By Thursday night, video conference interviews had taken place, and relevant web site UB president Dr. Satish K. Tripathi had been looped into the process that Friday, which was done entirely by video conferences. Nothing really prepares an administrator for when a coach leaves, even if that head coach has given some notice, as Alnutt said Linguist had done, even if only a few hours before the news broke that he was about to head to Alabama. Linguist called Alnutt to tell him Alabama had reached out to him about an opening on DeBoer’s staff. Nobody could predict how many changes came from one person’s decision to retire from college football. The news in January that Alabama coach Nick Saban was retiring after 17 years with the Crimson Tide and 51 years in coaching started as a report on ESPN, then quickly became a nationwide shockwave.
Lauren Esman entered as a pinch hitter, hitting a single to center field to move Dowling to third, but a Riley Valentine strikeout and an Emma Broadfoot foul out ended the Crimson Tide threat. Despite being up against a Tennessee pitching staff that has the lowest ERA in the country (1.40) and one that did not give up a run across its three games played in the Knoxville Regional, Alabama jumped out to an early lead in Knoxville on Friday. Alabama Crimson Tide football enters a new era as legendary head coach Nick Saban enters retirement and former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer takes over in Tuscaloosa. Though he was a top coach in 2023, there are questions about how he will perform under the pressure of immediately succeeding Saban. A major positive for the Crimson Tide came last weekend when the staff received commitments from two Class of 2026 prospects.
Kristen White got things started in the top of the first with a lead-off single, advancing to third off of a fielding error. White crossed home plate follow a wild pitch, giving Alabama the 1-0 lead. The Crimson Tide added another run and went up 2-0 in the top of the second inning behind a Riley Valentine single to score Marlie Giles, who reached base after being hit by a pitch. Even in retirement, former Alabama football coach Nick Saban keeps himself busy. After spending just a couple of months back home with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Proctor changed his mind and announced his intentions of returning to the Capstone to play for new Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer.
Niumatalolo’s first priority was retaining as many players as possible from the 2023 roster. San Jose State was at a perceived disadvantage because classes began Jan. 24, three days after Niumatalolo was hired, and the school’s period to add or drop classes to change a student’s academic schedule without a penalty didn’t end until Feb. 19. Konya, San Jose State’s athletic director, estimated that the Spartans spoke with at least 30 initial candidates at the start of a five-day search-and-hire period, including Niumatalolo, whom San Jose State contacted Jan. 17. Two days later, after gauging interest and narrowing the search to two candidates, Konya began face-to-face interviews at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. Then, DeBoer began to assemble a coaching staff and initially brought three coaches with him from Washington and retained only Freddie Roach and Robert Gillespie from Saban’s staff. Marlie Giles started the sixth inning off for Alabama with a leadoff single followed by a Bailey Dowling double, which Giles was called out at third base.
There is no shortage of excitement for the return of EA Sports' beloved College Football video game series this summer, a franchise returning due to the advent of NIL payouts for college athletes which allowed their likenesses to be in the game. Despite an early lead, Alabama softball fell to No. 3 seed Tennessee 3-2 on Friday in Game 1 of the NCAA super regionals at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The 2024 regular season may prove to be challenging for DeBoer in his first season at the helm of the historic program, but iron sharpens iron, and it’s impossible to build an impressive resumé without obtaining some impressive wins. Alabama added another runner in the second inning on an infield single from Riley Valentine and aggressive base running from Giles at second base to extend the lead to 2-0. While many fans are focused on the early-season home matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs, there are a handful of other games on the schedule that Alabama fans shouldn’t overlook.
Finishing the season a few games over .500 ought to be considered successful, but imagine if one of those wins was against the Alabama Crimson Tide. As has been the case for a while now, every team at every level will play its absolute best when facing Alabama. Getting the chance to take on the historical powerhouse on your home field is a great opportunity to make some memories and win an upset.
He has a smile on his face each day he gets to the Commanders' facility for offseason workouts and has fully bought into what the latest regime is selling. That leaves Haynes and Jam Miller to lead the way on the ground with Richard Young likely to play a sizable role as well. There are other talented players in the receiving room, but there's an opening for someone to lead the way as the top receiver.