Bama Central

Ty Simpson, Jordan Battle Headline the Crimson Tide Athletes of the Week

Recognizing the Crimson Tide athletes who dominated this week from Tuscaloosa to the pros.
Theodore Fernandez|
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) celebrates a short-lived touchdown that was called back during the second quarter against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) celebrates a short-lived touchdown that was called back during the second quarter against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | David Leong-Imagn Images

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Alabama Crimson Tide

It was a massive week for Alabama athletics. Football's 73-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe produced plenty of impressive stat lines and performances, with several freshmen shining in their first career games for the Crimson Tide. While the attention was on the gridiron, soccer also proceeded to stun No. 3 Duke with a last-minute goal on Sunday. Meanwhile, NFL action got underway with numerous Crimson Tide alumni dominating their respective games. Here are the Crimson Tide Athletes of the Week for the week of Sept. 1 - 8, 2025.

Freshman of the Week: Lotzier Brooks

After suffering an injury during fall camp, there was concern that Brooks would be too far behind in his development to contribute once he recovered. Those worries were put to bed on Saturday, as Brooks caught four passes for 58 yards while putting on an athletic clinic, dazzling in the open field and simply outclassing the Louisiana-Monroe secondary. Brooks did not find the end zone, but New Jersey's all-time high school touchdown leader should have no problem changing that in the coming weeks.

Honorable Mention: Keelon Russell

This one was a toss-up. The argument can probably be made that Russell was the most impressive of the freshmen, showing incredible poise for somebody taking his first career collegiate snaps. Russell led the Crimson Tide to two touchdown drives, going 4/6 with 65 yards and two scores. The five-star showed why he was so highly acclaimed coming into Tuscaloosa, looking exactly like the player who tore up Texas high school football last fall. He moved in and out of the pocket with ease, hit his receivers in stride, and showed command of the offense. Russell very much looks like the future of this Alabama program.

Honorable Mention: AK Dear

Dear may have been the most hyped up player in Alabama's 2025 recruiting class after Russell. The Quitman, Miss., product showed some tough running over his first four carries, going for 20 yards and consistently fighting through contact. His fifth and final carry is the reason he is being recognized on this list. Dear outran the entire Warhawks' defense en route to a 56-yard touchdown in the game's final minutes that put a perfect exclamation point on Alabama's near-perfect day.

Honorable Mention: QB Reese

It will not be a common occurrence for an award in this series to have three honorable mentions, but it would be an oversight not to recognize the game that Reese had against Louisiana-Monroe. The redshirt freshman played his first-career game on defense and made the most of the experience. Reese recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter, returning it for 21 yards to set Alabama's offense up in the red zone. Then, in the game's waning moments, he forced a fumble, setting up the aforementioned Dear touchdown. It was an incredible debut for the Birmingham native

College Athlete of the Week: Ty Simpson

While there was no shortage of Crimson Tide players who dominated against Louisiana-Monroe, this one was a no-brainer. Simpson went a perfect 17/17 with 236 yards and four total touchdowns for Alabama in his second career start, breaking the Crimson Tide record for most consecutive completions in a game. Simpson was under center for four drives and led Alabama to four touchdowns. It simply does not get any better than this.

Pro Athlete of the Week: Jordan Battle

The two-time Third Team All-American has been a very consistent starter for the Cincinnati Bengals since being selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was named to the PFF All-Rookie Team that year and has not missed a game through his first two seasons. Battle had arguably the best outing of his career in week one, recording a career-high 12 tackles and making a game-changing fourth-quarter interception that set Cincinnati up with a game-winning field goal in the Beglals 17-16 win over the Browns.

Honorable Mention: Derrick Henry

For the first 57 minutes of the Baltimore Ravens' matchup with the Buffalo Bills, it looked like Henry was in prime position to take home this award. With 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner was dominating Sunday night and appeared primed to ice the game with his Ravens up eight points.

Then, with 3:06 to play, defensive tackle Ed Oliver knocked the ball out of Henry's hands, and Buffalo recovered it inside the 25-yard line. The Bills would score a touchdown on that drive and go on to win the game on a last-second field goal, putting a damper on what was otherwise an exceptional day for Henry, who passed Jim Brown for sixth all-time on the NFL rushing touchdown leaderboard.

Clutch Athlete of the Week: Nadia Ramadan

Ramadan has been a star for Alabama soccer since her freshman season in 2023. Ramadan was named to the All-SEC Freshman team that season and finished second on the team in goals last year. The junior just scored the biggest goal of her career on Sunday, scoring with 44 seconds left to give Alabama a draw on the road against No. 3 Duke. Alabama is now very much in the mix to earn its first appearance in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25.

Glue Guy of the Week: MJ Chirgwin

Glue guys are the heart and soul of a team, the oft-underappreciated, overlooked players who don't get the glory, headlines, or awards. But every once in a while, they get their moment. And when said moment occurs, it is truly a spectacle to watch. Chirgwin got his on Saturday. The walk-on receiver ran an excellent corner route and caught a perfect ball from Russell in the fourth quarter for his first career reception and touchdown. Chirgwin, who now has more touchdowns on the season than star Auburn receiver Cam Coleman, has a moment to remember for the rest of his life.

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Theodore Fernandez
THEODORE FERNANDEZ

Theodore Fernandez is an intern with Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral and combined with his time with The Crimson White and WVUA 23 News has covered every Alabama sport across He also works as the play-by-play broadcaster for Alabama’s ACHA hockey team and has interned for Fox Sports.

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