President Donald Trump signed signature legislation, known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” July 4 that will reshape American higher education.

The law caps the amount students can borrow for graduate degrees, expands financial aid for workforce development programs and attempts to hold colleges accountable for graduates’ success.

The new law will phase out Grad PLUS loans that many people use to pay for graduate degrees.

“Eliminating Grad PLUS loans is dramatic and potentially problematic for many students,” said Mitchell Henry, president of Faulkner University, a private Christian college in Montgomery.

Getting student loans will be more difficult

The new law caps the amount of federal loans students can take out:

• Graduate students can borrow up to $100,000
• Law or medical students can borrow up to $200,000
• Parents can borrow up to $65,000 per student via Parent PLUS

After a student hits their cap of subsidized direct or PLUS loans, they may need to turn to private loans to finance an education.

The federal government hopes a lifetime cap will encourage universities to keep prices in check.

Financing graduate degrees may be more difficult

The Grad PLUS program, which many students use to fund graduate and doctoral degrees after they exhaust their Stafford loans, will be phased out in 2026.

Current students aren’t affected, but people hoping to pursue graduate degrees after July 1, 2026, may need to finance their education through more private loans.

More than $120 million in Grad PLUS financing was disbursed to 23 colleges and universities across Alabama for the 2022-2023 school year, according to data obtained from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Faulkner University administered 367 Grad PLUS loans in 2022, and the revenue, about $11.3 million, makes up more than 20% of the school’s overall revenue, according to the Chronicle’s data.

It will be easier to pay for workforce credentials

About 32.7% of all Alabama college students receive Pell grants, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The final bill keeps the Pell program mostly intact and adds a “Workforce Pell.” The funding can now be used for short-term, accredited workforce training programs.

Beginning July 1, 2026, Pell-eligible students can use aid for programs that prepares students for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations.

The average amount Alabama students receive for Pell Grants is $5,167, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The process for getting a Pell grant remains the same: Students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and see if they meet the income requirements.

Colleges will need to prove grads have good jobs

Politicians have struggled with how to force colleges to prove the value of individual degrees. Trump’s bill ties student loans and financial aids to graduates’ ability to get well-paying jobs.

Colleges and universities will be cut off from funding unless they prove that graduates earn more than an adult with a high school diploma. This could affected more than half of two-year degree programs, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Walmart is offering a motherlode of deals this week during its annual major sales event, some of which include its best prices of the year on select products, however, Walmart+ members will get first dibs on these limited time discounts.

The Walmart Deals sales event officially kicks off Tuesday, July 8 and run through Sunday, July 13, while Walmart+ members will be able to shop these deals starting on Monday, July 7.

Those who are not a Walmart+ member can not only sign up for a 30-day free trial in order to take advantage of these early deals, but also get 50% off the annual membership during the Walmart Deals sale. You will also have the option to cancel your membership at anytime before the trial period ends.

RELATED: Walmart’s Char-Broil FlavorMax Gas Grill is now the cheapest available

Walmart recently announced that, for the first time ever, Walmart Deals will be available both in stores and online, offering more flexibility for customers to shop the way they want, whether that’s a quick in-store run, curbside pickup or delivery to their doorstep.

“From barbecues to back-to-school, we know this is a busy shopping season for our customers, which is why we’re excited to bring back the Walmart Deals event,” Executive Vice President, General Merchandise, Walmart U.S Megan Crozier said.

“As customers look to save on both the items that they want and need this season, this summer’s event will feature a wider selection of products including wellness finds and everyday essentials. We also know families are continuing to shop earlier for the new school year, so we’ve brought back deals on first-day essentials to help customers save more when it matters most.”

Those who want a preview of these upcoming deals can check them out at Walmart.com/deals or simply on the Walmart app.

Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert are collaborating on a new duet, and you can hear it on Friday.

The country music stars are working together on a “A Song to Sing,” according to a social media on Monday. The announcement shared a ’70s-style poster.

Lambert and Stapleton, per Taste of Country, co-wrote the new song with Jesse Frasure and five-time CMA Musician of the Year-winning fiddler player Jenee Fleenor.

According to a release, the duet will take from Stapleton’s love story with his wife, Morgane Stapleton.

“Chris understands this emotion from the inside out, because he and Morgane have both lived it,” a Lambert statement read.

“To have someone so soulful and willing to go into the heart of the feelings, to share the pull of the road and creative life — and what that means when you love someone with every bit of your being is next level.

“When we finished it, we both knew we wanted to release it, to share it with everyone.”

It isn’t the first time the two have teamed up for a song.

Lambert co-wrote Stapleton’s “What Am I Gonna Do,” off his 2023 “Higher” album.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

Ricky Woods didn’t plan on being a head coach again, but he couldn’t turn down an old friend.

Woods, a 300-game winner and member of the Mississippi Coaches Hall of Fame, has been named the interim head football coach at Demopolis High School.

He takes over for Lance Tucker, who stepped down from the role in June. Demopolis superintendent Adam Pugh called Woods when he realized the timing of hiring a coach in the middle of the summer was problematic.

“Mr. (Frederick) Franklin (principal) and I started interviewing for a full-time person but, as we got into it, I felt we just needed to pump the breaks a bit,” Pugh said. “We had several folks who wanted to talk to us but wouldn’t because of the timing with their current jobs. We decided, for this year, we needed to just go with an interim and then open it again in November or December when the timing was better.”

Pugh had a good idea of just who to call. Woods hired him 35 years ago as an assistant at Eupora, Miss.

“I gave Adam his first job,” Woods said. “He’s a real good person and administrator. I knew the situation was a little late for him and most coaches were under contract. I never planned to be a head coach again. But he told me the situation and wanted someone to come in until Christmas and work hard and try to fill a void until his applicant pool is a little broader. We are excited about it. I’m going to come in and work as hard as I can and enjoy the kids. It will be a refreshing change.”

It would be hard to find a more qualified interim coach.

In 28 years as a high school head coach, he went 300-71 with 8 state titles and 3 state runner-up finishes. He was head coach at six high schools in Mississippi, including powerhouse South Panola twice. In 2004, he was named the EA Sports national high school coach of the year after leading South Panola to a 15-0 record and the second of four straight state titles. Woods also was named the Jackson Clarion-Ledger’s Coach of the Decade in Mississippi for 2000-2010.

“If anyone has won a lot of games, they’ve had a lot of great players and I’ve had a lot of great players who were coachable,” he said. “It’s never about you, it’s about who you surround yourself with, and I’ve had great players and great coaches.”

Woods retired from South Panola in 2021 to spend time with his ailing mother. He spent the last two years helping another of his former assistants, Michael Fair, at Grenada, Miss., High. The Chargers won the Class 6A state title last fall.

Woods met the Demopolis team and parents Sunday and will officially start his interim job next Monday. He did re-iterate that it was an interim job. “I have grandchildren now,” he said. “I talked to them before I took the job, but I like to see them do things. It’s definitely interim.”

Woods takes over a Demopolis team that went 17-7 in two years under Tucker, including 7-4 in 2024. The Tigers are scheduled to open at Class 6A power Mountain Brook on Aug. 22.

“The first thing I have to do is come in and learn their names,” Woods joked. “They’ve got a good program already. We will keep doing a lot of things they have been doing. I’ll put in my system. We will be a little behind, but we will start out simple and build on some of the things coach Tucker did. We will adjust the personnel as needed. A lot of the assistants are still there. We will lean on them.”

Woods said he also will bring longtime Mississippi coach Ron Oakes with him to coach the offensive line.

“I told the kids yesterday that there is not but one way to do this and that is wide open,” he said. “That’s the only way I know how to do it, and that’s what we will do.”

Woods and wife Susan have been married 46 years. He said she has never missed one of his more than 500 games. They have two sons and three grandchildren.

Any debate that takes place on ESPN’s “College GameDay” is genuine and organic, not manufactured, for ratings, Kirk Herbstreit says.

The college football analyst, who recently appeared on the “Net Positive” podcast with comedian John Crist, made that point clear.

“One thing I do on my job is I don’t pretend how I feel about something,” Herbstreit said. “If you agree with me, then great, then we’re going to agree. But I’ve never ‘Hey, I’ll go this way, and you go that way, and we’ll create an argument, and it’ll be good for TV.’

“And I think there are a lot of shows like that on TV that are let’s just argue about something. It’s a debate, even if you don’t believe it.”

Herbstreit points to the respect each member of the panel has for one another as the main reason why.

“I just say what I think,” Herbstreit said. “I do a ton of homework. I talk to a million people. I watch a ton of film, and I have opinions. If Nick Saban agrees, great, if he doesn’t, great,” he said.

“Once in a while, we’ll get sideways, but our show is more respectful. It’s not creating arguments or manufacturing anything. We love each other. We’ve been working a long time together. I think GameDay has a different vibe to it.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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It’s not often that college football teams add potential key contributors to the roster in July, but that’s exactly what Auburn did last week.

Former Texas A&M safety Jacoby Mathews officially signed with the Tigers last Wednesday, adding another safety to a loaded room.

Mathews entered the transfer portal in April 2024 and spent the last year in junior college focusing on his academics. Before leaving College Station, he logged 42 tackles, four pass deflections and an interception in 2023, playing for now Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.

Head coach Hugh Freeze said at Auburn’s AMBUSH event last week that they’re “excited to give him a chance,” following Mathews’ year away.

“I believe with all my heart that he understands this is his last chance,” Freeze said. “He just did not receive the blessing that he had at his previous school, and I think he’s learned a lesson and adding another elite safety to that group is beneficial to us.”

On the field, Mathews adds more talent and experience to a room that already returns multiple starters. Mathews logged an 80.8 coverage grade in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus, giving him a chance to play a role similar to Jerrin Thompson last season.

There’s no guarantee that Mathews would start, but his past performances in the Southeastern Conference indicate that he’s capable. However, it’s hard to predict what exactly his role will be.

Mathews is arriving to the team later than the rest of the group, missing out on reps that returning contributors like Kaleb Harris and Sylvester Smith and newcomers like AnQuon Fegans, Taye Seymore and others got during spring practice.

Despite that, it’s obvious that Mathews is capable of adding something to the group. His 2023 PFF coverage grade was higher than any Auburn player who logged 100 or more coverage snaps last season.

Mathews tallied 276 coverage snaps in 2023, fewer than Auburn’s top safeties last season, but he may be the closest thing to what Thompson gave Auburn in 2024.

His addition to the room draws other similarities to Thompson’s last season, despite not having the same credentials Thompson earned at Texas. Even still, Mathews brings SEC experience, talent that earned him a five-star rating out of high school and coverage skills that can benefit Auburn’s defense on the back end.

The Tigers will begin fall camp in early August, and the battles for playing time at safety and other positions will likely shake out then. Auburn will open the season on Aug. 29 with a road game against Baylor.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

Robert Earl Keen took to social media over the weekend to announce a benefit show to raise funds for relief efforts in Texas in the wake of the deadly flash flooding on Friday.

Keen, a Kerrville, Texas native, posted a heartfelt message about his plans.

“There are still many missing from the event, including campers from Camp Mystic, which holds a special place in mine and my family’s hearts as both of my daughters attended summer camp there,” Keen said.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected, and special thanks for the amazing support of the first responders from the community and all over Texas rushing to aid those in need.”

Keen posted the video on Saturday and revealed a show is being planned.

“I will be working on a benefit to support the community, and more details to follow as soon as we know them,” he said.

Keen retired from touring in 2022, but he returned to the stage after releasing “Western Chill.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.