Boomo Bugg Show 052726

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the tie, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, the story. Welcome into the Boomo Bugg Show. Brett Beaird, Harold will be joining us in just a few minutes. A couple of things before we get to our first guest. Braves legend Bob Horner. Man, what a month of May it's been for the Braves.

Passes away yesterday unexpectedly at the young age of 69 years old. We'll talk about some of the meetings in Marymore Beach for the SEC. We're also going to be talking a lot of UNA with football coach Brent Dierman, voice of UNA Benjamin Ray, but I am absolutely delighted to bring in our first guest. Barton Simmons was with 24-7 Sports and Rivals for years. In fact, the first time I met him was at Spartman High School. He was there looking at a prospect who played for Spartman. And we struck up a conversation and were delighted to work with him for over 10 years.

When he was with Rivals, he went on to 24-7 Sports, CBS Sports, great coverage there. He is now the football general manager and director of player personnel for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Barton Simmons, welcome back into the Boomo Bugg Show, buddy. How are you doing? Hey, man. It's been a while. I'm glad you haven't forgotten me. This is like a deja vu kind of moment here. This is fun. I'm glad to be on with you boys. And we're happy to have you on board, Barton. And I was late because, actually, I was trying to figure out the question.

Was it because of us or your talents or your Yale diploma that got you where you are and the stratosphere of your world these days? Congratulations, Bart. We've been talking to a lot of folks and how the landscape has changed. Nobody knows that more than you. And your name was invoked as one of the hottest names out there to be a general manager in the modern era of college football. Congratulations. Some of these folks, it's hard to get verbal bouquets out of them, but you've managed to do it.

Congratulations, Barton. Well, I appreciate it. This is, as you mentioned, you know, I was propelled forward by you fellas, you know, through the years. You know, I appreciate all the support through the years. And, yeah, I mean, it's, you know, my role now has just been about survival, you know. And we've managed to survive through some dark years early and managed to find some success the last couple. And now we've just got to keep surviving and keep on, you know, raising the bar as best we can.

But it's been a lot of fun. Talk to us about modern college football. Can you imagine a few years ago when we all started in this crazy industry talking about a general manager in college football? And here you are. Your role now, and let's face it, you faced one of the biggest challenges out there. Now, I'll do respect to Vanderbilt. A lot of folks said it can't be done. And you've proven, along with a young lady from over in Madison, Alabama, who's now the AD there at Vanderbilt, a former Bob Jones product.

Talk to us just about the challenges that you inherited at Vanderbilt and your secret to the sauce, including landing the guy by the name of Pavia over the years. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's a lot to that. I think the – I mean, it's certainly Candice Story Lee, the athletic director, is a big part of it. We were very fortunate, you know, when I got there with Clark, with Coach Lee, that we got there just after Candice was hired. And we got there just after Chancellor Diermeyer was hired, our university chancellor.

And I think those two people in leadership positions are the first key to everything. I think if you look at the history of Vanderbilt, there's been so much potential forever, but there's never actually been administrative support. There's never actually been anyone at the top of the university that believes that athletics is a driver for success for the university. I mean, it's been almost like an inconvenience or like a thorn, you know, and that's not the case anymore. Now we've got a chancellor that actually believes not only that we can be successful athletics, but that athletics in particular, and specifically football, is actually a driver for the university.

[5:09] And, I mean, we've seen it this year, just, you know, Vanderbilt as a university is typically hovering around, you know, 5%, 6% admit rates, which is a crazy number when you consider some of the teams in our league and what their admit rate is. And after this season, you know, the admit rate dropped all the way down to under 3%, you know, 2% and change. You know, and so it's like, you can't tell me that football doesn't have something to do with that. And so, it's been, you know, it's just, yeah, it's been, you know, unlocking some resources there and unlocking some support from our administration has been important.

And then we had to sort of shift our model a little bit in how we were doing things. Initially, we were a recruit, retain, develop kind of program out of the gate. We quickly realized that playing young guys in the SEC and then have them go get poached after we lose with them is not a recipe for a long-term success. So, we had to shift. We had to pivot. We were able to really, I mean, we found a ton of success in the portal. And certainly when you get a guy like Diego Pavillon, in addition to the coaching staff and some of the changes that Clark made internally, you know, it's been now all of a sudden it's really easy to see what we've been visualizing from the jump.

And it's exciting that some of the guys we're recruiting now and some of the people outside the building are starting to see it as well. And it's, you know, certainly been a fun couple years to get lift off. Tell us about your relationship with Clark. Clark, I know you played football with him at Montgomery Bell Academy for high school before you went off and became second-team All-Ivy League at Yale. But I know you, but both of you have communicated with years, over the years, and he said, if I ever get the opportunity to hire that young man, I'm going to do that.

And again, the rest is history. Tell us about your relationship with Clark. Yeah, yeah, we met when we were about sixth grade in church, you know, and we played, you know, we played three-on-three basketball together and played sports together and linked up in high school and played football together and, you know, and I mean, when we're in high school, everyone's a little bit of a, you know, they're figuring out who they are and they're all, you know, we're all maturing and Clark was no different. And coming out of high school, you know, Clark had his own journey.

He went and played baseball at Birmingham Southern down there in Alabama. He then played, transferred to Belmont to play baseball and then, you know, realizing baseball wasn't in his future, he transferred to Vanderbilt to walk on and play fullback there and earned a scholarship. And somewhere along that way, he started to really, you just started to see his focus really clarify and like he just dialed in and, you know, best friends and, you know, we were in each other's wedding and all that sort of stuff.

But as we stayed in touch through the years and he was on his coaching journey and I was on my media journey, you know, we always had reason to stay linked up and stay, you know, share notes and share perspectives. And all of a sudden I started looking up and, you know, I'm 35 years old or whatever and my wife's yelling at me because I've been on the phone with Clark for an hour talking, talking shop. And I started to realize how much I was actually learning from this guy and how much perspective he had and just how smart he was around the game.

And, and we, we certainly shared, you know, alignment philosophically and, and, and otherwise. And so it just made a ton of sense when he got the job to, to ask me to come with him. And it just so happens it was in my hometown and where I hadn't moved. And, um, and so all of it just was very serendipitous and, and, um, was, was, was a special culmination and opportunity to, to go and shake things up for myself professionally and take a shot and take a chance.

Only a young graduate would use the word serendipitous. That's right. As a football general manager and director of personnel of football at Vanderbilt. Well, Bart, one of the reasons that coach Lee did that you, as you mentioned, carved your own path. You was one of the premier recruiting services. You put together major all-star games, put another way. You knew how to identify talent back in the day, your thoughts about just how invaluable that experience was back in your old job. Now being able to evaluate talent.

And as far as a GM, is it safe to say that one of the big secrets to success for you is learning how to take the budget and getting the biggest bang for the buck? In other words, squeeze all the juice you can out of that orange. Yeah. Yeah. I think, well, I think on your first question, I do think, um, at the time that was Clark got the job. I was, I was, I built some confidence in, in knowing what I, what my real, I mean, it took some learning, you know, I mean, 30 years, um, just, just being on the media side.

[10:26] Um, I took that stuff really seriously and, and, you know, and I, I would do a lot of self-scout kind of studies and, and particularly on the back end of my career there. When it wasn't, when I wasn't tasked with just sort of constantly churning content, I, I, I'm appreciative that I was given some of the like, um, sort of room to breathe, to, to be able to produce articles and stories that maybe weren't going to get a ton of clicks, but were going to help me to, to actually flesh out my thoughts and my ideas.

And so by the time that the opportunity came around, I did have some really clear, um, some, some real clear philosophies, real clear perspective and, and right or wrong. And some of those, those have, you know, I've learned from and the college side and, and maybe would, would think of it differently now, but, um, but, but certainly, you know, I'm appreciative that I had the opportunity in those roles to, to really test and try and, and, and tinker and, and, and figure out what I believed.

And, um, upon arrival, yeah, I mean, we've, we've, you know, Vanderbilt, especially coming off when we arrived, it was, you know, they had gone three and 18 the previous two years and, um, you know, we weren't getting the five stars. I can promise you that. And so we had to figure out how to, how to, um, find value. And, and then as the, as the NIL era started began, began to, to, um, come into picture. Yeah. There was about finding literal value, uh, around making the buck last. And, you know, I think, I think we've, we've done a good job with that. And I think, um, that's always, that's always a tricky, um, tight rope to walk because coaches want the best players.

And we want the best players and yet you can't always afford the best players and you can't always afford, um, the best players and then be able to, you know, get the, the depth that you want. And so this just, you know, it's a constant tension, which is really healthy that you have to fight in, in constructing these rosters. And, and a lot of it is around the, the, there's this, there's this, what I call kind of a hinge point between, um, trying to deal with agents, trying to deal with players and families, trying to keep them happy, but also trying to keep our, our coaching staff happy.

And making sure that they're getting the players that they feel like can do it and also keeping our administration happy and making sure that we're shepherding the resources effectively. And, and somewhere in there, you're answering to the head coach as well. And so I just think it's, it's, uh, it's a, it's a real challenge for everyone in my role. And it's a fun challenge, you know, and it's, uh, there's some real moments of anxiety, um, during the year, but, um, you know, that's, that's ultimately what you want.

You know, you want, you want to be doing something that, that pushes you and challenges you. And, um, certainly we're, we're in the midst of that and trying to learn every year and, and, and, and find the, find the sweet spot for all of it. I wish we had another 30 minutes with you, but let me ask you before you go. And I think I've asked you this over the years. You mentioned the success with the transfer portal, Jordan White, West Virginia, uh, Liberty, Eli Stowers, Alabama fans know that name pretty well.

So when you're looking at a player on film tape or in person, and I'm not asking you to give away trade secrets, but your evaluation, your template, what are you looking for? Yeah, I think, um, it can, it can actually vary by position. You know, I think there's some positions where we feel like there's, there's real value in maybe betting on, um, athleticism traits and upside. And maybe a guy just hadn't gotten on the field yet. Other positions. We feel like you really, you know, we need to bet on, uh, proven production, even if it's lower level production, but we need to bet on proven production.

Um, and, and there's, there's certainly a, uh, a personality element that, that is in some ways, the portal is way easier to evaluate from a character standpoint. And I would even say this too. I mean, we've, we've, we've, we've taken some players that have had bad character reviews, previous places kind of with our eyes open and, um, and we've, we've had real success with them and it's worked for us. And I think part of that's around the, the, the, the environment that we're inserting them into, but also some of that's around like, you know, I think the character piece, um, like one of the, one of the sort of, um, elements of the portal that you can appreciate is, is these guys at this stage, you can really isolate what their decision is about.

And even if it's about money and being a big part of it, typically at this stage, they're, they're, they're making decisions around football and that can be a real good indicator around, you know, it working out for them because, you know, if they're showing up and they're in football is really, really important to them and maybe they, this is their second go round, or maybe they're trying to level up or whatever it looks like when football is really, really important. And, and, and you can sort of verify the physical pieces that you need to verify.

[15:52] We feel really good about our program at Vanderbilt being one that really unlocks success. Um, and, and I'll say this too, you know, I think, um, we, we, we just so happen to have what I believe is the best offensive line coach in the country. We just so happen to have the best head coach in the country. Our offensive coordinator is, I mean, literally look at the, the, the, you know, per game per play metrics from last season. We had the number one offense in America.

And, and, and, and so like, when you have guys like that, I mean, our offensive coordinator, we can find it. Uh, we took a kid out of high school that was five, five, 136 pounds. No one else wanted it. He had a, he had a FCS offer, I believe at best. And, and he was, he made plays for us as a true freshman last year. And that's a, that's a product of our offensive coordinator being able to identify a trait and utilize it. And so when you have coaches like that, that can, that can pull the best parts of the player up and, and, and, uh, feature them and, and maximize them, man, that, that makes me look really smart, you know?

And so, um, I think I'm in a really fortunate position to, to be with the coaching staff I'm with, to be in the environment I'm with, to be at the school. I'm at, um, because truthfully it's, it's, it's not the NFL draft, you know, I'm not out here as the GM making a phone call and, and picking up, picking a player. You know, this is a real complex and nuanced process of, of, of getting coaches on board and, um, and servicing them and, and, and servicing our, our, our head coach and, and also, you know, recruiting these players.

And so, um, you know, we, we, we've got to do really well when these guys get on campus and make, making their experience really good. And, and I'm, I'm really fortunate to be in a place that, that does that. Listen, I can't tell you how much Harold and I have enjoyed catching up with you again. We feel like you're a great uncle. We've, we've had a relationship with you for 15 years and now you've turned into one of the best general managers in college football. We're very proud of what you've been able to accomplish, uh, listen to the button, much success.

God bless you and your family. Uh, let's do this again, real soon. Yeah. Well, this was a pleasant, a pleasant surprise getting the text to ask me to come on. And, uh, I can assure you guys that you guys are one of the, my favorite shows I've ever, you know, worked a regular on and, and, um, man, just, I'm glad to hear you guys are still, still getting after it, still getting it in. And, um, I couldn't be happier to have a chance to get to talk with you again.

So appreciate you reaching out and, uh, stay in touch. Two words, Barton, Red Bull. Listen, man, I echo those sentiments there and you get to do it in your hometown. All the best. Just remember all those little people and keep up all the success. Okay. I will. I will. Thanks. Barton Simmons checking in the boss, the Vanderbilt GM of the Commodores coming up. He is the King of Auburn coverage. Nathan King on deck. Stay with us. Hello, I'm Eddie Buckley, president of Certified Alarm. No matter where travels take you, Certified Alarm will help you be worry-free.

Our security systems have all the latest technological features. Certified Alarm has North Alabama's only UL-listed central station. Our halo alarm transmitters give the fastest and most secure monitoring available. Certified Alarm, since 1960, keeping the show secure and in touch. Call 256-383-1225 or online at certified-alarm.com. Lunch was great, but this traffic is awful. Um, can we stop at a bathroom? Are you all right? And keep having stomach issues after eating, like diarrhea, gas and bloating, abdominal pain, and sometimes oily stools. Sound familiar? Those stomach issues may actually be a pancreas issue called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI.

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Nathan, welcome in. How are you? I am doing great. How are you guys? Hey, buddy. Man, doing all right. Baseball, it's amazing how things have played out. Everybody had given up on the Auburn basketball team and all they did was go to the postseason, win a national title, the NIT, and now up and down season in baseball. But here you are, like everybody else. Your own destiny is up to you right now, is it not? Your thoughts about this Auburn baseball team heading into the regionals?

Yeah, I mean, they're technically in the same spot they were last year in terms of seeding. They're in number four overall seed in the tournament for the second straight year. But it feels a lot. I think the momentum feels a lot different this time around. You had Auburn with some major offensive issues toward the end of last season. And then when they got pitted against a really good Coastal Carolina team in the second weekend, it wasn't all too surprising that Auburn fell. You're feeling a lot different this time around.

And number one, it's because of what you accomplished yourself. I mean, they won six straight series toward the end of the season. And then obviously went to the SEC tournament and won a couple games. You know, that usually that's nice for you to get going into the postseason. And I don't think they needed to win any games based on their RPI. And I don't think they needed to do much of anything at the SEC tournament. But I think they improved their standing to the point where you look at, I forget who had the stat yesterday, but the combined RPI, the average RPI of all the teams in the Auburn Regional is the lowest in the country.

That includes Auburn. So, like, that means that technically they got the – I mean, everyone's good in the tournament, but technically they got the worst grouping of teams in the country. And that's good. That's good for Auburn. That means that theoretically they have the easiest path back to Omaha and back to the College World Series. And so it'll start on Friday. Obviously, it's an intriguing field. I think NC State probably presents the most, you know, potential to upset. And that was a really good team in the ACC this season.

But, you know, the expectation is that Auburn will be able to get out of the first weekend, move on to the second weekend, and give it – I still think this team has a very, very good chance to be a national title contender because, you know, they're so deep on the mound this season, and they've found a lot of offense from a lot of different guys. And so definitely heading toward a fun weekend at Plains and Park, and Auburn obviously hopes that'll turn into a second weekend as well.

Absolutely. You had a good article about Alex Golich in Sandestan at the SEC meetings. Simply ask a question. What would Alex Golich deem a successful year one at Auburn? Instead of saying seven and five, eight, and four and going through a lot of things, he just simply said that we laid an actual foundation for the program. Yeah, and that's not all surprising based on what Alex Golich has preferred to talk about since taking over as Auburn's coach. I think we've talked about it on this program a lot before, but he uses that word identity.

And before the spring, he was interested to see what kind of identity this team had, and now he and his staff are excited to, you know, hey, they've learned their personnel, and now they can kind of create a blueprint for the season. But, yeah, I mean, Golich said essentially, and not so many words, like, we just want to be in a good spot going into year two, feel like there's a good foundation built. And one thing that really stuck out to me is, you know, he wants fans to know what to expect from the team on the field every Saturday.

And that's, you know, Auburn has been down the past few years and, you know, not exclusive to Auburn, but any team in a position like they are, you know, inconsistency is the biggest thing. How many games did we see, particularly in the last two years of the freeze era, where Auburn had a lead in the second half where they were in close games, four-quarter games, and just weren't able to finish it off? And they looked like a good team for a half and then just kind of clunked out, particularly on offense.

That's one thing Golich just pointed to. He said, hey, you know, we need to be physically and mentally tough every single snap. Like, fans watching the games on Saturday, they watch in the stadium, and they say, okay, I know what this team is about. And look, another thing he talked about was, he said, I know that comes from the head coach. Like, that comes from the head coach's chair. It's a direct reflection of the head coach. You kind of felt, and this is not to pile on Hugh Freeze, but, like, you kind of felt, especially last season, like Auburn was scared when it got to the moment that they crumbled in the fourth quarter of games.

And Hugh Freeze was not somebody that necessarily inspired a lot of confidence on the sideline. I think with Golich, you're going to get a lot more aggression, for better or for worse. He's going to dial some things up and take some risks. We'll see if they pay off. But, yeah, I mean, like he said at the end, they're judged on wins and losses. Like, he knows that. He's been around the block. He's been in this league before. He knows that he has to win games at Auburn.

[26:28] But, as you guys know, not all, you know, if they go 6-6, not all 6-6s are built the same. You can go 6-6 and crumble at the end of the season, or you can start off your tenure 6-6 or 7-5 and have fans saying, hey, we want to win more games, but, you know, we're confident about the direction the program's going. Absolutely. Always enjoy the conversation, short and sweet. But where can we get online to get all the great stuff from you and the team?

For sure, auburnundercover.com, baseball this weekend, official visits getting cranked up. So, Christian Clemente is going to be on top of that. And, obviously, Jason Caldwell has been great covering baseball. I'm going on vacation in a couple days, but those guys are going to have it locked down. Auburnundercover.com, we'd love to have you. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update. Novak Djokovic is trying to put away Frenchman Valentin Royer in round two at Roland Garros. Djokovic serving for the match in the fourth set.

He's already wasted a couple of match points. He's trying to get to round three for the 21st time in his 22 career appearances. Meanwhile, American Nishesh Basavareti coming off the upset of Taylor Fritz in round one. He's down two sets to one to fellow American Alex Mickelson. Huge upset on the women's side. Australian Open champ Elena Rybakina, the two-seed, loses in three sets to Yulia Staradupstva from Ukraine. The three-seed, Iga Shviatek. She moves on to round three. She's a four-time champ. The seventh seed, Elena's Vitalina. Moving on as well, American Haley Baptiste taking on Shiyu Wang of China.

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Welcome back here. Time to take a little road trip down to a place called Tuscaloosa and say hello to the founder and editor of Titer Insider.com and the fine author of the book called Bigger Than Bama. Rodney Orr, welcome in. How are you? I am doing well, Harold and Brett. How are you guys today? Hey, Bill. Yeah, we're doing fine. I appreciate you asking, Rodney. I would imagine you got, in my opinion, if not the, certainly one of the most interactive boards in the Alabama Crimson Tide Nation across the globe.

And I would guess a few folks are asking about decision day for AA Amari Allen, supposed to, at least according to the earlier reports, make his decision day whether to come back to Alabama or stay in the NBA draft. And I'm guessing, Rodney, right now only Amari Allen and a few others know for sure. Yeah, you know, again, I think a lot of people are guessing, and I think that the feeling is that he's going to return. Now, again, that's just the speculation that we've heard, the last speculation that we've heard.

So, you know, we'll see. We'll see how that goes. But that, again, I think common sense is saying that most people think, you know, that he needs another year. I think, too, Harold and Brett, a lot of people were kind of surprised. He was listed at 6'8", you know. And when they measured him, the NBA measured him, he was 6'5 1⁄2 or something, 6'5 3⁄4". So, you know, I would not be surprised if Amari Allen's back. Rodney, we've been talking about this recruiting at the first big official visit weekend for Alabama of what seems like a year.

And they've got quite a few in. I'm sure you're going to have the list of the guys coming in. You've already had it a couple of times. But we know that it's fluid. You mentioned two elite receivers. Monsoon Bama Sales is one of them. The nickname Bama, of course, that resonated with a lot of your subscribers. Well, Sonny Gales, the four-star from IMG Academy. We've talked about quarterbacks constantly. And, again, that's going to be a battle throughout the summer in summer camp. But, Rodney, talk about two of the elite receivers coming to Tuscaloosa this weekend.

[37:26] Well, you know, they're fantastic prospects, certainly. I mean, they're being recruited nationwide. And, you know, like you said, Monsoon Sales, his nickname is Bama. He's originally from the state of Alabama. And they've given him that name up there in Indianapolis. And, you know, again, I thought Britt and Harold did it at one time. And, you know, I think we're always cautious and say, listen, you know, just because in February, before their senior years, people are saying they're leaning to this school or that school, it's really early.

And I think early on, people got caught up with that he was leaning to Alabama. And, look, he may end up here. But, certainly, Indiana's in there. You know, Ohio State's been in there. Texas has been in there. Miami's been in there. A lot of top programs are battling for Monsoon Sales. You know, we'll see what direction it goes. But, you know, right now, I think the general feeling is for him is that Indiana is probably the team. But, again, it's really early. And then for Asani Gales, Stanford's been in there.

Washington's been in there. Notre Dame, Tennessee. He's recruited coast-to-coast as well. He's at IMG Academy. And he is originally from the West Coast. So, maybe that might influence his decision. I don't know. But, you know, Alabama's certainly in the mix with both of those guys. And, Harold and Britt, when you're talking about NIL, this is going to be a small class for Alabama. And I'm not saying it's a small class because of NIL. But when you have a small class, it might open up some more money for guys that are your priority guys.

So, those two guys are probably going to get a pretty decent offer from Alabama. And let's face it. People say, what in the world are you talking about with Indiana being the mix? Two words, Mark Cuban, multi-billionaire. If he wants you and money is the key, if that's the difference maker, then it's pretty much a sign still delivered. And to add to that, Rodney, I saw some comments the other day from Alabama's camp saying, you know what? If you're going to sit here and use us as a chip and a leverage and a betting war, we're just going to go ahead and cancel your trip.

We're not going to go down that road. Your thoughts just about that strategy, at least they're up front with these guys. We're not going to sit here and be used by you guys, taking the Alabama label and using it to go to a place, in this case, Indiana or elsewhere. Your thoughts just about, I thought, some pretty interesting and candid remarks coming out of the Alabama camp. I just think when there's some prospects are kind of wanting some outlandish offers. Right. And I think when you run into that situation, you know that it's not going to work out.

The best thing is probably just to tell the kid up front, look, you know, we're not interested because, you know, you're really not going to be interested in what we're going to offer you. So, I think that's probably, now look, we can go back to the old days now. I remember, it's not a lot different than even, you know, 10 or 11 years ago when Saban was in the middle of his run. And I remember there was an elite receiver. I won't say his name, but he's now in the, he's still in the NFL.

And, you know, his dad actually told an Alabama assistant that he needed, for his son to come to Alabama, he needed $150,000. What a bargain. You're right. We laughed. A little dirty, but a bargain, you know. That's true. That's true now. I mean, Albert Means would be a bargain now, right? Yeah. But, you know, and I remember that the Alabama coach said privately behind the scenes, he told the dad, he said, well, if that school's going to give you $150,000, that's where you need to go. And he went there.

He went there. So, with all that said, it's not really different than then when you would hear outlandish, kids wanted outlandish offers for that time, just like now. I mean, so you understand that. Rodney, Mo Lindquist is one of the best recruiters in the country, but he is an absolute crackerjack when he comes to the secondary. Length, these guys are so tall, athletic. Hayden Stelpe, a five-star out of Las Vegas coming in this weekend. Darius White out of Georgia, another one, this Georgia crew. And, again, 6'3", every time I look at these guys, they're 6'3".

I never thought I'd see 6'5 corners. And that's where we are now. But, again, two more. Mo Lindquist is very good at what he does. Hayden Stelpe, Darius White are pretty good at what they do. Tons of length. Yeah. I mean, that's what they've been recruiting since they've been here. It's been impressive. Listen, I think that nobody recruits a secondary better than Alabama to me. I mean, it's been pretty amazing what they've done. And, you know, frankly, and you guys may agree, I'm not sure there's been a drop-off from the groups that Saban brought in in secondary to what DeBoer is bringing in.

[42:38] You know, I'll give you an example. I know that they're extremely high on Jaira Edwards' safety. But, you know, I've had people out there that have been there for, I'm talking former players that have been at practice for 20-some-odd years, 30 years. And they're saying, this kid, Jordan Edmonds, he reminds him of a young, not a young, I'm not saying a current, but young Patrick Sertain. And just the tools that he has. That's kind of the tools that they said are very comparable to what Patrick Sertain walked in here with.

So they recruit the secondary extremely well. And you mentioned Hayden Step out of Las Vegas. And, you know, again, he's a guy that is going to be coast-to-coast. I mean, it's going to be, you know, it's going to be tough to get him. But Alabama's certainly in there. Again, he's out of Las Vegas. And then also, you mentioned Darius White. Yeah, Darius is out of Georgia. He's not as highly recruited or ranked. He's a three-star rated player. But I think he's probably underrated. I mean, he's got great size.

Like you said, he's 6'3", 175 pounds. You know, Georgia Tech, Georgia's gotten in there a little bit more because they've lost some of their DB commits recently. Tennessee's in there. And for Step, you know, again, Hayden Step, Oregon's in there. I tell you, the real team to watch a little bit here might be Cal. And you may say, Cal, well, guess who's at Cal now? Tosh LaPoix, their head coach. And he's an incredible recruiter. He's got a great relationship with a ton of these top prospects out there.

So watch him. Georgia's been in the mix, too, for Step. So it's going to be competitive. But, you know, having those two guys on campus this weekend is certainly a big deal. If it's the last week of May, it's a lot of times the first week of seeing all these preseason college magazines. Yes, young generation, there is such a thing as a magazine that you can actually hold in your hand without scrolling through a tablet. In one of them, Athlons, they got Alabama at either 15 or 16.

Either way, it's low by Alabama standards. But the question is, Rodney, too high, too low, or just about right? You know, Harold, I don't know how to answer the question. I mean, I really don't. I mean, it's just because, first of all, I'm not really sure what everyone else has. That's right. Especially on offensive and defensive lines. Everybody's shopping for the same thing. Yes. And Georgia, you know, again, I know they return a lot of players. I know there's a lot of high expectations for Texas out here.

They've got some offensive line concerns out there. But they're expected to, I mean, this is a big year for Sark. They've been loading up and they've been spending a lot of money. They've been outspending everybody to try to win a championship. They're desperate. And with that said, I don't know how to predict this thing. But Alabama, I think this, you know, it's going to depend on some things here. First of all, the offensive line. How quickly do they come around? Do they generate a run game?

Do they improve the run game? I think talking to some people that the feeling is E.J. Crowell is the real deal. Meaning he could be eventually, he could be a difference maker at running back. There's some people that I really trust that say he's the best high school running back they've seen ever. And now I'm not saying that. I don't know. I mean, he's really good. But there's some people that I trust that think he is. And so that said, you know, that could be a real difference maker for them.

Now, does a quarterback come through? I think Keelan Russell is extraordinarily gifted. I mean, I think I could see him being a Heisman Trophy type player. I'm not saying necessarily this year. But I think he's got Bryce Young, Tua type talent. Now, Austin Mack's really good too. Austin Mack's really good too. I will tell you this, guys. You know, somebody that was out there at the practices told me all spring, said these two guys combined are elite passers. They've got a chance to be, both of them, NFL quarterbacks.

They're elite passers. But they hit a ton of interceptions in the spring. And one guy told me he saw more interceptions out there than in the spring than he saw in five or six years under Sagan. You know, in practices. So, you know, there's some – but now DeBoer kind of does it different. He wants these guys to let it rip, learn from your mistakes, develop, improve, and all of those things. So he's kind of a little bit different. And hopefully they learn to protect the ball.

But I just think that if they can do those things, there's a lot of high hopes on the defensive side of the ball that they're going to have one of their best defenses in a while. I think they feel like they got bigger, stronger, better up front defensively. And I think it's a big year for them up front defensively. They need to show some improvement. And we'll see it inside backer. I think that's another key. But the secondary is just loaded. Ronnie, just to reinforce your point about I don't know about the other teams, Bill Bender is going to be a guest on our show.

[47:55] He's the college football editor for the sporting news. He's got six SEC teams. The top two quarterbacks have zero starts. I mean, that's literally six SEC teams. And if Ty Simpson was back, I think Alabama would be ranked nine or ten. So much of that is experience at quarterback. You mentioned the defensive line. Antoine Jackson, Mitchell Turner. We've talked about these two dudes. I know a lot of people are, quote, confident. They, again, leaning toward Alabama. We'll see because, again, you got the NL. But Antoine Jackson, Mitchell Turner coming in again this weekend.

Yeah, I think Mitchell Turner is a really big prospect. They identified him early. You know, probably 6'2", not the tallest guy, but about 280, really disruptive, very aggressive on the film. He looks like he could be a really good player. I mean, I know his stock's rising. Texas has jumped in the mix. Ole Miss is certainly in there. Mississippi State. Now, when I talked to my Mississippi source, and I spent about two weeks, he felt like Alabama was still the team to beat for Mitchell Turner. So we'll see there.

And Antoine Jackson out of Memphis, call your bill. Yeah, he's a good-looking player, about 6'5", 240. Now, you look at him as an edge player, I think eventually he could blossom into one of those bandit, maybe defensive ends, kind of what LT Overton played last year, potentially. We'll see. And, you know, again, I know that he's, once again, he's a guy that, you know, a lot of schools are after. I know Ole Miss is really in there pretty heavily. Missouri, Tennessee's in there as well. So it's going to be a battle for most of these guys.

But, like I said, they'll be here this weekend. I won't be surprised at Mitchell Turner when he makes the decision that if it's Alabama, I like where Alabama sits with Jackson as well right now. Ronnie, great stuff, as always. You're going to be on top of this. Again, I know a lot of your subscribers want to know about who's coming in. You're going to have that. I know that list is going to be fluid. But as Harold mentioned earlier, the 24-7 message board, TITV, baseball going on, obviously, softball this weekend.

You're going to have the absolute latest. Ronnie, where can we get online and get the great website at a nominal fee? And also, the book, Beach Time, Looking at Five Stars, Where Can We Buy? Yeah, tighterinsider.com. It's only $48 a year. You can get instant access with your credit card. Or, if you prefer, there is an address there to send a check. And we do at the top of the forum right now, the all-sports forum. It's part of our package there. We have it pinned up there, a preview of the visitors.

And then the book is bigger than Bama. And you can go to RodneyOr.com or you can go to Amazon. Either one, RodneyOr.com or Amazon. Find all the details there. Appreciate you guys plugging that. Sounds great, Rodney. Listen, man, keep up the good work. Brent wants to know what, and he's speaking to those five stars, what's their time in the 40? If you could text that information, he would appreciate it, okay? Absolutely. Speed is not a vital statistic. No. No, it's not. It's in the details.

Rodney Orr, hooking up with us. He's the founder. And then a trip tighter is signing out.com. And, again, the book is called Bigger Than Bama. Coming up next hour, we're going to be taking all over the place. Double D, Drew Diarmus is going to be on board. And a buffet of UNA. We're going to be talking about what's up on the football field. Can you believe it? A brand-new stadium right around the corner. And everything else with Benjamin Ray. It's all on deck. Stay with us.

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23% of the registered 3.8 million Alabama voters turned out to cast a ballot in the primary races. That translates to about 879,000 people. Democrats here in Alabama showed more participation in voting within the governor's primary race compared to 2022. Over 364,000 Democrats voted in this latest primary election compared to over 188,000 in 2022. The reverse occurred for Republicans with only 493,000 voters coming out on May 19th compared to over 660,000 in 2022. Democrat voters outpaced Republicans in recent primary voting in the counties of Madison and Tuscaloosa. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this.

Brian Dawson here, CEO of 1819 News. I'm also the host of 1819 News, the podcast, and we'd love for you to join us by listening to our weekly show on all the top podcast apps, both in audio and video format. At 1819 News, the podcast, we are in pursuit of a free and flourishing Alabama. Every week, we're having important conversations with guests from across this great state, all with the goal of equipping Alabamians to be in pursuit of a free and flourishing Alabama with us. New episodes are released weekly.

I hope you'll join us. A man who is a contract worker for the U.S. Postal Service has entered a guilty plea for the delay or destruction of mail. 23-year-old Timothy Chandler is from Robertsdale. He was suspended by the USPS back in November of last year after large amounts of mail were found to be undelivered. All of that mail was located in piles throughout an apartment that Chandler was renting. A federal judge will now sentence Chandler to prison this coming August. I'm Andrea Tyson. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com.

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[58:06] 27 Tournament Trips. Five journeys to Omaha. 72 major leaguers. It's good to be a Bama baseball fanatic. Swing and a fly ball lifted high in the air. Deep left field. A go-ahead do-run homer over the high left field ball at Auburn. Alabama's favorite pastime plays right here on your home for Alabama baseball. The Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. Everybody, Bill King, Bill King. Show. Listen to me. 9 until noon. 93.9. The Score. Monday through Friday as we talk college football like nobody else does. Because he listens in Florence.

Our show's, Charlie, our show's on down there. Bill King Show. Monday through Friday. 9 until noon. Every league, every big topic is covered. 93.9. The Score. 93.9. The Score. The Score weather. Today, a 50% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms with a high around 85. Tonight, mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers overnight and a low near 65. Tomorrow, mostly cloudy with a 70% chance of showers and a high around 85. Tomorrow night, mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers overnight and a low near 65. And for your Friday, showers likely with an 80% chance of afternoon thunderstorms and a high around 85.

Your weather from 93.9. The Score. Now, get ready to roll. Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM sports voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9. The Score. Welcome back in. Our tour to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. BB, a lot to get to today.

But before we jump in here, you touched on it at the top of the show. And, boy, I tell you what, when I, and I'm sure I share the same sentiments as a lot of folks, they saw the news yesterday about Bob Horner. And you blink your eyes, and this journey called life is over. Many of us remember when this was a kid coming out of high school, coming as a young man, never played a day in the majors. He went right from the high school diamonds to the majors.

One of the few, you can count them in your hands. I mean, to be able to do that, especially to have a good career. But, my goodness gracious, that was, to me, very shocking news. Harold, it's been the month from h*** for Braves fans as far as all of the iconic Braves who have passed away. Bob Horner died. I believe he was 69 years old. Harold, I always thought he was one of the most underrated Braves in history. I remember actually listening to the game when he hit four home runs.

They lost the game to Montreal where the Expo was 11-8. But that was a Sunday afternoon game. And I was actually visiting my parents and listening to the game on the way back. But I believe he had, what was it, 216 home runs. I'll find that exact number. But, yeah, 215. But, Harold, I always thought, again, he may have been a little gruff. But I'll tell you one thing. When he and Dale Murphy were in their prime, that was quite a deal. Yeah, built a foundation for the Braves' success in later years, too.

Again, it's hard to believe Bob Horner now gone. Time for us to say hello to the top line of UNA football coach, Brent Dierman. Welcome in. Long time. How are you? Hopefully we'll be able to hook up with Coach. I would imagine he's out trying to look at that brand-new stadium. Before we get to Coach, for the folks who have been following this, BB, what a time to be a UNA fan across the board. It just opened up a brand-new baseball stadium. Now they're putting the final touches on a brand-new football stadium.

And I like the way they're doing it. They're going to kind of get in here, kind of warm up on the road to open a game. Matter of fact, it's on the road in Huntsville, kind of a neutral site game. And then they go to Arkansas, that Arkansas. They kind of have the dress rehearsals. And then they pull the curtain on the brand-new stadium once they get a few games under the belt, BB. I like the way they're doing this. Yeah, Samford and Joe Davis Stadium, August the 29th.

As you mentioned, they go to Hog Heaven, to Fayetteville on September the 5th, at Southeastern Louisiana on September the 12th. And then, Chris in the stadium on September the 19th. In fact, the following week, they've got Western Illinois. But no, it's, again, I know the stadium, from what everybody tells us, it's ahead of schedule. But I thought that was a wise move to wait for really three games, four games into the season to have the first home game. And the other thing I like, too, and this is something that's probably a little bit controversial, but let's face it, you have got the realities of trying to balance the Bullets.

[1:03:25] And what a pleasure it was to talk about Barton Simmons earlier, who is now one of the fastest rising stars in his role as the general manager of a college football team up at Vanderbilt. You've seen what he's done over the years. But in this modern era, you better be able to sit here and bring in some money if you're going to be able to do this. And when you go on the road to an ACC team, you have to be realistic. We know the rosters are not going to be the same.

But that's a very important game for the athletic department, BB. Well, there's no question about it, Harold. It's a money game. And I'll be curious to see what the guarantee is going to be. You know, and a lot of people say, well, it's going to be a route by Arkansas. Well, first of all, you don't know that. That's right. Again, going to an SEC, and particularly early in the season, Arkansas has got a quarterback. They've got a new coach. They've got a new staff. I think that game may actually be cut closer than a lot of people think it is.

But sure, I know a lot of teams like UNA and others have what they call the money games, which certainly helps the budget, along with the Aussie Newsom fundraiser last week. And we'll talk to Benjamin Ray about that a little bit later in the show. But, yeah, Harold, those games, even though they do have a tendency to be lopsided, they do help the budget. Well, two things. First of all, yeah, you're right as far as the bottom line. But you know the first thing a lot of UNA fans are thinking right now, BB.

Remember when UNA took on Florida State. Remember Florida State. In the context of that time, Florida State was riding as high as anybody. And here comes so-called little old UNA in the town. And I think the folks down in Tallahassee said, let's just go ahead and get this out of the way and move on. And remember, they had to fight for their lives. They obviously dealt one at the end. But that was, to me, you go back and you look at the situation there as far as key injuries in that game that UNA and Florida State went through in that one.

And then where has Florida State been? Isn't it ironic since the game with UNA as a program? I really don't think Florida State's recovered from that. Of course, they come to Tuscaloosa for the return game, the third game of the year. But, Harold, you've got a good point. A lot of people may forget this. UNA actually led that game early in the second quarter. And they were only back down by a touchdown close to halftime. So we're going to be talking more with Benjamin Ray in just a second about a very interesting year overall for the UNA Athletic Program.

But, B.B., let's go back to what a lot of folks have wondered. We touched on it earlier with Rodney Orr from tighterinsider.com. What are you hearing about Amari Ellen? Now, just quickly, if you don't mind, if this guy, he seems to be stubborn and he's a businessman like everybody else. Let's face it, you've got to sit here and make the wise decision in terms of career and money and all that stuff. But, to me, based on the feedback that I'm seeing from these NBA guys, they're used to seeing good talent.

Good ain't going to cut it to cut that check for first-round guaranteed money. If Amari Ellen is not guaranteed that first-round money, to me, this is the biggest no-brainer in the world in the modern era. Back in the day, maybe you'd sit here and say, okay, I'll go and get some second-round money. That's better than what I'm making. But I don't know what he's making right now with NIL, but I've got to believe that whatever it is, it's going to be better than probably, at least on the par with what he'd get from the NBA.

And, if he's smart, he'll go ahead and try to get an advanced degree on their ticket while he's at it. Yeah, in fact, we'll ask Drew DeArmond about this a little bit later in the show. But, Harold, again, he needs to use the template that LeBaron Phylon used last year. Come back, work on the game, take all of the comments and constructive criticism that these scouts, these general managers gave you. The reason he's waiting until literally the last day. He's got until 1059 tonight to literally declare, and this will probably come out on YAYA Alabama, their website, as far as the NIL arm and communications arm for the athletic department.

He has been, he's had tryouts for, I believe, five NBA teams. Right. And I know he had one yesterday, and he may just be trying to make up his mind finally, but he has dropped as far as, again, earlier I saw him as high as 22. Now I see 28 to 32, and most people are saying, well, he needs to come back. And I think the common sense, I think he has known what he wants to do, but he wanted to do the same thing Phylon did and have some tryouts with some NBA teams.

I still believe, Harold, that he will announce late tonight that he's coming back to Alabama. Well, to me, for many reasons, again, I mean, like you just said, I think you went into it. He basically, he shrunk like a lot of us by three inches. Yeah. We have more in common with an NBA star than we thought, right? But joking aside, to me, it's a no-brainer of the NIL era. One thing about it, can you imagine being these coaches now, like Nate Oates in this case, and of course, Nate's like all the coaches out there right now.

[1:08:43] Can you imagine sitting here and trying to put together a roster? Think about it. When you're going out and you're offering someone, you only got so many scholarships to hand out. So you're sitting here basically saying, in effect, I got to wait till this guy over here tells me he's coming back. Because even if he's a lowly second-round pick in the NBA, by comparison, that's pretty good at the next level as far as college next season. So you got to sit here and as a coach and as a staff, try to hold that spot open.

But what happens if he leaves in the meantime and you had a chance to offer this scholarship to a young man who has a lot of promise, doesn't have a proven track record of Amari Allen, but he still has a lot of promise, and you can lock him down and you lose him and he goes to competition. To me, that's where the challenge is of being a head coach. And like we mentioned earlier, a GM like Barton Simmons, in this case, Courtney Morgan at Alabama. Well, that's where the GMs earn their money.

And, Harold, that's the key. I know a lot of the five stars and a lot of the top transfer portal players. If these guys, again, you got a left tackle, he's going to probably want a minimum of $2 million. Now, again, I understand that. Because this is a hot commodity position, but for $2 million, you might be able to get four or five players. That's right. In different positions. So that is really the crux as far as a general manager. And, Harold, that's the other thing. But it is, these guys may come in this weekend for the official visits.

Alabama's got 15 to 20, Auburn's got 15, and you check all the buy boxes and you get down to the end. And he says, well, yeah, coach, I'd love to come here, but I've got to have $2.5 million in NIL. And the coach has got to be ready for that. Now, a lot of these guys, let them know ahead of time what, more or less, the field is. You know, this is our range for NIL. And if we can't work with you on that, then just don't come in and waste our time.

Can we say on the radio what my reply would be to that situation? No. No. So, what are your thoughts about Courtney Morgan's strategy along that line? He basically came out this week and stopped beating around the bush. I think he said verbally what everybody thought he was thinking, and that is, look, we're not going to get into this back-and-forth game, this money tennis game, where you're going to come in and say, coach, like you just said, I'd like to come, but I've got to have all that in the farm and a bag of chips.

To me, it's better to take Courtney Morgan's view on that. Let's just not waste each other's time. And if you missed what we were talking about earlier, in effect, he's saying, don't come in here and play that game with us. Tell us up front, here's what we've got to offer you as far as our budget. Is that something within your range? If it is, come on in. We'll whine. We'll dine. We'll do whatever it takes to have you have a nice weekend. But if you're going to come in here and play this game, then just save both of us some time here and stay at home.

Well, and it's not even so much the player now, Harold. It's the third party. It's the agent. And that pretty much, I would imagine a lot of these agents send the general manager, again, a range or a package of what he wants. Now, if he wants a car and wants the university by his mother a house, you know, good luck with that, which, believe me, that's a lot more prevalent than people think it is. But that's where the general manager comes in, is the give and take in the negotiations with the agent.

I still laugh while we were touched on yesterday when Alabama was negotiating with Nick. They offered him an economy class car and he cussed. It's not a Mercedes. That was not a good offer. No, no, it wasn't. The folks, the folks, Mal did a lot of things. That might have been one of the things you might want to work on down the road with Nick. Coming up, talking about UNA, back to that. We're going to be talking football and what a season and what a year it's been.

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The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Time to say hello to the hardest-working man over the Lions' Den. Benjamin Ray is the fine voice of UNA and Athletic's Assistant Athletic Director. Benjamin Ray, welcome in. How are you? Man, it's great to be on with you guys as always. I'm kicking off my summer. I'm down in Gulf Shores right now. Just took my feet off the sand to come hang out with you guys and get some lunch. But it's good kind of unwinding a little bit after a long grind of a season.

Ben, why are you working today with us? You need to kick back. You've earned it. If you were in the military, you'd have a sleeve full of stripes, man. We appreciate you taking time out when you could be doing some of the Jimmy Buffett things. So, what a year it's been, Ben. I mean, talk to us about just the latest, if you will, cherry on the top. Not the way you wanted it to end, but when you look at the big picture, UNA just misses the NCAA Baseball Tournament Field, losing in 10.

[1:19:35] Heartbreak City, the arch-rival Lipscomb, 5-4. Obviously disappointing there. But overall, your thoughts about this athletic program this season? Well, first, let me tell you guys, it's never worked when I'm on with you all. You know, I think this year continues to show the shift of we're not just trying to get there anymore and we're not just happy to be there. It's we expect to be there. And for baseball, that was the mindset going into this tournament. It was, hey, we're not just happy to be here like last year.

We expect to go win this thing. And they are two fly ball outs away from probably being in that Starkville regional, where Lipscomb is right now. So I think you've got a total mind shift of this department where it's not, hey, who's going to do it? When are we going to do it? It's a matter of, you know what? Our time is now. And I think this department's getting closer and closer. Don't forget, we're still a very young Division I program. I think a lot of people forget that sometimes.

But look at the growth. Look at what's coming with BI Stadium. I think this department is poised to really take off. And I think so much of that credit goes to Dr. Kitts and Dr. Looney for their leadership. No question about that. Listen, they have top quality athletic programs. You've got to have money. Congratulations again on another very successful Lions Pride dinner and auction. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ozzie Newsome. And I know he was incredible in the press conference. And of course, certainly during the dinner.

Had some great stories. In fact, I've got a good friend of mine who was his Little League baseball coach. And I enjoyed reminiscing with him about that. Recalp a great night for UNA. How incredible is that? And when you think of Ozzie Newsome, you're talking about one of the all-time great football lives from his career at Calvert County to Alabama to playing for the Browns to being one of the best general managers in NFL history. He's drafted Hall of Famers, MVPs, and two Super Bowl teams.

So it was great. And seeing how much he still loves this area. He talked about growing up over in Calvert County. Remembered walking to school and just hearing him unload those memories. It really reminds you of what is so special about the Shoals area. And I thought about it. How crazy is it that you've got Ozzie walking down the street from school and he's passing by Percy Sledge's house. And you've got the Rolling Stones around the corner recording. It just continues to tell just the unbelievable story of the Shoals area.

I think somebody could take that documentary a little bit further from the music and sports collision that was happening in that time. Wow. That's just a lot of folks right now that's going, man, I remember it like it was yesterday. Obviously, let's talk a little bit about some more famed names literally coming to UNA's Hall of Fame. The most recent inductees announced. And amongst them, you talk about a young man that's flown under the radar, but still making a lot of noise out there. Let's start with A.J.

Millwee. Do folks realize what a fine UNA found in Millwee, the pride of the state of Mississippi, and what a life he's had post-UNA. I mean, A.J. Millwee, you're talking one of the all-time greats at UNA. And then look at where his coaching career has taken him. And let's not forget, I mean, gosh, it's been nearly 20 years, right, since he was coaching at UNA under Terry Bowden. And he followed Coach Bowden up to Akron. And then look at where his career has taken him. An analyst at Alabama now.

I mean, probably very close to being a coordinator in the SEC, maybe even a head coach of what they're doing over there at Texas one day. So, I mean, it's unbelievable to think he, as we get year into year, and you guys know this, so often you talk about people and you're just like, oh, wow, I didn't realize they're not in the Hall of Fame. I kind of thought A.J. already was in the Hall of Fame. But we were just waiting to get him here to induct him.

And you've got so many great people. But this class is loaded. And as we've been sitting around talking, it's only going to continue to get more and more difficult to get in. Because coming up, guys, you've got the 2016 softball team, which will be eligible next year. You've got Jacob Tucker, who will be eligible. You've got some volleyball players, all very well deserving to be first ballot Hall of Famers. But then when you look at everybody that's eligible, it's hard to vote. And we've got a great class this year, from Robert Lopez, who pitched in the 80s.

Unbelievable story how good he was, to Lamonte Thompson and Luke Wingo, who were teammates. How cool is that? You've got a backfield going in together, a quarterback and a running back. Second all-time leading rusher Wingo and Millie. You're talking two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time at UNA. So it's another loaded class. And just further reminds you of the great legacy of this athletic department. I mentioned the fundraiser. If someone listening to this conversation, I always ask you this. Be it football, you can donate to different sports.

[1:24:53] Football, softball, baseball, the whole gamut. Flag football is coming. If you'd like to put your name on the stadium. There are so many different ways to do that and support UNA Athletics. Once again, how can you do that? Yeah. So I always tell people, visit RoarLions.com. Of course, you can always reach out to Megan Dye. Her information is on the website as well. There's so many ways to give, so many ways to back our student-athletes, so many ways to back our coaches. And we can't do it without the support of the Shoals area.

And Dr. Looney the other night was talking at the dinner and auction, and he just said, get on board with us. There's plenty of room on the bandwagon, but get ready because we're moving fast. And we really have gone nonstop. And there's ways to get your name on Bank Independent Stadium. There's easy gifts. I think up to $100, you can have your name on a brick that will last forever over there. So tons of ways to give. And just remember, when things are good for UNA, things are good for the Shoals area.

We're all teammates, and it's great seeing UNA in that same conversation with big schools, with potentially going to Mississippi State Regional. It just puts all of the Shoals area on the map. So now, more than ever, it's a great time to be saddled up with North Alabama. No question about that. Listen, put some more suntan lotion on. Blow up the inflatables for everybody. Again, tell us if they want to donate or get more information about UNA, where can they do that online? Hey, I've got the little cozy blow-up pool ready to go to the pool.

There you go. It's not for my kids. It's for me, let me tell you. RoarLions.com, that's your one-stop shop. Mikey Ezekiel does a great job running that website. You can find anything and everything you need to find about UNA Athletics. And then, of course, give us a follow on social media. They do an unbelievable job. How about over a million people interacted with our baseball Instagram account? Wow. This championship push the last month or so. So, yeah, a lot of good things happening for UNA on the World Wide Web.

How about, in the meantime, ten toes in the sand. Enjoy down there. Okay, Ben? Hey, I appreciate you guys, as always. Thanks for letting me buzz up from South Alabama. Anytime, my friend. Ben Ray, fine voice of UNA on the other side of the state, enjoying life on the beach. Coming up, let's jump over the Atlantic and get the very latest in the French Open. Straight ahead, stay with us. This special tennis update sponsored by Kohl's. Show off your team pride with tees, hats, tumblers, and more at Kohl's and Kohl's.com.

Novak Djokovic fought through another 90-degree day in Paris to beat Frenchman Valentin Royer in four sets. The 39-year-old needed five match points in three hours and 45 minutes. He's going to face either Joao Fonseca or Dino Prismich in round three. Fonseca looking to force a fifth set. He's up two breaks right now in the fourth. And American Tommy Paul is up a break in the first set on Lorenzo Sanago. Huge upset on the women's side. The two-seed Australian Open champ Alina Rabakina lost in three sets to Yulia Stara Dubsteva from Ukraine.

Four-time champ Iga Shviatek. She advanced in straight sets. So did the seven-seed Alina's Vitalina. With this tennis update, I'm Brad Heller. Westwood One Sports. Kohl's has styles that make summer feel easy, even when faced with hard decisions like lounging at the pool or on the patio, grilling up a hamburger or hot dog, rolling down the windows or turning up the A.C. Yeah, summer is full of tough choices. With comfortable and stylish outfits your family will love, getting dressed isn't one of them. Shop effortless looks at Kohl's and Kohl's.com.

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[1:35:15] Yeah, Double A has gone until 10.59 to say, I'm coming back or I'm staying in the NBA draft. And, hopefully, we'll know something before then. I think you can look for an announcement on Yaya Alabama, the NIL side, a little bit later today. We don't want to wait that long. We want to get the very latest right now. Double D, Drew DeArmond's got that and more. He is host, Talking Ball, and this was 97.7 FM, The Zone. Double D, welcome in. How are you? I'm good, guys. How are y'all?

Hey, buddy. Man, we're doing all right. Double D, we were just talking about Double A, Amari Allen. To be or not to be, what are you hearing here as of 138 Central time on May 27th? Yeah, it's interesting. You know, we happened to have got the official word. I said it at the end of Talking Ball this morning that today was, you know, the deadline for withdrawing from the NBA draft. I mean, at this point, I mean, we know that LeBaron's final line did it at the very last minute pretty much last year, and kind of unexpectedly.

A lot of people weren't thinking he was going to come back. A lot of the buzz had been that he was going to stay in the draft and, you know, take the chance and hope he was going to be a late first-round pick, and he made the right decision. I heard Brett just say that we'll probably hear something from, yay, Alabama. You would think they would probably put that out at some point first and have, you know, the word from Amari Allen. At this point, after reading the tea leaves and paying attention to the Jeff Goodmans of the world and others, I mean, you never want to definitively say, but I've been leaning toward him returning for a while now.

I don't think he's going to be a locked first-rounder by any stretch. I think most of the projections probably had him as being a top-of-the-second-round guy, and to me, that's not wise. He needs to work on some of the same things that certainly LeBaron did. He needs to work on his outside shot, being more consistent, and I'm sure you all talked about he didn't measure close to 6'8 at the combine. He's under 6'6", just under that, so he just needs to polish his game up, and I think he could be a top-half of the first-round pick next year, much like LeBaron Phylon is going to be.

So, we've already seen that path taken, and of course, we know he didn't go into the transfer portal, guys, so he wouldn't be moving on to another school. He'd be coming back to Alabama, and we know Nate Oates right now is out of the country, you know, with Anthony Grant and the under-18 national team, so taking full advantage of that. But at this point in time, I would be certainly surprised if he didn't return to school. Maybe between now and if he does come back, he can get those three inches back that he lost in Tuscaloosa for the draft, but let me ask you this, Drew.

Obviously, it comes down to two things. Your thoughts about Alabama next season if he does come back, and your thoughts about Alabama next season if he does not come back. Well, you know, certainly I think it would be a much different outlook if he didn't come back. They'd still have a good basketball team, but I don't think they would obviously be nationally ranked. I think if Amari Allen comes back and you get the legal situation taken care of, they'd haul away. He was an All-SEC prospect that averaged, you know, nearly 17 points and shot 44% in his own right from the three-point line and did a lot of ball handling for the squad as well.

If you get your two primary ball handlers back besides LeBaron's byline, I think that makes your team look dramatically different. To me, I think you are a top-15 team in the country, and then we'll see, you know, what happens with Diaz. I mean, I think, obviously, he's a kid that, you know, will, I think, likely reclassify. We haven't heard anything on that, but I would be surprised if he didn't at this point, and that's everything that I've been told. And I just think he'd be another guy that can handle the basketball for you.

He's certainly a younger player. He doesn't have any experience on the major division one level, but he's been averaging 20, you know, in about five rebounds, five assists, and nearly two steals on the EYBL circuit. And I know that there's concern because he needs to get stronger physically, but, for example, if he reclassifies and comes to Alabama and still enrolls in June, he'll have five months or so to prepare before the season starts. And I think with Henry Barrera and that strength staff, you can easily see, you know, him getting stronger and gaining 20 pounds of muscle and getting his body ready for the rigors of an SEC and a big-time, you know, power for college basketball schedule.

[1:40:24] Absolutely. D2, Alabama baseball. The Hoover experience was not the best, losing to the Florida Gators in run rule, but we've talked about this. Their strength of schedule, their RPI was very high, which gave them a number seven seed. I think a lot of people look at the Alabama regional in Tuscaloosa that begins Friday. Oklahoma State, the number two seed, USC Upstate, and then Alabama State. I know Alabama's beaten Alabama State twice, 2-1, and I believe 13-4. This is a good team when they're playing well. We've talked about the pitching has been very solid with Faye, Adams, and Upchurch.

They can hit the ball. Pines, Liam, and Neal, among others, their defense has left a little bit to the imagination, and particularly in the Tennessee series. D2, your thoughts on the matchups in the series and your thoughts of Alabama going into the postseason. Well, you know, I think certainly, as you said, Brett, they didn't play their best baseball against Florida. They didn't get charged with errors, but they didn't play very well defensively against the Gators. You know, they misplayed a couple balls in right field. I thought they had an error at third that wasn't called one.

With Alabama, unfortunately, this year it's kind of snowballed on them when they make a mistake, and it kind of gets away from them, and it certainly did against a Red Hot Florida team. But I think this team's been really resilient and kind of bouncing back, and the one thing where they've been fortunate, as you just mentioned, I think they're the only team maybe in the country that started the same three guys the entire year. You know, Tyler Faye's always been that Friday night guy, and then, you know, Zane Adams, and certainly, you know, one of the best freshmen in the country in Miles Upchurch.

We did have Rob Vaughn on this morning. We talked to him about that. And then they've had to – because they only had a brief stay in Hoover, he certainly got Highberger and the other lefty, Ashton Crouser, you know, some work in Hoover. But they did not get to throw Zane Adams or Miles Upchurch, so they wanted to get them some work at the end of last week and try to keep them sharp before this regional, because they still felt really good about hosting the first round.

And it turned out they got enough help from around college baseball, especially – and I think Auburn beating Texas A&M really helped. That was another one. But I think where they could still be a top-eight national seed with a great RPI, the strength of schedule, and they did have that. And this is the first time they've been able to do that since 2006. And then three years ago we know they hosted and won. But the key is going to be winning game one, and you just mentioned it.

I mean, Jose Vasquez has done a good job with Alabama State. I think they've won eight in a row. But they did play Alabama twice. And like Coach Vaughn said today, certainly that game was 2-1 in Tuscaloosa. And really only miscues a wild pitch in an era were the way Alabama scored the two runs. So Alabama was very fortunate to win that game. So they should – the Alabama State should have their full attention. And the interesting part is, since they played them twice, they only threw their midweek guys against Alabama, and the same with Alabama against them.

So they will both see a higher quality of pitching in this matchup. And the one thing I'll just say, too, as far as regionals, everything is 0-0 now. So Alabama did play poorly defensively for the most part this year. But they did not in their last home series against Ole Miss. So if they could play clean baseball and then get the key hit – and there's other guys in this lineup that seem to be getting hot that are swinging the bat, I think, much better by the end of the season than they did at the beginning.

And one guy that I've noticed that did that, he did it in the Ole Miss series. And then he had a lot of tough luck. I think he got one hit. But he barreled up nearly every ball. I thought – in Hoover, I thought Luke Vaughn was in the back better and played a better defensive at first base as well. So I think they're in with Eric Collins being much more involved than he was, you know, earlier in the season. He certainly has been feast or famine, but like, you know, Coach Vaughn said, he punched out four times in Hoover.

But if you don't – if you miss, and he actually – and he swings the bat and doesn't miss it, we saw against Ole Miss, he will hit it a long, long way and against Tennessee. So he's very capable. So I think the lineup is deeper. And I think Alabama is healthy. You know, I certainly haven't heard of any injuries. And like Coach Vaughn said, when they were working at the end of last week, they certainly had realized in Hoover that with the Arkansas situation and a couple others that they were definitely careful, even though they were throwing some of their – like an up church.

[1:45:48] And Zane Adams, like, you didn't want to take a line drive off of anybody. I remember Reese Chapman from Tennessee in the workouts leading up to Hoover. He got hurt and never played. And so you don't want anybody getting hurt. And certainly Alabama seems to be healthy. But I think the key is really the defense. If they play clean and if they continue to pitch like they have in the rotation all year, I think they'll get enough key hit up and down the lineup to have a chance to win the regional.

But the biggest thing is in these three-day regionals, you need to win that first game. Now, I know, as Coach Vaughn said, and optically, whether you win the first or lose the first, you know, you certainly – you know, you'll be in the same place with your rotation, with a big-time guy throwing. But if you're in the winner's bracket, it's a whole lot easier to stay in that winner's bracket and make everybody chase you than it is having to, you know, to win your way out of the loser's bracket.

I remember in 2002, Alabama had to do that after getting upset. And they nearly did it, but then fell a little short against Florida Atlantic. So, the key is to beat Alabama State, come out aggressively, and then worry about whether you face Oklahoma State to two seed or UCF State to three. The goal is simple, Drew. The Alabama baseball team wants to do what the Alabama softball team has already done, punch their ticket to the World Series. Pat Murphy earning his money again. Yeah, no doubt. I mean, they're the number one overall seed.

They play tomorrow at 6 o'clock against UCLA. It should be a really high-level matchup. Man, you know, they have pitched so well in the first two rounds of the regionals. And Jocelyn Briskey is really, you know, channeling her inner Jackie Traynor in Montana Fout. She's been out amazing. Big Moten has been a really good freshman. And then their lineup is so deep. It's so deep, in fact, that their best tuner during the regular season, Brooke Wells, I think, is only one for 12 in the postseason. And they haven't even missed a beat.

You know, Alexis Papillo has been amazing, the way she's approached everything. And then Jenna Young's been great at the top of the lineup, too. They've had key hits from people like Salem Hawkins, Marley Giles. They just have to keep it up. They just got to keep playing. And it's really important to beat UCLA and get off to a good start. UCLA's a really good team, a lot of tradition. You know, they're now coming out of the Big Ten instead of the Pac-12. But then if you win that, you get the winner of Arkansas, who you took the series from early in the SEC schedule, or Nebraska.

So it's key to win the first game. But I definitely think it's a wide-open, you know, national championship. Certainly, two-seed Texas is the defending champion. And they're the one team this year that I think has swung the bat well against Jocelyn Briskey, which is really interesting. But no Oklahoma. And what a job to say to get there. And they're led by a couple of young ladies from Athens, Alabama. And they have several other Alabamians on their squad, including their number one starter, Alyssa Faircloth, who is a Tuscaloosinative, ironically.

So a lot of storylines in Oklahoma City as well. Absolutely. Where can we get online and listen to the expanded Talking Bowl? I know, great guests, you mentioned Rob Vaughn, the Alabama baseball coach, and many others. Where can we get online and listen to the show? Yes, sir. You can get online at 977ESPN.com. If you missed the show, we certainly have our soundcloud page, ESPN 97.7 The Zone, that you can hear everything. And, of course, you can follow us at 977ESPN. And we certainly are excited about it.

We're excited to be the home of Alabama baseball and softball this weekend. And we'll be carrying all that action. And we certainly hope that Alabama can get off to a great start and have a chance to win their second national championship in their school's history. And it would be an amazing thing. Hopefully it will be a great atmosphere. And Joe, we hope to be there covering that at the regional this weekend. And if they win, they get the winner of that Tallahassee regional. So, they can play the Florida State Seminoles.

We've got a great pitching staff in their own right. But a lot of great action coming up this week. You guys, and the first official visit weekend as well. And I know Kaelin DeBoer mentioned that down there in that desk yesterday. Other than that, not a cotton-picking thing going on. Drew, listen, man, thanks so much. And stay safe out there, okay? Yes, sir. Thank you all. Thank you, buddy. Drew DeArma, 97.7 FM The Zone. BB coming up, the Braves trying to do it again. How about this?

Mr. Elder. A lot of folks, I think, have criticized this man. I'm looking at his ERA. How do you criticize a 1-9-7, Brett Beer? You can't. And I apologize for criticizing Bryce Elder. They held on. They actually won last night 7-6. Had a 7-4 lead. And Glacius held on at the end. But, yeah, I take back all about 60% of everything I've said about Bryce Elder the last two years. And if they win tonight, they go back to 20 over 500. Look out for the Nationals. They are on a four-game winning streak again.

[1:51:22] They are 8-1-2 back to the Braves. Speaking of which, check out the Braves later on tonight, Roger, on 93.9 The Score. It's going to take care of this for now. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Parole Buck, thank you so much for your time today. That's tuning in tomorrow, noon to 2, for the Boom on Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score. you