Alabama News

After the season he had at Vanderbilt last fall, Diego Pavia is one of the stars of 2025 SEC Media Days.

Fresh off a 7-6 record and the Commodores’ first bowl victory in 12 years, the senior quarterback made his appearance in Atlanta on Monday, making the rounds with reporters from across the country. Pavia said he and his team can ascend to an even higher plain this season, and he cited Alabama’s undefeated (and largely unchallenged) 2020 national championship team as an example.

“We want to run off with this thing, we want to put in the work,” Pavia said, “to not make these games close anymore, to really take off. I think it was Alabama when they had Mac Jones and the Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, and they just took off with games. So we want to put our pedal to the metal and just take off.”

Pavia was SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2024, passing for 2,293 yards and 20 touchdowns (with just four interceptions) while also rushing for 801 yards and eight TDs. Most notably, he led the Commodores to their first victory over Alabama since 1984.

Vanderbilt also won at Auburn last season, Pavia’s second straight over the Tigers after he also did so while at New Mexico State in 2023. He said opponents and their fans probably dismissed the idea he was ready for the SEC last season, but he never let his confidence wane.

“I’ve been doing this since probably like high school or little league,” Pavia said. “I just felt like every time I touched the ball, anything can happen. But when I got to Vanderbilt, people … they’re like, ‘oh, this is the SEC. You were playing in Conference USA last year. Get that weak s*** out of here.’ I’m like, ‘Oh dude, it’s the same thing. We probably had better talent at New Mexico State than probably here.’”

Vanderbilt has never won the SEC and has never recorded more than nine victories in a season. Nevertheless, Pavia said he has faith his team can make it Atlanta for the SEC championship game in December.

“No. 1, we have the talent to do it this year,” Pavia said. “No. 2, we return a lot of talent. And then 3, (tight end) Eli Stowers and a few of the guys have brought everyone closer to Christ. I really feel like He’s shielding us to take us there. I’ve envisioned it. I’ve had dreams of it. … So the belief is there.”

The New York Yankees could be bringing Alabama outfielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. back to the Bronx. The Bronx Bombers used the 224th selection in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on the Crimson Tide’s 2025 center fielder.

Bonomolo is an alumnus of Cardinals Hayes High School in the Bronx. He played two seasons at Wabash Valley College at Mount Carmel, Illinois, and played in two NJCAA World Series before coming to Alabama.

Bonomolo landed in the draft’s seventh round after starting all 59 games for the Crimson Tide in 2025. He hit .311 with a .416 on-base average and a .526 slugging percentage. Bonomolo posted 53 runs, 65 hits, 17 doubles, two triple, eight home runs, 52 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in his only season for Alabama.

Bonomolo had 46 strikeouts and 40 walks in 2025, when he made the SEC All-Tournament team.

Bonomolo had six games in 2025 in which he didn’t reach base, and he started his Alabama career with a 21-game on-base streak for the Tide.

Bonomolo became the third player picked from the 2025 Alabama team in this year’s draft. The Minnesota Twins took pitcher Riley Quick at No. 36 on Sunday, and the Chicago Cubs chose outfielder Kade Snell at No. 151 on Monday.

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

A central Alabama physicians practices group that was acquired last year as part of a blockbuster $910 million acquisition has changed its name.

Baptist Health today announced its physician practices group is rebranding as Baptist Health Medical Group.

The group consists of more than 60 practices and 170 providers.

“Going forward, all medical group specialty practices within Baptist Health will function under the Baptist Health Medical Group umbrella,” the entity announced in a news release.

Baptist Health is the Alabama region of Orlando Health, which encompasses five central Alabama hospitals and their affiliated practices.

The hospitals were part of a mammoth $910 million deal last year, when Tenet Healthcare Corp. sold its 70% majority ownership interest in Brookwood Baptist Health to Orlando Health.

Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital, Baptist Health Princeton Hospital, Baptist Health Shelby Hospital, Baptist Health Walker Hospital and Baptist Health Citizens Hospital were all part of the acquisition.

The deal for Alabama’s largest primary care network was finalized last Oct. 1 and includes more than 1,700 beds, more than 70 primary and specialty care clinics, approximately 1,500 affiliated physicians and more than 7,300 employees.

“We are delighted to launch the Baptist Health Medical Group brand,” Baptist Health President Thibaut van Marcke said. “The rebrand will help increase recognition of our physicians in the communities we serve and enhance the reach of the Baptist Health name.”

Updated signage will be installed at all Baptist Health locations.

Orlando Health is a $12 billion healthcare company operating in Alabama, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Netflix released the first trailer for its Aug. 5 documentary, “SEC Football: Any Given Saturday,” and it will have you running through a wall.

It’s no accident it was released on the same day of SEC Media Days.

Included in the trailer is ESPN college analyst – and former Alabama coach – Nick Saban’s comments about Vanderbilt.

“The only place in the SEC that’s not hard to play is Vanderbilt,” Saban said last year during a segment on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“I heard that,” Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said. “That fueled me.”

Pavia led the Commodores to a stunning 40-35 win over the the Crimson Tide and first-year coach Kalen DeBoer.

The Netflix sports series takes fans deep inside the SEC during the 2024 season, offering unprecedented access to the players, coaches, and programs that define the sport’s most dominant league.

The seven-episode series, according to Netflix, captures the pressure, pageantry and intensity of SEC football like never before. Viewers will ride along on the team buses, sit in on locker-room speeches, drop in on barbershop banter, and witness the grind it takes to be a D1 athlete in the nation’s most competitive football culture.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan, a lapsed alum, or just curious what life is really like inside college football’s most elite conference, the series brings unmatched access to the culture, commitment, and chaos of SEC football. It’s as much about the grind and emotion as it is about touchdowns and trophies.

“This behind-the-scenes docuseries will bring all the drama and pageantry of Southeastern Conference Football to a worldwide Netflix audience,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a Netflix release.

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.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has never been shy about his social media usage.

Going into his sixth season at Ole Miss, it’s not uncommon for him to fire off tweets at the expense of other teams or coaches. Auburn is no stranger to being on the other side of those posts, and last week it was head coach Hugh Freeze specifically.

Kiffin tweeted at Freeze three times in the last eight days, once responding to a picture on Freeze’s account of him at a golf event, and twice making posts of him out fishing that tagged Freeze.

Kiffin was asked about those tweets at SEC Media Days on Monday and gave some background on the fishing posts.

“I like Coach Freeze,” Kiffin said. “I have a thing with him, going back a few years ago, and he like, posted a picture in response to me, of like a two-pound bass or something like that. So, I’ve kind of always posted bigger fish pictures back towards him.”

However, Kiffin couldn’t finish the remark without popping another jab at Freeze regarding his golfing.

“That had nothing to do with this golf game, which sounds like he’s doing amazing at that,” Kiffin said. “So that’s great for him.”

Kiffin also emphasized that his fishing on Sunday was during dead period, a point he interrupted the next question to make.

Freeze’s golfing earned criticism during June after Auburn’s 2026 recruiting class suffered a handful of decommitments. From June 1 to June 24, a period in which Auburn saw three players decommit, Freeze logged 10 rounds of golf, according to the USGA’s GHIN database.

He addressed that criticism on David Pollack’s “See Ball Get Ball” podcast last week, downplaying the effect it has had on recruiting.

“I do love golf, I enjoy playing it to get away, but what people don’t realize is probably, you know, I assure you I never missed a camp day or a recruiting day,” Freeze said. “But, if camp got over at three o’clock one day and Jill and I go out at 4:30, we absolutely might do that and I’m not apologizing for that part of it.”

Freeze attributed most of the recruiting issues to the new rev-share system and how Auburn is allocating its money.

“Do y’all realize on paper that I’m not losing a single receiver? This is not like, David, in the old days where you just sign 25 guys and figure out who the 85 are,” Freeze said. “This is actually a salary cap world, and I like our receiver room. How do I go and make offers to other receivers at numbers that these other schools are when I’m like, come January I wanna keep the ones I have?

“I don’t think the Finebaums of the world or any of them think about all that, they just say, ‘he’s playing golf and not recruiting.’”

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

Troy catcher Brooks Bryan was selected in the eighth round of the 2025 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Monday, going to the Kansas City Royals with the No. 248 overall pick.

Bryan, a junior from Opelika, was an all-Sun Belt Conference selection each of the last two seasons for the Trojans. He set a program single-season record with 85 RBIs in 2024 and finished his three-year career with a .931 OPS, 34 home runs and 158 RBIs.

Bryan is Troy’s highest-drafted player since pitcher Levi Thomas went in the fourth round to the San Diego Padres in 2020. His MLB.com draft profile reads in part:

“Bryan is one of the better catchers available in a down backstop crop. He played sparingly as a freshman before breaking out with 18 homers and a school-record 85 RBIs in 2024, then played with the U.S. collegiate national team during the summer. He has posted similar numbers this spring and could go as early as the fourth round. A left-handed hitter, Bryan has at least plus raw power and generates it with strength and an aggressive approach that includes a big leg kick and a pull-and-lift mindset.

“There’s some question as to how much quality contact he’ll make with wood bats against pro pitching because he chases too many fastballs and struggles against velocity and slow stuff. He probably won’t hit for a high average but has 20-homer upside. Though he has a large frame for a catcher and lacks quickness, Bryan should be able to remain behind the plate. His receiving, framing and blocking still require more work, but he has worked hard to improve over the last year. He features solid-to-plus arm strength, but needs to upgrade his throwing accuracy.”

More Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants are in the works.

Fox Business reports Darden Restaurants, the parent company of the two chains, plans to open 40 to 45 restaurants. Darden CFO Rajesh Vennam made the announcement during Darden’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

Darden operated over 930 Olive Garden locations as of late May, and more than 590 LongHorn Steakhouse locations.

Darden recently increased the menu prices at Olive Garden. The company raised the Italian restaurant chain’s prices by 1 % in 2023. Last year, Darden said it planned to continue the increase by an average of 2% to 3%.

Fox Business reports Olive Garden had $5.2 billion in sales for fiscal 2025, marking a 2.8% increase from the prior year. Longhorn’s annual sales rose by 7.8% to $3.03 billion.

Darden has over 2,100 company-owned restaurants across all its brands at the end of fiscal 2025. Restaurants under the Darden portfolio include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille

Brooks just dropped a major deal on of its ultra-cushioned neutral Ghost Max 2 running shoe, making it the perfect time to grab this best-selling running shoe for way less than retail price.

Known for its smooth ride and max comfort, Brooks customers can score a pair of Ghost Max 2 sneakers in both men’s sizes and women’s sizes for $119 instead of its original list price of $150. Both the men’s and women’s sneakers come in a ton of colors/designs to choose from, all of which are included in this sale.

Men’s Ghost Max 2

$150 $119.95

The men’s Ghost Max 2 is on sale at a major discount this week.

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“Soft, smooth and protective, the Ghost Max 2 road-running shoes deliver maximum comfort for running or walking. With lots of our soft, lightweight cushioning, a rocker shape that actively helps you move from landing to toe-off and a broad base for added stability, the Ghost Max 2 is ready to roll,” Brooks’ product details state.

RELATED: Brooks drops Glycerin Max running shoe in all new summer colors

The Brooks Ghost Max 2 has a 4.3 star rating overall on Brooks’ website. Many of these reviews rave about the shoe’s super-soft cushioning.

One helpful review states, “The Ghost Max 2 [has] been an incredible experience after a foot injury avoiding an SUV that almost hit me while on a walk in my neighborhood. I had difficulty walking for days after that incident in my On Cloud shoes, but that changed immediately wearing the Brooks Ghost Max 2.”

Those interred in this Brooks sneaker deal can checkout the men’s Ghost Max 2 here and women’s Ghost Max 2 here.

Federal prosecutors are taking steps to protect classified information in the event a case against a former Missile Defense Agency contractor moves forward.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama has nominated seven Justice Department employees with appropriate security clearances to serve as Classified Information Security Officers in the case of Ewa Maria Ciszak of Huntsville, according to court documents filed last week.

Ciszak, a former civilian employee of the MDA, was arrested in late June and charged with unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents.

According to a federal complaint filed by the FBI, Ciszak knowingly removed classified documents or materials from her workplace between February and June with the intent to keep them in an unauthorized location. She was released after posting $25,000 bond in Savannah, Ga., where she was arrested, AL.com reported.

“Based on the nature of Defendant’s alleged crime, the government anticipates that it will need to disclose classified information to the Court and defense counsel during this case,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Cornelius wrote in the new motion, which was unopposed by Ciszak’s counsel.

A Classified Information Security Officer is responsible for the security of classified information in the court’s custody and for assisting with appropriate security clearances for court staff and defense counsel, according to court documents.

The court agreed this month to slow proceedings due to the complexity of the allegations against Ciszak, as well as to give the parties time to consider a plea agreement. The case is scheduled to be presented to a grand jury no sooner than Sept. 18.

The New York Mets used the 223rd selection in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Auburn pitcher Cam Tilly on Monday.

Tilly took on greater role as his second season with the Tigers went on, and he became the second Auburn pitcher picked in the seventh round of the 2025 draft. The Toronto Blue Jays chose Dylan Watts at No. 202.

As a freshman from Indiana, Tilly made 14 relief appearances for Auburn in 2024. He had a 3-1 record with a 6.29 earned-run average. In 24.1 innings, Tilly struck out 27 while yielding 20 hits and 14 walks as a freshman.

In his second season, Tilly posted a 3-3 record with a 5.48 ERA and one save. His 19 games, including six starts. In 46 innings in 2025, Tilly struck out 58 and yielded 33 hits and 29 walks.

Tilly is a 6-foot-2 right-hander.

Tilly and Watts follow catcher/outfielder Ike Irish and infielder Eric Snow into the 2025 draft from Auburn. The Baltimore Orioles took Irish in the first round at No. 19 on Sunday night, and the Blue Jays chose Snow in the sixth round at No. 172 on Monday.

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