Alabama News

General News

General

Which player has been the best No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft?

The 2025 NFL Draft starts on Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the 32 first-round picks. AL.com has counted down to the event by highlighting the best choice – overall, from the SEC and of players from Alabama high schools and colleges — made with each of the first 32 picks in the 89 NFL drafts.

Best No. 1 pick: Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998

Manning won The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player five times and finished as the runner-up in the voting three times during his 17 seasons.

The quarterback was the first-team All-Pro QB seven times, made the Pro Bowl 14 times and played for the NFL championship team twice.

Manning left the game as the NFL’s career leader in passing yards and touchdown passes and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2021 in his first year of eligibility.

Thirteen other No. 1 picks have been chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 89 No. 1 picks have produced 24 first-team All-Pros and 51 Pro Bowlers.

The first selection in last year’s draft was Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams by the Chicago Bears.

Best No. 1 pick from the SEC: Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998

Frank Sinkwich and Cam Newton were NFL MVPs, Eli Manning won the Super Bowl MVP Award and Charley Trippi is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All were former SEC stars who were the first players picked in an NFL draft.

Peyton Manning did all those things after leaving Tennessee.

The runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, winner of the Maxwell Award and consensus All-American quarterback for Tennessee’s 1997 SEC championship team, Manning had competition to be the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft from Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf.

The Colts went with Manning, and he worked as Indianapolis’ quarterback for the next 13 seasons. The San Diego Chargers took Leaf at No. 2, and he started 18 games in three seasons before finishing his career with four games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2001.

Of the 22 SEC players picked at No. 1, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is the most recent after going to the Carolina Panthers in 2023.

Best No. 1 pick with Alabama football roots: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton by the Carolina Panthers in 2011

Newton joined the Panthers after winning the 2010 Heisman Trophy for Auburn’s undefeated BCS national-championship team and made an immediate impact for the Panthers. Newton won the NFL Offensive Rookie the Year Award as he threw for a first-year record 4,051 yards and broke the league’s single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 14 in 2011.

Newton went on to set Carolina’s career records for passing yards and passing touchdowns as he became the NFL’s career leader for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 75 and won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award for the 2015 season, when the Panthers reached Super Bowl 50.

The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

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.

General

FBI warning: Latest scam may be most daring yet

The latest warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation deals with a scam that hits close to home for the agency.

Criminals are impersonating the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3, to scam victims. Between December 2023 and February 2025, the FBI has received more than 100 reports of IC3 impersonation scams.

How the scam works

What makes the scam so insidious is it targets those whose money or information has been stolen in the past.

While the initial contact varies, most of the individuals targeted in the scam report receiving an email or phone call or being approached via social media with promises to help recover the target’s lost funds or assist in recovering money.

In truth, the victim is just targeted again and could end up losing even more.

Targeting financial fraud victims

According to the FBI, one variant of the scam involves the creation of a female persona on social media who joins an online group for financial fraud victims and claims to have been a victim themselves. Then, the scammer recommends people reach out to a male persona – Jaime Quin has been a common name used – the alleged “Chief Director” of IC3. Once contacted, “Quin” claims to have recovered the lost funds but in actuality uses the ruse to gain access to financial information to revictimize the person.

Scammers change tactics and aliases but the scheme generally remains the same – the thieves will ask for sensitive information like bank account numbers, Social Security numbers or other personally identifiable information.

How do you protect yourself

IC3 will never directly communicate with individuals via phone, email, social media, phone apps or public forms and any message claiming to be from a federal agency should set of alarm bells.

IC3 will not ask for payment to recover lost funds, nor will they refer a victim to a company requesting payment for recovering funds.

Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know or have met only online or over the phone.

If you’ve been a victim of a scheme or suspect you’re being targeted, contact www.ic3.gov. If possible, supply identifying information about the person or company that contacted you and methods of communication such as a website, email or telephone numbers.

You should also provide date, type and amount of any payment and descriptions of your interaction with the individual.

General

NFL Draft by the Numbers: Eagles lead the way in picking SEC players

SEC Football by the Numbers is looking at the 2025 NFL Draft in four parts. Monday’s initial installment examined the first round. Tuesday, it was a breakdown by positions. Today, NFL teams are the focus. And on Thursday, some stats and streaks about the conference and the draft will lead into this year’s first round of picks that night.

0 Vanderbilt players have been selected by the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Detroit Lions since the NFL and AFL held their first combined draft in 1967 as a prelude to their merger. Since that draft, 24 franchises have participated in every annual player selection, and, during that time, each of those franchises has picked at least one player from every one of the 10 schools that has been a member of the SEC during that period, with the four Vanderbilt exceptions.

0 Players have been picked from some SEC members by some of the NFL’s expansion teams. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who played their first season in 1995, have never drafted a player from Vanderbilt. The Baltimore Ravens, who played their first season in 1996 after moving to Baltimore from Cleveland, have never drafted a player from Arkansas or Vanderbilt. The Houston Texans, who played their first season in 2002, have never drafted a player from Arkansas.

1 Current NFL team has never drafted an SEC quarterback – the Houston Texans. The Green Bay Packers have drafted eight. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Texas’ Quinn Ewers are the SEC quarterbacks expected to be selected this year.

3 Programs have the Cardinals franchise as the most prolific picker of their players as SEC members. The Cardinals, in Chicago, St. Louis and Arizona, are at the top in selecting SEC players from Auburn, LSU and Vanderbilt. Here’s a list of which NFL team has drafted the most SEC players from each current member:

Alabama: Washington Commanders 27 players

Arkansas: New England Patriots 7

Auburn: Arizona Cardinals 24

Florida: Pittsburgh Steelers 24

Georgia: Philadelphia Eagles 26

Kentucky: Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

LSU: Arizona Cardinals 23

Mississippi State: Philadelphia Eagles 14

Missouri: Denver Broncos 4

Ole Miss: New York Giants 30

South Carolina: Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers 7 apiece

Tennessee: Detroit Lions 23

Texas A&M: Cincinnati Bengals 4

Vanderbilt: Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders 10 apiece

Including all players (not just the SEC ones), the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have drafted the most Arkansas players with 20 apiece, the Arizona Cardinals have drafted 21 Missouri players, the Cardinals have drafted 40 Oklahoma players, the Packers have drafted 20 South Carolina players, the Bears have drafted 27 Texas players and the Cardinals have drafted 23 Texas A&M players.

4 Of the 24 NFL teams that have participated in every draft of the common era (when the AFL and NFL teams picked for the first time together in 1967) have made a single pick from one of the 10 SEC programs that have been in the conference throughout that period. The Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders have picked one player from Vanderbilt apiece, the Los Angeles Chargers have picked one player from Mississippi State and the Miami Dolphins have picked one player from Kentucky. Denver picked Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler in 2006. Las Vegas (in Oakland at the time) picked Vanderbilt C Dave Leffers in 1973. Los Angeles (in San Diego at the time) picked Mississippi State WR Sammy Milner in 1971. Miami picked Kentucky RB Larry Seiple in 1967.

9 Players have been drafted by Buffalo from Auburn and LSU, the most the Bills have taken from any SEC program. Buffalo is the only NFL team that has participated in all 58 drafts of the common-draft era without reaching double figures for picks from at least one SEC team. The Bills have selected 66 SEC players in the NFL Draft.

11 Consecutive selections have been made by the Chicago Bears since they most recently picked an SEC player, the longest current drought for the conference in the draft. Chicago’s most recent SEC selection is South Carolina DT Zacch Pickens in the third round in 2023. The Pittsburgh Steelers also have not picked a player from the SEC since the third round of the 2023 draft. The Steelers selected Georgia tight end Darnell Washington in the third round of the 2023 draft and have made 10 picks since without choosing an SEC product.

12 Of the 38 SEC players drafted by the Baltimore Ravens have come from Alabama. Since the Ravens’ first NFL Draft in 1996, Baltimore has chosen more players from Alabama than from any other college program – one more than from new SEC member Oklahoma.

27 Consecutive drafts have featured a selection from the SEC by the Cincinnati Bengals. The second-longest current streak is 13 drafts by the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. Cincinnati’s streak started when it chose Auburn LB Takeo Spikes with the 13th choice in the 1998 NFL Draft. During the streak, the Bengals have selected 56 SEC players, choosing from every conference member except Missouri and Vanderbilt. (Cincinnati drafted two Missouri players during the streak, but they were chosen before the Tigers joined the SEC.) Over the past 27 drafts, the Bengals have picked 10 players from Georgia, eight from LSU, seven from Alabama, six apiece from Auburn and Florida, five from Ole Miss, four from Texas A&M, three each from Arkansas and South Carolina, two from Tennessee and one apiece from Kentucky and Mississippi State.

30 Ole Miss players have been drafted by the New York Giants, the most from one SEC program by one NFL team. Here are the current NFL teams with their favorite SEC draft partners:

Arizona Cardinals: Auburn 24 (The Cardinals have chosen 40 players from current SEC member Oklahoma, but none of those prospects played in the SEC.)

Atlanta Falcons: LSU 13

Baltimore Ravens: Alabama 12

Buffalo Bills: Auburn, Georgia, LSU 9 each

Carolina Panthers: South Carolina 7

Chicago Bears: Florida, Georgia 21 players each (The Bears have chosen 27 players from current SEC member Texas, but none of those prospects played in the SEC.)

Cincinnati Bengals: Georgia 15

Cleveland Browns: Georgia, Tennessee 13 (The Browns have chosen 18 players from current SEC member Oklahoma, but none of those prospects played in the SEC.)

Dallas Cowboys: Tennessee 18

Denver Broncos: Florida 14

Detroit Lions: Tennessee 23

Green Bay Packers: Alabama 23

Houston Texans: Alabama, LSU 8

Indianapolis Colts: Florida 16

Jacksonville Jaguars: Florida 13

Kansas City Chiefs: Tennessee 13

Las Vegas Raiders: Alabama, LSU 10

Los Angeles Chargers: Arkansas, Tennessee 12

Los Angeles Rams: LSU 19(The Rams have chosen 28 players from current SEC member Oklahoma, but none of those prospects played in the SEC.)

Miami Dolphins: Tennessee 14

Minnesota Vikings: Florida 11 (The Vikings have chosen 12 players from current SEC member Oklahoma, but none of those prospects played in the SEC.)

New England Patriots: Florida 14

New Orleans Saints: Tennessee 12

New York Giants: Ole Miss 30

New York Jets: Tennessee 17

Philadelphia Eagles: Georgia 26

Pittsburgh Steelers: Florida 24

San Francisco 49ers: Florida 21

Seattle Seahawks: LSU 12

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Alabama 15

Tennessee Titans: Auburn 12

Washington Commanders: Alabama 27

66 Years since the Lions drafted a Vanderbilt player, the longest active drought involving one SEC school and one NFL team. The Lions have picked six players from Vanderbilt, but they haven’t drafted a Commodore since selecting C Ben Donnell with the 77th pick in 1959. Since picking Donnell, the Lions have drafted 758 players, including 76 from the SEC.

189 SEC players have been drafted by the Eagles. Philadelphia has selected more players from the SEC than any other NFL franchise. Here’s a list of the number of SEC players each current team has picked in the NFL Draft:

Philadelphia Eagles: 189

Arizona Cardinals: 181

New York Giants: 174

Washington Commanders: 167

Green Bay Packers: 163

Chicago Bears: 153

San Francisco 49ers: 150

Los Angeles Rams: 149

Pittsburgh Steelers: 147

Detroit Lions: 141

Indianapolis Colts: 124

Cleveland Browns: 118

Dallas Cowboys: 102

Cincinnati Bengals: 96

New England Patriots: 94

Atlanta Falcons: 90

Miami Dolphins: 88

Minnesota Vikings: 83

Tennessee Titans: 83

Denver Broncos: 81

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 79

New Orleans Saints: 77

New York Jets: 76

Seattle Seahawks: 76

Kansas City Chiefs: 73

Los Angeles Chargers: 68

Buffalo Bills: 66

Las Vegas Raiders: 66

Jacksonville Jaguars: 55

Carolina Panthers: 50

Baltimore Ravens: 38

Houston Texans: 38

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.

General

Mo Brooks: Trump is winning on deportations

This is an opinion column

In my 45 years in governance and politics, I’ve never seen any politician more effective than President Donald Trump at both (1) self-promotion and (2) destroying opponents’ reputations.

Time and again, the Left throws Trump into briar patches only to see Trump come out smelling like roses while Democrats end up smelling even worse.

Trump’s effectiveness is based, in part, on his laser focus on issues the public likes him on and hates the Left on.

Border Security fight is such an issue.

If you understand it then you better understand why Trump got elected president twice, helped saddle Democrats with their worst polling ratings ever, and cost Democrats the White House and Congress in 2024.

I share two poignant Border Security examples manipulated to enhance Trump and tarnish the Left: El Salvadoran illegal alien Abrego Garcia and Obama-appointed, D.C. U.S. District Court Jeb Boasberg.

Garcia was admittedly an illegal alien who entered America without permission. He was then deported to El Salvador, his home country. He is a past spouse abuser and arguably a member of the violent MS-13 cartel. The White House has also raised questions about whether he was a transporter of persons engaged in nefarious activities.

Maryland U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis (and later the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals) attack the Trump Administration by claiming a lack of due process . . . not on whether Garcia was an illegal alien while in America (an undisputed fact) but on whether Garcia was both an illegal alien and “a member of the gang MS–13, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and that his return to the United States would pose a threat to the public”.

The Abrego Garcia case’s judicial mental gymnastics (VERY expensive judicial mental gymnastics, I might add, all at the tax expense of legal immigrants and American citizens) causes voters to wonder when being an illegal alien was not enough, standing alone, to be deported.

Jumping into the Border Security fray in D.C. is yet another liberal Democrat: District Court Judge Jeb Boasberg. Judge Boasberg ordered the Trump Administration to stop deporting vicious, criminal illegal aliens without judicial review and, even worse, ordered them returned to America even though they were mid-flight to Central America.

In so doing, Judge Boasberg and Abrego Garcia threw Trump and the GOP into the briar patch while throwing Democrat 2026 candidates out the window.

How so?

Deportation of vicious illegal alien gang members is an overwhelmingly lopsided issue with American voters. Polling reveals that 82% of Americans support deporting all illegal aliens who commit violent crimes and 68% support deporting all legal immigrants who commit violent crimes!

Hence, by highlighting judicial decrees generally, and Abrego Garcia specifically, the Left gives Trump and the GOP a huge gift by focusing the national spotlight on an issue of great importance to average voters that has a lopsided 68% and 82% of Americans siding with Trump and the GOP, and against the Left.

These lop-sided polling numbers are political gold and arm Trump and Republicans with maces with which to bludgeon Leftists into oblivion in future elections.

Worse yet for Leftists, Trump set a political trap by not just publicizing and deporting any old illegal alien with a questionable past (the Abrego Garcias of the world).

Trump deports and highlights the very worst illegal aliens in America: members of Venezuela’s extraordinarily dangerous Tren de Aragua gang, which the Department of Homeland Security describes as “a plague upon our communities that rely on fear and violence to reign terror on hardworking and law-abiding residents.”

The Trump White House hammers Tren de Aragua as “a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization with thousands of members, many of whom have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States (and is an) Nicolas Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking.”

Even though Judge Boasberg, Judge Xinis and other federal judges may have legitimate due process reservations about whether a deportee should be deported, that does not change the underlying political dynamics nor the political gold Trump and the GOP are empowered to mine.

As a point of emphasis, many Americans do not understand the Constitution’s due process nuances. But they most certainly understand the growing threat of “narco-terrorists” who “commit brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking”!

Worse yet for the Left, many American voters who do understand due process nuances question why horribly expensive due process rights should be extended to illegal aliens who should not even be in America in the first place.

To this group of citizens, an illegal alien status determination, without more, is adequate due process that justifies deporting illegal aliens back to their native countries.

But Trump does not stop with just a few political slam dunks. Trump focuses even more attention on the Border Security contrast between the GOP and Leftists.

Trump posts: “This Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, was not elected President – He didn’t WIN the popular VOTE (by a lot!), he didn’t WIN ALL SEVEN SWING STATES. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!”

The adage of moths and flames immediately comes to mind.

Trump’s post is purposely inflammatory to ensure yet another knee-jerk Leftist reaction that fuels yet another round of media coverage on an issue Trump and the GOP win by a lopsided 82% to 18% margin!

Like the moth, the Left can’t resist going down in flames.

Trump understands he and Republicans don’t have to be perfect or loved. They just have to be less unpopular than Democrats.

That was Trump’s winning formula in 2016 and 2024, and how Trump and the GOP will win future elections if the Left persists in fighting for the 18% while thumbing their noses at the 82%.

Mo Brooks served on the House Armed Services Committee for 12 years and the Foreign Affairs Committee for 6 years. Brooks graduated from Duke University in 3 years with a double major in political science and economics (highest honors in economics).

General

Breaking down Auburn basketball’s roster following the transfer portal deadline

Coming off its second ever Final Four, Auburn men’s basketball was quickly forced to rebuild following the 2024-2025 season.

Eight of the Tigers’ scholarship players ran out of eligibility following the season’s conclusion and three more entered the transfer portal. Tahaad Pettiford is the lone question mark remaining, as he declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

With all of the departures, Auburn was forced to be active in the transfer portal. Bruce Pearl and the staff had already added four players through either the high school or JUCO ranks prior to the portal opening, but they’ve signed five more since then.

Four of those came from the portal and one came from JUCO, helping rebuild the roster almost from scratch.

The men’s college basketball transfer portal closed Tuesday night, meaning players can no longer enter the portal, unless there is a head coaching change at their school. Players currently in the portal can still commit and sign with schools, meaning the movement still isn’t quite done yet.

Here’s a look at where Auburn’s roster currently stands and what the team could look like when it returns to the floor in the fall.

Guards

Departures (2)

Denver Jones

JP Pegues

Additions (2)

Kaden Magwood

Simon Walker

Decision to make (1)

Tahaad Pettiford

What to know

The outlook of Auburn’s backcourt is centered around Pettiford’s decision whether or not to remain in the NBA Draft.

He told ESPN that if he does return to college, he’ll return to Auburn, which is backed up by him not entering the portal while it was open.

His return to Auburn seems to be at least somewhat likely. Pearl and the staff haven’t pursued many point guards in the portal, relying on a return from Pettiford and Magwood, a true freshman. Walker is listed here too, but is more of a shooting guard than a point guard.

Pettiford is projected anywhere from a late first round pick to undrafted depending on which website you look at. ESPN has him projected to be selected 39th overall, putting him in the second round.

A second-round grade would likely sway Pettiford to return to school. That seems likely at the moment, but the deadline to withdraw from the draft isn’t until May 28.

Behind him, Magwood is another promising guard prospect who plays a similar style to Pettiford. He’s ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 51 overall player in the class of 2025 and the eighth-best combo guard.

At 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, he’s similar to Pettiford in size and is a ball-dominant guard who can score at all three levels. If Pettiford is back, Magwood could play a similar role to what Pettiford played last season and eventually become his successor at point guard.

Wings

Departures (4)

Chris Moore

Miles Kelly

Chad Baker-Mazara

Jahki Howard

Additions (4)

Keyshawn Hall

Kevin Overton

Elyjah Freeman

Abdul Bashir

What to know

No area was attacked more by Auburn in the transfer portal than the wing, where the Tigers completely rebuilt last season’s talented group.

Baker-Mazara — the team’s second-leading scorer last season — surprised many fans when he entered the transfer portal in April, and was the team’s biggest loss to the portal. Howard, a rising sophomore wing, also entered the portal, but he only saw sporadic playing time during the 2024-2025 season.

To replace those two, along with Kelly and Moore, Auburn added transfers from just about every level possible.

Bashir committed to Auburn back in February, transferring to the Plains from Casper College, a junior college in Wyoming. The 6-foot-7 wing put up elite numbers during the 2024-2025 season, averaging 27.2 points, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game, doing so while shooting 41.4% from the field 36.8% from 3 and 87.7% from the free throw line.

In a release, Pearl described Bashir as a “special talent,” specifically praising his shooting ability. His presence in the rotation helps replace Kelly’s production, who led the team in 3-pointers made last season and was Auburn’s go-to catch-and-shoot scorer.

Hall was Auburn’s first portal commitment, announcing his pledge to the program while the NCAA tournament was still ongoing. He’s arguably the most proven addition to the team so far, averaging 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for UCF last season, leading the Big 12 in scoring.

He can play the two, three or four, measuring 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds. That allows him to have similar versatility to what Moore gave Auburn the last few years, but adds a much bigger scoring threat.

“He is a very difficult one-on-one cover and can play multiple positions, both offensively and defensively,” Pearl said of Hall in a release. “He is just a matchup nightmare for the opponent.”

Freeman might be the most intriguing out of the entire transfer class. He comes to Plains from Division II Lincoln Memorial University, where he spent one season.

During the 2024-2025 campaign, Freeman averaged 18.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 58.7% from the field and 45.6% from 3. At 6-foot-8, he showed enough versatility to play both as a forward and a guard, allowing him to play multiple roles in Auburn’s offense.

Pearl said in the release announcing Freeman’s signing that he’ll play a “big guard” position for Auburn. That draws parallels to how Baker-Mazara might have fit in the offense next season, with Pearl mentioning last season that he could play point guard in 2025-2026.

Overton was the other high-major transfer Auburn added on the wing, coming to Auburn from Texas Tech. He averaged 7.8 points per game with the Red Raiders last season, but averaged 11.3 per game at Drake the year prior.

Pearl highlighted his experience and defensive capabilities, coming from a system at Texas Tech that that prides itself on defense.

“The way he plays, flat out impacts winning. He has always been known as a tough, physical defender and a 3 and D guy,” Pearl said of Overton in a release. “Kevin will have the opportunity to expand his game at Auburn. Graduating Denver Jones, Miles Kelly and Chris Moore, we needed a veteran leader to call our young backcourt.”

Forward/Centers

Departures (5)

Dylan Cardwell

Johni Broome

Chaney Johnson

Ja’Heim Hudson

Addarin Scott

Additions (3)

KeShawn Murphy

Emeka Opurum

Sebastian Williams-Adams

What to know

The frontcourt is the one area Auburn may not be done adding to.

Replacing Broome and Cardwell was always going to be a tall order, both in the literal and figurative sense. So far, Auburn has added just one forward from the portal, but also signed a transfer from the JUCO ranks since the season ended.

Murphy, a Mississippi State transfer, and Opurum, a JUCO transfer, join incoming freshman Sebastian Williams-Adams in an overhauled Auburn frontcourt.

Given Auburn lost five scholarship players from last season’s frontcourt, the Tigers are still in the market one more big man, something Pearl confirmed when speaking to the Auburn baseball radio broadcast Tuesday night.

When looking at who Auburn has added, Murphy sticks out as one of the best pickups of the entire class. He comes to Auburn after spending three seasons at Mississippi State, returning to his home state after spending his prep career at Ramsay High School in Birmingham.

Standing 6-foot-10 and weighing 230 pounds, Murphy averaged 11.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Bulldogs last season, providing a spark down low off the bench. As of now, a starting spot at Auburn seems like a given.

Auburn recruited Murphy out of high school, meaning the relationship and connection with the staff is nothing new. Pearl called him “one of the most efficient players in our league” in a release, crediting his capabilities on both ends of the floor.

Opurum gives Auburn an even more traditional look at center, measuring 7-feet and 210 pounds. He averaged 9.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks at Butler Community College last season.

His size combined with his ability as a paint defender naturally draws comparisons to what Cardwell gave Auburn. With three years of eligibility remaining and limited experience, Opurum might not be someone who is rushed into a big role, but his measurables make him a promising piece inside.

Williams-Adams is arguably the least talked about addition to Auburn’s frontcourt, but he’s rated by 247Sports as the top incoming freshman in the Tigers’ signing class. At 6-foot-8, he’s shorter than Murphy and Opurum, but is solid at 230 pounds.

He’s ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 44 overall player in the 2025 class and 10th-best power forward. Williams-Adams is known most for his defensive versatility, but is a capable scorer, especially going downhill.

Whether or not Auburn adds another big man, any combination of these three could play together at the same time. The main reason to add one would be to increase the depth, preventing young players like Williams-Adams and Opurum from having to be leaned on heavily early on.

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

General

South Alabama placed under a dense fog advisory Wednesday morning, quarter mile visibility

On Wednesday at 6:21 a.m. a dense fog advisory was released by the National Weather Service in effect until 9 a.m. for Conecuh, Escambia and Covington counties.

The weather service says to expect, “Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog.”

“Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous,” says the weather service. “If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.”

Navigating fog: Safety tips by the weather service

When a dense fog advisory is issued for your area, it means that widespread dense fog has developed and visibility can plummet to a quarter-mile or less. These conditions pose challenges for travel, so exercise extra caution on the road or consider postponing your trip if possible.

If you must venture out in foggy conditions, keep these safety tips from the weather service in mind:

Moderate your speed:

Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility priority:

Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If you have fog lights, use them.

Avoid high-beams:

Refrain from using high-beam headlights, as they create glare that impairs your visibility on the road.

Maintain safe gaps:

Maintain a significant following distance to account for abrupt stops or shifts in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to remaining in the correct lane.

Zero visibility protocol:

In situations of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a secure location, such as a nearby business’s parking lot, to pull over and come to a stop.

No parking options:

If no parking area is available, pull your vehicle as far to the roadside as possible. Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.

By adhering to these precautions from the weather service, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the likelihood of accidents and ensuring your personal safety.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

General

JD Crowe: Trump’s assault on due process smells like the death of democracy

This is an opinion cartoon.

Ooh, that smell. The democracy death march continues under the hostile authoritarian Trump administration.

“Just days ago,” writes Thom Hartmann in an opinion piece for Alternet, “America crossed a threshold that should chill every citizen who still believes in the rule of law.”

Cooking with gas or charcoal, these sauce recipes make your barbecue better

What’s better, charcoal or gas?

That’s the eternal question of the grilling ages, one that backyard chefs have been asking since the first suburbanite lit a match to cook supper outdoors.

It is also, arguably, the most personal of all questions that grillers must face.

I have owned both forms over my long and scorched grilling odyssey, everything from a small charcoal grill made from an old drum to a stainless steel, propane masterpiece that cost more than my first car. Frankly, I loved both, and in the spirit of full disclosure, I still have both charcoal and gas grills.

So, I feel like I’m uniquely qualified to offer the pros and cons of both forms of grilling.

First, there’s gas.

There is no question that gas is easier to use. Like I said, turn on the gas at the source and you’ve pretty much done all the heavy lifting.

Gas-fired grills are easy to clean up. Just scrub the grates down with a brush before cooking, and toss on the meat.

They are also easy to maintain. Just make sure that the gas jets are free of rust, dirt or other obstructions, and you are good to go.

As for flavor, that’s where things start to lean toward the negative. To get that pronounced smoky flavor that grillers love, you have to add some wood chips or other smoking agent to the fire.

On to charcoal.

These grills do require a modicum of preparation before cooking.

It may be necessary to remove the ashes accumulated during your last cooking session before proceeding with your current session. This can get messy, depending on how much and what type of charcoal you use.

Lighting the fire is also a bit more complicated. It requires a liquid petroleum-based starter or some other form of heat that will (hopefully) ignite the coals on the first try.

You must allow the coals to burn to the point that they are ready to cook over, and this takes a bit of time and patience.

Cooking over charcoal is a little tricky. Hot spots develop in the coals and sometimes you are required to move the meat about so that all gets cooked evenly.

As for flavor, there is no question that charcoal-fired grills offer a much wider range of flavor-imparting options. Oak, hickory, mesquite and even coconut shells are options for charcoal, so you can let your imagination run wild.

Maintenance wise, charcoal grills are also pretty easy, other than the aforementioned need to keep it free from ash build up.

For my money, charcoal is the preferred method and the one that I use almost exclusively. It is the grill of choice among hardcore backyard chefs for good reason.

Whichever one you choose, just remember to keep an eye on the fire at all times, and make sure the beer is kept cold.

And regardless of type, you will need some sauce to make whatever it is you are cooking taste better.

On that front, here are a few ideas.

The first is from Louisiana where the sauce is a bit different than the traditional finishing sauces you may be familiar with. It is a bit spicier and richer than others.

It’s from Louisiana Kitchen and Culture Magazine, one of my favorite sources of food and flavors. I like it on chicken or pork.

Cajun Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 2 quarts

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large red onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 small can tomato paste
½ cup Steen’s molasses
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
2 quarts rich broth, your choice
3 bay leaves
¼ cup cane vinegar
1 lemon, quartered and seeded
1 orange, quartered and seeded

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red onions, bell pepper, jalapeños (if using) and garlic; sauté 5 minutes to sweat.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, molasses, paprika, chili powder and oregano; cook 5 minutes, while stirring constantly. Deglaze with 1 cup broth.

Pour into a slow cooker with remaining broth, bay leaves, cane vinegar, lemon and orange slices. Place heat on low, cover with lid and simmer for 7 hours.

Remove lid to evaporate excess steam, increase heat to high and simmer about 1 hour or until mixture has reduced and is thick. Remove bay leaves. Purée if desired. Taste, then adjust flavor with extra seasoning, molasses and vinegar if desired.

Every once in a while I like the tangy sauce found in part of the Carolinas. It offers a nice twang to whatever it is I’m cooking, usually pulled pork.

This one is stolen from allrecipes.com

Tangy Carolina-style Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 2½ cups

1 cup prepared yellow mustard
¾ cup cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup water
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

Combine yellow mustard, cider vinegar, brown sugar, white sugar, water, vinegar, chili powder, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Cook and stir until flavors blend, about 20 minutes. Add butter and liquid smoke flavoring and simmer until butter melts and flavors blend, about 10 minutes more.

My go-to sauce is a traditional Memphis-style sauce, one that’s a little sweet and tart. This is a good, easy recipe from Southern Living.

Memphis-style Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup crushed tomatoes (from 1 (15-oz.) can)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 plus 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Stir together tomatoes, vinegar, ketchup, molasses, butter, Worcestershire, brown sugar, mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Store, covered, in refrigerator until ready to use or up to 1 week.

General

Predicting who will be Alabama’s best pro in the 2025 NFL Draft class

The answer won’t emerge for at least a few years, but lets try to predict it nonetheless.

The 2025 NFL Draft starts Thursday and runs through Saturday, and once again, Alabama football expects to have a handful of players hear their names over those three days. Nine Alabama players attended the combine, so that might be the max number of Crimson Tide players who will be drafted, though not all of the nine necessarily will be.

That list invited to the NFL combine included: quarterback Jalen Milroe, linebacker Jihaad Campbell, offensive lineman Tyler Booker, defensive back Malachi Moore, punter James Burnip, tight end CJ Dippre, tight end Robbie Ouzts, edge defender Que Robinson and defensive lineman Tim Smith.

So, which of those nine will have the best career in the NFL? Here’s our view of the field.

QB Jalen Milroe an intriguing option

When he’s good, he can be elite. When he’s off, he can struggle big time. He plays an exciting, rollercoaster-like brand of football. Perhaps an NFL team can help him play consistently at a high level that gives defenses fits. But there’s no guarantee that happens. For the point of this exercise, we’re looking for the surest thing from this group. Milroe isn’t that, at this time.

A top candidate

Campbell’s expected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick and showed to be a game-changing defender for the Crimson Tide, especially this past season. Campbell thrived in Kane Wommack’s “Swarm” defense. Will the linebacker also succeed in an NFL defense? Chances are good he turns in a solid professional career. He’s right up there in contention to be the best pro from this class, but another player with a chance to be a first-round pick might have the edge …

Our pick: Tyler Booker

He’s been helping the Alabama offense since his freshman season in 2022. Booker earned All-SEC freshman honors while rotating at both guard spots. Then he started in every game but one in 2023. Booker finished on the All-SEC team that season. Then in 2024, he became a team captain and a second team All-America selection from all five of the major services that decide All-America picks. In the intangibles category, perhaps no one on this team received more praise for his leadership than Booker.

He was as dependable and punishing as it gets of anyone on the roster, and for that reason, he’s the front-runner to become the best pro.

A sleeper pick

Don’t be surprised if you look up a decade or even two from now and Burnip is still booming punts in the NFL. Specialists can have longevity unlike any other position, especially if the specialist is reliable and good. Burnip became both by the end of his time with the Crimson Tide.

There’s a reason Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said Burnip’s “the best I’ve ever been around when it comes to punters.”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.

General

Rock icon postpones Texas show, rushed to hospital

Carlos Santana delayed Tuesday’s concert San Antonio after a medical scare.

“It is with profound disappointment that I have to inform you all that tonight’s show in San Antonio has been postponed,” Santana’s manager, Michael Vrionis, said in a statement to “Entertainment Weekly.”

“Mr. Santana was at the venue (Majestic Theatre) preparing for tonight’s show when he experienced an event that was determined to be dehydration. Out of an abundance of caution and the health of Mr Santana, the decision to postpone the show was the most prudent course of action.

“He is doing well and is looking forward to coming back to San Antonio soon as well as continuing his US Tour. Thank you all very much for your understanding. The show will be rescheduled soon.”

According to the report, Santana previously postponed six shows in 2022 after collapsing on stage in Clarkson, Mich., also citing dehydration as well as heat exhaustion. 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.