Alabama News

Auburn star point guard Tahaad Pettiford was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence (alcohol) early Saturday morning, an incident that elicited statements from head coach Bruce Pearl and Pettiford himself.

Pettiford posted a long statement to his Instagram story late Saturday night, apologizing for the arrest and taking ownership of the situation.

While speaking to reporters at an AMBUSH event in Atlanta on Monday, athletic director John Cohen praised Pettiford for his statement and said that he spoke with Pettiford early Monday morning.

“I had a great conversation with Tahaad at 6:45 a.m. this morning, and I think he’s a wonderful kid,” Cohen said. “Not going to pretend to be a lawyer, and I’m not going to pretend to know everything that happened, but I do know this: Tahaad Pettiford is a great young man who comes from a great family, and if indeed he made mistakes, I think everybody in this room at one point was 19 years old.

“I‘m not 100% sure what the mistakes he made or he didn’t make. We’re going to find more out, but I looked into his eyes and said, ‘You have a great future ahead of you, because you’re going to do the right things always from this point on and Auburn loves you, don’t forget that Auburn loves you.’”

Pettiford announced his return to Auburn in late May after initially declaring for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. Pearl didn’t specify if there’d be specific consequences for Pettiford, saying Auburn will “handle internally with Tahaad and his family.”

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

Auburn’s roster building and NIL strategies since the House Settlement was passed have been under a microscope this summer.

The Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class has plummeted in the national rankings since June, a drop highlighted by four players decommitting. Head coach Hugh Freeze and athletic director John Cohen both attributed the recent struggles to Auburn’s adjustment to the new revenue sharing era and the program’s strategy for preserving the current roster and staying under the cap.

Both Freeze and Cohen have emphasized that they don’t believe other schools are operating by the same rules as Auburn, something they think could change on Aug. 1, when offers can start going into writing.

Each athletic department operates under the rev-share cap of $20.5 million, but third-party NIL deals don’t count against the cap. The Deloitte NIL GO clearinghouse was introduced to vet NIL deals, in theory eliminating the large pay-for-play deals often handed out by booster collectives.

Those deals aren’t necessarily illegal now, but money that comes from the University or an affiliate — deals that aren’t third-party — would count against the cap. The clearinghouse is still in the early stages, but Freeze and Cohen gave some insight on how it has affected Auburn so far.

“Truthfully, we haven’t had that many in the football building yet that we’ve gotten the word back on,” Freeze said at an AMBUSH event in Atlanta on Monday.

With things still being in the early stages, Freeze avoided giving an extensive comment on Auburn’s deals through NIL GO, deferring to Cohen. However, he did use it as an example of why he thinks Auburn’s rev-share and NIL strategies are the right ones.

Freeze made the point that if players who have already been in college and proven themselves have had trouble getting deals approved or agreeing on a value through the clearinghouse, he doesn’t want to promise large numbers to high school recruits.

Cohen elaborated more on Auburn’s experience with NIL GO so far, saying that it’s “a little hit or miss right now.”

“You’re convinced that something that a businessperson in the business community put through is gonna go through and sail through, and it doesn’t,” Cohen said. “And then you’re convinced that something that something everybody else puts in probably isn’t going to go through, and it does. But I think we’re all going to go through this learning experience.”

Cohen said that if information from the SEC and Deloitte suggests that Auburn is taking the wrong approach, the program will adjust, emphasizing the time still left between now and the early signing period in December.

He was asked specifically if Auburn had the funding and support from its boosters to adjust and strike quickly if the landscape changes, to which Cohen said Auburn will “do what it takes.”

Despite Auburn’s low position in the recruiting rankings, Cohen is still confident in how the 2026 class will finish, praising Freeze’s ability as a recruiter.

“You can’t confuse patience with inactivity. This man, who was just sitting right here, is as active a recruiter as any coach I’ve ever seen in any sport,” Cohen said. “I just spent two hours in a car with him, and he was called by seven different recruits. They called him. That’s the kind of relationship he has with recruits…

“There are staffs out there in which the head coach really isn’t part of that process, that there’s a separate group. Not Hugh Freeze, he’s personally in the middle of it, and it takes a lot of time, but no matter what he’s doing at that moment, he stops everything in his life to talk to those recruits and to talk to their families.”

Time will ultimately tell whether or not Auburn’s approach will work, but for now, neither Cohen or Freeze is backing away from their strategy yet.

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

Former Chilton County High School standout Pico Kohn went to the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Monday, and before the 2025 event concluded, another 35 prospects who played at Alabama high schools and colleges had followed the Mississippi State pitcher into the draft.

Six of the picks came from Auburn’s 2025 team, with three apiece from Alabama, Troy and UAB, two each from Alabama State and Jacksonville State and one apiece from Samford and Wallace State-Hanceville.

But another six of the prospects had played at Alabama before transferring to other programs, and two more had played at Auburn before leaving.

Two of the 36 state picks came directly from Alabama high schools on Monday, and another 16 of the selections were Alabama prep stars before moving on to college baseball.

The prospects selected on Monday who played at Alabama high schools and colleges included:

• The New York Yankees chose Mississippi State pitcher Pico Kohn (Chilton County) at No. 134.
• The Chicago Cubs chose Alabama outfielder Kade Snell (Wicksburg) at No. 151.
• The Chicago White Sox chose Florida shortstop Colby Shelton (Alabama) at No. 166.
• The Toronto Blue Jays chose Auburn infielder Eric Snow at No. 172.
• The Colorado Rockies chose Houston pitcher Antoine Jean (Alabama) at No. 197.
• The Toronto Blue Jays chose Auburn pitcher Dylan Watts at No. 202.
• The New York Mets chose Auburn pitcher Cam Tilly at No. 223.
• The New York Yankees chose Alabama outfielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. at No. 224.
• The Kansas City Royals chose Troy catcher Brooks Bryan (Opelika) at No. 248.
• The Los Angeles Angels chose Georgia third baseman Slate Alford (Bob Jones) at No. 259.
• The Atlanta Braves chose UAB outfielder Logan Braunschweig (Thompson) at No. 277.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers chose Southeastern Louisiana catcher Conner O’Neal (Chattahoochee Valley) at No. 285.
• The Athletics chose Auburn pitcher Samuel Dutton (Westbrook Christian) at No. 290.
• The Baltimore Orioles chose West Florida pitcher Dalton Neuschwander (Spanish Fort, Coastal Alabama-South) at No. 304.
• The Atlanta Braves chose LSU pitcher Kade Woods (Alabama) at No. 307.
• The Los Angeles Angels chose Georgia pitcher Alton Davis II (Hueytown, Alabama) at No. 319.
• The Atlanta Braves chose UAB pitcher Colin Daniel (Corner) at No. 337.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates chose Samford pitcher Cameron Keshock (Spanish Fort, Auburn) at No. 353.
• The Seattle Mariners chose Dallas Baptist catcher Grant Jay (Mobile Christian) at No. 362.
• The Washington Nationals chose UAB catcher Nick Hollifield at No. 411.
• The Chicago Cubs chose Troy pitcher Noah Edders at No. 451.
• The Seattle Mariners chose Auburn pitcher Hayden Murphy at No. 453.
• The Athletics chose Jacksonville State pitcher Jackson Phipps at No. 470.
• The Toronto Blue Jays chose Florida State catcher Jaxson West (Alabama) at No. 472.
• The Minnesota Twins chose Alabama pitcher Jonathan Stevens (Briarwood Christian) at No. 479.
• The Cleveland Guardians chose Wallace State-Hanceville pitcher Luke Fernandez at No. 492.
• The New York Mets chose Northwest Shoals shortstop Sam Robertson (Oxford, Auburn) at No. 523.
• The Los Angeles Angels chose Troy pitcher Jay Dill at No. 530.
• The Boston Red Sox chose Auburn pitcher Cade Fisher at No. 538.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates chose Oklahoma pitcher Brandon Cain (Baker, Coastal Alabama-Monroeville) at No. 563.
• The St. Louis Cardinals chose Mountain Brook High School third baseman Caleb Barnett at No. 571.
• The New York Mets chose Jacksonville State pitcher Joe Scarborough at No. 583.
• The Washington Nationals chose Alabama State first baseman Juan Cruz at No. 591.
• The Baltimore Orioles chose Meridan Community College pitcher Connor Gehr (Gulf Shores) at No. 604.
• The Milwaukee Brewers chose Thompson High School pitcher Ma’Kale Holden at No. 605.
• The Detroit Tigers chose Alabama State outfielder Kameron Douglas as No. 609.

The 30 Major League teams chose 510 players in 17 rounds on Monday to conclude the 2025 draft. The 36 players picked on Monday joined five selected in the first three rounds on Sunday as the prospects with Alabama baseball roots among this year’s choices.

The five prospects selected on Sunday included:

• The Cincinnati Reds chose Hewitt-Trussville High School shortstop Steele Hall at No. 9.
• The Baltimore Orioles chose Auburn catcher/outfielder Ike Irish at No. 19.
• The Minnesota Twins chose Alabama pitcher Riley Quick (Hewitt-Trussville) at No. 36.
• The Cleveland Guardians chose Arizona outfielder Aaron Walton (Samford) at No. 66.
• The Miami Marlins chose Florida State outfielder Max Williams (Alabama) at No. 78.

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

First came Beyoncé and then the WWE. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game was not far behind. The string of big events in Atlanta continued with SEC Media Days, centerstage at the College Football Hall of Fame.

The kickoff to the upcoming SEC season begins where it will end in December, though the SEC Championship Game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Before toe meets leather to kick off the 2025 slate of football game, players and coaches meet with the media to talk about what lies ahead. Each day, AL.com will provide a daily recap from each day with key moments and interesting nuggets of information you might have missed.

The return of the king?

The last time Nick Saban coached in a football game, it was Jan. 1, 2024 at the Rose Bowl. Soon after he retired, just nine days later on Jan. 10, people began to wonder if they’d ever see the generational coaching legend on the sidelines again.

Former Crimson Tide quarterback and ESPN media personality Greg McElroy swirled speculation Monday morning, sparking a fuse that ignited into the story of the day.

During his show Monday, MacElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX, the former Alabama quarterback hinted that Nick Saban could return to coaching. Unsurprisingly, word spread quickly and much of the morning was spent by media and even some fellow coaches discussing the possibility of a Saban return.

Ole Miss head coach and former Alabama assistant Lane Kiffin discussed a Saban return noting, his high level of ‘addiction’.

Saban, who hasn’t been scheduled to attend SEC Media Days, has been one of the new stars in sports media on ESPN College Gameday, becoming a darling of the FCC comments section.

ESPN reporter Chris Low, the man who helped break the news of Saban’s retirement back in January of 2024, shared his thoughts on a possible return to coaching for Nick Saban.

Pavia Mania

You may have heard this before, but Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is a confident young man. His bravado seemingly has grown with his success on the field. Consider his record vs. Alabama and Auburn is 3-0.

While Pavia beat Auburn for the second year in a row, it’s the win last September against the Crimson Tide that firmly thrust him into the national spotlight.

During that win, Pavia helped author a historic upset of No. 1 Alabama in dominating fashion. Sauntering into the opening day of SEC Media Days, Pavia reflected on his star-making moment. In classic Pavia fashion, he pointed out the Commodores’ preparation.

What does Diego plan to do for an encore? His sights are set on something Vanderbilt has never done in school history, reach the SEC Championship. Noting that he aspires to have run compared to the 2020 Alabama national title winning team.

The only thing standing in Vanderbilt’s way? Alabama, Auburn, and the rest of the SEC.

Never a dull moment with Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin likes to have fun, don’t believe that? Just go on social media. In recent weeks, the Rebels head coach has picked a new target for entertainment: Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, and his much-publicized golf game.

To end the day, Kiffin had a chance to link up with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, just off the heels of their latest episode, just a week ago when Finebaum went after Freeze, for being trolled by Kiffin.

On the SEC Network set Monday, which is also home to the Paul Finebaum show during the duration of media days, Kiffin and Finebaum traded barbs, deadpanned remarks and even poked fun at their “dynamic”. Like most comedic duos, they clearly make each other better, while driving each other crazy.

LSU’s QB talks return to Alabama

If LSU is to live up to preseason expectations and make a potentially deep playoff run, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will have to exercise some demons in the process.

One of those locations where the demons are? Tuscaloosa, AL. having played inside Bryant-Denny Stadium when his dad Doug was an Alabama assistant. Speaking with the media on Monday, the Heisman hopeful feels like he’s ready for the moment.

What to watch on Day 2?

Four teams down, 12 more to go.

Up next for SEC Media Days: Day 2, the media in Atlanta will see Auburn, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee beginning Tuesday at 8 a.m. CT. Auburn and Georgia take the morning session, while Texas and Tennesse close out the day in the afternoon.

The player who will grab the most attention of course is Arch Manning, given the small space of the College Football Hall of Fame venue hosting the event, you will easily be able to spot where the latest Manning gunslinger will be chatting with the media.

The coach to watch? Auburn’s Hugh Freeze. Will he be answering questions about his golf game? Possibly, will he talk about his quarterback Jackson Arnold? Guaranteed.

Golf and quarterback questions aside, Freeze enters the most pivotal of his Auburn tenure. As anxiety grows among the fan base wanting to breakthrough into the quadrant of the league, Freeze may feel a bit more heat as he faces the media.

Tuesday morning’s broadcast of SEC Media Days begins at 8 a.m. CT airing on SEC Network.

The T-Mobile Home Run Derby is being contested on Monday night at Truist Park in Atlanta. On Tuesday night, the MLB All-Star Game will be played on that field.

The dates of those events are July 14 and July 15 – or 7/14 and 7/15.

When Hall of Fame pitcher C.C. Sabathia realized that, it led to the competitors in the Home Run Derby wearing either the No. 3 or No. 44 on their uniform – 3 for the American Leaguers and 44 for the National Leaguers.

The connection? Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

Ruth completed his Major League career with 714 home runs, a feat that became perhaps the most celebrated record in U.S. sports.

But the unbreakable record was broken by Mobile native Hank Aaron when the Atlanta Braves outfielder belted his 715th MLB home run on April 8, 1974, in Atlanta.

Sabathia serves as a special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball, so he was in position to do something with his date-home run connection.

“I just saw the date of the Home Run Derby,” Sabathia told ESPN, “and knew that the game was in Atlanta again, and thought it would be special to honor not only Hank, but Babe, in that way. Everything (in baseball) is about numbers — who you can pass, you need to get this number to get in the Hall of Fame. Seven-hundred-fifteen is such a huge number, and that actually being the date in the Derby was the inspiration behind the guys wearing the uniforms.”

“We’d be doing ourselves a disservice to not do the storytelling, especially behind Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Atlanta. The history of our game, you know, we have so many opportunities to tell stories and just with the date and the number, I thought it would be so cool to tell this one.”

The National League players in Aaron’s No. 44 on Monday night include Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz, Atlanta Braves third baseman Matt Olson and Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood.

The American League players wearing Ruth’s No. 3 include Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker.

The numbers went beyond the Home Run Derby, too. For batting and fielding practice for the MLB All-Star Game, the National and American League teams wore No. 44 and No. 3, respectively, on all the players’ uniforms on Monday.

The T-Mobile Home Run Derby is being televised by ESPN.

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

South Carolina narrowly missed the College Football Playoff a year ago, so perhaps Shane Beamer is biased.

Whatever the reason, Beamer said Monday that he’s in favor of further expanding the playoff beyond its current 12-team format. The CFP was at four teams from 2014-13, then went to 12 teams last year, though there remains constant chatter it could be expanded to 14 or even 16 teams in 2026 and beyond.

“I’m all for more teams getting opportunities,” Beamer said Monday during his appearance at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. “I want to make sure we have the greatest regular season in any sport in college athletics, in my opinion, because every regular season game means something. So you want to make sure that the regular season doesn’t lose meaning and confident that it won’t if we expand. It’ll still make a lot more games meaningful in the month of November in my mind, and then gives more teams opportunities to go compete for a championship, which is what anybody wants.”

South Carolina went 9-4 last season, including a victory over eventual ACC champion Clemson on the final weekend of the regular season. However, when the final CFP rankings were released in early December, the Gamecocks were No. 15, left out along with the likes of Miami and Ole Miss.

There has also been talk of expanding the SEC’s schedule from eight games to nine for 2026. Beamer said that with South Carolina’s annual rivalry game with Clemson, the Gamecocks in effect already play nine “conference-level” games per year.

As Beamer noted, only South Carolina, Florida (with Florida State), Kentucky (Louisville) and Georgia (Georgia Tech) among SEC schools play the same non-conference rival each season. Beamer said that if the SEC went to a nine-game schedule, it would have to be made equitable across the board.

“Competition is a core value of our program, so I’m never gonna shy away from competition,” Beamer said. “… We have a schedule that we get to play, but we also get to play Clemson every season as well, and that’s a nonconference rival that we have that not every school in this league has. … I know everyone is going to play a power (conference) team in the regular season typically, but in my mind, we’re already playing nine conference games. Then if we go to nine, we’re now playing 10 conference games. And then we’ve also got future schedules with Miami on it, Virginia Tech this year, North Carolina, North Carolina State.

“So I’m all for competition, but I want to make sure that the other teams in this league aren’t playing nine SEC games and then playing three … games that they should win, because that’s not very smart as the head coach of South Carolina to be doing that if that’s what the other teams in this league aren’t doing it.”

University of Alabama signee Ma’Kale Holden was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday in the final round of the Major League Baseball Draft. The Brewers used the 605th pick in the 20th round of the draft to select Holden as a pitcher.

Holden, who starred at Thompson High School at pitcher and third base, was a first-team Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State selection as a utility player. He was ranked as the top right-handed pitcher and the No. 5 overall player in Alabama by Perfect Game USA, which clocked his fastball at 97 mph on June 22, 2024.

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Prep Baseball Report ranked the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder as the No. 2 right-hander and the No. 5 overall prospect in the state.

As a senior, the 18-year-old Holden struck out 55 batters in 40 innings and finished with a 2.45 earned run average for Frankie Perez’ Warriors. In 2024, Holden’s grand-slam home run on a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Thompson past Spain Park 13-12 in the opening round of the AHSAA state playoffs.

Atlanta picked UAB outfielder Logan Braunschweig – another former Thompson player – in the ninth round of the draft on Monday.

The 2025 college football season is right around the corner, and Auburn’s campaign will start earlier than normal this year.

The Tigers will once again start the season in August, with the season opener against Baylor scheduled for Aug. 29. It puts the game on a Friday, starting before the majority of college football takes the field that Saturday.

With the early start, Auburn will begin fall camp before the month of August begins. Hugh Freeze told reporters at an AMBUSH event in Atlanta that the Tigers will begin camp on July 29, exactly one month before Auburn travels to Waco to face Baylor.

Freeze added that he likes what he’s seen from the team during summer workouts, complimenting the approach from both the players and staff.

“I couldn’t be more pleased. I really couldn’t,” Freeze said. “I love the chemistry I see between the quarterbacks and receivers right now. They believe in each other, it’s obvious and hopefully that is shown when we start playing games.”

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

A pair of Alabama State Hornets were selected in the 2025 MLB draft on Monday.

Both selected in the 20th round, first baseman Juan Cruz was selected by the Washington Nationals with pick No. 591 and outfielder Kameron Douglas went to the Detroit Tigers at No. 609.

Cruz was named SWAC Hitter of the Year after a standout season with the Hornets that saw him bat .420 with 14 home runs, 23 doubles and 73 RBIs. He posted a .481 on-base percentage with stole six bases.

His 105 hits led all Division I athletes last season while his batting average ranked No. 8 among all qualified players.

The 6-foot-5 first baseman also claimed first-team all-SWAC honors and was named SWAC Freshman of the Year in 2024 with the Hornets. Following the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and announced his commitment to Georgia.

A fellow first-team all-SWAC pick, Douglas batted .335 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs for Alabama State in his lone season with the Hornets, posting a .419 on-base percentage and a .639 slugging percentage.

His 79 hits ranked fourth among all SWAC players, while his home run mark ranked No. 3.

He also had three multi-home run games last season with Alabama State with a season-high five RBIs against Bethune-Cookman on May 2.

The Hornets went 31-29 last season and 21-9 in SWAC play, falling to eventual champion Bethune-Cookman in the SWAC Baseball Tournament at Rickwood Field in Birmingham.

The Boston Red Sox made Cade Fisher the fifth pitcher picked from Auburn’s 2025 team in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft when the American League club selected the left-hander at No. 538 on Monday.

Fisher is coming off his first season with the Tigers.

In 2025, he appeared in 14 games, with 10 starts. Fisher posted a 1-3 record and a 4.68 earned-run average. In 42.1 innings, he struck out 54 and yielded 38 hits and 23 walks.

Fisher came to the Plains from SEC rival Florida. In two seasons with the Gators, Fisher had a 10-3 record, although his ERA ballooned to 7.13 in 2024 after he went 7-0 with a 3.10 ERA as a freshman.

Fisher followed Dylan Watts, Cam Tilly, Samuel Dutton and Hayden Murphy into the draft on Monday.

The Toronto Blue Jays chose Watts at No. 202, the New York Mets took Tilly at No. 223, the Athletics selected Dutton at No. 290 and the Seattle Mariners picked Murphy at No. 453.

The five pitchers picked on Monday joined two other draft picks from the 2025 Auburn team so far. The Baltimore Orioles chose catcher/outfielder Ike Irish at No. 19 on Sunday and the Toronto Blue Jays selected infielder Eric Snow at No. 172 on Monday.

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