Note to readers: Make your picks for the 6-0 Challenge at the bottom of the post.
This is an opinion column.
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Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze was off this week, which means he had time to learn a few things from the best team in the state.
Central-Phenix City isn’t too far from Freeze’s office. The high school is in the heart of Auburn country. It’s there on the Alabama-Georgia border where the school’s flag football team is approaching mythical levels of domination.
Ranked No.1 in the nation for most of the season, Central-Phenix City is 15-0 after its victory in the first round of the playoffs. The Red Devils play host to Foley High School in the next round. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. I don’t like Foley’s chances. Through 15 games, Central-Phenix City has outscored its opponents 673 to 24.
That’s not a typo.
In its last five games, Central-Phenix City has scored 220 points. Opponents of the Red Devils: 0. In fact, only three teams have managed to score against Central-Phenix City this season, so congrats on the points to Hewitt-Trussville, Auburn High and Harris Co. of Hamilton, Ga.
Mitchell Holt is the Central-Phenix City coach and he treats flag football like regular football. Preparation is key. There are 21 girls on his team and six coaches. The Red Devils have a scout team, too, and, for the first time this season, Central-Phenix City swapped game film with the other teams in its region.
Holt’s advice for Auburn’s Freeze? Get better players.
“Gotta keep recruiting,” Holt said. “Gotta go get the best athletes…All kidding aside, it’s the same concepts, scheme-wise. That’s important, but you got to have the athletes.”
Holt also coaches softball at Central-Phenix City. There’s a lot of crossover between his two teams, but he says soccer players and basketball players also love flag football.
“This is the South,” Holt said. “Football is king.”
It’s not just the South, though. Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and the world. The NFL backs the sport and flag football will be in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is the sport’s global ambassador for the Los Angeles Games and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has expressed interest in playing for Team USA.
On the women’s side, the United States has some work to do after losing to Mexico at the Birmingham World Games back in 2022.
Flag football started out as a club sport for Alabama high schools. This is Holt’s fourth season at Central-Phenix City. For most of his players, flag football is a secondary sport. That’s because flag football isn’t yet a varsity endeavor for NCAA schools. That’s changing, though. In a partnership with the NFL, the America East Conference will feature flag football in 2025.
When will flag football be a varsity sport in the SEC? I wouldn’t be surprised to see it added soon enough. Flag football is inexpensive, and with tackle football going from 85 to 105 scholarships, athletic departments in the SEC will be looking to add women’s sports in order to comply with Title IX.
According to federal law, schools must offer the same number of athletic scholarships to women as men.
Central-Phenix City’s Holt already has a plan for flag football in the SEC. Teams can just play the night before the men. Fans traveling to games on Saturday would be able to attend flag football games, too.
Holt says flag football might already be the most popular girls’ sport in his school. It’s a lot like basketball. Blocking isn’t allowed and the game is wide open. Like tackle football, good quarterbacks are key to a team’s success. At Central-Phenix City, senior quarterback Garritt Griggs has thrown for 65 touchdowns this season. Backup quarterback Mariah Harrison is great, too. Earlier this season, she threw a touchdown pass that Holt says carried 50 yards in the air.
Senior receiver Natalyn Lumpkin leads the Red Devils with 31 total touchdowns, including 30 receiving. Cornerback Colby Cook has 10 interceptions. I don’t want to overstate things, but Central-Phenix City flag football might be the most dominant team in sports history.
“It’s competitive and it allows kids to show off their athleticism in different ways than other sports,” Holt said.
The best part about it, said Holt, is that no one complains about playing time or what position they play. Sports like softball, basketball and soccer are ultra competitive. Travel ball stresses everyone out. With flag football, kids just play for the love of the game.
“I imagine this is what high school sports was like 50 years ago,” Holt said. “It’s pure. No one is chasing scholarships and it’s just kids having fun with their friends.”
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An Alabama lawmaker on Thursday temporarily put on hold dozens of state agency contracts because of what he said were delays by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to implement a law passed in 2023.
Sen. Chris Elliott, a Republican from Baldwin County, said the bill, which he sponsored, was intended to allow employees at businesses that serve liquor to complete the ABC Board’s Responsible Vendor Program online.
Elliott said the ABC Board has not adopted the rules to allow the online training.
A spokesman for the ABC Board said online training is already taking place.
But Elliott disputed that and said the ABC Board’s rules contradict the 2023 law.
“It’s very frustrating for the Legislature, an entire branch of government, to be ignored by the bureaucracy,” Elliott said.
“We’ve passed this piece of legislation. We have communicated with the ABC Board about what the legislative intent was, communicated by phone call or in person, in writing what the intent was.
“And some 18 months later, we still have no rules promulgated by the bureaucracy that is charged with doing it,” Elliott said.
Elliott released a copy of a letter he wrote to the ABC Board in September. The letter said the 2023 law was intended to remove barriers for businesses to participate in the Responsible Vendor Program.
Elliott‘s comments came at Thursday’s meeting of the Legislature’s contract review committee. The committee, which meets monthly, reviews state agency contracts and asks representatives of the agencies questions.
Any member of the committee can delay contracts for up to 45 days. But the committee cannot permanently block or kill a contract.
The ABC Board did not have any contracts on the committee’s agenda on Thursday. Elliott said he put a hold on all the other agencies’ contracts to put pressure on the ABC Board to implement the law.
Dean Argo, manager of government relations and communications for the ABC Board, issued a statement in response to Elliott’s comments.
Argo said online training for the Responsible Vendor Program is allowed and has been taking place for some time.
“The 2023 law by Sen. Chris Elliott did not require the ABC Board to promulgate rules or change any existing rules,” Argo said.
“A private association approached the ABC Board three months ago and requested that several rules regarding the online training presentation be clarified to benefit its members.
“The ABC Board agreed to do (so) because the clarifications did not impact whether or not online training was offered. However, there was disagreement over how incorrect answers offered online were processed.”
Argo said the ABC Board plans to consider the rule change at its meeting next week.
“During its regularly scheduled meeting on October 17, 2024, the Board asked staff for some additional research on what other states are doing regarding online RVP Training,” Argo said. “The proposed rule modification is on next week’s (November 14, 2024) agenda.”
Elliott said Argo’s statement was misleading.
“The statement from the ABC Board is the type of classic bureaucrat double speak that frustrates small business owners and their representatives alike,” Elliott said in an email.
Elliott cited an ABC rule that says: “The format of the course of instruction shall include face-to-face training and question and answer opportunities.”
“This is obviously not conducive to online training,” Elliott said. “To say otherwise is just wrong.”
Sen. Billy Beasley, D-Clayton, a member of the Contract Review Committee, opposed Elliott’s decision to hold up all the contracts.
“I think it’s unfair to the agencies that come here and present their case and have a blanket objection to any of the contracts being approved,” Beasley said.
“I’d like to move that we rescind the senator from Baldwin County’s request. If he wants to object and hold ABC, that’s his prerogative. But I don’t think we need to hold everybody else.”
Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, said he understood Beasley’s point. But Pringle said the committee has always operated under the rules that one lawmaker could hold contracts without consent from other members.
“One member does have a right to hold every contract,” Pringle said. “And that’s just kind of the way this committee works.”
Elliott said his purpose is to put pressure on the ABC Board to implement the 2023 law. He said he would lift his hold on contracts when the board adopts the rules for the law.
“I’m hoping that this fairly dramatic step here will get their attention,” Elliott said. “And I’m hoping to provide a little bit more incentive to them and pressure all the people in this room to deal with this issue as they should.
“This has been something that’s been going on for months and months. We pass laws and the governor signs them, and we expect them to be enacted by the executive branch.”
The Alabama Responsible Vendor Program is a voluntary program for licensees that sell and serve alcohol. To be certified, businesses must train all employees who sell and serve alcoholic beverages on topics such as Alabama liquor laws, legal age determination, civil and criminal penalties, and risk reducing techniques.
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“Obviously, I represent an area that‘s very heavy in the restaurant and hospitality world, they want to have more people responsibly trained to be servers,” said Elliott, whose district includes Baldwin County’s Gulf Coast beaches. “That’s a good thing for them. It’s a good thing for their insurance.
“And so why the ABC board is not moving forward on this, I don’t know. I’m thinking they’re going to get the message after today.”
The contract review agenda included 60 contracts with a total cost of about $80 million.
Hurricane Rafael got a lot stronger overnight in the central Gulf of Mexico, but its track is still a head-scratcher.
The National Hurricane Center said Rafael had 120 mph winds on Friday morning, making it a strong Category 3 hurricane.
Rafael was at its peak strength on Friday and a major hurricane. Its winds climbed to 115 mph (also Category 3) on Wednesday as it made landfall in southwestern Cuba.
Normally a Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico would be a big cause for concern. Not this time.
There are no watches and warnings in effect for Rafael, which is expected to stay out in the Gulf for the foreseeable future. No part of the Gulf Coast (either in the U.S. or Mexico) is in the hurricane center’s cone of uncertainty as of Friday.
As of 3 a.m. CST Friday, Hurricane Rafael was located about 585 miles east of the mouth of the Rio Grande River and was tracking to the west at 9 mph. The next update on the storm will come later this morning.
The hurricane center said Rafael should continue moving generally westward and slow down over the weekend.
The storm is also expected to start weakening today, and that trend should last through the weekend.
The hurricane center’s forecast track shows Rafael weakening to a tropical storm by Sunday and a non-tropical system by Wednesday — all while still in the Gulf and away from land.
Here’s the coastal outlook from the National Weather Service in Mobile:
There will be a high risk of rip currents along the Alabama and northwest Florida coasts over the weekend. A high surf advisory will also be in effect.NWS
High school football coaches for big programs in Alabama are often paid about as much as a local principal – or more.
Most coaches are paid a base salary, which is typically equivalent to a local teacher’s pay, as well as supplemental pay, which may come from public or private funds. Total compensation in 7A football may add up to more than $150,000, AL.com found. Scroll down to see the list.
AL.com has put together a list of 32 Alabama 7A division high school football coaches, their base salaries, performance bonuses and supplements for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year. They may also get bonuses for winning a certain number of games or reaching state championships.
This is an opinion column/charity baseball game post.
Rickwood Field is a magical place. If you watched or attended the historic Major League Baseball tribute to the Negro Leagues game in June, you know what I’m saying. The oldest baseball stadium in America has its charms. And its ghosts.
That game became a cathedral for Willie Mays, arguably the game’s greatest all-time all-around player. Rickwood was the Fairfield native’s home ballpark when he played for the Birmingham Black Barons. Willie was hoping to attend the tribute game in person. But then he got a heavenly promotion. No. 24 Willie Mays hovered over that game in spirit. Big time.
I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who attended the game in person, but I watched every minute of the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on TV. From the joyous music of Jon Batiste, dancing among the Negro League veterans, to the lush green grass, groomed dirt and fabulous sunset to the heroics of an Alabama dude who won the game. It was all picture-perfect. Birmingham shined on this beautiful night.
The next magical game at Rickwood will be played tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 9th at Noon. The game will feature people with disabilities playing alongside former MLB pros, local personalities and one dorky cartoonist.
A few days after that Negro Leagues tribute game, I was sitting hunchbacked at the drawing board, pulling what’s left of my hair out, sifting through ideas for a cartoon. But my mind kept drifting back to that game. Baseball. Rickwood Field.
Turns out, Rickwood is like Beetlejuice. If you say Rickwood, Rickwood, Rickwood out loud (or in your mind), it magically appears.
That’s when I got an email out of the blue from a fellow who invited me to play baseball. For a charity event. For people with disabilities — with people with disabilities. At Rickwood Field. That fellow was Taylor Duncan, founder of the Alternative Baseball Organization. He’s a pretty amazing dude.
I’ll let Taylor take it from here:
A Historic Day for Inclusive Baseball at America’s Oldest Ballpark
STARRING ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND FORMER PROS!
“On Nov. 9th, 2024, Rickwood Field — America’s Oldest Baseball Stadium — will add another remarkable chapter to its storied history. As part of Alternative Baseball’s 2nd Annual Playing for Community Integration Tour, this hallowed ground will host a groundbreaking event that celebrates inclusivity, empowerment, and the timeless spirit of America’s Pastime.”
Professional baseball players participating: Tim Hudson, Anthony Lerew, Greg Norton, Johnny Estrada, Lance Cormier, Matt Kimbrel, Stephen Pryor, Roger McDowell, Kendall Graveman, Dexter Jordan and more.
Among the local personalities:
Leslie Claybrook (general manager of the Birmingham Squadron G-League team)
It’s an exhibition game for fun, encouragement and inclusion. It’s all about love and love of the game. First pitch is at noon. The game lasts for 9 innings or 3 1/2 hours.
I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. I can’t wait to step foot on the grass of Rickwood Field surrounded by ghosts of the game’s most legendary joyful warriors. I can’t wait to get in the batter’s box with Satchel Page winding up on the mound. I can’t wait to play catch with Hank Aaron and play pepper with Jackie Robinson and Ernie Banks. But most of all, I can’t wait to hit fly balls to Willie Mays. I’ll try to hit one way over his head so he can re-create “The Catch” he made in the ‘54 World Series.
JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix. Give him a holler @[email protected].
Alabama plays at LSU on Saturday night, a game that has often been personal for several players on the Crimson Tide roster.
Recent Alabama teams have been peppered with Louisiana natives, many of whom enjoyed excellent performances against their home-state school. Such connections have added spice to a rivalry that has gone a long way toward determining the SEC and even national championships over the years.
There was a mere trickle of star players from Louisiana through most of the Alabama program’s history, but it turned into an absolute flood once Nick Saban became head coach in 2007. That stands to reason, given that Saban was LSU’s head coach from 2000-04 and hired several staff members/recruiters with Louisiana ties (notably Burton Burns and Bo Davis, and later Karl Dunbar, Pete Golding and Karl Scott) during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.
Here’s a look back at 10 of the more notable Alabama players from Louisiana through the years, plus some honorable mentions (hometown in parentheses):
Terry Davis (10) was Alabama’s starting quarterback in 1971 and 1972, a two-season run that included a pair of SEC championships and two wins over LSU. Davis was the 1972 SEC Player of the Year and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting that season. (Photo by George Long/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
1. Terry Davis, QB, 1970-72 (Bogalusa)
The original “Wizard of the Wishbone” was Alabama’s starting quarterback on SEC championship teams in 1971 and 1972 under Paul “Bear” Bryant, and thus played a major role in victories over LSU both seasons. He ran for 41 yards and the Crimson Tide’s lone touchdown — a 16-yarder in the third quarter — in a 14-7 win in Baton Rouge in 1971. The next year, Davis ran for 96 yards and a touchdown and passed for 157 more and two scores in a 35-21 victory in Birmingham. The performance landed him on the cover of the following week’s edition of Sports Illustrated. Davis was the SEC Player of the Year in 1972 and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, compiling a record of 21-3 as Alabama’s starter.
Tommy Wilcox (15) was a four-year starter at safety at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide to a national championship as a freshman and three wins over LSU in his career. (Mark Abraham/Star-Ledger file photo)Star Ledger
2. Tommy Wilcox, DB, 1979-82 (Harahan)
Wilcox was a state champion quarterback at Bonnabel High School just outside New Orleans, but wound up playing safety at Alabama. After redshirting as a true freshman, he became an immediate starter for the Crimson Tide in 1979. He was twice named second-team All-SEC, twice first-team All-SEC and was a consensus All-American in 1981. Wilcox’s Alabama teams went 3-1 against LSU. He was part of a 3-0 shutout in the rain at Tiger Stadium in 1979, a game in which the eventual national champion Crimson Tide held the Tigers to just 164 yards of total offense. Alabama won 28-7 in Tuscaloosa in 1980 and 24-7 in Baton Rouge in 1981, but lost 20-10 in Birmingham in 1982 — snapping an 11-game winning streak in the series. Wilcox finished his college career 253 tackles, 21 pass breakups and nine interceptions, and earned a spot on Alabama’s All-Century Team in 1992.
Louisiana native Eddie Lacy (42) won three national championships at Alabama, and played a key role in a victory over LSU in 2012. (Press-Register/Mike Kittrell) MO
3. Eddie Lacy, RB, 2009-12 (Geismar)
Lacy’s commitment and signing with Alabama was a definite shot across the bow as to how things were going to be different with Saban in Tuscaloosa. He grew up in New Orleans and went to high school just outside of Baton Rouge, where he was a four-star recruit at Dutchtown High School. Lacy signed with Alabama the same year as five-star running back Trent Richardson, and redshirted during the Crimson Tide’s 2009 national championship season. Lacy worked as the third-stringer behind Richardson and Heisman winner Mark Ingram in 2010, then split time with Richardson the following year before becoming the feature back in 2012. A first-team All-SEC pick as a junior, Lacy ran for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns. Lacy’s Alabama teams went 3-2 vs. LSU, losing in 2010 and during the 2011 regular season before beating the Tigers 17-0 in the BCS national championship game in January 2012 and 21-17 in Baton Rouge during the 2012 regular season. Though fellow running back TJ Yeldon scored the winning touchdown in the latter game, Lacy ran for 83 yards and a score on 11 carries. Lacy jumped to the NFL after leading Alabama to a second straight national championship in 2012 — he scored two touchdowns in a 42-14 rout of Notre Dame in the BCS title game — finishing his career with three championship rings.
Safety Landon Collins made national headlines when he spurned home-state LSU for Alabama, but went 3-0 against the Tigers during his career and was a first-team All-American in 2014. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
4. Landon Collins, DB, 2012-14 (Geismar)
If Lacy’s commitment to Alabama was a sign of things to come, Collins’ was an act of war — not just toward LSU, but within Collins’ own family. The No. 1 player in the Louisiana and a top 10 recruit nationally at Dutchtown High School, Collins announced his commitment during ESPN’s broadcast of the Under Armour All-American Game in January 2012 — just days before Alabama and LSU met in the BCS national championship game. In what became an instant viral moment, Collins’ mother, April Justin, was visibly upset at her son’s decision, saying she preferred he go to LSU. Nevertheless, Collins was an immediate contributor on another national championship team as a true freshman at Alabama, and started at safety for the Crimson Tide in 2013 and 2014 before leaving for the NFL. He was an All-American as a junior, finishing with 103 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups for the SEC champions. Collins was 3-0 vs. LSU, including a fumble recovery in a 38-17 win in Tuscaloosa in 2013 and seven tackles during a 20-13 overtime victory in Baton Rouge in 2014.
Baton Rouge native Tim Williams was a key pass-rusher on Alabama’s 2015 and 2016 teams, and went 4-0 vs. LSU in his career. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
5. Tim Williams, LB, 2013-16 (Baton Rouge)
Williams played his high school football literally across the street from the LSU campus at University Lab, but spurned his home state school to sign with Alabama as part of the 2013 class. A four-star recruit, Williams played only sparingly his first two years with the Crimson Tide before blossoming as a pass-rushing specialist in 2015. He totaled 19.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss his final two seasons, helping Alabama to a national championship as a junior and a College Football Playoff berth as a senior. Williams went 4-0 vs. LSU, totaling a half-sack in a 30-10 win in Tuscaloosa in 2015 and four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack in a 10-0 shutout of the Tigers in Baton Rouge in 2016.
Offensive tackle Cam Robinson (74) chose Alabama over LSU and dozens of other schools out of West Monroe (La.) High School in 2014. He was a three-year starter and an All-American for the Crimson Tide and went 3-0 vs. his home-state Tigers. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
6. Cam Robinson, OT, 2014-16 (West Monroe)
With Collins and a few others, Robinson is on the short list of Louisiana recruits who stung LSU fans the most when he signed with Alabama. The Tigers definitely had their hearts set on landing Robinson, a two-time all-state pick at West Monroe High School and a 5-star recruit rated the country’s top offensive tackle in the 2014 class. But Robinson chose Alabama, bringing close friend Laurence “Hootie” Jones — a four-star safety out of Neville High School in Monroe — along with him. Robinson started all 14 games as a true freshman, becoming the first Crimson Tide offensive tackle to start the season-opener since Andre Smith in 2006. In three seasons at Alabama, Robinson was part of teams that went 30-4, won three straight SEC championships, played in the College Football Playoff three times and won the 2015 national title. He was a two-time All-SEC pick and a first-team All-American in 2015, when he won the Outland Trophy as the country’s top lineman and the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy. Alabama also went 3-0 vs. LSU during Robinson’s tenure.
Irv Smith Jr. grew up in New Orleans as the son of an NFL tight end, and scored touchdowns in both games in which he played against LSU. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
7. Irv Smith Jr., TE, 2016-18 (New Orleans)
The son of a long-time NFL tight end who spent most of his career with the New Orleans Saints, Smith was a bit under the radar when he signed with Alabama as a three-star recruit out of Brother Martin High School in 2016. He redshirted as a true freshman, then caught 14 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide’s 2017 national championship season. Smith blossomed as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, earning second-team All-SEC honors after catching 44 passes for 710 yards and seven touchdowns as Alabama reached the College Football Playoff title game for the fourth straight year. He then gave up his final two seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Smith scored touchdowns in both of the games in which he played against LSU, snagging a 4-yarder from Jalen Hurts in the first quarter of a 24-10 win in Tuscaloosa in 2017 and a 25-yarder from Tua Tagovailoa just before halftime in a 29-0 victory in Baton Rouge in 2018.
Dylan Moses committed to LSU while still a freshman at Baton Rouge’s University Lab High School, but wound up at Alabama. He was part of two national championship teams with the Crimson Tide, and played in three victories over the Tigers. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
8. Dylan Moses, LB, 2017-20 (Baton Rouge)
Moses made national headlines when he committed to LSU while still a freshman at Baton Rouge’s University Lab High School in 2013, but flipped to Alabama during his senior season after transferring to Florida’s IMG Academy. A five-star recruit and Top 35 national prospect in the 2017 signing class, Moses contributed as a true freshman on a national championship team and was one of the top players on another title team as a senior. Despite missing the 2019 season due to injury, Moses ended his career with 196 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two interceptions in 39 games with the Crimson Tide. He was a second-team All-American as a sophomore in 2018 and a first-team All-SEC pick on Alabama’s undefeated national championship team in 2020. Moses’ Crimson Tide teams went 3-0 vs. LSU (he missed the 2019 loss while injured). He had two tackles and 1.5 sacks vs. the Tigers in 2017, six tackles in 2018 and three tackles and a pass breakup in a 55-17 rout in Tuscaloosa in 2020.
Louisiana native DeVonta Smith (6) not only won a pair of national championships and a Heisman Trophy at Alabama, but he terrorized the Tigers with back-to-back monster games in 2019 and 2020. (Laura Chramer/AL.com)Laura Chramer
9. DeVonta Smith, WR, 2017-20 (Amite)
Smith grew up about an hour from Baton Rouge, but was actually committed to Georgia before Mark Richt was fired as head coach. Bulldogs player personnel director Sam Pettito, who had been a key part of Smith’s recruitment, wound up at Alabama shortly thereafter. So it was not a coincidence that Smith — a 5-star recruit rated the top player in Louisiana — signed with the Crimson Tide as part of a 2017 class that also included Tagovailoa, running back Najee Harris and fellow receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. Smith caught just eight passes as a freshman at Alabama, though two of them were game-winners — a 26-yarder from Hurts with 25 seconds left to beat Mississippi State 31-24 and then of course the 41-yard bomb from Tagovailoa to give the Crimson Tide a walk-off, 26-23 overtime win over Georgia in the CFP championship game. Smith went on to set Alabama single-season and career records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches during his four years at Alabama, and in 2020 became the first wide receiver in 29 years to win the Heisman Trophy. He also played in three national championship games, and bookended his career with titles in 2017 and 2020. Smith went 3-1 vs. LSU, though he totaled just one reception for 12 yards in his first two games vs. the Tigers. In a 46-41 loss in Tuscaloosa in 2019, however, he exploded for seven catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns — covering 64 and 85 yards. He was even better in a 55-17 win in Baton Rouge the next year, going off for eight receptions for 231 yards and three scores — 65, 61 and 20 yards (the latter an iconic one-handed catch in the back of the end zone).
Alabama linebacker Christian Harris (8) grew up in Baton Rouge, but was a three-year starter for the Crimson Tide. His Alabama teams went 2-1 vs. LSU, won a national championship and played for another. (Laura Chramer/AL.com)Laura Chramer
10. Christian Harris, LB, 2019-21 (Baton Rouge)
Another University Lab product, Harris actually committed to Texas A&M before flipping to Alabama as a four-star recruit in the 2019 signing class. Harris started three seasons for the Crimson Tide, totaling 221 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles before leaving a year early for the NFL draft. He was part of a national championship team in 2020 and was 2-1 vs. LSU. Harris had just one tackle in the loss in Tuscaloosa in 2019, but totaled seven with a half-sack in the blowout in Baton Rouge in 2020 and six tackles, two pass break-ups and a half-sack in a 20-14 win at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2021. Alabama won a second straight SEC title and played in the College Football Playoff national championship game that season.
A native of Rayville, La., Kenny Bell played wide receiver at Alabama from 2010-13. He was part of two national championship teams and three victories over LSU. (Birmingham News file photo by Mark Almond)BN FTP
The podcast player and daily report are below. First, the Alabama news quiz:
Listen to the podcast or read the report beneath it:
Lions in Florence …
The University of North Alabama is considering bringing another live lion to its campus habitat, reports AL.com’s Heather Gann. The school has been surveying the community in Florence to see how folks feel about it.
The lion program has been active for most of the past 50 years. Leo III died earlier this year.
The survey is ongoing, but reaction on social media is varied. Some are concerned about the animals kept in captivity while many enjoy the tradition and like the idea of the program’s being used for education and advocacy.
The school said if it does restart the program, it will adhere to Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards for the lion’s treatment and habitat and that the $5-$7 million cost would not be paid with student tuition.
… and Tigers in Baton Rouge
Speaking of live mascots and debates, LSU reportedly may restart its tradition of having a caged live tiger at Tiger Stadium when the Alabama Crimson Tide visits on Saturday.
It’s a tradition that was paused after the death of Mike VI in 2016. Mike VII lives in a 15,000-square-foot habitat across the street from the stadium, but the reports say the school has acquired another tiger that would appear at the ballgame.
PETA is not happy about this. The animal-rights group has called it “idiotic” and said a tiger would face too much chaos and stress.
Prep football tragedy
Back in August, a 14-year-old football player collapsed on New Brockton High School’s practice field in Coffee County and later died at Medical Center Enterprise.
AL.com’s Carol Robinson reports that Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham has now released Semaj Wilkins’ cause of death. He said an autopsy revealed that Wilkins had died of congestive heart failure because of a coronary anomaly. That is, he had an enlarged heart that wouldn’t pump blood like it was supposed to.
The autopsy said it was due to natural causes.
Warm November breezes
A person could almost call yesterday hot. I wouldn’t, but somebody else might. If it was raining at all we’d still be cutting grass.
AL.com weather reporter Leigh Morgan reports that a pair of cities saw record highs on Thursday. Birmingham reached 86 degrees, beating the previous record high for Nov. 7 by one degree. That previous record was set two years ago.
And Huntsville reached 84 degrees, breaking its previous record of 82, also set two years ago.
Both Birmingham and Huntsville, as well as Anniston, Muscle Shoals and Tuscaloosa, were more than 10 degrees above the average high temperatures for Nov. 7.
For a little context, the nighttime lows we’ve been having in many parts of the state are about what we usually can expect for daytime highs.
Quoting
“I’m glad it’s basketball season, right? And I’m sure people that follow me on Twitter are glad it’s basketball season.”
A half-hour or so from Mobile on the other side of Mobile Bay, Fairhope is a Coastal Alabama treasure — an easy, fun little getaway whether you want to spend an afternoon there or stay for the whole weekend.
We don’t get there often enough, but when we do, we never run out of places to go and things to do, and we always leave wishing we had more time.
Yep, it’s that time of the year again, time to get over the sugar rush from Halloween and commence planning something really frightening: Thanksgiving Day.
I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention, but the most overwhelming one-day cooking event in the year for home chefs is coming up soon. And the guest of honor will be a perfectly cooked turkey that will take its rightful place at the center of the table.
Prince William got candid this week about the “brutal” and heartbreaking year 2024 has been, as wife Kate Middleton and father King Charles have navigated their respective cancer journeys.
“It’s been dreadful,” he told People from South Africa, where he was presiding over the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony for climate change innovation, which he founded. “It’s probably been the hardest year in my life.”
He said he’s managed by simply powering through, inspired by the strength of the king and the Princess of Wales.
“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” William said. “But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
With three small children and royal duties, on top of a fairly new role as the Prince of Wales in the wake of the 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth II, William had his hands full.
While she could not join William in South Africa, Princess Kate is on the mend, he said, adding she would be cheering him on from home at Windsor Castle.
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“She’s doing really well thanks,” William told the BBC. “She’s been amazing this whole year. I know she will be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
