Alabama News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bryan Braman left the NFL as a champion. Seven years later, he’s battling again – this time for his life.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the former linebacker as he deals with “a very rare form of cancer.”

Since being diagnosed in February, Braman’s cancer has been treated with surgeries, chemotherapy and, most recently, CAR T-cell therapy, a procedure used to reprogram white blood cells for cancer fighting. But the GoFundMe page reported on June 20 the cancer was “now growing around his vital organs.”

“At Stellato Sports, Bryan Braman has always stood for strength, resilience and leadership,” Braman’s agent, Sean Stellato, told KPRC-TV in Houston. “He is a pillar and a staple of the underdog. Now, in the face of cancer, he embodies those qualities more than ever. If there is one person that I know that can beat cancer, it is Bryan Braman, who I have always considered family. He’s in the fight of his life.”

Braman entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie from West Texas A&M. He played three seasons with the Houston Texans and four with the Philadelphia Eagles. During his 97 NFL regular-season games, Braman was on the field for 117 defensive snaps and 1,927 special-teams plays.

In the Texans’ 29-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 16, 2012, Braman blocked a punt by Pat McAfee and returned it 8 yards for his only NFL touchdown.

In his final season, Braman rejoined the Eagles for the last three games of the regular season, then played in three postseason contests, including Philadelphia’s 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018. That was the final game of Braman’s career.

The GoFundMe account had an initial goal of $25,000. At 10 a.m. CDT Monday, the fund had raised $83,662, with some of Braman’s NFL teammates listed among the donors, including three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, who contributed $10,000.

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.

Another Alabama auto plant is responding to an effort to organize under the United Auto Workers.

And like the labor battles of 2024, the company is appealing directly to workers ahead of an expected election.

The UAW last week notified the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that it had filed a petition to organize at International Motors in Huntsville.

It’s the latest effort by the union in an Alabama automotive factory after last year’s unsuccessful election at Mercedes-Benz in Tuscaloosa County, and an associated effort at Hyundai in Montgomery.

The International Motors union push promises to be smaller scale than last year’s action, as the petition affects 220 full-time and part-time manufacturing workers, according to NLRB paperwork.

That’s far less than the thousands employed at the much larger vehicle plants last year.

As in 2024’s organizing efforts at other factories, International Motors plant management began communicating with employees, even over the July 4 holiday. On Wednesday, workers received a letter about the UAW, saying that they “hestitate(d) to interrupt your family time.”

According to the company, it received the petition on June 27 from a group called “HPP Workers United for Change.”

Prior to that, the UAW had requested a card check process for unionization, which involves a majority of employees sign authorization forms requesting a union. The company instead requested a secret ballot election, according to the company.

Attempts to reach the UAW for comment were not immediately successful.

“To be clear, we strongly believe that selecting an outside organization like a union to represent you in your dealings with the Company (and having to join the union and pay union dues) is not necessary here in Huntsville,” the letter states.

Illinois-based International Motors is a manufacturer of trucks, buses, engines and parts, among other items.

The Huntsville plant, on Short Pike Road Southwest, is a powertrain manufacturing facility, turning out diesel engines and transmissions.

The plant currently supplies International’s vehicle assembly plants in Springfield, Ohio and Escobedo, Mexico.

Brandon Tucker, International/Navistar Huntsville Powertrain plant manager, said the company has invested $200 million into the plant, and full-time employment there has doubled over the past five years, with “strong plans to add many more associates as we fully ramp up our lines.”

“Our plant and company have worked tirelessly to address issues that come with rapid growth and changes in the industry and economic environment,” Tucker said.

“We are committed to continuous improvement and maintaining Huntsville as a great place to work.”

Tucker, and the company letter, promised that company officials will spend the coming weeks communicating with employees ahead of the election. A date for the vote has not yet been set.

“The city of Huntsville is thriving, and we want to continue to be a strong part of that. We believe prioritizing flexibility, innovation, and direct communication to overcome challenges provides the brightest future for all,” Tucker said.

Last year, the UAW’s executive board earmarked $40 million to fund an organizing push among non-union auto and electric battery workers, concentrating some of the money in the South.

But a high-profile push to unionize Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Tuscaloosa County failed by a margin of 597 votes.

And late last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the UAW was shifting its strategy after the drive appeared to stall at Hyundai’s Montgomery plant.

MAGA influencers, including some who received “Epstein Files” binders from Attorney General Pam Bondi, are enraged after the Department of Justice reneged on its promise to release the so-called “Epstein client list” by claiming that no such list exists.

In a Sunday night memo detailing its investigation into Epstein, the DOJ and the FBI claimed there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” and “no credible evidence” that the financier blackmailed co-conspirators who sexually abused underaged girls provided by Epstein, Axios first reported.

During a Fox News Channel interview in February, Bondi suggested an alleged Epstein “client list” was sitting on her desk.

The Justice Department after that distributed binders marked “declassified” to far-right influencers at the White House, but it quickly became clear much of the information had long been in the public domain, according to the Associated Press.

Jack Posobiec, a right-wing social media influencer with more than 3 million followers on X, tweeted his frustration with the memo Sunday night.

“I want answers on Epstein. As many as possible. Not press releases. Answers,” Posobiec posted.

“We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be,” he continued.

David Freeman, another conservative influencer who tweets under the pseudonym Gunther Eagleman, accused Bondi and the FBI of lying, adding that there should be criminal repercussions.

“Right now… My trust in government is at ZERO,” he tweeted. “‘On my desk’ and ‘Truck full’ is what we were told. The lies are blatant. Someone has some explaining to do. People have to go to jail.”

Elon Musk, who formed his own political party over the weekend following a break from President Donald Trump — a public fight that included Musk’s claim that the Epstein list was not released because Trump is on it — tweeted a countdown clock set to zero titled “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter.”

“What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again …,” Musk tweeted.

The world’s most richest man also reposted a tweet from conservative influencer Sarah Fields that stated: “If the entire government is protecting pedophiles, it has officially become the government against the people. I hope you all understand that.”

Benny Johnson, a right-wing podcaster with nearly 4 million followers on X, claimed “there are other dark forces at play here.”

“To say there are thousands of ‘victims’ in a convicted sex trafficking ring and then to say there were no ‘customers’ when the operation happened right before our very eyes insults our intelligence,” he tweeted. “Trafficking women to no one? I don’t buy it. There are other dark forces at play here….”

Johnson ended his tweet by quoting the dystopian George Orwell novel 1984.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Influencer Mike Benz remarked on the memo by tweeting a photo of former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who withdrew as Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general amid sex trafficking and drug allegations. Trump then nominated Bondi.

“All I’m saying is I don’t think today would’ve happened if this was our Attorney General,” Benz tweeted.

Robby Starbuck called Sunday night’s revelation “unacceptable.”

“Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago. Now the DOJ she leads claims that there’s no Epstein client list. Sorry but this is unacceptable,” Starbuck tweeted. “Was she lying then or is she lying now? We deserve answers.”

We asked y’all to tell us which Alabama barbecue restaurants you think deserve more love, and boy, did you.

Now, we want you to vote on which one you think is the best in Alabama.

As part of our Unsung Alabama series, we’re highlighting some of the state’s hidden treasures, and there are a lot of barbecue joints that fall into that category. While we all know about the more well-known and iconic restaurants throughout the state — like Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa, Lannie’s BBQ Spot in Selma, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Saw’s BBQ in the Birmingham area and more — they aren’t the only ones turning out some seriously great eats.

So with that in mind, we took to social media and AL.com, asking what barbecue spots are in need of a little more recognition, and we got thousands of responses, ranging from restaurants in Gulf Shores all the way to Scottsboro, with plenty more located in the cities and small towns in-between.

Now, it’s time to vote in the poll below, made from your submissions, for which Unsung barbecue joint is the best. The restaurants featured in the poll are lesser-known eateries from all over the state that came up early and often in your responses despite not having as much notoriety as the classic spots — think Bob Sykes BAR-B-Q in Bessemer, Archibald’s in Northport, Green Top in Dora or Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q in Florence — that have been around for a long time.

We’ll announce the winner soon, and we’ll be sharing the stories of some of Alabama’s Unsung barbecue spots all this week.