The Associated Press

Alabama didn't need to turn to the transfer portal or the recruiting trail to find a replacement for potential first-round draft pick Ty Simpson. The Crimson Tide had two options waiting for a shot. Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, the two guys Simpson beat out to start last fall, have spent spring practice vying for the job.

Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for the upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound. This is the end of their journey, which began aboard NASA's new "Space Launch System" rocket which was designed, built, tested, and managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending a mobile lab to test for black lung and other ailments common to coal miners in Alabama. The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Health has screenings scheduled in Sumiton today. Stops in Bessemer, Berry, Brookwood, Adger, and Tuscaloosa begin tomorrow.

After traveling deeper into space than any other humans, the Artemis II astronauts pointed their moonship toward home Monday night . NASA’s Orion capsule reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon, 4,101 miles farther than Apollo 13. One astronaut from that earlier mission knew it was coming.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced Sunday he has finalized a contract extension with basketball coach Nate Oats. Byrne announced on social media Oats has signed the deal “that will make him one of the top five compensated men's basketball coaches in the country.”

Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. On the downside, a key piece of equipment is on the blink again.

Three months after Alabama narrowly squeaked into the College Football Playoff despite a Southeastern Conference title game loss, athletic director Greg Byrne is calling for an end to the 34-year tradition.

The astronauts aboard Artemis-2 are preparing for a fly-by of the moon as part of the mission in space. The trip began with a ride to Earth orbit aboard NASA’s Alabama built new moon rocket called the “Space Launch System,” or SLS. Three of the Artemis astronauts are space veterans. But, none of the crew members flew aboard NASA’s space shuttle which uses solid rocket boosters for blastoff. They shared thoughts on the ride.

NASA’s Artemis-2 astronauts fired their engines and blazed toward the moon Thursday night, breaking free of the chains that have trapped humanity in shallow laps around Earth in the decades since Apollo. The Marshall Space Flight Center is gearing up for the next launch of NASA's new "Space Launch System" rocket on Artemis-3.

The Final Four is set. Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will take on Arizona next Saturday, with the winners squaring off two nights later for the national title. The Arizona-Michigan game is a matchup of top seeds. UConn, after a 19-point comeback for a 73-72 win over Duke, is seeded second and will play No. 3 seed Illinois.