At least three former members of the Alabama Crimson Tide will win Super Bowl rings on Sunday. Seven players who formerly worked with retired coach Nick Saban are now with the New England Patriots and the Seahawks. So, either Christian Barmore, Anfernee Jennings, and CJ Dippre (New England,) or Josh Jobe, Jalen Milroe, Robbie Outz, and Jarren Reed (Seattle,) will acquire new bling following the NFL Championship on Sunday.
A year ago, Crimson Tide alumni Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Tyler Steen, Eli Ricks, Byron Young, and Cameron Latu were the ones basking in glow of a Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The rings for the victorious Philadelphia Eagles were encrusted with eighteen green emeralds for the number of wins that season, and one hundred and forty-five diamonds for the total of playoff points. Previous rings contained pop-off tops with replicas of the winners’ home stadiums inside. The “prize inside” for the 2025 Eagles’ rings were little wings that pop out, at the push of a button, bearing the slogan of coach Nick Sirianni “you can’t be great without the greatness of others.” Last year, Hurts went before the press to credit his team for the win.
“Took a group effort. And I just only think I can think about is all the effort, all the work that was put in over the course of time,” he said. “And I think we had a focus group out there, you know, offense was able to score points to take advantage of opportunities, you know, just enough to to put points on the board.”
Hurts went from sitting out his last season on the Alabama bench, watching Tua Tagovailoa lead the Tide, to a triumphant return in that year’s SEC Championship. That’s where Tua was injured and Hurts was called off the bench. The quarterback led Alabama on two touchdown drives, in just over eleven minutes, to win the game. Following his 2025 Super Bowl victory, Hurts commented on the twists and turns in his career.
“So it's been a been a very unprecedented journey. And the journeys, you know, it's always the beginning until it's the end,” said Hurts. “And I think, I think, means a lot, quantifying all that work over the years, embracing everything, taking every challenge head on, and taking every joy and moment of achievement and success head on as well, and processing them all as one. Processing them all is one.”
Tuscaloosa isn’t the only city smiling over Super Bowl LX. For the San Francisco Bay Area, it is one of the largest economic surges of the decade and the first time an event of this scale is being run with AI at its core. The Associated Press quotes new Instawork data shows Super Bowl week driving job demand, rising wages, a surge in visitors, near-sellout hotel occupancy, and a sharp increase in hospitality, event, and stadium jobs across San Francisco and the surrounding region.
What's different in 2026: This is the first Super Bowl run at AI scale.
By the Numbers: The Super Bowl Economy
· 9.06 million visitors are expected across Super Bowl-related events, roughly one million more visitors, or a 13% bump, over an average February
· 95% hotel occupancy is projected citywide, effectively a regional sellout
· $5,553 average spend per visitor is more than three times typical event spending, driving outsized demand for service, event, and stadium labor
· Shift volume is surpassing February 2025 levels with just under one week remaining before the Big Game
· Booked shifts grew 20.7% in the final week compared to last year, reflecting accelerating booking velocity as Super Bowl week approaches
· 12% increase in hourly pay across Bay Area roles
· Warehouse and logistics shift volume grew by 320%, signaling early-stage event preparation and supply movement
