By Saturday night, San Jose State had decided on its next football coach. University at Buffalo football coach Pete Lembo gestures during spring practice on March 26. As for the athletes who will have their likeness represented in the game, over 29,000 athletes were sharing a pot of around $40 million, as Liberman noted, with players guaranteed $600 alongside a copy of the game. Any additional payouts for individual players were negotiated and managed by OneTeam Partners. The Big Ten led all conferences with five Tier 1 selections, bolstered by new addition Oregon.
Five Football Bowl Subdivision programs got new head coaches, including UB. All five of those hires had previous head coaching experience at the college level. At least 39 assistant coaches changed jobs, including five assistants at UB and eight at San Jose State. The 2024 college football season will feature a handful of sizable changes, however, Alabama Crimson Tide football fans are mostly focused on their own team. Without Nick Saban at the helm, new head coach Kalen DeBoer will be forced to tackle some high expectations in his first season in Tuscaloosa.
Athletes in all sports would be eligible for payments and schools would be given the freedom to decide how that money is divvied up among sports programs. "The settlement, though undesirable in many respects and promising only temporary stability, is necessary to avoid what would be the bankruptcy of college athletics," said Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins. "There's no question about it. It's a huge quantum leap," said Tom McMillen, the former Maryland Livescore Basketball 7M player and congressman who has led an association of collegiate athletic directors the past eight years. Months after saying he did not want to be part of another rebuild, the respected veteran and longtime defensive captain is thrilled with how things are unfolding under new general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn.
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.
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.
Now, all that’s left for him to do is reassure Alabama fans that the team will pick up right where it left off under Saban by making the College Football Playoffs and be in contention to compete for a national championship. "Our clients are the bedrock of the NCAA's multibillion-dollar business and finally can be compensated in an equitable and just manner for their extraordinary athletic talents." Andy Staples of On3 recently revealed his latest college football Top-25 rankings following the conclusion of the spring transfer portal. While there are a lot of drastic changes going on in Tuscaloosa, Staples isn’t convinced that it is going to lead to the program’s downfall. He has DeBoer and Alabama ranked No. 3, behind only No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 1 Ohio State.
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.
Blackburn spent the past 17 years with the Baltimore Ravens, most recently as director of college scouting. Dippre is a big-bodied, athletic and strong option for quarterback Jalen Milroe in intermediate routes. Depending on how DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan use him, Dippre could be in line for a big season. Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer answered "there’s no question" when he was asked how big it was bringing left tackle Kadyn Proctor back into the fold. In the post-2023 season cycle, 31 programs hired new coaches, the most since 2012 (31) and 2021 (29) according to FootballScoop.com.