Happy Friday, everyone. Alabama baseball plays at Auburn this weekend with a great opportunity to keep its great season rolling. Meanwhile softball has a tough assignment at LSU, hoping to follow up a promising series win over a ranked Georgia squad.
The Tuscaloosa Regional of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships starts today at 1pm CT on ESPN+.
Tuscaloosa Regional: Host Alabama is the No. 11 seed and has had a tough season, but they’re at home and could ride some late season momentum to a semifinal berth if No. 3 Florida and/or No. 6 California falter. No. 14 Oregon State is also looking to qualify a team (not just Jade Carey) to nationals for the first time since 2019. A potential surprise in the regional final? That could be one of the North Carolina teams, either UNC or NC State, who have both shown tremendous potential this season.
The Tide will compete with Cal, North Carolina, and Iowa in the regional semifinal meet. The top two from that quad will compete in the regional championship quad on Sunday evening, from which the top two will advance to the eight-team championships in Fort Worth.
In spring football news, Isaiah Horton has been generating a ton of buzz.
Isaiah Horton and Ty Simpson have never been on a college roster together until now with Alabama football. But the two have plenty of familiarity.
“That’s my guy,” Horton said this week to Crimson Tide Sports Network’s Roger Hoover on Crimson Drive. “He was my 7-on-7 quarterback when we were in high school. We have that little chemistry. That’s my guy. It’s kind of one of the reasons I came here, too just to get back with him. He’s a stud.”
Horton, who transferred from Miami this offseason, said he believes in Simpson, a fellow Tennessee native.
“We’re just back together and you can just feel the chemistry,” Horton said. “It’s nice. It’s a good feeling.”
“He’s a great coach,” Miami transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton said of Shephard to Crimson Tide Sports Network’s Roger Hoover on Crimson Drive. “It was really special to connect with him. He’s a great guy. He’s a great human being. He teaches us just a lot. It’s more than just football.
“Obviously, he’s a great football coach, but what I respect about him is he’s a great guy. He teaches us life lessons that are going to carry us for the rest of our life. I appreciate him for that, and I know the rest of the guys do, as well.
“He’s a great motivator. He’s honest. He’s genuine. You can understand where he comes from. He’s real and he’s never going to sugarcoat anything with you. That’s what you appreciate about him. He’s just a super cool guy. You got to get around him, man. You can’t be sad around him. He’s cool with people. He’s great vibes.”
Just 10 spring practices into his tenure with the team, Horton sees a special receiver room.
“Them guys are amazing,” Horton said. “They embraced me with open arms. I appreciate them guys. Those are my guys. Every single last one of them are just, they’re exactly what they are.
“Me and Germ, we’ve connected. We kind of got close. Ryan. Really, all the guys, like we’re still building. But we see what we’ve got, and we know we’re gonna be nice and we know we’re gonna be special. And we are. So we just gotta keep working. We just gotta keep going, and it’s gonna be nice.”
Josh Cuevas is essentially the Last Man Standing in the TE group.
Cuevas transferred from Washington last year to follow coach Kalen DeBoer to UA, and settled quickly into the playing rotation to catch 16 passes for 218 yards.
Now, however, he’s the only tight end with any game experience to speak of.
“Going into this year, definitely that’s a little bit of an adjustment, stepping into that leadership role a little bit more,” Cuevas said. “Kind of helping young guys mold into the system we’re trying to get going.”
Tight end is among the thinnest positions on the UA roster this spring. Veteran reserve Danny Lewis Jr. is unavailable while recovering from an injury, and freshman Marshall Pritchett is dealing with an injury as well.
Last, JD Davison has kept improving since going pro, and won the G League MVP this season. This was a cool moment.
Here’s JD Davison and his teammates finding out he won G League MVP.
Head coach Tyler Lashbrook said in the Celtics’ press release: “His leadership and the guidance he provides to our locker room are what sets him apart… Impacts winning in every way.”pic.twitter.com/RxDaexeaWt
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) April 2, 2025
He has a great chance to find himself in the big leagues next season.
That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.
Roll Tide.
