Alabama News

The question to Hugh Freeze was short and simple.

“Are you tired of having to defend playing golf?”

It’s one of the topics that doesn’t seem to want to go away. Lane Kiffin might have something to do with that. The Ole Miss coach trolled Freeze about playing golf in a time where Auburn was losing commitments only to suggest that wasn’t the case Monday.

On Tuesday, during the second day of SEC Media Days, Freeze was asked directly about the ongoing topic.

“I really haven’t had to defend it,” Freeze told the gathered media. “I just — you know, it’s something I enjoy doing, but I assure you it does not take away from my time working to take Auburn back to the top of the college football world.”

Because of the perceived trolling, Freeze was asked about his relationship with Kiffin. A day earlier, the Ole Miss coach talked about how he liked Freeze.

“I’m not on social media, but I love Lane,” Freeze said. “He makes me laugh. He’s a good football coach for sure.

“Loved his family a long time; Chris, his brother, was with me at the beginning of my journey. I owe a lot to him and his wife Angela. Monte would always come and help when he could.

“I think Lane’s done a great job. I couldn’t get away with doing all the social media, so I admire him. Go have fun with it.”

Freeze does have a social media account. However, last year, he told reporters he no longer runs his social media. His daughter does.

Back in 2022, Freeze refuted a report he had to relinquish control of social media accounts, despite a report that said otherwise. He added how could you in today’s college football, but “there’s maybe some wisdom in that.”

An SI report at the time, citing multiple sources, said the background check on Freeze was extensive when Auburn hired the coach.

One SI source at the time said, “If he’s contractually obligated to stay off social media and they had to hire an ‘Oh S—’ firm before he even started, is hiring him really a good idea?”

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.

Auburn football’s Keldric Faulk has been projected as high as inside the top 10 on several 2026 NFL mock drafts.

However, none of those things matter to the Tigers defender who finished with seven sacks and led Auburn in pressures while ranking eighth in the SEC.

“Don’t deal with it. I take every day and deal with it every day like I’ve been doing. I don’t worry about the NFL or worry about any of that. I worry about the 2025-2026 season with the Auburn Tigers,” Faulk said during SEC media days.

Heading into this season, all the noise surrounding the Tigers offseason has been team expectations and Auburn coach Hugh Freeze being on the hot seat.

For Faulk, the hot seat term did not sit well with him knowing his respect level for Freeze.

“I do take that personally. Coach deserves this job, and it’s up to us now to — not to keep this going,” Faulk said.

“Coach has put some of the best people around us, whether it be coaching staff, players that he’s brought in. So, he’s brought in his own players, his own coaching staff. Now it’s up to us to go out there and execute.”

When discussing the pressure put on Auburn to succeed, Faulk says it only adds fuel to the fire for the Tigers roster.

“I feel like it’s a lot of outside pressure on us just because of the past two seasons, but I feel like our team is so much confident, so much more confident than they were in the past couple years,” Faulk added.

“I don’t feel like — nobody on the team is overwhelmed with the pressure. I feel like we’re embracing it because that’s what we want. And our expectations for ourselves is even greater than the expectations that people have for us.”

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].

Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said Tuesday that “things are really looking good” with regard to an upcoming announcement on where U.S. Space Command headquarters will be located.

“I think in a short period of time it’s going to happen,” Tuberville told Greg Budell of News Talk 93.1 in Montgomery Tuesday morning.

“You know we had to get the Secretary of the Air Force (Troy E. Meink) confirmed. That happened a couple of weeks ago. We’ve got the deputy secretary that will be confirmed either this week or next week.

“We had to get the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ done to have the $150 billion put into the defense budget, because it’s going to cost a couple of billion dollars to build Space Command. Now, it’s going to be that much either here or Colorado.

“But I’m very confident that in the very near future we’re going to have a good positive announcement from the president, and hopefully he’ll do it in Alabama,” Tuberville said.

See also: Alabama vs. Colorado: Space Command HQ location debate unresolved in new GAO report

Last month, President Donald Trump seemed to indicate Huntsville would win the sweepstakes over where the agency headquarters will be located.

“Because I’m moving it to Alabama. We’re working on it,” Trump said, in a conversation captured on video with U.S. Rep. Dale Strong.

Strong represents north Alabama’s 5th Congressional District, where the headquarters would be located at Redstone Arsenal.

Strong said in May that a relocation of Space Command could mean 1,700 direct jobs and an additional 3,000 spinoff jobs in north Alabama.

Summer is here, which means outdoor cooking season is upon us, making right now the perfect time to invest in a quality pizza oven. And, right now Target is offering major deals on indoor and outdoor pizza ovens so you can make delicious homemade pizzas without overpaying.

One notable deal Target is offering includes a major discount on the Costway Outdoor Wood Fire Pizza Oven. While usually $509.99, Target customers can snag this pizza oven for just $214.99 along with free shipping. This is a $295 discount overall.

RELATED: Walmart is selling Blackstone’s Griddle and Air Fryer combo for only $397

The Costway pizza oven is able to rapidly preheat and cook pizzas reaching the perfect cooking temperature in just 5-10 minutes while cooking pizzas in approximately two minutes. The high maximum temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenheit and the heat-retentive cordierite pizza stone ensure that pizzas are cooked quickly and evenly, with a distinct charcoal-fired flavor.

Designed with four universal wheels, including two with brakes, this pizza oven is also easy to move and secure in any outdoor location. The inclusion of a 600D Oxford fabric cover ensures that the oven is protected from various weather conditions, making it suitable for year-round outdoor use.

“Upgrade your cooking experience with our outdoor pizza oven! With a maximum temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenheit, this wood fired pizza oven preheats in 5-10 minutes and cooks in two minutes for high-efficiency pizza making. You can monitor the temperature effortlessly with the integrated thermometer as well as adjust chimney and burning area, catering to your specific cooking needs,” Target’s product details state.

Those interested in this deal can checkout the full rundown on Target’s website here.

Danone U.S. is voluntarily recalling YoCrunch products sold at retail stores nationwide due to the potential presence of plastic pieces in the dome topper.

If consumed, the plastic pieces could potentially cause choking, according to a release on the FDA website.

The issue is isolated only to the separately packaged topper and does not impact the separately packaged yogurt, the release adds.

This recall applies to all flavors and sizes of YoCrunch products currently in market.

“Consumer complaints have reported the presence of plastic pieces in the toppers, which have the potential to cause choking,” the release reads.

“The plastic pieces are transparent, may have sharp edges, and could present a risk to consumers because some pieces are between 7 and 25 mm in length.”

The voluntary recall was initiated on July 11, 2025, and “the company is working swiftly with retail partners to remove the impacted product from shelves, while it works to address the issue and bring back the YoCrunch® products so many people enjoy,” according to the release.

Consumers who have purchased the affected YoCrunch products should not consume them, the FDA says.

For information on refunds, shoppers have been advised to contact the YoCrunch Consumer Care Line at 1-877-344-4886.

Consumer Care specialists are available to speak live Monday – Friday, 9am to 6pm ET.

Frustrated Birmingham residents say an abandoned building in the center of their community stands as a deteriorating monument to years of unkept promises to their neighborhood.

Residents of Elyton Village, a public housing community just west of downtown, said their pleas for revitalization remain ignored by housing authority leaders.

“They just come saying the same things,” said Willine Body, longtime president of the Elyton Village residents’ council.

Neighbors say the stench emitting from a long abandoned building increases during the hot summer days.

“We also know that every time it rains you can smell the mold inside the building,” said Sananka AY Yashara Ahla. “They say there’s no mold, but we can smell mold. You can smell it outside.”

Neighbors want leaders at the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District to either renovate or demolish the art deco building. Rusted doors to the shuttered brick building hint at the years it has been closed.

Residents also point to twin two-story vacant buildings that sit boarded up at the edge of the community.

Housing authority officials declined AL.com requests for an interview with CEO Dontrelle Foster. Instead, housing authority spokesperson Keaira Turner told AL.com that the agency is taking action on demolishing vacant buildings at the community.

“Recently, HUD approved our request to demolish the vacant residential buildings located at Elyton Village,” Turner said in a statement. “We anticipate that the demolition will take place in 2026. HABD does not currently have HUD permission to demolish the former community center and will seek that authorization in the future.”

However, Body said housing authority leaders told her that demolition is complicated because the community center building is historic. She remains skeptical.

“Now all of a sudden its ‘historic.’ You didn’t bring it up until we started talking about it,” she said.

The last major work at Elyton occurred in 2017 with new front porches and apartment renovations. But the overall project was not fully completed. The exterior of other units remain untouched with twisted and rusting metal awnings.

The housing authority’s 2025 draft annual plan included demolishing buildings at Elyton Village including the gym. Similar proposals for Elyton appeared in previous housing authority plans going back several years under previous housing authority administrations.

“We are asking for documentation to show HUD approved it and when they plan to tear them down,” Body said.

Residents said their community remains ignored, overlooked and undeveloped.

“Everything that they are saying is a repeat record,” Ahla said.

Turner noted that the housing authority held a series of meetings and surveys and received 192 household responses regarding redevelopment.

The data will help create a draft proposal for a redevelopment plan, she said.

“Once a strategy is created, we will have additional opportunities to engage with residents and provide them with opportunities to share feedback,” Turner said.

Body and others said the meetings occurred, but they were not specifically about Elyton. Meanwhile, plans are underway to transform a community just a few blocks away.

Birmingham in 2023 was awarded a federal Choice Neighborhoods grant to help redevelop Smithfield Court and nearby areas. The money is also intended to leverage $294 million in investment for the adjacent Graymont, Smithfield and College Hills neighborhoods.

Residents at Elyton Village are concerned that their community will become an island of blight surrounded by new development.

Elyton residents said they want more than vague statements about future plans. Instead, they’d rather see a demolition truck to finally rid the neighborhood of what they said are longstanding hazards.

“I think they feel like, ‘you can just tell them anything and shut them up,”’ Body said.

When Brendan Donovan takes the field in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night – at whatever position that may be for the National League – he’ll do so in the home uniform of the St. Louis Cardinals.

For the past five years, the players have worn special uniforms for the game. But this season, the tradition of players clad in the uniforms that they wore in becoming all-stars returns in time for Donovan’s first appearance in the contest.

“The birds on the bat is kind of one of those jerseys that’s traditional, it’s iconic,” Donovan said, “so just representing the city and this organization wearing this jersey is something that I’m extremely excited to do.”

Donovan didn’t arrive at South Alabama from Enterprise High School as a highly regarded recruit, and he joined the Cardinals from the Jaguars as the 213th selection in the 2018 draft.

“The dude didn’t start on third base, man,” South Alabama coach Mark Calvi told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “He’s a self-made player. That’s what he is. He’s a self-made player. No one grabbed him and yanked him up to the big leagues. He has earned everything. He’s a self-made college player. He’s a self-made big-leaguer.”

When Donovan became a big-leaguer in 2022, his first four MLB starts had him at a different infield position for each, which had never happened before, and he went on to win the first Gold Glove for fielding excellence by a utility player as a rookie.

“I love every second of him,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Donovan and his all-star selection. “Just being able for that day to be possible, there’s a lot of work that has gone into it for Donnie. When you think about that style of player, it’s not this big-time prospect. It’s this guy who’s just grinding his way to the big leagues.”

Donovan arrived at the all-star break with the National League’s third-highest batting average at .297 (.0001 behind second-place Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers) and tied for sixth in hits and doubles with 102 and 22, respectively.

Donovan has served primarily as St. Louis’ second baseman this season with 63 starts there. But he’s also started 18 games in left field and five games at shortstop, and in 14 games, he’ has played more than one position.

“There’s a couple of points in your career – hopefully, I can play a long time — that I can look back on and enjoy once I am done playing,” Donovan said on Monday in Atlanta. “But I wouldn’t want to do this any other way. I think it makes it sweeter. This doesn’t change anything, and I’m going to continue to be the person I am every day.”

The MLB All-Star Game is set for 7 p.m. CDT Tuesday at Truist Park in Atlanta. FOX will televise the game.

Donovan is among the National League reserves. He’s the fifth South Alabama alumnus chosen for the MLB All-Star Game.

Outfielder Luis Gonzalez represented the Arizona Diamondbacks at five MLB All-Star games – 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. One-time all-stars from USA include Cardinals third baseman David Freese in 2012, New York Mets outfielder Lance Johnson in 1996 and Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lieber in 2001.

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

Louisiana Tech will join the Sun Belt Conference “no later than” July 1, 2027, the league office announced Tuesday.

Sun Belt CEOs — school presidents and chancellors — unanimously voted to add the Bulldogs as the league’s 14th member, according to the conference office. Louisiana Tech will replace Texas State, which is leaving for the Pac-12 at the end of the 2025-26 athletic year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Louisiana Tech University to the Sun Belt,” conference commissioner Keith Gill said. “Geographically situated within the current Sun Belt footprint, the addition of Louisiana Tech reunites a number of long-standing regional rivalries under the conference banner.

“I am grateful to President Dr. Jim Henderson and Athletic Director Ryan Ivey for their leadership during this process. I’d also like to thank the CEOs and athletic directors of our Sun Belt member institutions for their continued commitment to the premier FBS non-autonomy conference in the country. The Sun Belt Conference is rising and our best days are ahead.”

Should Louisiana Tech not join the Sun Belt until 2027, that would create a one-year period with 13 member schools. It’s unclear if the conference would retain its two-division format for the 2026 season with one fewer team.

Louisiana Tech was a member of the Sun Belt from 1991-2001, before the league began playing a full football schedule and crowning a conference champion in that sport. The Bulldogs were a member of the WAC from 2001-13 and have been in Conference USA since 2013.

“The Sun Belt has remained steadfast in its commitment to regional rivalries, geographic alignment and competitive excellence,” said Sun Belt Board of Directors President Kyle Marrero, also school president at Georgia Southern.

“When it came time to add a new member to the Sun Belt Conference, it became clear that Louisiana Tech was the right fit. This addition renews long-standing rivalries, enhances our divisional structure, strengthens the competitive profile of the league across multiple sports and eases travel for fans and teams. We’re excited to welcome the Bulldogs to the Sun Belt.”

Louisiana Tech has struggled on the field in recent years in football, going 5-8 last season and not enjoying a winning season since 2019. The Bulldogs have a storied history in women’s basketball and softball, and have made five NCAA Baseball Regional appearances in the last decade.

The Bulldogs’ impending departure from Conference USA would even out that league’s balance. CUSA will have 11 members this year (and perhaps next) following the addition of Delaware.

“Through all the uncertainty surrounding college athletics, we are pleased that Louisiana Tech has found its rightful home as a member of the Sun Belt Conference,” Louisiana Tech athletics director Ryan Ivey said. “The opportunity for more fan engagement, reduced travel burden, and the renewal of storied rivalries will allow our student-athletes to pursue excellence in sport and in the classroom.

“Our coaches, student-athletes, alumni, and fans share in our excitement for the future of Bulldogs and Lady Techsters athletics. We appreciate Commissioner Keith Gill and the board for their confidence in our athletics department and look forward to elevating the conference through competition.”

Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze may have stopped publicly posting his golf scores. However, it doesn’t seem like he’ll quit playing the game anytime soon.

Speaking to reporters at SEC media days in Atlanta Tuesday, Freeze was asked if he was tired of defending his regular play.

“I really haven’t had to defend it,” Freeze said. “I just, it’s something I enjoy doing.”

Freeze made headlines in June, by playing more golf than any other SEC head coach. He entered 11 scores that month into the USGA’s Global Handicap Index Network database.

The third-year Auburn coach stopped posting scores publicly immediately after the controversy began. He remains a 7.6 handicap, tops among SEC coaches, with South Carolina’s Shane Beamer sitting second with a 9.7.

Freeze has golfed consistently throughout his career. His practice came under fire when Auburn began losing recruits in its 2026 class, sometimes on the same day the coach would post scores to the database.

However, Freeze maintained that the two happenings weren’t related.

“I assure you, it does not take away from my time working to take Auburn back to the top of the college football world,” Freeze said.

Freeze first addressed the issue on David Pollack’s podcast, earlier in July.

This is that time where people are looking for things to write about,” Freeze said on episode of See Ball Get Ball. “And I do love golf. I enjoy playing, but what people don’t realize is, you know, I assure you that I never missed a camp day or a recruiting day but if camp got over at three o’clock one day, and Jill (Freeze) and I go out at 4:30, we absolutely might do that. And I’m not apologizing for that part of it. But my focus is 100% on getting Auburn in that win column this fall.”

SEC media days will continue through Thursday in Atlanta.