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A documentary on legendary college coach Nick Saban’s life is coming to ESPN. The six-part series titled Saban, from ESPN and Word + Pictures, chronicles the former University of Alabama coach’s life and his trailblazing career in the sport. According to the official logline per Variety, “the series will tell the story of Nick Saban’s extraordinary career, highlighted by his 17 seasons at Alabama, where he led the team to six national titles and reestablished the Crimson Tide as the preeminent program in college football.” During his time as a college coach, he won seven college football national championships – his first with LSU in 2003 and six others at the University of Alabama (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020). The release per Deadline shared that “the series will peel back the curtain on the long closely guarded world of Saban,” as the docuseries will show “with hundreds of hours of never-before-seen footage from the locker room and practice fields, as well as many other behind-the-scenes moments in his career at Alabama, and prior to that LSU, the Miami Dolphins, and Michigan State among other stops. There’s also a wealth of present-day interviews with Saban and his wife, the legendary Ms. Terry Saban, whose own influence and impact played a massive role in Nick’s success as a coach and leader.” Saban’s legacy in college football is renowned and is the most decorated coach in the modern Poll Era. “There will never be another Nick Saban,” said Conner Schell, CEO of Words + Pictures. “He’s a football genius, a singular leader, and a true icon who has done more than anyone to shape the modern game of college football and the culture around it.” The seven-time championship-winning coach retired from Alabama two years ago. He is now an analyst for ESPN. He shared what it means for him to be honored with the docuseries. “With my coaching days behind me, Ms. Terry and I have been doing a lot of reflection and realized we were ready to tell our story,” Nick Saban said. “The team at Words + Pictures has encouraged me to really look back not just at my time at Alabama, but every stop along the way – and not just reflect on what happened but consider the process which made it happen. I interacted with a lot of players and coaches along the way and I’m happy to see that so many of them have contributed to this docuseries. There’s a lot to tell, and I’m excited to share it all.” The premiere date and episode rollout have not yet been announced and will be revealed at a later date. Take a look at the trailer: The post ESPN announces 6-part documentary series on college coach legend Nick Saban appeared first on ClutchPoints.

After a tough injury, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle struggled with emotions. But got plenty of support from his teammates. And he also said the Achilles tear was the best-case scenario, according to a post on X by Matt Barrows. “George Kittle said his Achilles tear was a best-case scenario: up high toward the soleus muscle. “I had a clean tear. They didn’t have to drill into my heel. And where the repair was was where there’s more blood flow. So it takes some time off the recovery time.” 49ers TE George Kittle optimisic about his recovery Kitlte said Dr. Neal ElAttrache offered a positive take, according to apnews.com. “My recovery — when I’ll be running, when I’ll be ready to go play again — he’s very excited about it,” Kittle said. “So that puts me in a really good mood. It’s not as bad as other ones.” If the mental aspect helps, Kittle could beat the recovery timeline. He even received a helping hand from 49ers owner Jed York. “Getting his support was absolutely fantastic,” Kittle said. “Just the fact that the team owner comes down to come give his condolences to you. And just like stays there for you. Just really means what kind of place this is, and the people that are in this building. And it makes me really happy to be a Niner.” Kittle’s absence showed up in the playoffs. The 49ers came apart at the seams in an embarrassing 41-6 loss to the Seahawks. He wasn’t the only one missing. Other star players like linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa didn’t even make it to the postseason for the 49ers. Still, San Francisco managed to have a solid season under the coaching prowess of Kyle Shanahan. If Shanahan could only unlock the key that keeps his team healthy. The magic ran out against the Seahawks, who will play the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC Championship on Sunday. The post Why 49ers’ George Kittle says Achilles tear was best-case scenario appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Defense and field position defined the early moments of the National Championship game as Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes traded cautious possessions before the Hoosiers finally broke through on the scoreboard. Indiana won the coin toss and elected to defer, choosing to play defense first and set the tone on the west end of the field. Miami received the opening kickoff and showed early patience, managing to pick up a first down before the drive stalled near midfield. Facing a fourth down at its own 48-yard line, the Hurricanes opted to punt rather than take an early risk. That sequence set the stage for Indiana’s first sustained march of the night. While, Indiana took its shot at the end zone on third-and-6 from the Miami 15-yard line, but Hurricanes defensive back O.J. Frederique Jr. broke up Mendoza’s pass intended for Charlie Becker. Rather than force the issue, head coach Curt Cignetti sent out the field goal unit which made sense given the solid defense play from both sides. And Nicolas Radicic delivered again, drilling a 34-yard field goal to give Indiana a 3-0 lead with 2:42 remaining in the first half. It marked the first points of the championship game after both teams had failed to find the end zone on multiple early drives. Hoosiers on the board first ESPN pic.twitter.com/eRfKFjUGRS — College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) January 20, 2026 The Hoosiers’ first offensive series began deep in their own territory at the 5-yard line. Indiana was able to move the chains once, but Miami’s defense responded with pressure that forced a punt, keeping the game scoreless through each team’s opening possession. Mixing short throws with steady runs, the Hoosiers pieced together a 12-play, 55-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes of game time. Star field-general Fernando Mendoza absorbed a couple of heavy hits during the possession, including one that left him visibly bloodied on his lower lip, but he stayed composed and kept the offense moving. With Indiana chasing its first national championship in program history and Miami looking to end a title drought dating back to 2001, the opening score underscored just how tight and physical this matchup could become. The post Indiana Hoosiers strike 1st with 34-yard field goal in National Championship game vs. Miami appeared first on ClutchPoints.

This week, an ongoing conversation regarding the expansion of the College Football Playoffs has reached its culmination. In 202,4 the playoff field expanded from four to 12, giving more teams the opportunity to compete for a national championship. But there are many major conversations about whether the play should expand further. Heading into January 23rd, there are conversations regarding expanding the field to 16 teams. There’s even been a push by the Big Ten to expand the field to 24 teams. But lost in the talk of team participation is the issue of game scheduling. If the College Football Playoff were to expand more, it would have to start a week earlier. That would cause a very interesting problem. On the second Saturday in December, Army-Navy plays its annual rivalry game. The game is a staple of college football and typically has its own weekend. But the expanded college football playoff already pushed games to that day. In 2024, the Celebration Bowl, the national championship of HBCU football, was moved to the second Saturday of December, largely due to the College Football Playoff expansion. A further expanded college football playoff could take viewership and attention away not just from Army-Navy but also from the Celebration Bowl. If anything, the Celebration Bowl stands to see more harm in the case of an expanded playoff. Enter Donald Trump, the president of the United States. He announced on his Truth Social platform that he’s signing an executive order meant to “protect” the second week of December for Army-Navy. But the implementation, specifically without Congress, makes no sense. Media companies are private businesses. An executive order can’t make a private business do anything. Congressional action to create legislation that would then become law, signed by the president, would be the real way to “protect” the weekend for Army-Navy. The Sports Broadcast Act of 1961 protects high school football and bars NFL games from being broadcast on Friday evenings during the season. That’s a law that still affects the NFL’s business to this day. So, how would an executive order alone press these private media entities in any way? Only legislation can do that. And, ultimately, it doesn’t solve the diagnosed issue. If the answer is competitive balance and fewer teams that are “snubbed”, 16 teams is the answer. But in my HBCU-educated opinion, I don’t think that the 12-team playoff is a bad thing. It’s just college football decision-makers creating a problem to solve. But then we look at what a 16-team playoff can actually do to a game like the Celebration Bowl. John Grant, the executive director of the Celebration Bowl, has consistently stated that the goal of the game is to be at the start of bowl season. His aim is to capitalize on the attention and lack of a real sports competition that the early Saturday game at the start of bowl season provides. An expanded college football playoff is a real threat to that goal, as it is to Army-Navy. But the true threat to the Celebration Bowl lies in the broadcast window it would be allowed to exist in, as well as its ability to draw the support of non-native HBCU football fans with significant competition for CFP games. Would the Celebration Bowl be relegated to ESPN from ABC to free up an early afternoon spot for a college football playoff game? I don’t think that’s a far-fetched idea, given ESPN’s penchant for airing an afternoon game after College Gameday concludes. If that were to occur, it would have a drastic impact on viewership. If anything deserves policy. The Celebration Bowl deserves an executive order. On December 20th, the first Saturday of the College Football Playoff, ABC aired the CFP quarterfinals matchup between Miami and Texas A&M at 12 PM EST. The FCS Playoffs matchup between Montana and Montana State aired at 4 PM on ABC, but was up against the Ole Miss vs. Tulane game on TNT (as an ESPN sublicense) and the Eagles vs. Commanders game that kicked off at 5…

V.J. Edgecombe hasn’t been in the league long, but he already knows how to make a Philadelphia crowd explode. During Monday night’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the rookie shooting guard provided a highlight that will be playing on a loop for weeks. In a display of pure raw athleticism, Edgecombe drove through the lane and rose up for a massive poster dunk over Pacers center Tony Bradley. The sheer force of the play brought the Philly fans to their feet, injecting a massive dose of energy into a tightly contested game. VJ EDGECOMBE WITH THE AND-1 THROWDOWN pic.twitter.com/xDEfHjAJNG — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 20, 2026 As the third quarter winds down, the 76ers hold a slim 82-81 lead in what has become a physical, back-and-forth battle. Philadelphia is leaning heavily on Tyrese Maxey, who is once again carrying the offensive load. Maxey, currently one of the NBA’s top scorers at 30.3 points per game, has been the engine for a Sixers team trying to protect their home court. The Indiana Pacers, despite missing star Tyrese Haliburton, are refusing to go away. Andrew Nembhard has stepped up in a big way, tallying 18 points on efficient 7-of-13 shooting to keep Indiana within striking distance. Pascal Siakam has also been a handful, contributing 18 points and six assists as he directs the Pacers’ offense through the post. With the game coming down to the wire, every possession is critical. Philadelphia is looking to Joel Embiid to anchor the defense in the closing minutes, while Indiana is finding success through secondary scoring from the likes of T.J. McConnell. Whether the Sixers can pull away or the Pacers steal one on the road, Edgecombe’s dunk has already claimed the title of the night’s biggest moment. The post 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe sends fans to their feet with monster dunk over Pacers appeared first on ClutchPoints.