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NFL Draft by the Numbers: SEC in line to break single-year picks record

SEC Football by the Numbers has been looking at the 2024 NFL Draft in four parts. Monday’s initial installment examined the first round. Tuesday, it was a breakdown by positions. Wednesday, NFL teams were the focus. And for today, here are some stats and streaks about the conference and the draft leading into this year’s first round of picks tonight.

0 Players have been selected from Vanderbilt in the past three drafts. Only one other time in SEC history has a program gone three consecutive drafts without producing a pick. Vanderbilt did not have a player chosen in the 1993, 1994 and 1995 drafts. The most recent player picked from Vanderbilt was DE Dayo Odeyingbo at No. 54 by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, 233 SEC players have been drafted. One of them was offensive tackle Tyler Steen, the 65th selection of the 2023 draft. Steen spent four seasons at Vanderbilt. But he was drafted from Alabama after transferring to the Crimson Tide for the 2022 campaign.

0 NFL drafts have been held without an Alabama or Auburn player being selected. Auburn has seven empty drafts (a draft without producing a picked player), and none coincides with Alabama’s four empty years. Auburn did not have a player drafted in 1936, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1976 or 2003. Alabama did not have a player drafted in 1960, 1961, 1970 or 2008. Both Alabama and Auburn will have multiple players drafted this week.

3 NFL drafts have not included a player from LSU, the fewest empty drafts in the SEC for the schools that have been conference members for all 89 drafts. LSU did not have a player picked in the drafts of 1938, 1942 and 1993. Alabama and Georgia have four empty drafts apiece, Tennessee has six, Auburn and Florida have seven each, Ole Miss has eight, Kentucky has nine, Mississippi State has 11 and Vanderbilt has 27, including the 2022, 2023 and 2024 drafts. In their 32 NFL drafts as SEC members, Arkansas has one empty draft and South Carolina has four. Missouri and Texas A&M have been SEC members for 12 drafts and haven’t come up empty during that time. Overall, Arkansas has six empty drafts and South Carolina has 11. Before joining the conference, Missouri had four empty drafts and Texas A&M had six. Oklahoma enters its first draft as an SEC member with only two empty years – 1962 and 1995. New member Texas has had four empty drafts.

13 Picks in the NFL Draft have been used on SEC players in each of the past two years. There are no three-in-a-row slots entering the 2025 selections. The picks that have been used on SEC players in each of the past two drafts have been No. 41, No. 45, No. 70, No. 97, No. 105, No. 116, No. 128, No. 141, No. 150, No. 193, No. 203, No. 224 and No. 244.

15 Players from Georgia were selected in 2022, the most in a seven-round draft in NFL history. The Bulldogs’ output surpassed the previous high for a seven-round draft of 14, accomplished by Ohio State in 2004 and matched by LSU in 2020. The NFL has held a seven-round draft annually since 1994. The most players picked from one school in the same draft are 17 from Texas in a 12-round, 336-player draft in 1984, before the Longhorns joined the SEC. Notre Dame had 16 players drafted in a 32-round, 300-player draft in 1946. Georgia provided 15 of the 262 players picked in 2022. The most players picked from each of the other current SEC members in one draft include 12 from Alabama in 2018, eight from Arkansas in 1945, 10 from Auburn in 1989, 10 from Florida in 1978, nine from Kentucky in 1951, 11 from Mississippi State in 1944, seven from Missouri in 2001, 13 from Oklahoma in 1988, nine from Ole Miss in 1968 and 1971, seven from South Carolina in 2009 and 2013, 10 from Tennessee in 2002, 10 from Texas A&M in 1976 and six from Vanderbilt in 1952 and 1959. The top drafts for Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M predate their time in the SEC. As SEC members, the Razorbacks’ top showing has been six picks in 2004 and 2008. For Missouri, it’s six in 2015 and 2024. For Texas A&M, it’s seven in 2019. Oklahoma and Texas are participating in their first drafts as SEC members this week.

16 SEC players were chosen in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. That’s the most players from the conference chosen in one round in the draft’s history. Fifteen SEC players were picked in the first round and the third round of the 2020 draft. There have been 33 rounds that have contained at least 10 SEC players. Last year, 11 SEC players were picked in the first round, eight in second, six in the third, seven in the fourth, eight in the fifth, 14 in the sixth and five in the seventh.

17 NFL drafts have featured an SEC member as the top producer of picks. Georgia and Texas are expected to contend for the title at the 2025 NFL Draft. An SEC member has led the draft in selections in 2023 (Alabama and Georgia with 10 players apiece), 2022 (Georgia with 15), 2021 (Alabama, tied with Ohio State, with 10), 2020 (LSU with 14), 2019 (Alabama with 10), 2018 (Alabama with 12), 2014 (LSU with nine), 2012 (Alabama with eight), 2010 (Florida with nine), 2007 (Florida with seven), 2003 (Florida and Tennessee, tied with Miami, with eight), 2000 (Tennessee with nine), 1999 (Florida, tied with Ohio State, with eight), 1989 (Auburn with 10), 1978 (Florida with 10), 1962 (LSU and Ole Miss, tied with Colorado, Michigan and Penn State, with seven) and 1951 (Kentucky and Tulane with nine).

18 Consecutive drafts have had more players selected from the SEC than from any other conference. In 2024, the SEC provided 59 selections, with the Pac-12 next with 43. The most recent draft in which the SEC did not provide the most players came in 2006, when the Big Ten had 41 players picked and the SEC 37. The SEC’s draft-pick total and the runner-up in the previous years of the streak include:

• 2007: SEC 41, Big Ten 32
• 2008: SEC 35, ACC 33
• 2009: SEC 37, ACC 33
• 2010: SEC 49, Big Ten 34
• 2011: SEC 38, ACC 35
• 2012: SEC 42, Big Ten 41
• 2013: SEC 63, ACC 30
• 2014: SEC 49, ACC 42
• 2015: SEC 54, ACC 47
• 2016: SEC 51, Big Ten 47
• 2017: SEC 53, ACC 43
• 2018: SEC 53, ACC 45
• 2019: SEC 64, Big Ten 40
• 2020: SEC 63, Big Ten 48
• 2021: SEC 65, Big Ten 44
• 2022: SEC 65, Big Ten 48
• 2023: SEC 63, Big Ten 55

65 SEC players were selected in the 2021 and 2022 NFL drafts. That’s tied for the most players that any conference has had picked in a single draft. With the additions of Oklahoma and Texas to the conference’s tally, the SEC is expected to surpass the record in 2025, even though neither Mississippi State nor Vanderbilt is expected to produce a pick.

73 Consecutive NFL drafts have included at least one player from Florida, the longest streak in SEC history. The Gators have been represented in every NFL Draft since 1952, when the Detroit Lions started the streak by choosing C Carroll McDonald in the 13th round. The second-longest active draft streak for SEC teams isn’t even half as long as Florida’s current streak: Georgia has had a player selected in 32 consecutive drafts. LSU has had at least one player selected in each of the past 31 drafts, Oklahoma for 29, Arkansas for a school-record 29, Auburn for 21, Missouri for 20, Texas A&M 17, Alabama 16, Mississippi State for 15, South Carolina for seven, Kentucky for six, Tennessee for five and Ole Miss for four. Vanderbilt did not have a player drafted in 2024.

92 Alabama players have been selected in the past 10 NFL drafts. That’s the most from an SEC program in a 10-year period. The Crimson Tide’s draft total from 2015 through 2024 surpassed the record of 90, which had been set by the Alabama draft classes of 2012 through 2021 and equaled by the Crimson Tide’s draft total from 2014 through 2023. Alabama will need eight players picked in 2025 to break the 10-year record again.

232 Consecutive rounds of the NFL Draft have included at least one SEC player. The most recent round without an SEC selection was the second in 1993. Since that round, at least two SEC players have been picked in every round except four.

257 Players will be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The final one receives the nickname Mr. Irrelevant. An SEC player has been Mr. Irrelevant 10 times. The SEC’s Mr. Irrelevants have been Tennessee C Lamar Leachman in 1955, Tennessee B Tommy Bronson in 1958, Georgia DT Donald Chumley in 1985, LSU DB Norman Jefferson in 1987, Kentucky LB Marty Moore in 1994, Alabama DB Ramzee Robinson in 2007, South Carolina PK Ryan Succop in 2009, South Carolina TE Justice Cunningham in 2013, Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly in 2017, Georgia LB Tae Crowder in 2020 and Alabama S Jaylen Key in 2024.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

This look at the SEC’s draft numbers includes only players picked in the regular NFL Draft — no special supplemental, expansion, non-NFL or separate dispersal drafts are included in the tabulations. For Arkansas and South Carolina, which joined the league in 1992, the numbers include players drafted since 1993, unless noted. For former member Georgia Tech, players drafted from 1936 to 1964 are included. For former member Tulane, it’s through the 1966 draft. Missouri and Texas A&M have provided SEC players for the past 12 drafts. Oklahoma and Texas are providing players as SEC members for the first time in the 2025 draft. Former SEC member Sewanee has had one player drafted — RB William Johnson by the Falcons in 1966, long after the school left the conference following the 1940 season.

The NFL Draft starts on Thursday with the first round. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, with the remaining four rounds on Saturday. ABC, ESPN and NFL Network will televise the draft, starting at 7 p.m. CDT Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

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It’s time for Alabama’s weirdest sporting event. Here are the rules.

It’s Mullet Toss, time, and there’s more to throwing a fish than you might think.

First, the basics: Every spring, the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster Bar presents an event known as the Interstate Mullet Toss & Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party. The basic idea is undeniably silly: People pay good money to line up on the beach and throw a small dead fish from Florida in the general direction of Alabama. Tens of thousands of dollars from the three-day event go to youth charities in the Perdido Key area.

The 2025 toss opens on Friday, April 25, and continues through Sunday, April 27. Kids get priority from 10 a.m. to noon, with kids’ awards presented at 2 p.m. Adults continue throwing from noon to 4 p.m., at which point owners and celebrities take a turn. Adult awards are presented at 4:30 p.m. daily.

It costs $20 or $25 to throw, depending on the size of the commemorative T-shirt that comes with your registration.

When it’s your turn, you’ll select a dead mullet from one of the coolers on hand, step into the launching circle, and hurl the fish downrange. You can’t wear gloves and if you “accidentally” drop your fish to get some sand on it, you’ll have to rinse it off.

After your throw is measured, you’ll have to retrieve your fish and return it to the cooler. There’s a 90% chance you’ll forget this part and have to be reminded by the Master of Ceremonies, even though you just watched 90% of the people in front of you forget it and have to be reminded by the M.C. What can we say? There are bushwackers involved.

RELATED: Mullet Toss 2023: ‘Come rain, hurricane, or COVID, we’re throwin’ fish’

RELATED: Roll Toss! Alabama coaches, players make appearance at Mullet Toss

Parking is not to be taken for granted, unless you arrive early. The Flora-Bama’s official guidance: “Parking will be extremely limited. Please respect our neighbors and do not park in private condo residences or on the side of the road. Uber, Lyft, or many local cab companies will be running to get you to the Flora-Bama! We highly suggest using rideshare options!”

Those are the fundamentals. However, for those interested in the fine print, the Flora-Bama and the adjacent Phoenix X Condominiums have come up with a list of guidelines so extensive that they seem ripe for DOGE to come along and do some trimming.

They are, as follows:

Information Regarding Mullet Toss:

• Chairs around the Mullet Toss will be free, and there will be areas blocked off for standing room.

• Personal beach chairs are allowed on the Flora-Bama beach, but tents and umbrellas are prohibited. Space is first come, first served.

• No outside coolers or alcohol can be brought onto Flora-Bama’s licensed property. The Flora-Bama will have multiple bars on the beach selling drinks and plenty available inside the bar.

• Parking on Flora-Bama property is free, however, extremely limited. Taxis, rideshare apps and carpooling are encouraged. Any vehicles left overnight will be towed at the owner’s expense.

• The Flora-Bama beach is open to the public. However, to enter the Flora-Bama you must purchase a wristband. Entry can be accessed via the Flora-Bama beach as well as the main entrance on Perdido Key Drive.

• As always, you must be 21 to drink. Patrons must have a valid ID that will be checked upon entry.

• Cover charge to Flora-Bama begins at 9 a.m. Fri-Sun, $10/day for 21 and up, $15 for 16–20-year-olds, and 15-under are free. All ages are welcome until 6 p.m., then 21 and up only.

• Flora-Bama Membership cards are good for free entry to Flora-Bama for Mullet Toss.

• Tossing of the mullet is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with kids toss at 10 a.m. and adults beginning at noon until 4 p.m., kids finals at 2 p.m., owners & celebrity tossers at 4 p.m., then finals each day at 4:30 p.m. It is $20 to toss a mullet and all tossers receive a T-shirt. Proceeds go to local charities.

Information Regarding Phoenix X & Tent Rentals:

• Access to the Phoenix X condo building & property will be limited to Phoenix X residents and renters. Wristbands will be issued upon check-in.

• Only Phoenix X residents & renters can park at the Phoenix X parking garage and must have a parking pass. Renters will receive their parking pass upon check in.

• Tent space rentals on the beach behind the Phoenix X are available for rent ONLY for those who are renting at the Phoenix X for Mullet Toss weekend or owners at the Phoenix X. Please contact Ike’s Beach Service at 251-948-3757 to rent a tent or for any questions.

• Coolers are ONLY allowed in the Phoenix X beach area if you are an owner of a Phoenix X unit or have rented a Phoenix X condo for the weekend. Outside guests will not be permitted on Phoenix X property with coolers.

• Flora-Bama wristbands will allow access into the Phoenix X beach area for foot traffic only. You may not bring coolers into this area with this wristband.

• Amplified music is prohibited on Phoenix X beach. No large speakers or DJs. The Flora-Bama will be providing music on the beach for this area.

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Cervical cancer kills dozens of Alabamians each year. Not enough kids are getting vaccinated

Women in Alabama are more likely to die from cervical cancer than most other states in the nation, yet few young people are getting vaccinated against the disease.

Less than 40% of 14-18 year olds have received the human papillomavirus vaccine as of 2024, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Among 11-13 year olds just 19% have received the vaccine. The HPV vaccine is generally recommended for children at age 11 or 12.

HPV can cause cervical cancer. And it’s the most common sexually transmitted infection in the country, with about 80% of women estimated to get it at some point in their life.

“A lot of parents in Alabama are choosing the vaccine for their kid but we’re still not at that 80% range that would provide herd immunity, or protect kids who are not able to receive the vaccine because of a difficulty with their own immune system,” said Jennifer Young-Pierce, a gynecologic oncologist at University of South Alabama.

Vaccine rates in Alabama have gone up slightly since 2021, when only 35% of 14-18 year olds and 17% of 11-12 year olds received it. But that’s still not enough, Young-Pierce told AL.com, and it lags behind the national vaccination rate.

On average about 63% of teenagers were vaccinated across the United States as of 2022, according to the most recently available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Compared to other vaccines, HPV has the lowest rate of vaccination in the state, according to ADPH data.

“Barriers to HPV vaccination reported by parents include lack of knowledge and lack of a recommendation by their pediatrician. Pediatricians report that parents are often reluctant to vaccinate against an STD, and some parents express safety concerns,” a 2022 ADPH report said.

From 2017-2021, Alabama had the sixth highest rate of cervical cancer in the country, behind only Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, Texas and Arkansas, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“Unfortunately, Alabama is significantly higher in both cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates when compared to the U.S. Fortunately, HPV vaccination can eliminate the vast majority of cervical cancer cases,” State Health Officer Scott Harris said in the 2022 ADPH report.

“Increasing HPV vaccination rates along with increasing access to appropriate screening could greatly reduce the number of women being diagnosed with cervical cancer as well as the number of women that die from cervical cancer in Alabama,” he added.

On average, 33 women die from the disease every year in Alabama, according to ADPH.

Black women in the state have a significantly higher rate of getting cervical cancer and dying from it compared to white women. And women in rural communities have a higher rate than women in urban communities.

The counties where women get the disease at the highest rates include Walker, Etowah, Randolph, Chambers, Chilton, Dallas, Macon and Randolph.

The HPV vaccine is considered to be “safe, effective, and lasting protection against the HPV infections that most commonly cause cancer” according to the CDC. It is recommended for both boys, who can carry and pass on the virus, and for girls.

Doctors say cervical cancer is preventable and along with HPV vaccination, routine screenings can also help.

Young-Pierce said women who never get a pap smear screening account for 50% of cervical cancer diagnoses in Alabama. But even those who do get screened need to follow up if their test comes back as abnormal.

“A lot of people feel like their work is done when they’ve had their Pap test, but that’s the first step. If that is abnormal, you need to work with your doctor to get whatever testing and treatment done until it goes back to normal,” she said.

“Many women were never really told you have to get this biopsy or you could get cancer. They were told some sort of euphemism, like, you have abnormal cells or they are a little bit atypical, so we should see you again. But every single woman I’ve talked to said, ‘if they told me that if I didn’t come back, I’d have cancer, I would have come back.’”

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Pete Hegseth had makeup studio built in Pentagon for TV appearances

Defense Secretary and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth reportedly ordered a makeup studio to be installed in the Pentagon so he can freshen up for TV appearances.

The vanity project was initially planned to cost taxpayers $40,000 before being scaled back, according to CBS News.

Hegseth’s powder area is reportedly located inside a green room next to the Pentagon’s press briefing room. CBS sources said a table with chairs was removed to make room for a new chair and large, lighted makeup mirror.

The 44-year-old Pentagon chief recently boasted he’d purged the Department of Defense of “illegals, trans & DEI” as he strives to promote “warfighting over wokeness” in the U.S. military.

A defense official said Hegseth does his own makeup rather than hiring a professional. He announced plans to cut more than $5 billion in defense spending earlier this month.

A Defense Department spokesperson explained to CBS News that “Changes and upgrades to the Pentagon Briefing Room are nothing new and routinely happen during changes in an administration.”

Hegseth reportedly got the idea for a cosmetics space from a former Fox News producer serving as his deputy assistant for strategic engagement. The secretary’s wife, a former Fox News producer, seconded the idea to install a backstage makeup area.

The Cabinet member has spent a lot of time in front of cameras in recent weeks following reports he shared sensitive information about U.S. bombing strikes on the commercially available chat platform Signal with numerous people including his spouse. He appeared on Fox News Tuesday to defend those communications as “informal, unclassified coordinations for media coordinations and other things.”

He also accused “left-wing reporters” of trying to create problems for President Donald Trump. The White House has expressed support for Hegseth as pressure mounts to boot the former soldier, who was confirmed by the Senate to head the Defense Deparment in late January.

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©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Did a former Alabama star help create the NFL draft?

Though he played his final game nearly 80 years ago, Don Hutson is still likely to be included on any list of the greatest players in Alabama and NFL history.

An All-America end with the Crimson Tide in the 1930s and for more than a decade after that one of the top receivers in the professional ranks with the Green Bay Packers, Hutson set the standard at the pass-catching positions during football’s formative years. He retired as the holder of 18 NFL single-game, single-season and career records and at the time had more than double the number of receptions (488) as the next-closest player.

With the NFL draft set to take place in Green Bay for the first time beginning on Thursday, Hutson’s legacy in that regard also deserves some examination. It’s likely he played at least an indirect role in the draft’s creation in 1936.

An Arkansas native, Hutson was the star attraction on Alabama’s undefeated 1934 Rose Bowl championship team, which also included on its roster standouts such as halfback Dixie Howell, quarterback Riley Smith and tackle Bill Lee, as well as future coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant (who often self-deprecatingly referred to himself as the “other end” in comparison to Hutson). Statistics from that era of football are spotty at best, but we do know that Hutson scored the game-winning touchdown on an end-around play vs. Tennessee that season and caught six passes for 165 yards — reaching the end zone on receptions of 59 and 54 yards — in a 29-13 victory over Stanford in Pasadena.

After Hutson’s Rose Bowl appearance, pro teams began clamoring for his signature on professional contracts. Like many other college players in that era, he wasn’t initial sure he wanted to play in the NFL, which was then still a rough-and-tumble upstart league that didn’t pay all that well.

Hutson remained enrolled in school at Alabama in early 1935, planning to play left field and hit leadoff for the Crimson Tide baseball team that spring. Eventually pro football offers became too difficult to turn down.

“After playing at Alabama, I had letters from maybe 10 pro clubs,” Hutson told the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1985. “I ended up going to Green Bay because the Packers offered the most money — $300 a game. That was far and above what they ever paid a player. Each week they’d give me a check for $150 from one bank and $150 from another so nobody would know how much I was getting paid.” (Hutson apparently liked to embellish things as he grew older, so this dollar figure has been disputed. However, the idea that he received two different paychecks has not.)

What Hutson didn’t mention is that one of the clubs that lost out on his services claimed he was already under contract with them. John “Shipwreck” Kelly, owner of the NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers (not to be confused with the baseball team), told reporters in late February 1935 that Hutson signed with his team “several days” before the Packers announced his acquisition.

Hutson denied he’d signed with the Dodgers, and the matter was sent to the league office. NFL president Joseph Carr ruled that Hutson would be assigned to the Packers. (Hutson later admitted he’d taken money from Kelly and maybe even verbally agreed to a contract offer, but always disputed that he’d signed anything.)

Hutson scored on an 83-yard touchdown on his first play as a Packer, and was off and running on an 11-year career in which he led the league in receptions eight times, receiving yards seven times and receiving touchdowns nine times. He won three NFL championships, was a first-team All-Pro eight times (making second-team the other three years) and was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Green Bay was one of the powers of the early NFL, though the Packers had finished 7-6 and in the third place in the league’s Western Division in 1934. Even so, they almost certainly would not have been in position to acquire a prospect of Hutson’s talent had the draft existed at the time.

And that brings us to the other part of Hutson’s legacy, what role he played in the creation of the draft. With the worst teams in the league selecting first each year, in theory talent will be more evenly distributed and thus competitive balance easier to achieve.

The late Gil Brandt, a Dallas Cowboys scout and executive from the 1960s until the late 1980s, told AL.com in 2017 that the controversy over Hutson’s contract was “probably responsible more than anything, for the draft.”

“(NFL owners) said, ‘starting in 1936, we’re going to have a draft,” Brandt said. “We won’t have any more instances of guys signing with two different teams.’”

Others credit the situation regarding another prospect from 1935, Minnesota fullback Stan Kostka, as being the tipping point. Kostka negotiated what was then considered an outrageous salary of $5,000 (comparable to what superstar Bronko Nagurski was making at the time), plus a $500 signing bonus, out of Kelly and Brooklyn. This infuriated the runner-up owner, Bert Bell of the Philadelphia Eagles. (Incidentally, Kosta played just one season with the Dodgers before becoming a high school and college coach, most notably at what is now North Dakota State.)

As a way to keep salaries from escalating the way they had with Hutson and Kostka, Bell — who would later serve as NFL commissioner from 1946-59 — proposed a “player selection meeting” at the 1935 league meetings. Owners unanimously ratified the idea, and the first NFL draft took place Feb. 8, 1936, in Philadelphia.

Bell’s Eagles selected Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago with the No. 1 overall pick in the first draft. Smith — Hutson’s old Alabama teammate — went No. 2 to Boston.

Berwanger didn’t sign with Philadelphia, hoping to maintain his amateur status for what was ultimately an unsuccessful bid to make the 1936 Olympic team as a decathlete. Bell later traded his rights to the Chicago Bears, but Berwanger’s contract demands were considered too high and he never played professional football.

The NFL draft did eventually hit its stride, first being televised live in 1980 and going “on the road” for the first time in 2015 after being held annually in New York for decades. It has become perhaps the most-followed and widely-discussed sporting event in the country each year that doesn’t include an actual game being played.

Hutson — whose No. 14 was retired by the Packers in 1951 — stayed in Wisconsin for many years after his playing career, working for a time as a Packers assistant coach and later owning a successful bowling alley and a number of car dealerships. After retiring from business and moving to California, he died in 1997 at age 84.

Eight decades after he first arrived in Green Bay, Hutson’s legacy will be on display this week before a national television audience, both regarding the franchise he helped make famous and the event he played a role in creating.

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Asking Eric: Over 60, man wants to father a child

Dear Eric: Is it normal for an unmarried man over 60 to want a baby? Where should he look for a marriage-minded young woman willing to accept the age difference? How should he deal with the social stigma against May-December relationships?

– Ticking Biological Clock

Dear Clock: Anyone who is thinking about becoming a parent would be wise to ask themselves what’s at the root of that desire, how a child can fit into their life and lifestyle, what skills and traits they have that would benefit a child, and what skills they can learn to help them be a better parent. In short, they should go into it with eyes as wide open as possible. If you haven’t already, start by asking yourself those questions and see what comes up.

Wanting to be a positive force in a child’s life and to feel the unique love that comes from being a parent is quite natural – if it wasn’t, the species would be in greater peril than it already is. Investigating your feelings will also help you to be a better potential partner and prepare you for conversations with said partner about being an older parent and the stigma of May-December relationships. Be honest on dates and dating sites about what your hopes are and why.

The questions might also lead you to another answer: perhaps you want to be a positive presence for a child in another way, like volunteering, fostering or engaging more with relatives and friends and their children. Try to be creative in your thinking. (Every parent will tell you that creativity is key anyway.) Maybe you don’t actually want a baby (and the 4 a.m. feedings that come along with a baby). Maybe what you’re really yearning for is family. There are so many different ways to create and grow a family.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

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Miss Manners: Group text invites make it unclear if kids are included

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’ve received several invitations to large, planned events via group text. Whether for a retirement party, bridal shower or anniversary celebration, each message included the image of an invitation, with the standard design and presentation. This indicated a certain amount of pomp and circumstance and prompted a response.

I actually appreciate this new norm, as I find that I’m more likely to immediately consult my calendar and issue a timely response than I do with mailed invitations. I also like that I get to see the rest of the guest list.

However, without an envelope or other specification of addressees, it’s usually unclear which members of my household are included in the invitation. I don’t want to seem like I’m trying to invite my children to an event that is not intended for them, but having to arrange childcare is often a determining factor for whether we attend.

Is there a polite way to ask for clarification on this point?

GENTLE READER: Send a separate text to the host asking if children are included in the invitation. Note the phrasing: You are not asking for an exception for your children, but rather if the event includes children generally.

Once you have gotten a response, thank the host for the invitation and say you will check calendars and respond quickly. Miss Manners knows that your response to the event depends on whether the children were invited, but there is no reason to let the host know that.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

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See inside gorgeous Mediterranean-style estate on the market in Alabama for $5.1 million

A stunning Mediterranean mansion with a total of 11,488 square feet is on the market of $5.125 million in Northport, Ala.

Listing agent Donna Terry said the home at 14946 Edgewater Dr. is filled with custom touches.

“Experience Mediterranean elegance on Lake Tuscaloosa in this stunning 6-bedroom, 6.5-bath estate,” Terry said.

Click the gallery at the top of this story to see photos of the estate.

The estate features a separate living space. “A beautifully finished guest house above the garage mirrors the main home’s elegance,” she said. The guest apartment has its own kitchen and amenities. It is included in the square footage.

Listing details

Address: 14946 Edgewater Dr., Northport, AL

Price: $5.125 million

Built: 2023

Size: 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 11,488 square feet, including guest house

Lot Size: .99 acre

Agent: Donna Terry, 205-242-1097, Keller Williams Tuscaloosa

The estate features a swimming pool. “Outside, relax by the sparkling saltwater pool surrounded by lush landscaping and panoramic lake views,” Terry said.

The primary suite has his-and-hers bathrooms, a dressing area and walk-in closets.

For convenience, “an elevator provides easy access across all levels.”

The home also features crown molding, custom tile work, and “refined finishes highlight timeless craftsmanship,” Terry said.

“Enjoy spacious living areas, a formal dining room, and a breakfast nook designed for comfort and style.”

For more information, contact Donna Terry at 205-242-1097.

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Why is Alabama’s Jalen Milroe attending 2025 NFL Draft’s first round?

Former Alabama football quarterback Jalen Milroe might not hear his name called Thursday in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Still, Milroe plans to be in attendance at the draft in Green Bay.

There is still a chance Milroe could come off the board on Thursday, with teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints looking for a quarterback, potentially after the presumed top two signal-callers would be unavailable. However, during an appearance on The Next Round Live ahead of the draft, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer said his own draft stock wasn’t Milroe’s only motivation to make the trip.

“I hear kind of the same thing too, just potential first round, but I think there’s a reality that it might not be,” DeBoer said. “I know he’s going to plan on going to the draft…For a couple reasons, one, the experience, but two, he’s got a couple other teammates that he wants to support that will be there as well, so a tip of the cap to him there.”

Alabama will have two other former players in Green Bay for the event. Both offensive guard Tyler Booker and linebacker Jihaad Campbell could be first-round picks, and opted to attend in-person.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote that just because Milroe was invited to the draft, does not mean the NFL expects him to be selected in the first round.

”The league invites players it believes have a chance to be picked high, and even some that could still be on the board on Day 2,” Schefter wrote. “A team of league officials reaches out to the top prospects, but that should not be confused for a projection nor with the idea that the league has any inside info.”

Milroe has elite athletic talent, which raises his draft stock for teams that believe they could fix his issues. However, his inconsistent decision making is a question mark entering the draft.

It might be a long night in the green room for the Texas native. However, especially if Shedeur Sanders goes early, there’s a chance Milroe could be picked in the first round.

When quarterbacks start coming off the board, NFL teams aren’t exactly known for showing restraint. The draft is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be aired across ESPN properties, and on NFL Network.

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General

There may be hope for college football yet thanks to the judge and the ball coach

Rick Trickett and Claudia Wilken, at first blush, don’t appear to have much in common beyond experience and life wisdom in their chosen professions.

He’s a hard-nosed 77-year-old offensive line coach who served in Vietnam, now whipping into shape the centers, guards and tackles at Jacksonville State. She’s a no-nonsense 75-year-old U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of California, trying one more time to get the NCAA and its member schools to do right by their athletes.

Not sure who has the harder job.

College football has been Trickett’s life for practically his entire life, and his three sons have followed him into the profession. He’s done great work at places like Auburn, West Virginia and Florida State. In his six years at Auburn under Terry Bowden, four of his offensive linemen were selected in the NFL Draft’s first round.

The Tigers have had only three first-round O-line picks since.

The sport moved onto Wilken’s radar 16 years ago with the first in a series of legal cases involving the rights of college athletes. She’s become as influential in shaping the future of those athletes as a group as Trickett has been in shaping the lives of his players as individuals for five decades.

In an insightful, delightful interview late Wednesday afternoon on the Auburn Undercover podcast, Trickett talked about NIL and the transfer portal, expressed his concerns about some of their negative effects on young athletes and said, “I worry about the game.”

About that same time, Wilken issued her latest order regarding the proposed House v. NCAA settlement that showed she, too, has the best interests of college athletes in mind. All college athletes, not just the ones that stand to profit the most in the coming new world that will allow them to share in the revenue their work generates for their schools while also reaping the benefits of actual NIL deals.

Wilken declined to provide final approval of the groundbreaking settlement and threatened to reject it completely because the two sides in the case failed to address her concerns about the immediate harmful impact of roster limits. Well, it really wasn’t both sides that stood in the way. It was the defendants, the NCAA and the power conferences.

Imagine that. They didn’t listen. So, in short, the judge told them, “Can you hear me now?”

While the proposed settlement would allow schools to offer full scholarships to every player on each team, it also would cap, and in some cases cut, roster sizes. Football would be capped at 105. That would end the playing days of thousands of walk-ons and partial scholarship athletes, particularly in the sports of football, swimming, track and cross country.

Wilken had offered a common-sense solution to grandfather in the limits so current athletes would not lose their roster spots. The defendants, demonstrating the consistent lack of common sense that helped create the current chaos in their world, declined to take Wilken’s advice to alter the settlement terms on that specific issue.

Now the entire settlement could be in jeopardy. Imagine another year of chaos masked as commerce without the guardrails the agreement seeks to provide.

Fortunately, the judge demonstrated the patience of Job along with the wisdom of Solomon by offering one more chance for the parties to modify the settlement to avoid harming current athletes by abruptly eliminating their roster spots.

Maybe common sense will prevail this time, but something Trickett said about the current state of college football sounded more ominous after reading the judge’s ruling. He suggested that, if the major decision-makers in college sports had set out five years ago intentionally to mess up the good thing they have, they couldn’t have done a better job.

Some things don’t change, but sometimes that’s a good thing. The offensive linemen at Jacksonville State will continue to get the best of one of the best coaches to teach that position. He’ll ride them hard but teach them right, and he’ll care about them long after they open one last hole.

Trickett is what they call a ball coach. Not sure if there’s a judicial equivalent for that ultimate term of endearment, but there’s a lot to be said for experience and life wisdom. With him in the trenches and Wilken on the bench, there may be hope for college sports yet.

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