Alabama Crimson Tide news from Wednesday, May 14th:
Labaron Philon to remain in NBA Draft, forego remaining eligibility
The decision we all knew was eventually coming is here. Labaron Philon announced on Wednesday that he would officially be staying in the NBA Draft and foregoing his remaining three years of collegiate eligibility.
Philon was a freshman All-SEC selection, starting 29 of 37 games for an Elite Eight team. He was a late addition to the roster last year, but stepped in and made an immediate impact for Nate Oats and the Tide.
He averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game this past season. He is widely expected to be a 1st Round pick in June's draft.
Derrick Henry signs a record-setting contract extension
Following a 1900-yard, 16-touchdown season, the Baltimore Ravens rewarded Derrick Henry with a 2-year contract extension worth $30 million, with $26 million guaranteed. It is the biggest contract ever given to a RB over 30 years old.
Henry sits 19th on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He became just the second player in NFL history a year ago to produce a second season with over 1900 rushing yards. Henry broke 2000 rushing yards during the 2020 season with the Tennessee Titans.
If Henry gets to 1600 yards in 2025, he will slide into the Top 10 on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
Alabama football sets official visits with two elite prospects
Kalen DeBoer and Alabama are hot on the recruiting trail and have a big summer ahead with a plethora of elite prospects lined up for official visits in Tuscaloosa. They added two more to the board on Wednesday.
5-star LB Xavier Griffin announced his decommitment from USC and locked in an official visit with the Crimson Tide, which will take place over the weekend of June 6. Alabama has turned up the heat on Griffin's recruitment in recent weeks, making multiple trips to see him.
Griffin will also take official visits to Ohio State, Texas, and Florida State, but Alabama sits in a really good spot heading into his visit schedule.
Shortly after that, five-star DE Anthony "Tank" Jones, one of the top players in the state of Alabama for 2026, released his official visit schedule. The Tide will receive the last visit for Jones, with him scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa over the weekend of June 20th.
Jones will also visit Auburn, Miami, Texas A&M, and Oregon.