Boomo Bugg Show 070126

[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 Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a street ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where it's true, a historic day at UNA.

Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Wednesday to you and the listeners. You just heard James with a Braves promo. They were 9-14 in the month of June and lost seven games to the Phillies and an incredible eight and a half to the Marlins. Hopefully, they can get it going again. You alluded to UNA. In fact, their men's basketball coach, Tony Pujo, will join us a little bit later to talk about his new coaching staff and a new conference. But we're delighted to talk to former Southern Miss and LSU head football coach, Curly Hallman.

Absolutely. Curly Hallman, again, former head coach at LSU and Southern Miss. Also, assistant stops at Alabama, Clemson, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State. Curly, welcome in. How are you? Doing fine. Good to talk with you. It's been a while. Hey, Curly. It has. The biggest question of the day, Curly, is your lovely wife, Tammy, going to give you the 4th of July off, or are you going to have to still come into work? I'm not sure. I hadn't checked with her yet. I've still got a couple of days, but she might have me out here in this heat.

Wow. It is hot. Curly, the other day, your name crossed our minds. We were talking to some of our friends, and they were talking about some of the guys that's Auburn with Southern Miss, and your name obviously crossed their minds. A lot of folks still have fond memories of Southern Miss. You were there as a head coach, had a guy named Favre as a quarterback. And the reason, if you don't mind, talk to us about the culture there and where it is now and the challenges, because, Curly, I don't know how much you keep up with it, but bottom line is, in this modern NIL and transfer out where the grass is always greener, they're basically having to rebuild their roster from top to bottom.

It's just the reality of 2026 football. Your thoughts about Southern Miss, and as we mentioned yesterday and back and forth between the two of us, just the general state of college football now. Well, I think you can direct a lot of it to the NCAA. You know, the NIL, to me, it stands for Need Intelligent Leadership. It is a total different ballgame this day and age. I would imagine, like I said, Brett, as far as his first start was against us when I was at A&M with my sister.

This day and age, and of course, about six or seven weeks later, I was his head coach. This day and age, there'd be schools coming after him and telling me what he's going to get with his contract and all that. But I don't know if it can be solved. And I'm personally now, I've always thought the NCAA was a joke. And that's through all my years of coaching. They wanted to kind of catch you for doing little things and put you on probation. And I think I've shared this with y'all before.

Right at 50, 51, 52 years ago, Coach Bryant came in. He came in to that staff room. And any time he came in and paused and thumped that cigarette and started to light it and paused again and thumped that cigarette. And I'd always write down everything as fast as I could write it that he would say. But anyway, he finally said, I've been talking to some of the old coaches and we've kind of come to an agreement. We need to pull away from the NCAA and form our own super league.

Now, that's been 50, 51 years ago. It's about 75, somewhere in that area. And those old coaches and that's probably Bud Wilkinson, Duffy Doherty, Woody Hayes, and all those guys. And so, you look where we are now. And Coach Bryant had a pretty good idea of what to do. And now we're going to get Congress involved. Give me a break. That just feeds fuel to the fire that's going on. And so, anyway, it's amazing to see how it's going to turn out. You notice this day and age, Hale and Brett, that our teams have been put on probation.

[5:07] The NCAA put anybody on probation lately? No. And, boy, they used to try to find ways. I think back to the days where a kid, he got four tickets, complimentary tickets. He had an option of buying four more. And you could sell those tickets. Naturally, he'd probably save one or two for his parents. And they could make a little money doing that way, doing it, selling their tickets. So, you know, they wanted to catch people from doing that. And one way the kids can make some money, gee whiz.

Nowadays, kids, schools that used to buy players and give them a car, they don't have to do that now. A kid can go buy his own car. They're buying the coach's cars now. Here's my point on that, Curly. I saw a report this morning. They did a survey of basically the minimum price for a prized high school kid. This is high school now, Curly. The minimum price, these general managers, did you ever think we'd be using that term in college football? This is the minimum now.

The minimum. The minimum price for $350,000 with the stars going for a million up. Can you imagine what Brett Favre's price would have been back in the day? I mean, how can they sustain themselves when they do this? Listen, you brought up about the NCAA. Why don't the SEC and the Big Ten get together and say, we don't need these guys. They need us. We drive the bus. We sell tickets. We sell TV ratings. Why do they put up with this? Well, the whole deal, the NCAA is the governing body.

So, all these people that don't want to abide by the NCAA, just go on. Form your own league somewhere else and let the corruption go on. If a kid doesn't want to abide by it, go somewhere else, son. There you go. That's the reason Coach Bryant and all those older coaches, they wanted to form a super conference. And you kind of hit it that way a little bit now. But, you know, at least maybe y'all can – I don't keep up with all the rules. The new rule, you got five years to play five.

Right. Yes. You know what? That's fine. Yeah. But I also put into that that you got one transfer. Kids can still transfer. You can transfer one time and one time only. I think they need to put that in there. And number of teams in the playoffs. I hear on the radio forming a playoff system. And y'all know more about it. I can't remember what division. Division II had a pretty good playoff system, didn't they? They did, yes. Yes. And the girls very benefited from it, you know.

Yeah. They might want to go study exactly what Division II did to reach their championship. So, it's a lot of confusion. But here's another deal that I know some schools did it where a kid could make some money years ago for the NCAA would have hung you. If you were a starter on game day, you got X amount of dollars. You got bonus points. In other words, a touchdown, the two touchdowns. You got money, an interception, so many defenses, so many tackles. Oh, that NCAA would have hung you for doing that.

Well, I look back all these years. It wasn't a bad thing. Son, go produce. Go produce. It's called earning it, Curly. That's exactly what you got it, Harold, to the teeth. And so, anyway, that bonus point system back then, that NCAA would have hung you. Lordy B. I don't know where it's going, but, you know, the thing going back to Brett Favre, like I said, I was at A&M. And how people can miss on an arm like that. Southern Miss had to be Delta State to get him.

Delta State. Yeah. And didn't have to pay anything. And, of course, he was raw bone and had a gun and went in there as a great competitor. And he blossomed. And, you know, the rest is history. But this day and age, h***, he might have been still missed on. That's right. Because one of the reasons, because he played for his daddy and Irving, they never threw the football. You had to go watch him in practice. But I don't know. There's a lot of confusion. I don't understand a little bit about what's called the OTAs, the off-season training.

I think that might be a good idea. The number of days you've got it. Can they wear shoulder pads to protect them a little bit? But spring training, a lot of kids get beat up, depending on what type of program, who you're with. They're going to tackle, tackle, tackle. But maybe things have changed. But I don't know. It's very confusing. Going back to Coach Bryant, I think I shared this with you all. I wrote down everything that he ever said. I tried to. Old stories, I wrote it down.

[10:22] And I had file folders that were probably stacked on each other, would go at least five inches high. And I said, someday I'm going to give a Paul Bryant, Jr. And ask him to go ahead and write it up and let him look at it and see if I can settle it at the foot. Someone stole all those files. Oh, my goodness. There were stories I'd heard about him. And when I had a chance to be with him recruiting, I'd get home, get off that plane or whatever.

And I'd start writing down so I could remember. So, that's one of my biggest regrets is someone stole all my files on Coach. Oh, my goodness. Curly, I've asked you this before, and we've talked about it. One of the things you were so well known for in your coaching tenure was in particularly having your teams ready to play early in the season. We've talked about what you put your guys through. Just ask Gene Stallings about that when Sunday Miss upset Alabama. Talk about what you ask your players to do in the preseason.

And Curly, it paid off early in the season quite a few times. Yeah. It did. And my philosophy on that was, you know, you pat them on the back and you work them hard, make sure that those kids, I've asked coaches before, I said, is that kid important to you? Oh, heck yeah. I said, but does he know it? That's the important thing. And we try to do that with our staff. And our off-season program was tough. When I grew up, our off-season program, they took you to the overload, took you above the overload, which is not good.

And I told the coach, we're going to add off-season program, we're going to add a minute or two minutes every week to this station, this station, this station, and build it up and build it up. But make sure we do not take them beyond the overload. We can take them to it. There's a big, there's a big, big difference. So, our off-season, the winter program was very challenging. And the summer program was very challenging. And, you know, nowadays, most of those kids are on campus. And whether it was running the 110s, the 220s, and rotating, running the stadium steps, and it was very, very challenging.

But it paid off. I don't know if we ever played anyone that was in better shape than us. And like I said, my old head coach, Coach Stallings, some of the staff members tried to tell him in their workouts and training, that that bunch coming in from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is going to be in great shape. And I asked Coach Bobby Bowden at Florida State, it was our home game in Hattiesburg, and he called up, they called up Mr. McClellan at Southern Miss, and offered us a, Mr. Mack brought them in, and said, Florida State wants to move the game to Jacksonville, Florida.

And I said, how much are they going to give us? He said, $100,000. I'm going to book it. We'll do it. And our preparation and everything was the same old deal. And heat index, guys, still at halftime, the heat index was still 106. And we'd program those players as an attitude, body language, transmitted to the opponents. Wouldn't let them hit a knee in our practice. And that water breaks time, I just had to stand up same way in that ball game. And they would look over there at Florida State guys, and they're on their knees and something.

They'd come in to get some of them. But it was an attitude, and our kids believed in it, and they saw the results of it. And I remember my dear friend, Mickey Andrews, he later saw Mickey and Whitcoast together at Clemson, one of the best coaches I've ever, ever been around. And he said, currently, y'all probably cost us a national championship because we had like 13 guys of somewhere in that number that won out of the ball game and never came back. And some of them, it was a week or two because of the heat exhaustion didn't come back.

So I said, well, I'm sorry. We cost you a national championship, but I'm sure glad we won the game. But I don't know. It's a different world out there. But you still got to get them in great shape. And we took great, great pride. I don't know if we ever played against the team. Some of them beat us, but they were not in better shape than us. Yeah, Curly, I'm sure Gene Stallings. But Curly, by the way, have you talked to Coach Stallings lately? I know Rick Carley puts on Facebook from time to time.

He communicates with him. It looks like Coach Stallings and his family are still doing very well. Yeah, I talk with him. I try to get in touch with him, oh, every few weeks. But definitely, I do homemade something I've been doing all my life. I do homemade cards for my family, my bloodline, loved ones. And I do one for some special people. And so I do a homemade birthday card for Coach Stallings every year. And get it to him, then I'll call and check and say, and a lot of times he'll call back and he'll say, Curly, how long did it take you to do that card?

[15:58] And I said, Coach, I don't put a stopwatch on it, but I enjoy it and doing it because of the opportunity that he gave me through Jack Hurlbut who convinced him that he thought I could play. And so they offered him, you know, talking about those five years to play five scholarships back then, and you had five years to play four. Coach Stallings, they offered me a one-semester make good. A bit. And I thought that was the greatest thing in the world. Someone believed in me, and it turned out.

I think I left there with like 12 interceptions. And made a lot of great friends. And one of my goals, and it helped me to my biggest goal always, was I wanted to coach. I mean, naturally, I wanted to play. But when I was a sixth grader, I was Coach Hootie Ingram, football manager at Tuskegee County High School. And around that time on, I knew I really wanted to coach. And so I got to do what I always wanted to do since I was a youngster. Curly, obviously, one final question, if you don't mind.

You are the best to answer this question. You've been in Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Clemson, Mississippi State. Your thoughts about what do we misunderstand about Texas A&M? The perception is these people are swimming in money. You would think LSU is as well. Your thoughts just about the haves and the have-nots now in the modern world. What was your experience at those respective stops? Well, they both got a lot of money. And I'll say this, that in Texas, A&M and University of Texas got much, maybe more money than any schools in the country.

And so I'm a little, you know, last year A&M was in a great position. I can't remember who they were playing in the playoffs. They scored only three points. So all the facilities are there. All the money is there, especially this day and age when you can, this is what you're going to get, little Johnny. Here's going to be your contract and signing a million dollars. And LSU's got a lot of money also. But I'm not sure about all the rules. And, you know, our deal at LSU, it wasn't my failure there.

I don't need people to tell me that I failed there because I did. Yeah, it wasn't a lack of recruiting. There's four years there that we had. Every year we're in the top five in recruiting. I just made some mistakes in some other areas. But LSU is a place that traditions, they got it. A&M has traditions within that student body, the things that they believe in. And the great, it's mind-boggling, the 12th man. But it's surprising to me that they're not, hadn't been, well, heck, I guess it's been since, what, 1949?

Yeah, I think it's, yeah, or 1931. It's been a long time. I thought it was 1939, their national championship. It was Burt Foster. Burt Foster, I think. He was a rich old man. Him, Tyler, Texas. They called it Burt's Boys. But anyway, that's confusing to me. And it's been a while since Texas has won a national championship also. Oh, gee whiz. It's a long time. There's two schools that's equal to anybody in the country that, with the money, LSU's got money, too. And it looks like they're going to have a pretty good football team.

Yes. But that crowd base at both A&M and LSU, it's quite phenomenal to me. Absolutely. I agree with you about Texas A&M's tradition. It's incredible. Curly, we've got to run to a break, but I can't tell you how much we've enjoyed. Conditioning with you again, getting your thoughts on the state of college football. I'm certainly glad to hear Coach Stallings is doing well. Listen, we wish you and your family a very happy fourth. Listen, Curly, let's do this again sometime again soon. We will.

And once again, with the NIL needed intelligent leadership in Congress, they'll get it all figured out. Or not, right? Stay tuned. Curly, again, happy fourth to you and your family. Thank you so much, Utah and me. The one, the only, Curly Hallman. Coming up more on a big day at UNA after this. Stay with us. Ah, this feeling is brought to you by Aleve for back pain relief. What feeling is that, you ask? Well, it's the feeling you feel when you have relief from back pain.

That move how you want to, not how you have to feeling. That keep going through your day without slowing down feeling. The kind that brings you back to yourself all day long without interruption. Oh, yeah. Because Aleve offers long-lasting pain relief. Feel up to 12 hours of back pain relief with one dose. Feel Aleve. Use us directed for minor aches and pains. Indeed presents, hires you can't afford to get wrong. Like head administrator for a state-of-the-art surgical center. What can I do for you, Doc? We need to talk about the lights.

[21:19] Ah, the mood lighting, relaxing, right? Much better than those old hospital vibes. A hospital's supposed to have hospital vibes. You seem tense. Let's dim the lights a bit. This is a job for sponsored jobs. This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed. Next time, get matched with quality candidates with Indeed-sponsored jobs. Visit Indeed.com slash hire now and sponsor your job today. My name is Whitney Allen, and I'm a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought we'd ever have to use life insurance, but the unexpected happened.

With Ethos, signing up was fast and 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage. I am grateful we were prepared. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play. That's ethos.com slash play. Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Rich Eisen here. A SoFi personal loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible, overcoming high-interest credit card debt. Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low fixed-rate monthly payment, no fees required, and as soon as the same-day funding.

That's right. Pull off your own death-defying stunt with a SoFi personal loan. Visit SoFi.com slash trick to learn more. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need.

Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash Eisen. Terms and conditions apply. The Colonel is the king of chicken. That's why he's always had a beef with beef. But on Wednesdays, he's squashing the beef by frying it. KFC Country Fried Steak is here for only $4.99. Crispy golden outside, tender steak inside. Served with peppery gravy, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and a biscuit. At last, the Colonel and beef buried the hatchet in gravy. Get the $4.99 Country Fried Steak Wednesdays for a limited time, only at KFC.

Prices and participation may vary while supplies last. Not available on third-party ordering platforms. Text tip and fees extra. Progressive knows you could have easily taken the freeway, but you took the scenic route to see a waterfall and an oddly busy boiled peanut stand. Discovering the unexpected is exactly why you bought an RV. So protect it with a bundle from Progressive. Because although you may be three hours behind schedule, you're six jars of jam richer and possibly enrolled in a butter-churning workshop. Switch to Progressive and protect your RV, boat, or motorcycle by bundling with your home or auto insurance.

Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third-party insurance. Available in all states or situations. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Again, quickly, BB, Alabama, Auburn gets the ACC. UNA now has the UAC. It is now official. They have a new conference. Yeah, the United Athletic Conference beginning literally today. In fact, the UNA was a member of the ASUN Herald. They joined it in 2018 for an eight-year tenure. Joining UNA and the UAC will be Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Little Rock, Tarlington State, UT Arlington, and West Georgia.

West Florida will be a football member only. We'll talk to Tony Pujol after one o'clock in more detail with this. But red-letter day for UNA. Yeah, and it's going to be interesting to hook up with Coach Tony Pujol. He has had people caught in off-season. Not only has he got to adjust to a brand-new conference along with Coach Brent and Jeremy over on the football side, but some additional staff members there. It's going to be interesting to see what a year to be a UNA fan, BB.

You've got a brand-new conference with a brand-new stadium here in just a few short weeks. So, monumental times out at UNA, my friend. Yeah, UNA has a lot of momentum going into the season, no question. All right, bottom line is we're going to be talking a little bit later on with Coach Tony Pujol. We're going to be talking about the Atlanta Braves. If you have any help for the Braves, please, if you've got a spare life check, if they need it right now, they'll lead now down to a skinny two-and-a-half over the Philadelphia Fields.

The Braves will try to get back on track tonight. They take on the Cardinals at the Chop Shop. You can hear that game later on here on 93.9 The Score. But first time to hop on over the Atlantic and almost for the American, a no-no for Coco. The latest from Wimbledon on deck here on Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Including the recent French Open at Wimbledon today in the second round. She was two points from defeat. She trailed in the third set. She trailed again in the tiebreaker.

[26:36] But she pulled out the victory over Solana Sierra of Argentina. Six-three, three-six, seven-six. Yeah, I think it was just tug-of-war with us. And big shots. So I felt like a lot of times I was on the defense. I was trying to be aggressive when I could. But, yeah, overall, just happy with my serve. I mean, I thought it held up the whole match and obviously helped me in the tiebreaker. Top-seed arena Sabalenka won her match 6-1-7-6. Jessica Pagula won 7-6-6-1. Mira Andreeva, the recent French Open winner, is in the third set of her match.

Yannick Sinner won in straight sets. Novak Djokovic plays Stefano Tsitsipas coming up. This tennis update, John Stanshower, Westwood One Sports. Party at your place this summer? Fix things up inside and out with July 4th deals, now at Lowe's. Get up to 45% off select major appliances and save up to an additional 25% off when you bundle select major appliances. Plus, save $80 on a select Char-Broil Performance Series gas grill. Now $299. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Valid through 7-8. While supplies last, selection varies by location. See Lowe's.com for more details.

This summer, the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich and Pineapple Dragon Fruit and Sprite are back at Chick-fil-A. Let me tell you about the Pineapple Dragon Fruit and Sprite. It's bright. It's bubbly. It's back. The Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich. It's so rich. And you can choose between the original or the spicy filet. Ooh, boy. And then you've got those pickled jalapenos tucked right under the filet. And then just to top it all off, you've got a little honey drizzle right on top. Okay, now I'm a pimento fan.

And I'm feeling the dragon fruit. Which fan favorite will you choose? Real customers paid for their testimonials. Wouldn't it be great if you could have your insurances for auto, home, business, farm, and RVs in just one agency? That's what the Michael Noe Agency is for. We can help protect what is important for you. Why not simplify your life? Visit Michael Noe or Bill Cochran on Mobile Plaza in downtown Florence or call them at 256-767-4237. Nationwide is on your side. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliates, Columbus, Ohio.

Subject to underwriting guidelines and approval. T-Mobile has an exclusive bundle for customers 55 and up. I'm Sarah Bull. Yeah, I'm Frank Bull. A reliable network is key for us. And with T-Mobile, it's been wonderful. And going to the 55-plus land saved us so much money. A lot. And that's important. Trying to keep costs down. The home internet's been perfect. It's fast. It's quick. The setup was so easy. It took less than 15 minutes. It was like, ta-da! If you want simplicity, coverage, reliability, you want the whole package, T-Mobile has it.

Right now, T-Mobile customers 55 and up can get two phone lines on America's best network. Plus, America's fastest 5G home internet for just 30 bucks each. $30 per month each line with auto pay plus taxes and fees. Minimum age 55. Pricing for home internet rely on two lines of essentials choice 55. $35 connection charge per line required. Best mobile network and fastest 5G home internet based on analysis by Oclo of Speedtest Intelligence Data 2H 2025. All rights reserved. While the world watches the stars of the FIFA World Cup, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent.

Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because next doesn't wait for an invitation. And neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle. And engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. And we're still doing it every day. Because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai. An official partner of FIFA. When's the last time payroll was the easy part of your week? With Gusto, it can be.

Gusto is the all-in-one platform designed to take the hassle out of managing your team. From payroll and compliance to hiring, onboarding, and more. With Gusto, you can get back two full days each month with all the time you have saved. Go to Gusto.com today and learn why over 500,000 small businesses choose Gusto. That's G-U-S-T-O.com. Gusto.com. That's the ease at which you get information. You want it? You get it. Like that. Ask your phone. Group chat. Smartphone. You're always connected and informed in real time.

No waiting. So if you're diabetic and still using finger sticks to read your blood sugar, what are you waiting for? Knowing your blood sugar levels instantly is important for managing diabetes. Call U.S. Med at 888-665-0696. To learn more about continuous glucose monitors, a real-time, instant method to track your blood glucose, U.S. Med is an approved provider for Medicare and over 1,000 private insurers. And the best part? Call 888-665-0696. And we'll give you a free insurance benefits check today. So call 888-665-0696 today.

[31:46] That's 888-665-0696. And manage your diabetes as easy as… My name is Whitney Allen, and I'm a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought we'd ever have to use life insurance, but the unexpected happened. With Ethos, signing up was fast and 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage. I am grateful we were prepared. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play. That's ethos.com slash play.

Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. The U.S. Treasury just released its official financial report for 2025. Buried in it is a startling admission. By its own numbers, it appears the U.S. government is insolvent. When governments go this deep in debt, they print money, raise taxes, or cut benefits, none of which can help protect you. That's why people move part of their savings into physical gold and silver. Call Monetary Gold at 877-NOW-GOLD for their complimentary gold and silver guide. That's 877-NOW-GOLD.

Call Monetary Gold now at 877-NOW-GOLD. Do it before the next headline. Not after. Performance may vary. You should always consult your financial and tax professional. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9. The score. The Atlanta Braves fell yesterday at home as they lost to the Cardinals 5-3. Both teams had six hits in the ball game as the Braves dropped to 49-34. Braves and Cardinals back at it tonight at Truist Park. Ronaldo Lopez will start for Atlanta. He has 3-1 on the season. United States is set to play in the round of 32 tonight in the World Cup as they take on Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Winner is on to the round of 16 against either Belgium or Senegal. Those two meet this afternoon. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93-9. The score. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93-9, the score. Welcome back, Ian. What do you say we head on down to T-Town and say hello to Rodney Orr. He's the founder and editor of tighterinsider.com and the fine author of a book called Bigger Than Bama.

Rodney Orr, welcome in. How are you? I am doing well, Harold and Brett. How are you guys? Hey, bud. Got a question for you on this end, Rodney. To answer your question, this thing called Recruiting in 2026. Would you agree, trying to keep up with it, well, if you're not careful, turn your hair gray? Well, Harold, I don't have to worry about that. Neither do I, Rodney. Neither do I. You're talking about, if not Grisham, but a little helpful over the last few days. Bama fans have been wondering about some numbers.

They got, what, five at last report? Maybe you got some updated information there, Rodney. But where do you start in breaking down the latest haul to this class for Bama? Well, I mean, I think, obviously, Asani Gales is a big pickup for them. You know, the wide receiver out of IMG Academy who committed over the weekend. And, you know, he's a top-rated player. I mean, obviously, he's a big-time talent, can do a lot of things. I think, certainly, a guy that you look at him and you would kind of judge him as an early contributor, you know, on this level.

So, I thought that was a really big pickup. And, you know, right now, he's the receiver that's committed in this class. I think there's another one probably coming on July 4th. Kyron Caldwell would be my guess. You know, they got some other guys. Jeremiah Beverly from here at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa. Maybe an underrated player. Maybe like an Anthony Jennings-type edge player, 6'2", 235, maybe not the tallest guy. But has a lot of tools, man. He's a hard worker. I know that Jamie Mitchell, the head coach at Hillcrest, is, you know, a very successful coach.

He's won state championships over in Mississippi. And when he says he likes a player, that says something. He says that Jeremiah Beverly is one of the hardest workers he's had and a real talent. So, I think that was a nice pickup close to home. I don't think you'll have to worry about him, you know, jumping ship on you. Tyler Younger is another player that they picked up recently. Edge player from Norcross, Georgia. Really impressed the coaching staff. At the camp earlier this summer, at the camp he attended, he's got a lot of the measurables you look for.

6'5", about 225, guys can fill out. Good athleticism. Again, he's a guy that you develop over a period of time. Maybe not the most highly rated player in his position, but I know that he's a really good-looking player in terms of his potential. And then the offensive tackle, or offensive lineman that they committed, Stafford Willis out of ARAB, is about 6'5", 285 or so. He's got some filling out to do. He's got some time to do it. I think you look at him. Like a lot of offensive linemen, you have to project them as being developed over a period of time.

[36:57] So, you know, he has a lot of tools. There were a lot of schools, several schools that were after him, UCLA among them. So, you know, he's a player that I think can be developed over time. But, you know, the one thing that really sticks out to me, Harold and Brett, about this recruiting class, people can say, whatever. I know it's a small class. I can get all that. And I understand that they've got some, you know, linemen that they feel like are going to come back on the offensive and defensive sides for next year.

But I don't know that I've ever seen a class, if it ends up this way, with two linemen, one on each side of the ball, one on each side of the ball. So, that's interesting. Absolutely. Rodney, Hayden Stepp, five-star cornerback, I know was in on Alabama for a while. It appears today, in fact, he's going to, I believe, announce this afternoon, predicted to Oregon. Antoine Jackson now predicted to Ole Miss. And, again, I'm sure NIL has a little bit to do with that. Is that what you're hearing, Stepp, will pick Oregon and Antoine Jackson eventually end up going to Ole Miss?

I believe he's going to choose Friday. Well, I tell you, Hayden Stepp, I know that he had a great visit to Alabama. Yes, that's been kind of the trend there is Oregon. Alabama did pick up another commitment that I didn't mention, the cornerback, Darius White, from over in Georgia. He's a real talented player. I don't know if it's the description of Alabama corners, real tall, 6'3". So, yes, I think Hayden Stepp, probably Oregon. Don't see it being Alabama. How many corners do you need? I mean, I think Alabama recruits the secondary as well as the one in the country.

They get really good players. But, I mean, at some point, you know, you'd like to see some more trenches, I think. But, with that said, and you mentioned, who was the other one, Brett? Jackson, Antoine Jackson. Yeah, Antoine Jackson. You know, I think he's going to be a bandit defensive, or would have been a bandit defensive end if he ended up here at Alabama. He's about 6'5", 235, 240. He's got a lot of frame on him. You know, he's going to get bigger. And, you know, I posted, I guess it was four or five days ago, that my Ole Miss people, or people in Mississippi, not necessarily Ole Miss sources, but they said they tell me that Ole Miss felt really, really good about him.

And, you know, everybody was saying Missouri at that time. But it looks like now, like you said, I haven't checked recently because I don't think it's going to be Alabama. But you say now it's trending to Ole Miss, and that's what my people told me last week. On yourtiterinsider.com, just listening to you talk there, Rodney, it's hard for a long-time Alabama fans to hear teams like Ole Miss and Missouri basically beating out Alabama for a prize to recruit. And back to your point about the line, you know, everybody's asking the question, why so few?

Well, we know the answer by now. Alabama says, well, we recruited so many in the last two classes that it's a numbers game. But we also know two other things. This number's not going to stay the same. I don't see that possibly happening because somebody's going to come and pick these guys off for the better deal because they're not playing for a bunch of other reasons. Or they are playing and they've got super years and Alabama won't pay their prize. So what happens in that case?

And, Rodney, we all know, and this is just cutting to the chase. It's not taking sides, taking shots, or anything like this. It's just grown men trying to use common sense and logic. What was it that got Gus Malzahn and those styles over those years in Charlotte at Auburn, they didn't recruit linemen year in and year out? Yeah, and I think, you know, maybe the feeling is, look, we can do what we did last year if we need to fill in with linemen. We can go to the portal.

Now, again, if you're going to go to the portal and you're going to compete for top guys. You're going to pay money. You're going to pay a lot of money. So I really don't know quite the philosophy on that. Maybe they feel like they can do that. I mean, I think some of the guys they got last year, you look, they got a couple of young guys. Rayhorn and Ty Haywood from Michigan, Nick Brooks from Texas, you know, maybe that young players that need development. And they did get a couple of experienced guys, but they were Grayson Delgatti from Cal Poly, a lower division school.

Now, Javon James Scott at Mississippi State that I think probably was a really good pickup. And I think Delgatti was, too. So, but you can go to the portal. I mean, they got Terrence Green last year and Kedrick, the kid from Mississippi State. Bingley Jones, Kedrick Bingley Jones. And they got the kid from South Carolina Zulu, Desmond Zulu. And then, of course, you know, some of the others that they got on the defensive line. So I think they feel good about Devin Tompkins as well. So maybe they feel, Harold and Brett, that they can go to the portal and get a guy like a Devin Tompkins from USC or someone like that if they need to.

[42:12] Ronnie, we've asked you about Monson, Alabama sales, Indianapolis, five-star. Born in Birmingham, lived in the Inslee, grew up in Alabama, fan. But, of course, now Indiana is in on along with Ohio State, Texas. This has kind of gone back and forth, seemed to be an Alabama lean. Earlier this year, Indiana, Ohio State, Texas, of course, involved there, too. Had a good visit to Alabama, seems to maybe have moved a little bit closer to Alabama. But he's going to be a lot of money, and there's no question about it.

Big kid, 6'5", 205, different receiver, kind of like a Derek Meadows. What's the latest on Alabama sales? Well, you know, again, I think he had a great visit to Alabama a few weeks ago, last month. So, we know that, but, I mean, I don't know if Alabama's, what their situation is, how much they want to invest in another receiver. You know, the word was that, you know, they weren't, the feeling was that they didn't have to have a receiver, top receiver. I mean, I kind of was looking at that and saying, well, you know, you don't know.

I mean, it's always good to be able to pick off a top guy. But they got a Sonny Gales now. So, I don't know how they really feel about investing into a Mon Sean sales. I'm sure they would love to have him. My guess is, Brett, that he would probably end up somewhere like in Indiana or, because Indiana has to prioritize him. He is in that state now in Indianapolis. So, you would think they would. I'm sure Cignetti's saying, hey, guess what? I recruited Julio Jones.

He played for me, you know, at Alabama for three years or whatever. So, I don't know there. Texas, like you mentioned, Miami, Ohio State. I would expect him to go somewhere else. Maybe Alabama can trade a couple of those cornerbacks to Indiana for a player to be named later for sales and cash considerations. Rodney Orr, tighterinsider.com. Rodney, this is the season for the preseason magazines to come out. We're going to be getting a fellow on by the name of Phil Steele here, hopefully, very soon.

Talk about his picks. The reason to bring him up, I don't know if you've seen his observations. Just get your take on it. He's got his top ten out, and something that we haven't seen in a long time with his top ten, no Alabama. Alabama's just outside of number 11. He's got a projected, though, to start outside of the top ten, but be there at the end of the season and play in for serious cash at the end of the year. Rodney, your thoughts? If I'm a coach at Alabama, I don't want to be number one.

That's the one place I don't want to be in June or July. I want to be there in December and January. But what does your vibe tell you right now about this team? Number 11, by most, I think that would be the consensus spot. That's where they start. Your thoughts about where they'll end. Well, Harold, that is a great question. I mean, I could see this team eight and four. I could see it ten and two. I could see it ten and two. I think if some pieces come together, and I'm not making the prediction, but I could see if some pieces come together, they win the first five games.

Some of these players grow up, develop the quarterback, really takes a big step over those five games. They settle in. Then Georgia comes to town. If they're 5-0 when Georgia comes here and built some confidence and some momentum, I think this place will be a real advantage for Alabama. The home atmosphere is going to probably be wild. And we'll see what happens in that game and then how it kind of impacts the rest of the season. But, again, Harold and Brett, you've got so many new faces.

But most teams do. You know, most teams do have a lot of transition, a lot of new faces. But I think we'll see. I think they feel like they're going to be good defensively. They need to be better up front defensively again. Continue to improve against the run. The board himself has said that. Inside backer, the lack of experience is a key. I think they're loaded in the secondary. On the offense, I mean, I think you guys know the offensive line is the big question mark.

The running back room, although I think Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley really put in a lot of work. They lost weight. Or Riley got bigger. He looks better. I think Hill obviously lost weight in the spring. So, those guys look better. And you've got that freshman, E.J. Crowell. He could be the real difference maker. Yeah, X-factor. And then a quarterback. You know, I love Austin Mack. Man, the guy's got a great arm. He's got a lot of tools. And he has really put in the time.

[47:14] But Keelan Russell just seems to me to have that Bryce Young feel to him. I mean, the things that he can do. He just seems to have the it factor. Can raise the level of the players around him. I don't know if he can do it this year. But, you know, we'll see. He just seems to have that ability, guys. I mean, and so that's not really necessarily a prediction on what I think the quarterback. I want to see some August what happens there the first couple of weeks.

But, you know, this team has potential. And probably things fall into place. And they're well-coached and well-disciplined and fundamentally sound and all of those things. I think they certainly have a chance to be a 10-2 team and make the playoffs. Ronnie, I've been asked 40 times this year, can they run the ball more effectively? And you had an article and highlighted some players. Josh Ford. And I agree with you. I think he's going to make a big difference in the run game. They've also added some coaches.

Coach Clem, the new tight end coach. And they brought in an assistant earlier in the month. Delgati at center has got a lot of potential. Jabin James at right tackle. CJ Morgan and Derek Meadows, the 6'5", 6'3". Big, tall, rangy receivers. We'll see. But this is a good camp, so you also talk about Devin Tompkins and Caleb Woodson, et cetera. But, again, the potential is there. They've just got to put it together. Exactly. Now, I think a lot of those guys are guys that I think can know either really be key players or certainly key contributors, you know, in other roles.

I mean, I look at those two receivers you're talking about. And, you know, I think with Noah Rodgers going down, one of those two could be really important. Meadows and Sedari and Morgan. We talked about Crowell. I think he can be really a very important player on this team with his ability as a running back. You know, it's just a lot of things that you look at, you know, in that group that you mentioned. And if they come together, I think this has a chance to be, you know, a really good team.

You know, the thing I think, Harold and Brett, that really strikes me, though, is what we've seen for two years is the inconsistent play. Thank you. You know, one week. And toughness. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're right in the focus. So, I think it's one week you play, you beat Georgia, and the next week you fall on your face. You go to Baton Rouge and beat a really good LSU team, and the next week you lay an egg. I mean, these types of things, we've seen it happen.

So, it's just the inconsistencies in performance that I think that's going to be the thing that I'm going to be most interested in seeing, you know, how this team plays week to week. Absolutely. And, again, you mentioned Georgia. Everybody's keying on that game. They got a maturity test the next week. I know it's a rival, but they're going to Knoxville the next week. And that's been one of the issues with killing the board teams. You get a big emotional win and then fall and then face plant the next week.

We'll see how that goes. Again, the absolute latest on recruiting, other sports. You've got the latest with TI, a never-ending message board. All the latest. Ronnie, where can we get all the great stuff? TI TV, of course, for a nominal price. And, once again, I keep talking about these five stars off the field. It's beach time. Where can we buy the book? Yeah, at tighterinsider.com, it's only $48 a year. You can get instant access with your credit card now. Or, if you prefer, there is an address there to send a check, and that gives you the information you mentioned.

But, also, our all-sports forum. That's our community of Alabama fans there. Man, it's non-stop. You're right. A lot of discussion there right now. And then, also, the book, Bigger Than Bama. You can go to rodneyor.com. You can go to Amazon. Get all the details there on Bigger Than Bama. And, you know, if you're interested, you'll see there where you can order it. In the meantime, Rodney, light up the fireworks, be safe out there, and let's do it again soon, okay? Okay, guys. Thank you, bud.

On your battered editor at tighterinsider.com. And, again, the book's called Bigger Than Bama. Coming up, Drew DeArmond is on deck. Mike Huganen and a man who's about to wade into new territory. UNA coach, Tony Fuhle and Morris, right ahead of the Boom Old Bug Show. Stay with us. Indeed presents, hires you can't afford to get wrong, like a social media manager. Did you just post our Q4 earnings to your personal social media? Oh, yeah. Used a trending audio and everything. That's confidential financial data. Relax.

[52:26] It only went a little viral. The SEC just commented with the eyeball-watching emoji. This is a job for sponsored jobs. This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed. Next time, get matched with quality candidates with Indeed-sponsored jobs. Visit indeed.com slash hire now and sponsor your job today. From the FIFA World Cup to competitive business environments, grand ambitions lead to game-changing achievements. At Bank of America, we're there to support businesses at every step, providing insights and expertise to help you gain an edge.

He shoots, he scores! What would you like the power to do? Explore winning business solutions at bfa.com slash gamechangers. Bank of America, official bank of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Hey, it's Rich Eisen for Pella Windows and Doors. Sometimes teams take a timeout to regroup and call the right play. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always has the winning game plan. They're not just window and door experts. They're experts at taking care of you and your home. At Pella, they find the products that meet your needs and their experts install them.

They do it every day, and that's why your neighbors trust them. Discover why Pella is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere. Visit Pella.com slash Eisen today. That's Pella.com slash Eisen. I'm David Ortiz. When I lost my mom, she was only 46, and I lost my dad to cancer. It was the worst pain I ever felt. It made me think, what will happen with the people I love when my time is up? That's why I have life insurance. Ethos makes it easy. It's all online, take about 10 minutes, and you can get up to $3 million and cover it.

Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's ethos.com slash game. Pay testimonial. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. The colonel is the king of chicken. That's why he's always had a beef with beef. But on Wednesdays, he's squashing the beef by frying it. KFC Country Fried Steak is here for only $4.99. Crispy golden outside, tender steak inside. Served with peppery gravy, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and a biscuit. At last, the colonel in beef buried the hatchet in gravy. Get the $4.99 Country Fried Steak Wednesdays for a limited time, only at KFC.

Prices and participation may vary while supplies last. Not available on third-party ordering platforms. Text tip and fees extra. Progressive knows you could have easily taken the freeway, but you took the scenic route to see a waterfall and an oddly busy-boiled peanut stand. Discovering the unexpected is exactly why you bought an RV. So protect it with a bundle from Progressive. Because although you may be three hours behind schedule, you're six jars of jam richer and possibly enrolled in a butter-churning workshop. Switch to Progressive and protect your RV, boat, or motorcycle by bundling with your home or auto insurance.

Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third-party insurers. Available in all states or situations. In this business, time matters. You're always looking for ways to be more efficient and stay ahead. We all have our own time-saving hacks. But if you're a business owner, how can you save time hiring? The answer? ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter has a new feature that shows you the most interested, qualified candidates first. Save time and meet great candidates sooner with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.

Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash sports. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash sports. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. If Twisted Tea Hard Ice Tea was your best friend, it would be the kind of friend that starts an impromptu dance party in the supermarket aisle that turns into an all-day pool party rager in your place and you don't even own a pool. Twisted Tea Hard Ice Tea turns any day into a legendary adventure. It's smooth and refreshing real iced tea with just the right kick of alcohol.

Twisted Tea Hard Ice Tea. Keep it twisted. Twisted Tea Brewing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please drink responsibly. Western 1 Sports presents this World Soccer Update. In Atlanta, a round of 32 games between England and Congo DR. And Congo scored seven minutes in. It stayed 1-0, Congo, until a Harry Kane header in the 75th minute and the 68 minutes in between. Congo had a great scoring chance late first half. Numerous scoring chances for England. The Congo goalkeeper, Impassi, made some brilliant saves. And he made a great one, but England controlled the rebound, got it to Kane.

He put it, a drive, up high, 86th minute. It's just gone final. 2-1 England with Kane getting both goals. He's got five in four games, 13 now in his World Cup career. Took both Belgium and Senegal the third and final game in group play to get a win, gain entry to the round of 32. Senegal, only team to get him with only three points. They played today in Seattle and then tonight in Santa Clara. It's the U.S. and Bosnia-Herzegovina. John Stasher, West Woodward Sports. Party at your place this summer?

Fix things up inside and out with July 4th deals, now at Lowe's. Get up to 45% off select major appliances and save up to an additional 25% off when you bundle select major appliances. Plus, save $80 on a select Char-Broil Performance Series gas grill, now $299. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's, valid through 7-8. While supplies last, selection varies by location. See Lowe's.com for more details. This summer, the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich and Pineapple Dragon Fruit and Sprite are back at Chick-fil-A. Let me tell you about the Pineapple Dragon Fruit and Sprite.

[57:57] It's bright, it's bubbly, it's back. The Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich, it's so rich. And you can choose between the original or the spicy filet. Ooh, boy. And then you've got those pickled jalapenos tucked right under the filet, and then just to top it all off, you've got a little honey drizzle right on top. Okay, now I'm a pimento fan. And I'm feeling the dragon fruit. Which fan favorite will you choose? Real customers paid for their testimonials. It is an absolute pleasure for us to welcome the man who is the Big Orange Whisperer and the Dog Whisperer.

Vince Rara, the V-Man. Welcome in. How are you? I am good, gentlemen. Not necessarily in that order, right? No. Like Daphne is priority, and then work and covering the balls comes after that, even though it's very enjoyable. You guys are a team, are you not, V-Man? Because you take care of Daphne, but when you go on walks, does Daphne ever bring over, say, the ladies and say, oh, what a cute puppy, and you just kind of happen to start the conversation. Does Daphne do her part in that regard?

You know, being that I'm single, we're kind of still at the work in progress. Right. You know, she can elevate her game and helping dad out in that regard. So, we're basically in training camp for that. So, hopefully we'll be ready for the start of the season here at some point soon. Yes, an extra treat if Bingo happens to be the game. The Boomo Bugg Show, weekdays noon to 2 on 93.9 The Score. 93.9 The Score weather. Today, sunny and hot with a 20% chance of afternoon showers, high around 100.

Heat index values as high as 110, and extreme heat warning is in effect. Tonight, mostly clear with a low near 75. Tomorrow, sunny and hot with a high around 95. Tomorrow night, mostly clear with a 30% chance of showers overnight and a low near 75. Ampere Friday, sunny with a 20% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms with a high around 95. 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 tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in our tour of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us three rides around the Tennessee Valley. And for a man who used to have, I guess, an off-season, but say goodbye to that. Never an off-season now for UNA men's basketball coach, Tony Pujol. Coach, welcome in. Long time. How are you? How are you guys doing, man?

Hey, Tony. Great to be back. You too, man. I'll tell you what, Coach. You blink and you get behind trying to follow UNA, do you not? I know the fourth is not until, what, this weekend, but some early fireworks. It's official. Goodbye, Ason. Hello, UAC. Talk to us about your new conference home, Coach. Yeah, we personally love it. It is going to definitely be an upgrade as far as just the teams in the league, you know, from those schools out in Dallas, UT Arlington, Tarleton State, and Abilene Christian to the addition of, you know, University of Arkansas, Little Rock.

And then, obviously, the five schools that came from the A-Sun, ourselves, Central Arkansas, Austin Peay, West Georgia, and Eastern Kentucky. I think it's just a really well-rounded group of players and coaches and universities that are going to make it extremely, extremely challenging for everybody in the league. The thing is, Coach, you better keep some spare luggage. That sounds like a lot of traveling now, too. It goes both ways. They've got to come to you. But that's the price you pay, as they say back in the old days of TV, when you move on up.

Yeah, no doubt. No doubt. And here's a couple of the positives from this. You know, for us, we normally would fly if we were going to, you know, Florida, right? We would have to fly out of Nashville sometimes or Birmingham. You know, the cool thing now from Huntsville is there's a direct flag. We don't cover the three schools there. So we would only have to drive about an hour up the road and then fly directly into Dallas, into those areas. In fact, that's where the conference tournament is going to be played, just outside in the suburbs of Dallas in Allen, Texas.

So it's an easy flight up there. So, you know, yeah. And the rest of them, obviously, they're bus rides. They're teams that have been in our league that we just bus ride to anyway. So it's going to be a challenge. But like anything else, we're looking forward to it. Tony, I know you're also looking forward to seeing what Tate Fields can do. I saw you on a TV interview earlier this week. Signed a summer league deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Congratulations to Tate and you, a former player.

[1:03:20] Tony, talk about what he did for you and his potential to get into the NBA. Well, we're extremely proud and very excited for Tate Fields. You know, it just goes to show you the type of human being he is, the type of young man he is. You know, he truly understands what it is to be a professional. He did it while he was here. You know, he was an everyday guy. He was a guy that understood how to just get away from the distractions and focus on the things that he needed to do to be successful on the court.

And it's no different at the next level. And what he's gotten, he has truly earned. To be the first guy to be signed by a pro team, the first guy since Otis Boddy. Right? I mean, there's only been two individuals from the basketball era here at this university that have done this. You know, we're just extremely proud of him at what he's been able to accomplish. Well, here's the deal, Coach. Not only that, you mentioned in this era, now you're going to get more exposure. So what you just used there, kind of like an old-fashioned cookbook that a grandma used, there's the recipe right there.

You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't work and polish it, guess what? There's going to be a short end to your career. But if you keep your nose to grindstone, it tells you you can play at Notre Dame, Alabama, anywhere. If you go out there and do your job, these folks have a way of finding you. I don't care if it's in Florence, Italy or Florence, Alabama. You're 100% correct. You know, both of you understand this more than a lot of folks.

It's all about the choices that these young men make. All right. The talent level, the talent level is the talent. Right. Now it comes down to the choices. Right. And the choices that this young man makes, number one, he prioritizes winning above everything else. And how I know that's a fact is all you've got to do is watch him play. He impacts the game in so many different ways, statistically, analytically, by far, one of the best players in the country while he played here. He was top five analytically in the country.

All levels, from the power fives all the way down to us. I mean, it was all the way across the board. He impacted every facet of the game. And to me, that's the reason why you've got teams like the Sixers and teams like the Houston Rockets and teams like the Memphis Grizzlies who were contacting us during the summer last year, wanting to know more about Tate from a character standpoint, which, in my opinion, is what separates him from just the rest of the folks. Coach, you use the A-word there, analytics, and we hear it more and more now.

You're a veteran of the coaching business. Probably when you started, you're like a lot of us. You didn't know what the word meant. How big of a factor is the A-word now in putting together your game plan? There's a famous movie out there called Moneyball, guys. And I think you all know it. And one of the things in that movie that Brad Pitt, who's playing Billy Beans, says is adapt or die, right? And I think whenever you're in a profession, the one thing that is a constant in life is there's going to be change.

And for us, analytics became a source just like the portal is a challenge, just like the NIL deal and all that stuff. Analytics became something that was a tool that needed to be used, right? It doesn't give you all the information that you need, but it definitely helps. And for us, yeah, we utilize it. We have a company that we utilize called HDI that we deal with on a daily basis that not only helps us with scouting reports, our own players, and even future players. The analytics is something that we definitely use.

So we understand the value of it, and we want to maximize the resources that we have to help our players out as much as we can. Tony, speaking of making good choices, boy, did you ever make some in hiring some new assistant coaches? Drew Stutz, Harold and I talked to him twice when he was on another run for a national championship. But you've added some other guys along with Drew. I'm very impressed with the guys you've hired. Well, I appreciate you saying that, and I want you to know that, you know, and I'll start with Drew.

I think Coach Stutz has done an amazing job at Freed Hardman. You know, to win two national championships in three years, speaks volumes of just the program that he built there, the character, you know, just the type of human being he is. But I'll tell you one thing. The attention to detail, which Coach Stutz, you know, being around him for the past seven, eight years, we played against each other about seven years ago. And just know that I put him on the schedule one time, and that was it for me, right?

[1:08:32] I could already tell. And I kid him a lot because we went 1-0. We beat him. And I told him that was it for me. I was going to only play him once. I'll finish my career versus him in 1-0. So, but I can tell you this, his attention to detail is elite. His building relationships with players, again, another one of his strengths. So, I'm really, we're really blessed to have Drew with us. Obviously, Perrin Foote comes from Florida State. He's been on the court at VMI.

He was at Missouri with Coach Gates, and he started his career. He started everything at Cleveland State before he joined Florida State for his, you know, for the first time in the ACC. So, his knowledge, his energy is elite as well. And then, obviously, we rehired Will Soucy. Soucy played for us, it seemed like, for an eternity, right? The Iron Lion. Yep. And I'll tell you, he's made a tremendous impact right away. I realize now, more than ever, what an asset and how much value Will brought to our team while he's a player.

Now, he's only continuing to do so as a coach. Can't measure hard, I guarantee it. Coach, speaking of X's and O's and Jimmy's and Joe's, how are the off-season workouts going? Your thoughts about this team? And since you're going into a brand-new conference, probably you and A fans are saying, who is the bad guy? Who is the big beast in your new conference? Well, I can tell you right now, there's a lot of history with the teams that are coming in, right? Arkansas Little Rock. That's always been, you know, that's always been a team that's, you know, always had a lot of success.

Abilene Christian has made the NCAA tournament. Tarleton State, you know, their facilities, their resources are, you know, one of the best, not only in our conference, but in all of mid-major. UT Arlington, again, having a lot of success out there. And then, obviously, the teams in our league, right? Like, Eastern Kentucky, what can you say about what Coach Hamilton has done there? You know, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, what Coach Schulman has done at Central Arkansas. Like, I can go on and on about all the teams that are in the league.

So, I just think right now, you're seeing a lot of programs trying to buy for those, just who's going to be the top team in the league. So, I'm looking forward to the challenges that every one of those programs bring. Tony, before we let you go, how many hours, I believe it used to be eight per week during the summer. How many hours does the NCAA allow for on-court instruction now? Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. This is a different year for us. It's still eight hours, but what the NCAA has kind of given us leeway with is we can utilize those eight hours now how we see fit, right?

So, if you want to go all eight hours on the court, you can do that. If you want to go all eight hours in the weight room, you can do that. So, you know, it's been for us, for us, it's been trial and error right now, just kind of getting used to it. But it's something that, like anything else, you know, when you have a staff like ours that, again, we live in the details, we live in the details, I think we've done a really good job of balancing out the hours in the summertime.

So, really been thankful for, again, all the input that the new guys have brought in, and myself and Coach Smith having the most experience on our staff, you know, to just kind of guide everybody through everything that's going on. Absolutely. Tony, we always appreciate your time. Have a great 4th of July. Enjoy some time with family. Hopefully, we can do this again with you real, real soon. Always a pleasure, guys. Thank you for having me on the show. Absolutely. Thank you for taking time. Busy boy right there.

UNA men's basketball coach, Tony Poole. Coming up, time to slide on down to the big old Orlando and Mike Hugan and on deck. Stay with us. Florence Sunday's just got a whole lot tastier. Join us every Sunday, 10 to 2, for brunch at Sam's Sports Grill Florence. Fill your plate with brunch favorites like chicken and waffles, shrimp creole, French toast, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, savory sausage, and much more. Whether you're gathering with family after church, meeting friends for brunch, or simply treating yourself to a great meal, Sam's has something for everyone.

Pair with a Bloody Mary or a mimosa for only $6. Brunch is now served every Sunday, 10 to 2, at Sam's Sports Grill Florence. Make our place your place. For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters. Tramphia offers self-injection or intravenous infusion from the start. Tramphia is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks. If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tramphia, proper training is required. Tramphia is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.

[1:13:44] Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections, or lower ability to fight them, and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Tramphia today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit TramphiaRadio.com. We all hear the radio ads about the IRS. They tell you to be afraid, to be scared, and they try to frighten you into calling. I'm not here to do that.

Tax relief advocates is different. TRA is here to tell you that if you owe money to the IRS, whether it's $5,000, $50,000, or $500,000, we have a solution. It doesn't matter if you're sitting in your car, at work, or with your kids. No matter where you are, call now. 800-575-6759. Don't lose hope. TRA can eliminate or reduce what you owe to the IRS. There is zero risk to you. If we can't reduce your tax debt, then you pay nothing. Our passion is taxes and helping individuals fix their IRS problems.

We have a five-star rating on Google and Yelp, and an A-plus with the Better Business Bureau. You don't need to be afraid of the IRS any longer. End your tax nightmare today by visiting us online at tra.com or call 800-575-6759. That's 800-575-6759. Tax relief advocates, real solutions for real people. Hey, it's Rich Eisen for Pella Windows and Doors. Sometimes teams take a time out to regroup and call the right play. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always has the winning game plan.

They're not just window and door experts. They're experts at taking care of you and your home. At Pella, they find the products that meet your needs, and their experts install them. They do it every day, and that's why your neighbors trust them. Discover why Pella is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere. Visit Pella.com slash Eisen today. That's Pella.com slash Eisen. Your ambition just met its match with Robinhood. You play for the win, not just on game day. Every day, channel that drive into your money.

Robinhood puts you in control. All on one platform. You expect more from yourself. Expect more from your money. Get started today at Robinhood.com slash your money. Again, that's Robinhood.com slash your money. Your money. Your move. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Welcome back in. It's hot here, but it's always hot in Mike Huthan's backyard. Orlando, Florida. National College football slash basketball analyst. Mike, welcome in. How are you? Yeah, actually enjoying the soccer so far. So, but the soccer's been good.

Today's July 1st, which means that by the end of this month. That's right. By the end of this month, we're going to have college football teams on the practice field. You know what, Mike? The Big 12, if I'm not mistaken. There are media days, just a few days. Now, looking at the calendar here, in case you're keeping the score at home, from this Saturday, okay, let's go to Saturday, which is the 4th, which for most of us here, and I'm sure for you, is the unofficial beginning of college football season.

Only eight Saturdays until the first weekend of college football, and only nine to the first big Saturday of college football. Are you ready? Is it finally time to sit here and put all this off-the-field talk in a box and get down to action? So, but given the way college football and college athletics in general is these days, there's something that's going to happen in those eight weeks. So, but again, by the end of the month, teams will be on the practice field, and maybe then some of the off-field stuff will go away.

But, yeah, we're getting closer and closer to real games being played, and that's obviously a positive. Well, we got a long time to discuss this. In fact, you really don't get serious about it to mid-season. But who is Mike Huguenin's Heisman candidates? I heard C.J. Carr, the Notre Dame quarterback, showed out at the Manning Passing Academy. June Sang, more Jeremiah Smith, maybe the best player in the country. More at Oregon. Gunnar Stockton at Georgia. Then, of course, Arch at Texas. Who's your favorite going into the season?

That's an interesting question. I think to an extent, you know, I think the betting favorite is going to be Arch Manning. But I think Trinidad Chambliss would be an interesting, maybe double, you know, maybe 10-1, 12-1. And how good's Ole Miss going to be, though, without Lane Kiffin? Darian Mensah in Miami could be an interesting dark horse candidate. Josh Hoover in Indiana. I'm interested in seeing if he can sort of dial back on some of the mistakes he made at TCU now that he's in Indiana.

[1:18:54] But I agree with you. I think if you're voting for the best player, the best player in college football this year is going to be Jeremiah Smith. I think he could have been an NFL guy as a true freshman. As an 18-year-old, the guy's a freak. Yes, he benefits from having a ton of talented teammates. But the vice versa is correct as well. Sayan is a better quarterback because Jeremiah Smith is on the receiving end. Every other Ohio State receiver is better because of Jeremiah Smith because Jeremiah Smith draws double teams.

So I don't know if a wide receiver can win the Heisman again. It's happened before. But I think a lot of times when a receiver has a phenomenal season, well, that means the quarterback has a phenomenal season as well. So Julian Sayan and Jeremiah Smith sort of are dependent on each other. But from a sheer talent level, to me, there's no question Jeremiah Smith's the best player. In the huddle with Mike Hugen. Mike, is the word in modern sports loophole? Here's what's interesting about it. We talked, obviously, ad nauseum about this kid, Brendan Sorsby at Texas Tech.

We all know what happened. But over the last few days, he was denied the supplemental draft for the NFL. And then you add the latest wrinkle. He's going to play this season at Manny, Iowa, Western Community College. Why? Because he can go there and now be eligible for the real NFL draft next year. How good is Iowa Western Community College going to be? And how many other guys in similar situations are going to say, hey, I see a loophole here. I can go put time in and still cash the big check maybe within 12 months.

Yeah, I'll be honest. I need to read up a heck of a lot more on this. My presumption was if you played major college football, you can't go backward and play junior college football. It's bizarre. I believe he's a fifth-year senior. You know, is he even going to take a class? And I'll be honest. If you're a fifth-year senior who still needs classes, you can have a junior college level class, then you ain't have much of an academic career. So that is really weird to me.

I don't even know. I guess Sorsby feels that he needs to stay sort of in playing shape. But I don't know what that's going to do, you know, to make him sharp for the NFL. And also, I'm interested in if you're an Iowa Western Community College quarterback, wait a second here. Why am I even here if you're going to be playing junior, 24 years old, and he's played major college football his whole life? His whole athletic life, at least. So that is, yeah, you're right. I mean, you know, you talked earlier about, you know, let's start talking about on-the-field stuff.

And, yes, this is sort of on-the-field. But at the same time, I don't think anybody in the world three months ago, yeah, Brendan Sorsby was going to take the field for an Iowa Community College football. Unbelievable. Let me ask you on the field. Matt Campbell, I always had a lot of respect for doing more with last. Supposedly, at Iowa State, he did it for 10 years, taking over for James Franklin, who has moved on to Virginia Tech. Who has a better season, Matt Campbell at Penn State or James Franklin at Virginia Tech?

Well, I think Penn State's the more talented team. The ACC, though, it's a garbage league outside of Miami. I'm not sure who the second-best team in that league is. So I think Franklin can make an immediate splash. And, you know, one thing that I agree, what Matt Campbell did at Iowa State, that is a horrendous program. It has been for its entire football history. The last time I won a conference title was 1912. So, you know, but the thing is, some people, players included, coaches included, are better when the expectations are so high.

And, yeah, Iowa State had high expectations the last couple of seasons. But, you know, oh, we're going to, you know, we can win the Big 12. Penn State, obviously, they want to win the Big 10 and win the national titles. But I think Matt Campbell is going to be successful there. He's bringing his quarterback with him, Rocco Beck, who's – he's not elite, but he generally makes the plays that are available. And I'll be honest, Penn State quarterbacks in the past have not done that. That's right. There's talent on their defense.

It's a lot of untested talent. But, yeah, I think Penn State will be a top 25 team, maybe between 15 and 25. You know, Beck, he started 39 games in his career. So, you're plugging in a guy who has seen a lot, done a lot. I think Penn State's going to be – they're going to be better than they were last year. I think the defense will be solid. And I think the offense will be a heck of a lot more cohesive than it was last year for Penn State. We got a couple minutes left with you before Wimbledon update.

[1:24:14] But Kyle Whittingham, I've always thought, was an ACC coach at Utah. How successful will he be in his first year at Michigan? You know, he's a no-nonsense guy, but he's taking over a program. Yeah, I know they won the national title a couple years ago. That's a program that's been filled with nonsense. Yes. So, I think that, you know, the culture aspect is important. I think Whittingham will bring a certain culture with him. The question is whether that culture will take among the players and with other administrators.

I mean, Michigan is talented. I'm not a huge Bryce Underwood fan, though I will say that I think his offensive coordinator will do a better job with Underwood. They got a lot of guys coming back on offense. Defensively, it may take a step back. But if Whittingham is allowed to do what he did at Utah, Michigan's going to be fine. But, again, it's a culture change. And I'm not sure that that culture will be allowed to take over at Michigan because it is. And no-nonsense guy taking over a nonsense program.

That's a great way to put it. Listen, I always enjoy the conversation. I could talk about subjects about that with you all day long. Listen, have a great 4th of July. It's going to be here next time we turn around. Let's do this again next week and talk about some more of these preseason questions. No problem. I appreciate it. You guys have a happy 4th as well. Thank you. You too, Mike. And enjoy the soccer game tonight. USA against Bosnia and that big-name team. That's their border.

Again, USA and Bosnia tonight. World Cup. A lot on the line for the USA boys as well. Coming up, speaking of folks over in that neck of the woods, let's go to England and get the very latest with Wimbledon. Here on Sports Radio 93.9. Westwood 1 Sports presents this special tennis update sponsored by Prevagen. Prevagen made for your brain. The top-seeded American, Ben Shelton, seeded 4th. Lost in the first round yesterday. Today, Lerner Tien, the 20-year-old American, seeded 16th. Went out in round 2. But other Americans moving on.

Tommy Paul, straight sets for the second match in a row. Francis Tiafoe won his first rounder. Jensen Brooksby moves on as well. Top-seeded defending champ, Yannick Sinner. Straight set victory. Daniil Medvedev won in four. Stefano Sitsipas hasn't been heard from lately. He's got a chance today to upset the seven-time champion, Novak Djokovic. That match is coming up. Coco Gauff was in big trouble against Solana Sierra of Argentina, who led 5-3 in the third set. Also had the lead in the tiebreaker. Coco pulled out the win.

Mira Andrievo just won the French Open. Today, lost to Barbora Krejcikova, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Straight set wins for Rita Sabalenka, Jess Pagula, and Naomi Osaka. John Stinch, that were Westwood One Sports. David is a real Prevagen user, and this is his story. Nice to meet you. My name is David. I've been a pharmacist for 44 years, and I'm from Flowery Branch, Georgia. When I first started taking Prevagen, I noticed stuff just seemed to come together and fit like a jigsaw puzzle. When I have customers come in, I recommend Prevagen.

Number one, because it's safe and effective. It does not require prescription. And I've been taking it quite a while myself, and I know it works. I wouldn't recommend something like Prevagen if I didn't think it was worth it because it works so good for me. And I love it when the customers come back in and tell me, David, that really works so good. Makes my day. Prevagen, at stores everywhere without a prescription. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Testimonialist was compensated for their time.

Hello, Shoals. It's Elmer Pierce from Garner Pierce Autos. Are you tired of being told that it will take two weeks to service your vehicle or even to look at it to tell you what's wrong with it? Are you tired of being told that it's going to be $200 to $300 an hour for labor? At Garner Pierce Autos, we have four full-time certified and trained technicians that have over 75 years of automotive service experience. We service vehicles of every make and model and do anything from oil changes to engine and transmission replacements.

We're your one-stop shop for servicing your entire fleet or your personal vehicle. We have every accessory for your car, truck, van, or SUV. 4.9 stars on Google and Facebook. Garner Pierce Autos on Florence Boulevard right next to Appleby's, where it's our business to earn your business. This feeling is brought to you by Aleve for Back Pain Relief. What feeling is that, you ask? Well, it's the feeling you feel when you have relief from back pain. That move how you want to, not how you have to feeling.

That keep going through your day without slowing down feeling. The kind that brings you back to yourself all day long without interruption. Oh, yeah. Because Aleve offers long-lasting pain relief. Feel up to 12 hours of back pain relief with one dose. Feel Aleve. Use as directed for minor aches and pains. Indeed presents, hires you can't afford to get wrong, like head administrator for a state-of-the-art surgical center. What can I do for you, Doc? We need to talk about the lights. Ah, the mood lighting, relaxing, right. Much better than those old hospital vibes.

[1:29:45] A hospital's supposed to have hospital vibes. You seem tense. Let's dim the lights a bit. This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed. Next time, get matched with quality candidates with Indeed-sponsored jobs. Visit Indeed.com slash hire now and sponsor your job today. While the world watches the stars of the FIFA World Cup, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent. Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because next doesn't wait for an invitation. And neither do we.

Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle. And engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. And we're still doing it every day. Because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Your ambition just met its match with Robinhood. You push yourself in everything you do. Scanning headlines for insights. Keeping an eye on the market. Robinhood puts you in control of your money. All on one platform.

You expect more from yourself. Expect more from your money. Get started today at Robinhood.com slash your money. Again, that's Robinhood.com slash your money. Your money. Your move. Progressive knows there's no one more important to your team than your pet. They're like your top draft pick. And it looks like Chuck has selected Pepper the Corgi. Bold pick there, Debra. Yeah, Rich, Pepper has a high ceiling for sure. But he does have a tendency to bark at every tree. Yeah, he brings a lot to the table.

But also takes a lot off of it. Especially when it's been left near the edge. Nothing left to do now. But suit him up for the dog park. Protect your top draft pick from injury and illness with Progressive Pet Insurance. Get a quote at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third-party insurers. Not available in all states or situations. Covered subject to policy terms. When's the last time payroll was the easy part of your week? With Gusto, it can be. Gusto is the all-in-one platform designed to take the hassle out of managing your team.

From payroll and compliance to hiring, onboarding, and more. With Gusto, you can get back two full days each month with all the time you've saved. Go to Gusto.com today and learn why over 500,000 small businesses choose Gusto. That's G-U-S-T-O dot com. Gusto dot com. My name is Whitney Allen, and I'm a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought we'd ever have to use life insurance, but the unexpected happened. With Ethos, signing up was fast and 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage.

No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage. I'm grateful we were prepared. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play. That's ethos.com slash play. Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Hey, it's Rich Eisen for Pella Windows and Doors. Sometimes teams take a timeout to regroup and call the right play. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always has the winning game plan. They're not just window and door experts. They're experts at taking care of you and your home.

At Pella, they find the products that meet your needs, and their experts install them. They do it every day, and that's why your neighbors trust them. Discover why Pella is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere. Visit Pella.com slash Eisen today. That's Pella.com slash Eisen. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9. The score. The United States is set to play in the round of 32 tonight in the World Cup as they take on Bosnia-Herzegovina. Winner is on to the round of 16 against either Belgium or Senegal. Those two meet this afternoon.

The Atlanta Braves fell yesterday at home as they lost to the Cardinals 5-3. Both teams had six hits in the ball game as the Braves drop to 49-34. Braves and Cardinals back at it tonight at Truist Park. Ronaldo Lopez will start for Atlanta. He has 3-1 on the season. Bundle auto and home, renters, or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score. Shop the Sherwin-Williams 4th of July sale and get 30% off paints and stains June 26th through July 6th.

Whether you're refreshing your interior or exterior, we've got the colors to bring your vision to life. And with delivery, getting everything to your door is easier than ever. Shop online to have it delivered or visit your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store. Retail sales only. Some exclusions apply. See store for details. Delivery available on qualifying orders. Straight Talk Wireless presents Pickup Truck Wisdom. Trust is earned. That's why I've stuck with Straight Talk. Same price since 2009 on Verizon's 5G network. Because, shoot, anyone can make a promise. Keeping it for years, that means something.

Now plans starting at $25 a month with four lines. Find us at straighttalk.com and Walmart. Straight Talk Wireless. Straightforward. Always. Same price claim applies only to the base monthly price of our $45 plan from October 2009 to present. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back again. Quickly, BB, a note there. I just heard on the Wimbledon update a fellow by the name of Ben Shelton. Who is Ben Shelton? He is the son of Brian Shelton. Who is Brian Shelton? He is a phenom I covered back out of Randolph High in Huntsville.

[1:35:17] He played, I can't tell any stories I did, at the old Huntsville Athletic Club. And he went on to Georgia Tech. And that was his alma mater. And then later, in between, he was a good player on his own. He played at Wilmington and had some wins. Didn't win any titles, but he had some wins. And then he went back to his alma mater. He coached the Georgia Tech tennis team, the men, and they won a national title. And then Florida said, this guy's pretty good.

So they brought him down to Florida to coach the women. And what did he do? He won a national title there. And then the AD said, well, what about coaching the Florida men's tennis team? And he did. And they won a national title there, BB. He's the only guy, the only coach to ever win tennis championships, national championships for men and women. But I remember him coming out of Randolph High. He was one of those athletes. And we talk about it with football. I don't care what sport it is.

We talked about it early with Rodney Orr. Some of these kids just have the it factor. And even when this guy was truly a kid before he had this kid named Ben, you could just tell he had the it factor, BB. Yeah, Brian was a real trailblazer. In fact, I remember, quote, growing up. I know you've never heard this. Some of you, some of the stories that you did with him, but Harold, number one, he's a very good player, but you're right. He was exceptional as a coach.

And now that I mean, he broke ground in more ways than one. This was back in the day. And he was one of the first African-Americans to come on Arthur Adams in there. And Brian was an African-American and made a lot of ways. And it's interesting that he and Stuart Sink, even though they have roots to Alabama, both of them wound up at Georgia Tech. And I think both of them have done pretty good on the professional circuit, BB. No question about it. No, they've been, listen, there's been a lot of, we don't talk about tennis much, obviously, football, basketball, high school, et cetera.

But there's been a lot of talent for tennis come out of North Alabama over the years. As my old baseball coach would say, I guarantee you. All right, BB, before we get to Drew here and try to get through the bushes, he's a busy boy. Coming up on the 4th of July, I'm going to ask you a question to kind of reach down, take a measuring stick of where you are as far as your vibe. We'll start with Alabama, with this Alabama football team coming into the 4th.

Because let's face it, once the 4th comes, once we get through the 4th, it's basically, if you will, for all intents and purposes, college football season. Not that it's never that the case here, but after the 4th, it takes on to another level. Where's your vibe, your gut with this team right now? Well, I think the defense is going to be fine. I think they've got the best secondary, one of the best secondaries in the country, maybe the best secondary in the SEC. I think these linebackers, Luke Matz is another one.

Caleb Woodson, the transfer. I think it's going to depend upon the defensive front. They've got a lot more size there. I think the kicking game is going to be better this year, and particularly the UNA punter. Now, the Alabama punter last year did a pretty good job. Again, the question, when you come in with, you've got quarterbacks that, yes, they've been in the system for a while, but how are they going to do? But the real question for this team, Harold, is the offensive line. Can they jail early?

Can they open up running lanes? Can they protect the quarterback? I agree that the conversation we had earlier with Rodney Orr, and I'm not going to predict this team until we get into August. But the ceiling for Alabama in the regular season, I believe, is 10-2, maybe even 11-1 if they come out of the gate and, again, win the games they're supposed to win. Maybe the floor is 8-4 or 9-3, but if they can stay healthy, they'll find out pretty quickly, I think, who the quarterback's going to be.

But I think this team has a lot of potential. You mentioned that the good news would be 10-2. The obvious question, who are the two, BB? I don't know. Harold, again, I mentioned this earlier. You have a big emotional win over Georgia. Right. You turn around and you go to Knoxville, where they haven't won now what seems like 10 years, the last two trips up there. You know, is Kentucky going to be, you know, what's Kentucky going to be? I don't think they've got the roster to win it, but there's some landmines on this schedule.

There's no question about it. Well, Vanderbilt didn't have the roster in his first year at Alabama. But back to your point, until this staff can prove that they can put together a good team week in and week out, I think it's fair to sit here and do a question. The other part of that, you mentioned 10-2. What happens if they go 8-4, BB? When you look at this class, and we're just taking the varnish off here. We don't shake pom-poms on this show. If they go 8-4 with the class they've got coming in, where would the conversation be in late December?

[1:40:31] Well, it might be an uncomfortable conversation. D-2 has joined us, and we can ask him his thoughts on that question. Double D's Drew Jarman, host of Talking Ball, 97.7 FM, The Zone in Huntsville. D, welcome in. How are you? I'm good. How are you guys? Hey, buddy. Man, we're just having a conversation here, Drew. Kind of a fun topic this time of the year. Alabama, Brad seems, he said 10-2 might continue to be a good season. Your thoughts about the two losses. But the other side, we were just talking about bringing you in here, Drew.

If they're 8-4, and the class being what it is right now, we know Alabama fans, we're not saying it's right or wrong. We just know Alabama fans have one standard, and we know what that is. What would be the conversation in late December if it's 8-4? Well, I think there'll be some consternation, no doubt about it. But, you know, I'll just say this, and I've said it before. If Kevin DeBoer had gone to Michigan or Penn State, this roster wouldn't look nearly like it would right now.

And you would be in the bottom third of the SEC. So, if you make a coaching change, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have an 8-4 or a 7-5 year, or a bat, even what would be considered a 6-6 or worse season. But, in this climate of college football, if you don't make the right hire, we've already seen what can happen. And it doesn't fit. I mean, we saw that with Brian Harsin. We saw it with Hugh Freeze. There's no guarantee that it's going to work.

And, you know, I get kind of tired of the narrative that an 11-win season wasn't good enough, and they made the second round of the college football playoff. And now, you've got idiots in the media who are continuing to harp on Alabama's recruiting ranking when the recruiting rankings aren't finished yet. The class isn't finished yet. These morons, all they want is clicks because they have nothing better to do with their time. And the thing about it is, it's a fact that he signed two straight top three classes.

It's also a fact it's a different way to build a roster now. You can't just continue to stack because these guys are free agents every year. And that's a fact. And roster retention is important. Player development is very important. And the way you spend your money is important because there's not a bottomless pit. And even the programs that have what seems to be a bottomless pit, you know, the LSU, no playoff. Texas, no playoff. Texas A&M, playoff one-time loss. They're not advancing in winning national championships.

So, just because you have Oregon, you know, they've still never – they've won the Big Ten, but they've never, you know, won a national championship, never been to even the finals. So, at least in this format, and I know they did make it against Auburn. In the – back in the BCS era. But they have not won a national title. So, you know, and so I'll just say that doesn't guarantee you're going to win anything. I think certainly there would be consternation, but I think the roster is better than eight and four.

I think it's a good roster. I think it's a college football playoff caliber roster. But we have to see, you know, how the pieces, you know, come together, how some of the young guys like Akeelan Russell, like EJ Crowell develop. We don't know that yet. So, if they develop well, if these coaching moves that he made at tight end, at offensive line come together, then I think Alabama can have a really good team. But I think a lot of that, you know, what if stuff, you know, you can do – you can say the same thing for Lane Kiffin.

What if Lane Kiffin goes eight and four after they spend $50 million on a roster? Yeah, absolutely. That's why I said fine topic this time of the year. And he's on this. So, you know, you can say that about anyone. Right. Certainly, I think there could be some consternation. I'll be honest with you. If Auburn goes eight and four, they should throw up a race. That's exactly right. Go ahead. No, I was just going to say, I mean, we know they've had five years that haven't been up to caliber and have had losing seasons.

They're certainly not used to that. They have a tradition of winning. And I think, you know, with all the roster turnover Auburn's had and, you know, and bringing in Alex Golesh, if he could go eight and four and say that you tackle win on the end of that in a bowl game, nine and four, I think that would be a really good year to build on. At Alabama, because of what Nick Saban did, you know, Kael and DeBoer did that in year one, and people were raising Cain.

But, you know, it's just – it's a very difficult road to go to hoe, and there's only one Nick Saban. And I still think when it's all said and done, Kael and DeBoer's done a better job than certainly, you know, several other coaches have done, including the one in LSU that no longer has a job. Absolutely. Your thoughts about the last five, Alabama picked up five commitments last week. Darius White at Fairbourn, Georgia. I know Freddie Kirby, our good friend, thinks he's got tremendous potential. Tyler Younger out of the Atlanta Christian area.

[1:45:37] Three-star Ed Stafford-Willis. The offensive lineman from A-Rab. Jeremiah Beverly from Hillcrest. And the four-star receiver, O'Sonnie Gales. Well, I mean, I think Gales and White are two of the guys that they've wanted in the class all along. It's been a lot of time recruiting. But I think they expect both those guys to have very, very bright teachers in Tuscaloosa. I think the other three you mentioned, you know, Beverly, Willis, you know, those guys younger, I think they're developmental guys. And that's not to be, you know, I'm not disparaging them at all.

I just think they're guys that they see probably having an impact on the 2-D in two years or maybe even three down the road if the other guys ahead of them develop. And I think they've also spent time recruiting them. And I think those kids understand that. They, you know, certainly they're going to try to prove these coaches if they can get on the field as fast as possible. But I think they look at their upside potential and their ability to develop. And hopefully – and the one thing I will say about this coaching staff that nobody can deny is they play a lot of players.

They play more guys than Saban did. So, if you prove yourself and you start developing at a rapid pace and you earn the trust of the staff, they're certainly going to play you. So, I think they're five solid guys, no doubt about it. And at least, you know, some people can throw a party because Alabama's not 16th anymore. Drew Jarman didn't huddle with us. One thing that's interesting about this staff, they don't mind throwing it out to some of the homeboys. They went down the street, got them at Tuscaloosa commit.

And you know Marshall County is on fire. Anyone who's ever spent any time over at ARAB, when a kid from ARAB High goes to any school, especially Alabama, it's almost worthy of a statue down the road. In some ways, this kid reminds me – I'm not saying he's there, but I'm talking about potentially as far as size, some of his Christian beliefs, his energy is Wesley Britt, who came down the road from Coleman back in the day. But your thoughts just about some of the guys that Alabama's picking up, if you will, homeboys on the recruiting trail.

Well, you know, I find it kind of interesting because there are some that have tried to spin it, but they're not recruiting the state at all, which they are. I mean, it's just – I'm not sure this 2027 class has as many, you know, top-of-the-line, four-and-five-star talents as, like, even last year or in the 2028 cycle. Certainly, there were some guys that they wanted that they certainly would have taken, no question about that. You know, but I think, you know, in certain cases, like a Donovan Moore, I think he grew up in an Auburn family from Hueytown.

I mean, I know he's transferred since, I think, you know, to Bessemer City. But certainly, I know they recruited him. But, you know, again, he grew up an Auburn fan, and that happens. That happens in our state all the time. I think, you know, with some of these kids that they've recruited that are developmental, that's just the way the cycle works. I mean, they did take Trent Seaborn pretty early. They did take their time offering him, but he's the quarterback from the school they've had a lot of, you know, recruiting success at, Thompson High School.

Now, they haven't gotten every kid out of there. But, again, Seaborn was a kid that we all know is very close to the Tunga-Vailoa family, and, I think, always wanted to go to Alabama. And, again, as you said, to get, you know, a kid from ARAB in Marshall County is big. I remember even though he didn't have a huge impact on the roster, he mostly was on special teams. But several years ago, over 10 years ago, they signed Justin Moon out of Guntersville. There's always been, you know, kids that they've signed from around the state that have grown up Alabama fans.

And, certainly, they've done that in this case with Beverly from Hillcrest, Tuscaloosa. I think he's a kid that, you know, has always dreamed of playing at Alabama. I think he has a chance to develop in. So, a really good player. And join his teammate, Zay Hall, who is already on campus, who signed last year. I mean, you know, there's been, you know, some pretty good players from their backyard that have come over to Alabama, including one from Hillcrest, I believe, and Derek Oden years ago, who played on the 92 team.

So, it's always good to sign kids within your state. They always will. But this class is going to be small. And if, you know, and if they didn't consider the in-state class top, you know, as far as deep, then there was always a chance because, you know, they took a long look at Cedric Simmons. They took a long look, you know, at the wide receiver out of Prattville, and they just didn't decide to pull the trigger on either one of them. So, and allow them to be a part of the class.

That doesn't mean they're not going to recruit the state of Alabama because, certainly, they brought in great players. Like, I think EJ Crowell is going to be a great player for them, maybe even as early as this year. And they certainly prioritized him, and they snagged him, and they've, you know, and they've done that with other players in the state as well that I think are going to be really good in the future and, of course, this coming season for Alabama. So, I don't buy all the c*** about them not recruiting the state.

[1:50:57] I know Auburn, you know, recruited a heavy in-state class a couple years ago. A lot of those guys, I mean, I'm not even sure, are still on the roster because they transferred because they made a coaching job. So, what matters is continuity, and I still say, when it's all said and done in Alabama, they're going to have their share of in-state kids. There were times when Nick Saban would sign in the old days. He'd sign 25 to 28 in the class. He'd only sign six or seven in-state because they would recruit nationally, and I think Alabama has a national brand in some cycles.

They just don't recruit as many in-state kids. Absolutely. D2, I always enjoy the conversation. You've got Paul Feinbaum coming up. But where can we get online listening to you and Scott on the expanded talking ball? Certainly. You can connect with us at 977ESPN.com. You can also connect with us on WCVN-TV. And, of course, we carry it on X as well on our 977ESPN account. We're on the air from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. If you miss any of our content, it will be posted on our SoundCloud page, 97.7 The Zone, on ESPN Radio in Huntsville.

And we always enjoy being on with you guys on, certainly. And we look forward to seeing everyone in Tampa in a few weeks. It's hard to believe that's already near it. You're about three weeks away at SEC Media Day. So that will be the unofficial start, I guess, of the countdown to fall camp and really getting this thing cranked up in the SEC. But certainly you can connect with us each and every day. And if not, certainly our content will be posted. And we always enjoy being on 9 to 3.9 with you guys and talking some balls.

In the meantime, enjoy the 4th and be safe, Drew. Thanks so much for your time today. Absolutely. You guys have a great 4th. You too, buddy. Be safe. Appreciate it. And enjoy the 250th anniversary of this great country. Absolutely. Well said. Drew Yarmann, 97.7 FM The Zone. B.B. can the Braves do some things tonight to get ready for the 4th and have an early celebration. Well, they can win the game, Harold, if they're not one of 12 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 on base. Yes, they've got a better chance to win.

They'll start tonight two and a half games up on the Fiddle Nephew Fields. Catch it right here on 93.9. The score tonight with the St. Louis Cardinals. Going to take care of business from now on behalf of B.B., Greg James Blair, the entire crew here. Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today. That's doing it again tomorrow noon to 2 with the B.B.O. Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back.