contains a state-of-the-art training room featuring aquatic rehabilitation pools. The building also houses a 20,000 square foot strength and conditioning center, which is one of the largest collegiate strength and conditioning centers in the nation.

While the training room and strength and conditioning center are utilized by all Crimson Tide athletic programs, the building is primarily the home of one of the nation's greatest collegiate traditions, the Alabama football program.

The football team's locker room, player lounge, equipment room, meeting rooms, recruiting room, coaches' offices and media room are all located in the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility.

The Hall of Champions located on the second floor of the building highlights Alabama's rich football history. Trophy cases for each of the Tide's national championships are located in the Hall of Champions, as well as a large case featuring the program's 24 Southeastern Conference championships. The Hall features individual accomplishments as well, including a trophy case for some of the more recent individual awards received by Crimson Tide football players. Both Heisman Trophy winners statues can be seen here, Mark Ingram's 2009 Heisman Trophy and Derrick Henry's 2015 Heisman Trophy. Every Alabama football player to be named a first team All-American, as well as those inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame are recognized with individual plaques in the Hall.


* Story from UA Athletic Department

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4-Star DE Stephon Wynn Includes 

Crimson Tide Football In Top Three

Stephon Wynn
Photo Credit: 247Sports

The University of Alabama football program continues to get a look of looks from some of the nation's top talent for the class of 2018. Among those are Stephon Wynn, a four-star defensive end recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

The youngster is scheduled to make his official declaration on July first at noon CT in his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina. The 6' 4", 285-pounder is listed as a four-star and the nation's No. 104 overall recruit according to 247Sports.

Wynn just released his top three schools, with the Alabama Crimson Tide being one of those. The other two are Georgia and South Carolina.

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2018 University Of Alabama Football Commits

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team currently has 3 student-athletes who have committed to furthering their football careers at the Capstone. As new commits and signees are announced the list will be updated and released.

Here is the complete list of 2017 commitments and signees to UA as of 06/23/17:

• Jordan Davis, DE (6-6, 240), Memphis, Tennessee
• Xavier Williams, WR/ATH (6-1, 185), Hollywood, Florida
• Quay Walker, OLF ( 6-4, 220), Cordele, Georgia

Bama Sends 13 To National Track & Field Championships; WR Justyn Ross Includes Alabama In Top-5; College Football Odds To The 2017 National Championship; FS1 & ESPN To Go Head-To-Head On Upcoming Bowl Matchups

13 UA Student-Athletes To Participate
In National Track & Field Championships

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – A total of thirteen members of the University of Alabama Track & Field program are set to participate in national championship contests in three different countries this week. The Bama boys and girls will participate in meets in the United States, Jamaica and Trinidad as well as Tobago from June 22-25.

Competing in the U.S. Track & Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships will be Tony Brown, Quanesha Burks, Stacey Destin, Kord Ferguson, Diamond Gause, Angelo Goss and McLean Lipschutz. The championships will be held at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California June 22-25.

It should be noted that athletes who finish in the top three in each event, and have met the qualifying standard, will earn a spot on the U.S. national team that will compete in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships August 4-13 in London, England.

Alize Ford  and Takyera Roberson will compete in the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships June 22-24 at Hornet Stadium for placement on the U.S. junior national team that will be competing in the Pan-American Championships July 21-23 in Lima, Peru.

Jereem Richards, Ruebin Walters  and Domonique Williams will compete in the Trinidad & Tobago national championships June 22-24 at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Steven Gayle will participate in the Jamaica national championships at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. These four will also be competing for spots on their respective national teams for the IAAF Championships.

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Wide Receiver Justyn Ross Includes Alabama In Top-5

Wide Receiver Prospect Justyn Ross
Twitter Photo

Four-star receiver Justyn Ross of Phenix City (Alabama) Central High School is still eye-ballin' the Crimson Tide for 2018. The state of Alabama's top prospect has released his Top-5 list, and Bama is indeed part of that list.

Via his Twitter account, Ross has listed the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida, Auburn, Florida State and Clemson. It's a big cut from his original 20 that also included Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Notre Dame and others.

Ross comes in at 6' 4", 197-pounds and has great hands and mobility, and would be a great addition to the Crimson Tide class of 2018. Remember, the young man had once stated his mom would be a big factor in his eventual choice. His mom, Charay Franklin, has been deployed in Kuwait.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Ross is rated as the No. 6 receiver and the No. 44 overall player in the country.

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College Football Odds To The 2017 National Championship

Year-in and year-out the odds of various teams making the national championship or to actually win the national championship are released. This year is no exception. Here is a look at the odds of the top teams to actually win the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. Thanks to Yardbarker for the information.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE 15/4
Ohio State 11/2
Florida State 15/2
USC 15/2
Oklahoma 10/1
Michigan 15/1
Penn State 15/1
Clemson 20/1
LSU 20/1
Louisville 20/1
Georgia 22/1
Auburn 25/1
Texas 25/1
Washington 28/1
Notre Dame 45/1
Florida 50/1
Oklahoma State 50/1
Virginia Tech 50/1
Wisconsin 50/1
Tennessee 60/1
UCLA 60/1
Kansas State 65/1
West Virginia 65/1
Oregon 70/1
Miami 80/1

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FS1 & ESPN To Go Head-To-Head
On Upcoming Bowl Matchups

It appears a head-to-head is in the offing this coming football bowl season, pitting FS1 against the big, bad, loud and proud ESPN. ESPN has been dominating the college football season, following in the footsteps of its predecessor ABC. Now FS1, the lil Fox darling, will go up against the biggie this coming bowl season when the four-year-old network, David, goes up against the giant. Yeah, that, like, biblical talk, ya'll.

FS1 will be broadcasting its very first bowl game this year, airing the Holiday Bowl on December 28th. This is most definitely a feather in the cap of the network. ESPN had previously been broadcasting the Holiday Bowl. In fact, ESPN had the right every year but one since 1980.

The FS1 edition of the 2017 Holiday Bowl is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. broadcast on December 28th, pitting it against The Alamo Bowl being broadcast at the same time on ESPN.

The Holiday Bowl on FS1 will feature a team from the Big 10 and one from the Pac-12 which should guarantee a pretty good viewership. The Alamo Bowl pits a Pac-12 school against a Big 12 school.

Alba Cortina-Pou Added To Bama Women's Tennis Roster; Bleacher Report Picks Bama's Receivers As 6th Best; 5-Star Punter Skyler Delong Flips From Vols To The Tide; 2018 UA Football Commits

Alba Cortina-Pou Added To Alabama Women's Tennis Roster

Alba Cortina-Pou joins UA Women's Tennis team
Photo supplied courtesy UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Following her freshman season at Texas Tech University, Alba Cortina-Pou of Blanes, Spain, will join the women's tennis team at the University of Alabama, according to Crimson Tide women's tennis head coach Jenny Mainz. Corina-Pou will be added to the Bama roster beginning in the 2017-18 season according to Mainz. 

"We are elated that Alba will be joining our Alabama Crimson Tide family," Mainz commented. She has tremendous character and is going to be a leader on our team."

Cortina-Pou attained a No. 32 Spanish ranking before her arrival at TTU, and went on to win 14 regional championships in 2015-16 in Spain. She was aslo a semifinalist at two WTA 10.0 doubles tournaments. Cortina-Pou was able to reach the quarterfinals in three U16 Tennis Europe events, which included the U16 Spanish Championship.

While attending Texas Tech, she was 5-1 in singles play during the 2017 dual-match season, and compiled a 15-5 doubles record during the spring. Corina-Pou was 9-7 in singles play and 6-6 in doubles competition during the 2016 fall season. Participating in her first collegiate tournament at the Midland Invitational, Cortina-Pou advanced all the way to the Round of 16. She also was victorious in the Singles Flight 2 Draw of the Oklahoma Fall Invitational, and advanced to the Round of 16 Singles Consolation Draw at the ITA Texas Regional Championships.

Mainz further commented concerning her new charge, "Cortina-Pou brings invaluable experience to our Bama Team as she's been a part of an excellent program at Texas Tech. Alba's work ethic, uplifting spirit and maturity are going to be advantageous. She has a big game and will make an immediate influence in our program."

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Bleacher Report Picks Bama's Receivers As 6th In The Nation

Sports biggie Bleacher Report has released its top-10 list of college football receiver corps for the upcoming 2017 season, and the Crimson Tide has been ranked as No. 6 in the nation as the best of the best. 

Making up the University of Alabama receiving unit for the upcoming season are:

Robert Foster, RS Sr.; Calvin Ridley, Jr.; Jerry Jeudy, Fr.; Trevon Diggs, So.; Tyrell Shavers, Fr.; T.J. Simmons, So.; Cam Sims, Sr.; Austin Johnson, Jr.; Xavian Marks, Jr.; Daniel Skehan, Sr.; Swade Hutchinson, Sr.; Mac Hereford, So.; Jonathan Rice, Jr.; Chris Herring, So.; Derek Kief, RS Jr.; Donnie Lee Jr., Sr.; Devonta Smith, Fr.; Henry Ruggs III, Fr. and Chadarius Townsend, Fr.

The top-10 receiving units in the country, according to Bleacher Report, are:

10. Florida State

  9. MTSU

  8. Indiana

  7. Colorado

  6. Alabama Crimson Tide

  5. Penn State

  4. Memphis

  3. Clemson

  2. Oklahoma

  1. Oklahoma State

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5-Star Punter Skyler Delong Flips From Vols To The Tide

Thursday was a good day for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football program. Alabama head coach Nick Saban and his Bama boys have added a five-star recruit to the fold for 2018. Skyler Delong. What's so sweet is two-fold: he was flipped from his commitment to the ever-hated Tennessee Volunteers, and he's a punter. An outstanding punter. 

Delong (Nation Ford H.S./Fort Mill, S.C.) made his decision less than two weeks after having received the UA football offer. He committed to the Vols on June 1st, but has decided on Bama after having camped there earlier. In addition to Alabama and Tennessee, Delong holds offers from Army and Rutgers.

Also, an important note, this upcoming season will be the last for senior JK Scott. Now the Tide will be in capable hands (and feet for that matter), with the youngster having plenty of time to be mentored by not only the Alabama coaches, but one of the best punters in the country in Scott as well.

According to 247Sports, Delong is the listed as the No. 1 punter in the United States. He becomes the Tide's 4th commit for 2018.

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2018 University Of Alabama Football Commits

With the recent announcement by five-star punter Skyler Delong, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team currently has 4 student-athletes who have committed to furthering their football careers at the Capstone. As new commits and signees are announced the list will be updated and released.

Here is the complete list of 2017 commitments and signees to UA as of 06/16/17:

• Jordan Davis, DE (6-6, 240), Memphis, Tennessee
• Xavier Williams, WR/ATH (6-1, 185), Hollywood, Florida
• Quay Walker, OLF ( 6-4, 220), Cordele, Georgia
• Skyler Delong, P (6-4, 180), Fort Mill, South Carolina

                                                                                                  

Two Bama Baseball Boys Headed To The Bigs; Athlon Sports Picks Tide Football No. 1; Alabama Track & Field Finishes 2017 Campaign

Alabama Baseball

Two Bama Boys Headed To The Bigs

Garrett Suchey
Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – A pair of University of Alabama baseball players were selected on Wednesday in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Crimson Tide's Garrett Suchey was chosen in the 26th round by the Kansas City Royals and Chandler Taylor  was picked in the 27th round by the Minnesota Twins. Both were taken on the final day of the three-day draft event.

With the selections of Suchey and Taylor, the Tide now has an all-time draft pick total of 148 players since the draft's inception back in 1966. Alabama has now had at least one player taken for 39 consecutive years. In the past eight years, the Crimson Tide has had 40 players selected and 75 over the last 18 drafts dating back to 2000.

Both undergraduate players have remaining eligibility and are able to return to the University to continue their careers at Alabama if they elect to not sign a professional contract. The final date to sign a professional contract is July 15.

Chandler Taylor
Photo Credit: UA Baseball

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Athlon Sports Preseason Football Projects
Alabama No. 1 And Lists All SEC Programs

Athlon Sports has made known it's preseason 130 national rankings. Listed below are the teams representing the Southeastern Conference.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is both the highest ranked team in the SEC coming in at a familiar spot, both the top-rated program in the conference as well as No. 1 in the nation. Three teams from the Western division sit at the top of the conference standings: Alabama, Auburn as well as LSU before the Eastern Division enters the fray at number five, which is Georgia, ranked 15th in the nation as well. While the Western Division holds down the top three spots in the conference, the Eastern Division lays claim to four of the last five.

Here’s where the 14 SEC programs rank both nationally as well as listed in order of Southeastern Conference rank:

• No. 1 Alabama (1 SEC)
• No. 9 Auburn (2 SEC)
• No. 11 LSU (3 SEC) 
• No. 15 Georgia (4 SEC)
• No. 16 Florida (5 SEC)
• No. 19 Tennessee (6 SEC)
• No. 29 Arkansas (7 SEC)
• No. 30 Mississippi State (8 SEC)
• No. 37 Texas A&M (9 SEC)
• No. 40 South Carolina (10 SEC)
• No. 45 Kentucky (11 SEC)
• No. 46 Ole Miss (12 SEC)
• No. 48 Vanderbilt (13 SEC)
• No. 55 Missouri (14 SEC)

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Alabama Track & Field Finishes 2017 Campaign

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The University of Alabama Crimson Tide track & field teams finished the 2017 season with school record and All-America performances across all disciplines at last week's NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. A total of twenty-four Crimson Tide student-athletes earned All-America honors and the women's 4x100-meter relay set the UA track & field  record for the third time this season.

Bama track and field head coach Dan Waters said, "I'm very pleased and excited about the passion and energy and the way the team bought into what we were trying to accomplish this year. We fought hard in a lot of different places. Every time we asked the team to step up and do something special, they absolutely did. I couldn't be prouder of that competitiveness."

The UA men's team finished 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, posting their first top-10 finish outdoors since 2001 and finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, to earn their first indoor and outdoor top-10 finishes in the same season since 2001. The Alabama women finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships for their first top-three finish since 1994. The combined top-10 finishes indoors for the men and women in 2017 is a first for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama sent 30 athletes to Eugene, Oregon for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2017. Eighteen of the 30 will return in 2018, including seven school record holders.