One of Alabama football’s starting tackles from the 2024 season has a new home. Elijah Pritchett is heading to Nebraska from the transfer portal, which he entered at the conclusion of the Crimson Tide’s season.
Hayes Fawcett of On3 was the first to report the news. Pritchett started 12 games for Alabama in 2024, primarily at the right tackle spot.
Pritchett dealt with his share of struggles throughout the season. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 31 pressures for Alabama in 2024.
That put him in the team lead, well ahead of second place Kadyn Proctor, who allowed 13. Pritchett and left guard Tyler Booker, who is off to the NFL Draft, will be the starters the Crimson Tide must replace up front for 2025.
Wilkin Formby could play a major part in that replacement effort. The Tide also added Ball State transfer Arkel Anugwom and freshman Jackson Lloyd, giving it four scholarship tackles as things currently stand.
The 6-foot-6, 327-pound Pritchett joined Alabama in the 2022 recruiting class. He was a four-star prospect out of Georgia.
He entered the transfer portal during the five-day window Alabama players received following its loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl to end the season on Dec. 31. That window for undergraduate portal entry is now closed.
One of Birmingham area’s fastest-growing suburbs will have a nearly fresh slate of leaders later this year as its mayor and four of five councilmembers will not seek election.
Helena Mayor Brian Puckett said he is leaving politics and will not seek reelection in August.
Puckett, in a column in “Helena the Magazine,” announced his plans to leave city hall.
Puckett said he suffered a stroke in August.
“During that time, I underwent countless tests, and to this day, I continue to manage my health with regular doctor visits,” Puckett said in the magazine, a digital features section of the Shelby County Reporter. “The experience was humbling and gave me time to reflect on the role I hold as your mayor. It made me realize that, while politics is not something I sought after, it has given me the opportunity to serve the people of Helena in meaningful ways.”
Puckett’s decision leaves open the mayor’s seat along with a long roster of council positions that are being vacated by incumbents.
Councilman Chris VanCleave resigned in August, citing serious illness. Council members Laura Joseph and Hewy Woodman also announced that they would not run.
Chris Willis, who was appointed to the council in Dec. 2022, cannot run for the seat because of his employment with the Jefferson County Commission. Legislation prohibits county employees from seeking elected office.
The exits leave just one incumbent, Council President Alice Lobell, as a possible contender for leadership.
Rendering of the New Helena, Ala. city hall.Contributed
Puckett noted that his tenure included challenges, successes and mistakes.
“The difficult decisions, though sometimes met with criticism, have always been made with what’s best for Helena in mind,” he wrote. “While the challenges have been tough, I’ve never wavered in my commitment to this city, but this will be my last term in office.”
Home to more than 22,000 people, Helena has added more than 5,000 new residents since 2010, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The scope and financing of the public projects generated questions, concerns and outright criticism from residents.
Puckett has called the projects essential to meeting the needs of the growing city in a responsible way.
Several residents questioned the city’s use of $2 million — half of its reserve fund — to advance spending on the project. The amount represented half of the city’s reserves.
Puckett at the time called the move a normal part of operation that would be replaced with the bond proceeds.
Seeking to bring down the price after public criticism, Helena city leaders also scaled back and stripped out a few perks including a shower in the mayor’s office, along with an additional shower in the new city hall. But that was not enough to damper online chatter and public skepticism.
Helena resident Alan Beck, a regular city hall observer, told AL.com that he welcomed the upcoming change in city leadership.
“I wish Puckett the best in terms of focusing on his health. I’m excited for the city moving forward, as I believe the city needs a fresh start all around,” he said. “We still must be diligent in holding the current administration accountable for what has transpired and what may occur during the remainder of this term, just as we should with any future administration.”
The new city hall is expected to open next spring, while the sportsplex would open in November of 2025.
Councilwoman Joseph, who served two terms on dais, said a new slate of leaders will require time to learn the positions, but she is confident in the decision of the voters.
“Following the example set by former council members who supported me, I remain committed to offering guidance and advice when needed,” she said. “However, the upcoming term belongs to the new leadership team, and I eagerly anticipate seeing them lead our city forward with bold vision and steadfast conviction.
“During my time on Helena’s City Council, I’ve learned that transparency in decision-making is an essential element in fostering understanding and trust, particularly in a close-knit community like ours,” she said.
The next slate of city leaders take office in November.
Mardi Gras festivities aren’t even close to getting cranked up in Mobile, and winter has already put a dent in them.
With the port city already experiencing freezing temperatures and a round of heavy rain on the way, the city has postponed the ceremonial lighting of its Mardi Gras tree and canceled the monthly downtown art walk that was to take place Friday.
The lighting of the tree in Mardi Gras Park has been rescheduled from Thursday, Jan. 9, to Thursday Jan. 16. The event will start at 6 p.m. and will feature music by the Excelsior Band, the Jukebox Brass Band and the Blowhouse Brass Band. Food trucks also will be on hand, according to information provided by the city.
The large tree is the city’s take on a tradition of repurposing Christmas trees for Carnival season with beads and other seasonal tokens.
According to a city statement issued Wednesday, the next art walk will take place Friday, March 14.
Forecasters say much of the state will experience a winter storm starting late Thursday, with substantial snowfall possible in north Alabama Friday and a mix of snow and sleet in the central portion of the state. While snow isn’t in the forecast for Mobile, rain is expected Friday, with temperatures sinking into the 30s again that evening.
Following the departure of safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, Auburn has promoted former special assistant to the head coach TJ Rushing to be its next safeties coach.
The announcement came Wednesday morning.
Rushing came to Auburn in 2024 as a special assistant to the head coach following eight seasons as either a cornerbacks coach or defensive backs coach at four different schools.
“I’m very appreciative to Coach Freeze and Coach Durkin for this opportunity,” Rushing said. “I witnessed firsthand this past season how special Auburn is and what we are building here. I’m very familiar with Coach Durkin’s defense, previously working with him at another school, and know our defensive personnel here very well. I look forward to helping us build a championship-level defense and team.”
His most recent job prior to Auburn was the defensive backs coach role at Texas A&M from 2020-2023, spending two seasons under defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
Rushing’s return to on-field coaching pairs him with Durkin again, allowing the defensive staff to retain some continuity despite losing Kelly and defensive edge coach Josh Aldridge.
Prior to his four seasons at Texas A&M, Rushing made stops at Arizona State, Northern Arizona and Memphis. He worked as both a graduate assistant and defensive quality control coach at Arizona State before getting his first cornerbacks coach job at Northern Arizona in 2015.
Germie Bernard will return for 2025, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Wednesday.
With Ryan Williams also set to return, that means the Crimson Tide will have back the majority of its receiving production. Williams and Bernard combined for 98 receptions for 1,659 yards and 10 touchdowns. No other player had more than 21 receptions or 256 yards receiving, and that was via tight end CJ Dippre.
Bernard transferred to Alabama ahead of the 2024 season. He followed Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington. He became an immediate starter and went on to lead Alabama with 50 receptions. He also tallied 794 yards and two touchdowns.
Bernard, a Las Vegas native, began his career at Michigan State.
Bernard is the latest Alabama player to decide to stay with the Crimson Tide for another season instead of declaring for the NFL Draft.
The deadline for underclassmen to enter the NFL Draft is Jan. 15.
They are also charged with attempted murder for shooting at the officer.
The shooting happened about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, near the Chevron gas station in the 2600 block of Zelda Road, which is a busy roadway.
Reports of active gunfire drew dozens of officers to the scene. City officials at that time issued an alert asking the public to stay away from the area.
Charging documents state the victim was sitting in a vehicle when the suspects opened fire on him with an AR-style pistol and a handgun. Harris was hit multiple times and pronounced dead on the scene.
One of the officers was responding to reports of active gunfire when the suspects fired at her, records state. The shots were fired as the suspects were fleeing the homicide scene.
The officer was not injured.
Humphrey and Smith were quickly identified as the suspects and taken into custody. Lt. David Wise said they were captured within minutes.
Both are being held without bond on the Montgomery County Detention Center.
Alabama students are only just beginning to return to class after the winter holiday and now school systems are having to decide whether to cancel due to the threat of winter storms.
Lil Wayne, one of the most famous names in the hip-hop world, has announced some arena dates for 2025, including one in Alabama.
The iconic rapper is set to perform on March 7 at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, on a lineup with Quavo and Anella. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show go on sale Friday, Jan. 10, via Ticketmaster, after a round of pre-sales. Prices haven’t been announced.
Pre-sales start on at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and end on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 10 p.m. CST, according to the Ticketmaster listing. The BJCC has revealed a password for a venue pre-sale that starts on Thursday at 10 a.m. CST: It’s WEEZY, Lil Wayne’s nickname.
The downtown arena, 1898 Ninth Ave. North, can hold up to 18,000 people for concerts, depending on the stage configuration.
Lil Wayne made his last appearance in Birmingham in 2023 on his “Welcome to Tha Carter Tour,” playing at Iron City, which has a capacity of about 1,300 people. It was an intimate show for the star, who previously performed at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham, which seats about 10,500.
(Watch a video below from Lil Wayne’s 2013 appearance at Oak Mountain, via YouTube.)
Lil Wayne, 42, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., is known for his top-selling albums, hit singles, collaborations with other artists and flamboyant stage presence. He’s one of the most recognizable figures in the music world, forging a reputation as a rapper, songwriter, producer and the founder of Young Money Entertainment. He has several awards to his credit, including five Grammys. His platinum-selling record series, “Tha Carter,” has spawned hits such as “Lollipop,” “A Milli,” “She Will,” “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “Got Money,” “Don’t Cry” and more.
Five volumes of “Tha Carter” (2004-2018) have been major spurs to his fame, and Lil Wayne has said “Tha Carter VI” is in the works, along with a new installment in his “I Am Not a Human Being” record series. His latest single, “Bless,” with producer Wheezy and Young Thug, was released in 2024. Lil Wayne was the featured artist on several singles last year, including Tyler the Creator’s “Sticky.”
Lil Wayne has collaborated with many artists over the years, including Drake, Machine Gun Kelly, T-Pain, 2 Chainz, Usher, Doja Cat, Chris Brown and more. His business ventures include a cannabis brand, GKUA Ultra Premium, and a sports agency, Young Money APAA Sports.
Lil Wayne was ranked as one of the 50 greatest rappers of all time by Billboard magazine, taking the No. 7 spot in 2023. “Wielding words like swords, Wayne is one of the most masterful lyricists of our time, delivering mind-boggling verses for the last quarter century,” Billboard said.
Lil Wayne has made TV and movie appearances, and competed on “The Masked Singer” in 2020 as the Robot. He was eliminated on the first episode of Season 3, after singing “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz in costume. In 2023, he made a cameo in the “House Party” reboot, playing himself.
Below are games across the state that have been altered because of the weather. If your game has been changed, please email [email protected] or [email protected].
—Hewitt-Trussville at Vestavia Hills, moved to Thursday (girls at 3:30 p.m., boys at 5 p.m.)
—Gardendale at Clay-Chalkville, moved to Thursday
—Buckhorn at Mae Jemison, moved to Thursday; Saturday’s game against Sparkman moved to Jan. 22
—Oak Mountain at Hoover, moved to Thursday (5:30 p.m.)
—Hayden at Springville, moved to Thursday (6 p.m.)
—Huntsville at Grissom, moved to Thursday
—Wilson at Central-Florence moved to Thursday (6 p.m.)
—Decatur Heritage at Lexington, moved to Thursday (5:30 p.m.)
—Hartselle at Muscle Shoals, moved to Thursday (girls at 6 p.m., boys at 7:30 p.m.)
—Arab at Scottsboro, moved to Thursday (girls at 6 p.m., boys at 7:30 p.m.)
—Smiths Station at Central-Phenix City, moved to Thursday
—Clements at Lauderdale County, moved to Thursday
—Paul W. Bryant at Northridge, moved to Thursday (6 p.m.)
—Bob Jones at James Clemens, moved to Jan. 21
—Jasper at Cullman, moved to Jan. 21
—Pisgah at Ashville, cancelled
—Chilton County Basketball Tournament at Chilton County High School:
Jemison vs. Maplesville girls, Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Jemison vs. Maplesville boys, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Thorsby vs. Chilton County girls, Thursday at 6 p.m.
Thorsby vs. Chilton County boys, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The NFLPA released its all-star selections for the 2024 NFL season on Wednesday, and the former Alabama All-American filled one of the cornerback slots as he did on the 2022 and 2023 selections.
New to the 2024 selections is another Alabama alumnus – the Green Bay Packers’ Xavier McKinney, who is the free safety on the NFLPA All-Pro team.
The NFLPA’s all-star team is selected by the league’s players.
The NFLPA did not allow players to vote for themselves or their teammates and excluded from consideration players who had missed five or more games through Week 15 of the season.
Players voted only for their position group and those groups that they line up against on the field. For instance, centers voted to select the best players at center, nose tackle, interior defensive line and off-ball linebacker.
The Players’ All-Pro Team selections for 2024 included:
Interior defensive linemen: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs; Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
Off-ball linebackers: Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens; Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
Cornerbacks: Patrick Surtain II, Broncos; Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans
Free safety: Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers
Strong safety: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
Kick returner: KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys
Punt returner: Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
Core teamers: Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots; Miles Killebrew, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kicker: Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Punter: Logan Cooke, Jacksonville Jaguars
Long snapper: Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville Jaguars
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II breaks up a pass to Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers during an NFL game on Nov. 24, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.(Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.