Boomo Bugg Show 012926

[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 Tide, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in. Well, the question of the day is, who has that bigger facelift, the Hollywood model or the Auburn Tigers?

Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? It may be Thursday to you and the listeners. We'll talk about that very subject around one o'clock with Caleb Jones. Auburn, speaking of Auburn, their men's basketball team comes back from a 14-point deficit to beat Texas at home. Caleb Suggs of the Decatur Daily will give us some of the reaction to coaches about reclassification and update North Alabama basketball teams. B.B. is here right now, though, to predict the Super Bowl and tell us why. 16 teams is the best choice for the college football playoff.

Well, we're going to open the door to B.B. if he gives us his forecast for that. And no more snow here. He can have it. They're used to it. In Ohio, where we take you with B.B., Bill Bender, the national voice of the Sporting News. Bill, welcome in. Have you dug out from Snowmageddon? How are you? No, we haven't. I think the last time I talked to you, it was coming. And it's here, and it's here, and kids are on day four of not being in school.

Oh, that breaks our heart. Oh, my gosh. I know that breaks our heart, Bill. Are you sane? Are you able to? I mean, do you need some medication? I mean, day four inside with kids. Are you okay, you and the family? Yeah, we'll be all right. There was a point today where I didn't know what day it was. So, like, we'll be, what day is it? Is it Wednesday? Is it Thursday? You know, I think it's supposed to warm up a little bit. So, hopefully we can dig out from under this.

What's weird, I saw, Bill, that the folks down in Florida, we have guests on down. They've been bragging. It's been 80. I saw where Miami's going to get down to teens. So, hey, welcome to our world down there as well. All right, Bill. We know that, speaking of temperatures, the Super Bowl talk will pick up next week. Are you a fan of taking this week off and letting the hype build, or would you just like to go ahead and jump in and get this thing over with?

I'm good. I mean, it gives us a week to, I'm doing some other things for us. I have a story coming tomorrow about that Miracle on Ice documentary. I had a chance to talk to Jim Craig yesterday, and what an amazing conversation that was. So, you know, I always tell you guys, I love college football, and we'll always love college football. But I also love this time of year where I can do, for sporting news, a little college football, a little NFL, and a little, as a, you know what, I had a thought this week.

College basketball tournament's going to be as good as any we've seen with some of the teams that are running around right now. You're exactly right about that, and that'll be here next time that we turn around, and you mentioned the Olympics. I think they get started next weekend. If I'm not mistaken with that. All right. You have analyzed and predicted the Super Bowl for 2026 coming up next Sunday, a week ago. And thank you. Bill Bender's got the Seahawks beating the Patriots in a very close game.

24-20, and you broke down this game. You know, the media's going to concentrate on the two quarterbacks, and they're certainly worth it. Sam Darnold just had an incredible game last Sunday. But the defenses for both these teams are very good, too. B.B., your thoughts, early thoughts on the Super Bowl. Yeah, you know, it's tough to pick. I think because in the back of my mind, Brett, I keep thinking, man, a bunch of years ago, we all said Kurt Warner and the Rams were going to run up and down the field on the Patriots.

And, you know, a guy named Tom Brady and Bill Belichick had other ideas. I think it will be a tight game, a fun game. You never know with these quarterbacks. One thing that stands out with Seattle, Sam Darnold's not turning the ball over. So if they don't turn the ball over, they're going to be in business. And, you know, they're not the most exciting, flashy team, but they definitely get the job done. Bill Bender gets it done there with the Sporting News. You've got to like Sam Darnold's backstory.

He's been Mr. Backup everywhere he's been pretty much. And now he's in the spotlight there with Seattle. He is the man. You mentioned Seattle's offense. And, you know, in our neck of the woods, I don't know of a place any tougher than where we are as far as coaches. One, Ryan Grubb is not here with Seattle this year. He was there last year. Your thoughts on Ryan Grubb, where he was last year with Seattle, he couldn't run the ball. Alabama couldn't run the ball this year under his tutelage in Tuscaloosa back in the college, right?

[5:23] Your thoughts, what is your assessment of Ryan Grubb? Well, I mean, there's more to do. And, I mean, that's going to be the big off-season priority for Alabama is you've got to find a way to run. That was a season-long piece of drama for this team. Otherwise, you know, still was able to go to the plow, still was able to get 10 wins. But some of these games, you're like, well, how are they going to win if they can't run the ball? And it showed up at the Indiana game with a team that was elite at both running the football with multiple running backs and then obviously stopping the run with a front that was not exactly, they weren't monsters.

They were just really sound defensive players. Yeah, Seattle ran for 170 yards for, I think, four consecutive games before that Rams game. You mentioned Bill Belichick before we get into your, and I agree with you entirely about expanding to the 16 teams, not elected on the first ballot for the NFL Hall of Fame. Now, look, I know a lot of people have issues with him. You know, they've spied on teams in practice and done some odds and ends. But when you look at what he has done on the field, winning seven Super Bowls, and I know a lot of politics are involved in the Baseball Hall of Fame and the NFL Football Hall of Fame.

Bill, your thoughts on Bill Belichick not being elected to the NFL Hall of Fame on the first ballot? Pretty absurd. You know, I just, why? You know, and I've read some pieces by some writers that I respect a great deal. Our own Mike DeCoursey wrote about it. You know, the deflate gate, spy gate, those things come to mind, you know, obviously. But I don't think it rises to, I'm just one of those guys, and I'll put this, Brett. I think he should be in that Hall of Fame.

I think Barry Bond should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. And because I live in Ohio, Pete Rose, when his name comes up, I just always tell people, hey, man, when you go down to a baseball game in Cincinnati, that stadium's on Pete Rose's way. Yeah. So, I mean, where are we at with that? I hope your listeners don't hold this against me. I think he should be in the Hall, too. Well, and you can see both sides of the argument, Bill. But here's the deal.

If you're going to sit here and if the issue is going to be stuff off the field, if you went back and you looked at Ty Cobb and you looked at probably Babe Ruth and you looked at a lot of these guys and you turned the stones over, what was it, what the good Lord said, let the first person ride in the sand who hasn't sinned. So, you know, it's an open debate. It's a good topic to debate. But the thing is, next thing you know, Shadir Sanders is going to make the Pro Bowl in 2026.

I think that's what's got a lot of people. It's like, so, Bill Belichick, who's got more rings, he's got fingers, he's not in. But Shadir Sanders is going to the Pro Bowl. I think a lot of people don't understand the politics of sports. Well, you just said it. I mean, that's part of it. You know, and baseball writers, there's a lot of them that I respect a great deal that vote on the Hall of Fame, and they take that process very seriously. And I've had the Barry Bonds argument with some of them.

I'm like, well, you know, and I've always, you know, I would take it to my Heisman voting, for example. And we talk about that all the time on here. Had Diego maybe lashed out before, you know, when he said it, he said it, the Heisman, had he said that stuff before, would not have impacted my vote. I can tell you that I have 100% confidence. There are NFL players I didn't like that I'm still like. I'll give you an example. Corral Owens, didn't stand him as a player, you know, but knew, and probably because he was doing it against the Packers.

But I always understood and recognized the talent. I thought he should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer. Well, and you're doing your job. That's the difference between a professional and someone who holds a grudge and has the power to sit here and implement that grudge. You mentioned Diego Pavia. He hasn't slacked up a bit, has he? Coming up on the Senior Bowl, I am the best player here. That's saying a lot in that environment. Who's going to take a flyer on Pavia? He'll be a day two or day three guy that'll be exciting in the preseason to see if he can stick with a roster.

You know, one of the things when I did talk to Diego, he wouldn't get into the Heisman stuff, and that's fine. And I don't know. He'll be asked about that through the process. But I think, you know, in talking to Clark Lee about it, we have a surface understanding of how those conversations went afterward. So it really comes down to the height. You know, we knew he wasn't six foot. We have eyes. But how does that play off at the next level? Some guys can get away with it.

Some guys can't. And it is just part of the game, guys. Like, you have to be a certain – you don't have to be a certain height, but it doesn't hurt to be that. Yeah. You had a great article about the college football playoff. Again, everybody just groaned when they heard once again they're going to stay at 12 teams instead of expanding to 16. You had a very good article talk about why 24 is just too many for the playoff, why 16 teams are the best choice. If you get the top four teams on the field sooner, it's better for TV ratings, which are correct.

[11:00] And then something – we've discussed this numerous times with you in the last two years. The issues with college football. Go to 16 teams. Eliminate conference championship games. And I know Greg Sankey's not going to like that, but I think we're nearing that nearly every month. Put the first two rounds on campus. I think everybody would love that. In the number one situation right now, I think with a lot of the burr under the saddle, move the college football calendar up. This time next year, we would have played the national championship game this past Monday.

The NFL, they're trying to avoid making the NFL mad, but if they would look at some of the common sense suggestions you've got to improve college football, we'd be a lot better off. I think so. And I understand, though, when they're at the distance they're at, that we probably weren't going to get to 16 this year. If this was going to be a standoff between the Big Ten and the SEC, we probably wouldn't get to 16. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, when I talked to him, you know, you saw an article a couple weeks ago.

He was very adamant we should get to 16, more access. I think they miss an opportunity to capitalize on what Miami and Indiana created a couple weeks ago, where it's like, okay, anybody can win this thing now. Why not let a few more teams in? Let me ask you a question, Bill. We alluded to at the top of the show, talking about Auburn having a major facelift. At last count, and let's face it, in this day and time, it may have changed dramatically in five minutes, but I saw 39 guys signed in the portal.

Now, that's a facelift. There's a firecracker and there's a stick of dynamite. You're talking about blowing up a roster. Your thoughts, what does your gut tell you about Auburn and their approach? Are they saying it worked for Indiana? We're going to try it here on the Plains. Yeah, I mean, you know, and you've got a new coach, and I like Alex. I think he'll do a nice job there. You get Byron Brown. And, you know, the thing is, when everybody's asking me, hey, who's the next Indiana?

How is this going to happen? You better have Kurt Zegnetti if you're going to do that. You better have his ability to work portal and evaluate talent. TCU did that. Yeah, TCU did that, Sonny. I think Jeff Brom and TCU do a nice job of that as well. Well, we've heard that. Louisville, I'm sorry. Yeah. No, that's all right. Listen, we heard that for 17 years with Nick Saban. Well, we're just going to take the Nick Saban blueprint and be successful. No, you're not. I know you're going to try the con sale, but you didn't have the offensive and defensive coordinators.

And as Harold mentioned, again, Kurt Zegnetti just has an innate ability to evaluate talent and get the most out of them. And very few coaches have that ability. Well, listen, good luck trying to dig out and get out. We've got a rough weekend coming up here. It's going to be even colder than last weekend. But you can get warm by reading your articles and everybody else's. Where can we get the good stuff? Yeah, I met Bill Bender at 92 and SportingNews.com. And I would encourage you.

It'll come out tomorrow. This story about talking to Jim Craig, the goalie in the miracle on ice. 36 saves in that game, guys. Wow. And all these years later, everybody's humble. I don't get nervous for interviews often except with you guys. And Jim Craig was great. Well, right back at you. We get sweaty palms, too, Bill. So just don't go outside. They'll freeze on you. Good luck staying inside with the kids there. And as I said, Annie, the sun will come up tomorrow eventually. So hang in there, okay?

I will do. Thanks for talking to me, guys. Talk to you, Bill. The National Voice with the Sporting News, Bill Bender. Coming up. Hey, you mentioned it's going to get cold again here in the Shoals. Now, may that affect things. Caleb Suggs on that and more. Straight ahead. Stay with us. Bring the flavor that wins every time. Champy's world-famous fried chicken. Tailgate like a champ with our legendary fried chicken. Award-winning smoked hot wings. And don't forget those Mississippi Delta hot tamales that will light up your taste buds.

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Shoals Royale, 2026, Saturday, February 21st, at 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. Tickets are available now at givebutter.com slash ShoalsRoyale 2026. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. Welcome back again. Just a quick programming note, BB. One of the more intriguing stories throughout the entire Shoals area of the last few days, Daryl Higgins leaving Mars Hill for Russellville. The coach himself is scheduled to join us in just a short. So go ahead and make plans. Okay, BB? I will look forward to talking to him, yes.

[21:16] In the meantime, it's a pleasure for us to say hello to Caleb Suggs. He's got it all covered there with the Decatur Data. Caleb, welcome in. How are you? It's kind of hard to go before Coach Higgins. I'm sure nobody cares about what I say. Yes, they do. No, no, no, you're much too modest, Caleb. Your thoughts, just when you first saw that news, what was your reaction? Because it's nothing you see coaches move from here to there, but when you have four state championship trophies in your possession, he's got room for one more, and then he runs out of fingers on one hand.

What was your initial reaction? Yeah, well, I mean, you know, to be honest with you, I didn't have any kind of clue of the rumors that were going on. And so when I saw the thing that he was stepping down from Mars Hill, instantly I thought, oh, I wonder if he's going to Russellville. It just seems like a match that's perfect for both parties. I mean, Russellville, you know, we all know what Russellville, you know, used to be such a powerhouse in the 2000s, and it's not like they've been bad in the last 15 years at all.

I mean, they have not. They've been good. But I think they haven't been up to what, you know, they want to be. So if they want to get back to that point, and I'm not, you know, I'm not trying, you know, I'm not saying that the coaches that have been there the last few years have a good job. They have. But Coach Higgins, I mean, you're talking about one of the most elite coaches in Alabama. Obviously, what you said, he's won, you know, almost enough state championship rings to cover a hand.

So, I mean, I think this is going to be great for Russellville. I think he's going to come in. I mean, obviously, it's a tough region now that they're in 5A with the Hartzell and Austin and Muscle Shoals. So, but I really think he's going to get there and get them to where they can compete and be, you know, get back to what, you know, people think about Russell back in the 2000s when they were going to the finals every year, it seems like. Caleb, you mentioned reactions.

What was your initial reaction when you saw the news out of Montgomery that basically a major reshuffling of the deck across the board in high school sports here in Alabama? Yeah, you know, obviously, the rumors had gone on for a while. It was really heating up. They would split public and private. Even though I felt like they might, it still came as a little bit of a surprise that they actually did it. I think any time you have such a substantial thing like that, it's going to come as a surprise whether you're expecting it or not.

I will say the biggest thing to me was I was not expecting to drop down to six classifications again, but keeping 32 teams in 6A, that was a, you know, I'd heard a lot about, you know, what they might do, whether it was keeping seven classifications and keeping 32 teams in 7A and 6A or going back to six and just, you know, balancing them out completely. But to do the way they did it, I can't say I saw that coming. So, yeah, like you said, that was a major reshuffling.

It affected a lot of our teams. You know, you're basically pushing down. I mean, and you can just look at it now. I mean, you look at, for example, let's say Wes Morgan, who we talk about all the time. You know, they were one of the larger teams in 4A, and now they're still in 4A, but they're one of the smallest teams in 4A. But then you look at their schedule, they're playing a Coleman in their schedule. And that seems so crazy just to think a few months ago, imagine a 4A West Morgan playing Coleman who's in 6A, but now you're going to get that on the schedule.

And I think that's kind of some of the things you're going to see. So it's going to be interesting. I think it's going to be cool to see how it plays out. It's definitely going to give us a lot of better games here. So I'm really excited about that part. You interviewed a lot of the coaches in the Decatur Daily area. Rich Dutton from Decatur Heritage, Jason Marshall, the basketball coach there. They had some interesting comments, and particularly Jason Marshall, about some of the misconceptions of private schools.

And I agree with you. I know you've been asked, well, a lot of teams that travel in particularly for private schools, you've got some schools, Westminster in Huntsville, for example, they've got four trips from 150 to 200 miles. But who would this benefit the most? And you mentioned this six weeks ago. That's Austin. When they were in 6A years ago, they were number one in the state. They beat eventual state champion, Pennsylvania, who was quarterbacked by Bo Nix. But the reaction from the local coaches, and I agree with you, I think Austin will benefit from this.

100%. You just look at it. I mean, the last three years they were in 6A in football, which is basically what 5A is now. You know, they go in the semifinals, semifinals, and then the quarterfinals. But the quarterfinal game was basically the state championship where they lost 5 points to Bo Nix, like you said. So, I mean, just amazing success. And they had success in 7A. But it was just too much for them every year when they go to the playoffs to play some of those big schools.

I mean, there was just such discrepancy. I mean, the programs didn't match up. So, now they're in a classification where I think they're on equal footing with a lot of the programs. Let's not say it's going to be easy because, obviously, when you're in the playoffs, you're still going to have to play teams like maybe Clay Chalpel, who has beat a lot of these 7A teams. But I think, you know, and I think maybe just a mindset thing where it feels, you know, because these are kids, after all.

[26:29] And I think a mindset thing where the kids feel like, hey, we're on equal footing. We can compete with these guys. So, I think that will be big for them. And it was, you know, in basketball, too, their last few years in 6A, they went Final Four Elite Eight. So, they were really good in there. So, it's going to be huge for Austin. Definitely the team in my area that benefited the most. I don't know what team has benefited the least. I guess the private school is going to be pretty tough for them.

So, but we'll just, you know, have to see how it shakes out. In the meantime, obviously, as we mentioned, Coach Higgins is going to be on with us a little bit later on here in the Fumo Bug Show. But coaches come and go. And your thoughts about one of the teams that is an upstart in a relative sense, Priceville. It looks like Austin Burke is on his way to be the new head football coach. He replaces Seth Parker, who's now, I saw pictures, he was a kid wearing a Bob Jones jersey because his dad was there, and now he is the head coach of Bob Jones.

What is Priceville getting in Coach Austin Burke, and what's Bob Jones getting in Seth Parker? You know, I'll start with Bob Jones. Obviously, you know, Coach Parker kept telling me, you know, telling me he wasn't leaving, but I never really believed him, because when you get that call to go home, I mean, it's just too hard not to. And, you know, Bob Jones is getting a great hire. I mean, obviously, he won so many accolades this past year. For our coach of the year, he won state 5A coach of the year, and he's just an amazing coach.

What he was able to do with that program in such a short time, definitely one of the best up-and-comers. And I wouldn't be surprised to see him get Bob Jones back to, you know, we talked about Russell getting back to what they used to be. I wouldn't be surprised if Parker does that with Bob Jones. And as far as Priceville, you know, I think I don't, you know, I've been able to talk with Coach Burke a little bit since he was hired. Obviously, I knew he was on staff, but I never really got to talk to him that much, so I'm still kind of learning.

But I would say that for them to make that hire shows they have a lot of confidence in him because, like you said, I think, you know, six years ago, I think the Priceville job would not have been desirable at all. But that has changed a lot. It's growing a lot. It's becoming one of the premier jobs. And I really think they could have went out and got a pretty dang good hire from somewhere else if they had wanted to. But the fact that they decided to promote him to head coach, I think, shows the confidence they have.

So, if I was a Priceville fan, I would feel pretty good. I think he's been there with Coach Parker, you know, and he's coached James Clemens and other places before. I think he's got a good pedigree, and he's going to continue, you know, keep things rolling there. But it isn't hard to believe the regular season in basketball is just about over with. We're about to get into area, sub-regional, regional play. Next time we turn around, we're going to be on Wallace. We're going to get into this a lot more with you next week.

The Decatur girls beat most of the shows 50-37 to clinch the top seed in Class 6A Area 15. Why is that a big deal? They get to host the area tournament for the first time in 25 years. Wow. It is a big deal. They've had a tremendous year. They're 22-4. We talked with you about them a couple of times so far. Congratulations to the Decatur girls. We're going to get, as I said, more into this. But that really is quite an achievement. I know they're fired up. Yeah.

You know, it's funny talking to Coach Wright, who's in his first year there. You know, for the coach and him, he's trying to, you know, level the excitement because, you know, he knows that, you know, at the end of the day, it really doesn't mean anything. It's what you do in the area and going forward that matters. But at the same time, like you said, I mean, it's so massive for that community. I mean, 25 years is a long time. But, I mean, you think, it's not like they were just, you know, not good, you know, the last time.

You're talking in the 90s. They were the best program around. I mean, they won four, five, six, eight championships. I can't remember how many. I mean, they just dominated the 90s. And then it just, you know, kind of went off a cliff. And they've been really bad at times, you know, the last 15, 20 years. So, for them to be as good as they are, and they are really good. I mean, 22 and 4, they beat pretty much everybody they've played. And so, it was really cool for that community that I think, you know, has had some dark years here lately with athletics and really deserves some athletic success.

So, I'm really happy for them, and I hope they keep going for them. And just a quick shout-out, the top 10 in Classes 1A through 7A, they should have got that now. Boys side, East Limestone, 23 and 3, number 2. West Morgan boys, 18 and 5, number 3. Decatur Heritage, 16 and 7. They're number 1 in Class 2A. And East Limestone's having an amazing year. For the girls, number 9, Decatur, number 10, Athens Bible, Hatton receiving votes, West Morgan. The girls having a great year also. We'll get into a lot more of this with you next week.

But, again, the reclassification has been central. Everybody's been talking about that for the last week. Got a lot of scores, got a lot of highlights, more reaction. Football and basketball, where can we get online and get all your good stuff? Yeah, you can get online at DecaturDaily.com. We have a lot of what we've been talking about. But, like you said, postseason will start next week at some point. So, and then it won't be long for at Wallace, which I've always told y'all is one of my favorite times of the year.

[31:46] So, I'm looking forward to it. Let's hope in the meantime it gets warmer. Caleb, listen, you stay warm out there this weekend. It's supposed to be another polar bear weekend. So, stay warm, okay? Okay, guys. Thanks for having me. See you, buddy. Caleb Suggs, looking up with us from the Decatur Daily. Coming up, a little talk to the K-Town and talking Big Orange with Ryan Callahan on deck. Stay with us. Just as successful offenses and defenses are built on teamwork, Woody Anderson Ford is powered by our people.

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Discover how we can help at roberthalf.com slash talent. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9. The score. Mids basketball action last night. The Georgia Bulldogs were edged at home by Tennessee in overtime 86-85. Cannon Catchings had 22 points and 7 rebounds. Georgia is 16-5 in the year, 4-4 in the SEC. The Auburn Tigers were winners last night as Auburn beat Texas 88-82. Keyshawn Hall had 31 points. Auburn is now 14-7 on the year and 5-3 in the SEC. Tonight, Troy is at home to take on James Madison.

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Follow the big orange here at Go Vols 24-7. Ryan, welcome in. You have been so good to us. Let us return the favor. Remember, we will gladly send you basically sub-zero temperatures this weekend, and if that's not enough, we can send you more. Are you willing to deal today? How are you? Doing okay. You know, it's okay. You can keep the temperatures. No need to pass them around. Just, you know, save it for next time. I imagine you guys have been battling the same thing. I love the latest quote from the latest edition of this class.

Miami quarterback transfer Richard, Jadaus Richard says, I'm committing to the Vols because I'm excited to play for an expert by the name of Knowles. How does that make his coach at Miami feel? Your thoughts, Ryan, about one of the latest additions to this class for Tennessee? Yeah, you know, I'm not quite sure how that makes his old coaches feel, but, you know, sometimes those things fall by the wayside when you're complimenting the coaches you're about to play for. So I hear things like that sometimes, and, you know, I'm not the one that has to deal with the consequences, I guess.

But, yeah, you know, a nice depth pick up there for Tennessee, probably in the secondary to get an experienced guy like Jadaus Richard, and he started his career at Vanderbilt, so had some SEC experience, actually played against Tennessee a little bit as a true freshman in 2022 there, and then spent the last three years at Miami, so getting a fifth-year senior that started six games, actually, for Miami during the 2024 season. So to plug in a guy like that who can be, you know, at worst, probably a third or fourth cornerback, give them another option there in the secondary, that's a nice late addition for Tennessee, and the transfer portal just got him this past weekend after he visited on Friday.

Tennessee also got a commitment from Ian Duarte from Idaho, 12 games, 46 catches, 521 yards, also overturned some kicks. Alabama looked at him, too, and also Illinois. Talk a little bit about him, number one. And number two, is Tennessee about done? How many transfers right now is the number? Well, they're just about done, but one of those late additions you mentioned, Ian Duarte, from Idaho State, a school we've heard a lot in the transfer portal, but he's a pretty productive player, a guy that returned some kicks last year and also had more than 500 receiving yards each of the past two years.

Tennessee had a guy previously committed for an Oklahoma State transfer, Gavin Freeman. He ended up flipping to Baylor after picking Tennessee before he was actually on campus, so they needed to go out and get another veteran there capable of providing some meaningful depth where they really just haven't had many scholarship options. Only seven guys on scholarship last year. They were in line to have seven again this year before the addition of Ian Duarte, so having someone that can at least contribute in a pinch offensively, we'll see how much he gets in the mix there, but a guy that probably is going to have his first chance or best chance to factor in on special teams.

Tennessee, the 20 transfer addition so far for the 20-26 cycle, there's the 21st listed on our commitment page. We're not saying that one's a done deal just yet. That's tight end Drake Martinez from Tennessee Martin, but that is one that could very easily end up being sorted out, just sort of waiting on some things to be cleared up there, including his pursuit of an extra year of eligibility. He would be a six-year senior, so waiting to see if he's going to get that, but he, as of right now, is planning to play at Tennessee, just not on campus yet, and might even have to wait until March, from what I understand.

Ryan Callahan, hooking up with us, he's there at Go Vols 24-7. You mentioned UT Martin, a fun question, only time's going to tell. Your thoughts about the possibility of landing, speaking of UT Martin, another kid by the name of Simpson from that neck of the woods, younger brother of Ty Simpson. At first glance, you see a lot of parallels between the Tongo Valoa family. Your thoughts about the Simpson connection with the other Simpson from UT Martin? Yeah, it's going to be a fun recruitment, I think, over the next couple years, and still a long, long way to go in that one.

[42:27] Graham Simpson is just a sophomore at Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee, and obviously the same school Ty played at. And, you know, well on his way to being a pretty coveted quarterback himself. Now, it remains to be seen if he's going to be quite the level of prospect that Ty was. Obviously Ty was a five-star coming out of high school, a ton of ability, had offers from everyone by the time he was a freshman or sophomore. Graham's recruitment has taken off pretty well, but still not quite at that level Ty's was as a sophomore, so it sort of remains to be seen.

Is he going to be a top 100 type or a five-star type? We'll see. And he has a smallish build, a little bit smaller than Ty right now. We'll see if that changes. So, you know, does he keep growing? If not, he's a little bit under six feet. So that's something that used to be a big deal. Now not much of a concern for most people. We've seen enough success stories from guys at that size. And the big thing is he can sling it. He has thrown it all around for Westview.

And they've put up big numbers in the passing game each of the past two years. It's been really impressive. He's got a couple of the Division I prospects that Tennessee is pursuing. Asa Barnes, a running back that's got a bunch of offers, including Alabama, along with Miles Brown, a cornerback that has Tennessee and Vanderbilt among his SEC offers. So, yeah, pretty good situation there for Graham Simpson, and he'll be one to watch the next couple of years. But, yeah, I think there's reason to think right now that, yeah, he could follow Ty's footsteps at Alabama.

He's pretty open to the idea of going to Tennessee, even though Ty did not take that path. So I think other schools could be in play, too. So it'll be a fun recruitment here the next couple of years and definitely a long way to go. Now, next week is Groundhog Day. And there's a rumor that National Signing Day is next week. I wonder how many people have nearly forgotten that. Will Tennessee add any more next week? I know they added Jacoby Cooper, wide receiver. Here recently, Alabama's added two or three, well, a couple of receivers.

Your thoughts on next week as far as any additions. Everybody knows it's going to be very slow or should be for most teams. And I know Alabama's having a big junior day this weekend. It's probably going to be held in the indoor facility. Has Tennessee had a junior day, and do they have another one scheduled soon? Yeah, so on the junior day, Tennessee actually had one on the 17th, and it was sort of a smaller affair intended to be that way where they just had a select few guys and ended up being, I think, fewer than 20 players.

And the idea being these are going to be all high-priority guys that we want to spend a lot of one-on-one time with. The plan was to have a big junior day this past weekend, but the weather didn't cooperate. So Tennessee had to call that one off late last week, and now they don't have the option of having a makeup junior day, I guess, this weekend because they're still dealing with sanctions from their penalties related to Jeremy Pruitt's time at Tennessee. One of those things they're still dealing with is certain weeks on the calendar that they can't have visitors on campus.

So this is one of those. They've already been predetermined, and so now they don't get to have a second junior day this month. So unfortunate timing there for Tennessee, the weather not cooperating, but those things happen sometimes, and that's among the – there are still two games every year that Tennessee cannot host unofficial visitors for as well. So people have asked about that. It seems like it's a long way in the rearview mirror, but Tennessee's still dealing with that on some level, at least here and there.

And then your other question. Oh, a signing day. So two players committed right now that Tennessee has not signed, both local prospects. Tennessee could still add more of those types of guys. The thing that people have to keep in mind now, the SEC has switched to a 105-man scholarship roster, or at least you have the option of everyone being on scholarship. So as a result, those depth guys who might have been preferred walk-on types in the past now will be signing. And so that's what you have there in Jacoby Cooper and Jeremy George L, an offensive lineman from nearby Knoxville Catholic.

So a couple guys that are going to be developmental players in the long run, probably not a clear path to early playing time, but guys that you've got to have in your program, and they're committed, and we'll be planning to sign with Tennessee on Wednesday. So we'll see if they add any of those other types. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out in the 2027 class. Now that just was passed in December, so I think in the 27 class for Tennessee and a lot of other SEC teams, you'll probably see them consider signing bigger high school classes that could fill up the pretty big numbers by the summer, knowing that you're going to get depth guys and you have the option of doing that.

[47:27] But you can find some maybe higher quality guys that aren't traditional preferred walk-ons that would fill that 105-man roster out. So I think you could see Tennessee and other teams that are thinking the same way, maybe sign classes of 30-plus in the future, starting with the 2027 class. Ryan, it's safe to say we better buckle up. We're going to watch SEC basketball this season. It is a Forrest Gump season. You never know what you're going to get, like a box of chocolates. You go back, everybody was kind of down on Tennessee.

They go to Tuscaloosa, but Yakko was supposed to be all that in a bag of chips. And Rick Barnes says, so what? A good defense would be a pretty good offense. He did. He's been, the legs have been under him. Your thoughts about the SEC as far as up and down. Hello, Florida and Auburn last night. Auburn staying with a steam, then I call Texas. But relative to Tennessee, your thoughts about the rollercoaster season known as ACC basketball. Yeah, that's, you know, that we've seen this plenty of times in the Rick Barnes era and certainly under previous coaches at Tennessee.

Don't like the way the basketball season is looking, give it a week. And during SEC play, you know it a little differently. So, yeah, sure enough, here we are a week later. Tennessee's got back-to-back SEC road wins. And now a winning record in conference play, and suddenly everyone's feeling a little bit better about this team's outlook. Now, even after winning at Alabama on Saturday, and that was a really nice win. Tennessee now has won five in a row in that series, and their last two trips to Tuscaloosa have come away with wins.

So they're one of the few that has had that much recent success against Alabama on the hardwood. But, yeah, they've figured some things out, it seems like, a little bit. And the big thing is, a talented young freshman in Nate Amen is playing at a pretty high level right now, averaging 21-plus points over his last five games. Had a great performance against Alabama, obviously, Saturday night. Followed that up with another good showing against Georgia last night, helping Tennessee pull one out in overtime. You know, I've kind of thought from the start of the year this team was going to go as far in many ways as Jacoby Gillespie, a point guard, and Nate Amen would allow them to.

And it looks like Amen is one of those freshmen that, you know, second half of the season starting to hit his stride. I'm sure there still may be some bumps in the road for him at some point. But he's dealt with a lot of different looks from opposing teams and showed the last couple nights in particular that he can really take over a game if you give him the chance. So Tennessee figuring some things out and putting it all together. And as long as he keeps putting up 20-plus in a lot of games, Tennessee's got a chance to make some noise, at least in March, if they keep playing at that level.

Yeah, I think he may be one and done, but we were very impressed. And he also, Rick Barnes does a great job of creating mismatches. He had a 6'3", 6'4", guard on a 6'10 player. I was amazed Georgia even stayed in that game. Tennessee had an incredible 52-27 rebounding advantage and 26-7 with offensive rebounds. And they had to hold on to win the game in overtime, 86-85, which was Rick Barnes' 850th career win. I don't think – I'm like you. People are up and down with him, but he still keeps winning games every year.

But where can we get online to get recruiting, National Signing Day stuff, any additional transfer portal, basketball, all the good stuff? Where can we get it from you? Yeah, lots of good stuff there, as you said. Plenty of basketball coverage right now and getting ready for National Signing Day. Coaches still on the road for a couple more days this week to take advantage of the final days of the January contact period. So, some recruiting coverage on that end, too. So, great time to check out GoVols247.com.

50% off an annual subscription right now and also two months for $1 if you want to go to the monthly option. So, a good time to check out the site, get all that coverage and more as we get ready for spring practice just around the corner. March Madness, the start of baseball season. It's a fun time of year, a lot going on. We'll have it all covered for you, GoVols247. Spring practice. We'll take some spring weather right now, as well. Listen, man, Ryan, as always, stay warm up there, and thanks so much for your time today.

Anytime. Thanks a lot, guys. Thank you, buddy. Ryan Callahan, GoVols247. Speaking of Ryan, Ryan Fowler is going to be talking the Tide coming up in the next hour. Caleb Jones is going to be talking the Auburn Tigers. And the man who's making ways throughout the entire show's area, Coach Harold Higgins and Morris, right ahead of the Bumbo Bunk Show. Stay with us. Got wine? Offering 10% off six or more bottles of mix-and-match wine and an unmatched selection of nearly 1,000 different wines to suit any budget, the Carriage Wine & Market is your one-stop wine and craft beer destination in the heart of downtown Florence.

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The bill allows for state-based law enforcement to partner with federal law enforcement agencies in order to deport criminal illegal aliens. An amendment offered by Democrats last year has been included in this bill. That amendment specifies that nothing in the bill will limit or abridge the rights recognized by the Alabama Constitution or the U.S. Constitution. Yarbrough tells 1819 News that he has talked with the House and State Senate leadership and both House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and Senate President Garland Gudger want to see this bill get passed.

I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Where I was living was not a great place to live anymore. I began to pray for a place to go, praying for all of these things that a nine-year-old would want. I wanted horses, big house with a bunch of people my age. I wanted parents. I wanted a mom and a dad. Before I even prayed it, the Lord had already answered my prayer with the Big Oak Ranch. Who would that nine-year-old be if she never came to the Big Oak Ranch?

I would be trying to fight for survival instead of fighting to break a cycle. Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing a chance. UAB Hospital out of Birmingham has announced a successful robotic kidney transplant surgery. Doctors performed that surgery with robotic arms on January 15th. This type of robotic surgery has only been done in medicine for the past five years. The use of the robotic arms limits the size and amount of cuts that are made in a person's abdomen. A state grant is going to be used by the city of Mobile to improve two waterfront areas.

[57:55] $7.5 million is coming from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, or GOMESA. The money will be split in order to help the Brookley-by-the-Bay and Cooper-Riverside Park. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. High school basketball season is here, and is your home for Florence Falcons athletics. 93.9 The Score is proud to bring you a select lineup of games. This Friday, the Falcons play host to the Muscle Shoals Trojans.

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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, hour two of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Appreciate very much the very free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And BB, obviously, a lot to get through today. We're going to be getting to Coach Gerald Higgins here in a second. But we're actually getting with Caleb Jones and the Auburn Tigers.

Your thoughts about this Auburn basketball team, BB. I mean, at one point in the season, everybody kind of giving up on them. And then over the last week, basically what Auburn's doing is what a lot of teams in the SEC are doing. You just cannot predict any team. I don't matter how good they are one game or how bad they are in one game. Well, they're playing better. I think some of this is the adjustment Stephen Pearl needed to make as a new head basketball coach in the SEC.

You know, they've won four out of their last five games, including four in a row. Texas jumped on them last night. In fact, they had an early 14-point lead. Texas was shooting the eyes out of the basket. And then as Stephen Pearl said in the postgame, that they would lose their three-point ability. And they cooled off in the second half. And Auburn took advantage of that. Hull, who they had helped several teams that held him back, had a big game. Keyshawn Hull, Kevin Overton combined for 56 points.

Auburn only hit three turnovers. And again, that's one of the things that Nate Olsen hasn't gotten a lot of credit for this year. They're not turning the ball over nearly as much as what they have. But, no, Auburn is playing really well right now. Now, they're going to Knoxville this weekend. That's going to be tough. Then they've got a bye for the midweek game. And then some team by the name of Alabama comes to Auburn. I believe it's 3.30 Saturday week. I'm looking at a milk carton here.

Have you seen Bruce Pearl anytime soon? I mean, you're talking about a guy that was rocking and rolling. And basically, he comes to one day and says, I'm passing the baton to my son. Where's Bruce these days, baby, besides being on a milk carton somewhere? Well, I think he's kind of stepped aside to let Stephen try to be the face of the program now. Believe me, Bruce is in the background. And that's another reason he didn't run for a political office. But he's kind of there to help Stephen, I'm sure, put a game plan together.

[1:02:59] But, yeah, he's kind of standing away right now, letting Stephen get more adjusted to coaching. But I mentioned they only had three turnovers in that game. In the second half, they shot 70% from the field and 66% from the three-point line. That's going to win a lot of basketball games. Now, let's face it, basketball to me is a marathon. It's not a sprint. Obviously, in our neck of the woods, it's hard to get away from a football approach to things because everybody, oh, my gosh, you lost, the world's over.

In basketball, every team loses. At some point, you're going to lose. I don't care how good you are. And no matter how bad you are, you're going to win at some point. The key is to get it together at the right time. And it's hard to believe, is it not, BB? We're basically a month away from March Madness. To me, it's going to be interesting to see who can get their team on track and peaking at the right time. And while we're on that topic, let's talk about Alabama.

And everybody's trying to pick on them. If you're an Alabama fan, I see a lot of input, and you do, too. They're down on his team because they lose ball games. Just like we mentioned, everybody's going to lose them. To me, the biggest concern is not a talent level. To me, they've got as much talent as anybody. The big head-scratcher to me so far on the Alabama team has been just putting it all together and concentrating from beginning to end. It's almost like they go out, they lose their focus.

It doesn't matter how much they're ahead. They can blow that lead. It doesn't matter how far they're behind on the other side of the coin. They've got such a potent offense, they can catch up with you. It's amazing that we're sitting here having the same subject about the Alabama basketball team that we had about the Alabama football team. That is, what's it going to take to be more consistent from the beginning of the game to the end? Well, I think he's got their attention a little bit.

As he said, our primary focus against Missouri, they won that game 90-64 with stops, was the defensive play. That's one of the big things I've noticed with Auburn. They've been kind of hot and cold shooting the ball, but their defense has really picked up, particularly in the post. But he wanted to see if they can make stops against Missouri. Now, I want to see if they can make stops against Florida. Again, that game is Sunday at 12 in Gainesville. It's on ABC. And, Harold, their biggest problem is Thomas Hawk and Condon and Chenilu.

All these trees they've got in the post. Again, can Aidan Shirell and Bidiaco guard those guys without fouling? But, again, it seems to take Nate about 15 games during the season to get this team playing defense the way he wants them to. Sometimes the guards basically forget how to play it. So, they've played better than what they have earlier in the year. We'll see because they've got a very tough stretch coming up. Again, you've got Florida Sunday. You've got Texas A&M in the midweek game next week.

Oh, boy. Then you've got Auburn at Auburn. And, again, that was what was so critical for them to come back and beat Missouri. That's the issue in this league now. You take a week off, you're going to lose two or three consecutive games. Yeah, you thought, I mean, if this game was without Bidiaco, I got a feeling that Alabama would be in trouble. And the reason I say that, it's not they don't have the talent. But you look at a roster similar to Florida's and how's Alabama done against Purdue, against Arizona, and some of these other tall, drink-of-water teams.

They haven't done that well. To me, it's going to be interesting now to see how Alabama does, not with one guy, but two big guys to kind of defend that part of the court, baby. Well, that's going to be the key to the game to me now. Alabama has better guards than Florida, but Florida's got better post players. And in a game like this, on the road, it's going to be so critical as far as Amari Allen. Are they going to be able to get him back?

He has really been a revelation for Alabama so far. But it's going to be a key, Aiden Sherrell and Bidiaco are going to have to stay out of foul trouble if they can. Alabama has a tough time matching up with Florida. And Todd Golden, of course, told everybody last week, well, we don't care if Bidiaco plays or not. We're still going to beat them. And unfortunately, he's put his money where his mouth is for the last two or three times. But if Alabama can stay out of foul trouble and the guards can shoot the ball and they play a little bit of defense, this game may go down to the wire.

Yeah, and again, you can hear that game Sunday. Sunday is the NASCAR guy who would say, here on 93.9, the score. You brought up a guy that I think is very intriguing. And did the league need the Bucky ball or not? It was pretty predictable because, let's face it, obviously we have on our friend David Weathers. Nobody does it better when it comes to baseball than David. Almost two decades in the MLB. And according to David, baseball, in effect, why even pay a manager to come to the dugout?

[1:08:11] Just get an iPad and go check. In other words, everybody's all about the analytics and all that stuff. And the league, let's face it, Alabama and Auburn have been guilty of that. And here comes Bucky, and he's bringing basically an old-fashioned cash register to the game. Your thoughts about how his style of play, and to be honest, sometimes somebody who's brand new, they get off the hot start, they run up to big numbers, and then the other teams, as they say, adjust. We said all the time in baseball, somebody would come up and they got a 100-mile-an-hour fastball, and the teams adjust, or somebody can come up and hit .350 in the first month, and then they basically struggle to hit .200 of the rest once the teams adjust.

But your thoughts on how refreshing it is to see Bucky, from his background, to come into a premier league at the SEC, and right now, he's the man. Harold, one of the reasons they're so successful, he spends so much time trying to teach his team to make steals. They press you literally full court and then half court, and if you watch a lot of basketball, and particularly the SEC, you don't see very much of that unless you've got a close game. Well, he does it when they step off the bus, and a lot of teams are just not ready for that.

But particularly in the full court press, they did this with Auburn. Auburn had a double-digit lead, and it was just one steal. They would steal the ball, make two passes. They'd hit a three, and they came back and dissolved a 12-point lead and win a hand. But, again, especially known as Bucky Ball, he did it at Mountain Brook in high school, did it at Sanford. Now he's doing it at Texas A&M. I thought it might take them about a year, but they have come in.

They're now 71 in the conference, and that's just it. They steal the ball, pass it out, make two or three passes. They don't dribble very much either, and then they shoot the three, and a lot of times it goes in. Yeah, well, he was close. We only went off about 11 months. He just came in, and let's face it, that gets in the head of a lot of these guys in practice, all these guys trying to get the ball across the midstrap. That gets in their head all week long, so they got something else to think about come game time.

B.B., let's switch gears. We alluded to this and go to football. I'm looking at some of the numbers here for the Auburn Tigers, and you may have updated numbers, but their 39th signee via the transfer portal, Carlos Boardingham, not the old Buckingham 60s group, but Boardingham, 39 transfers. Is this going to work? Speaking of new coaches in the league for Auburn's new top tiger? Daryl, that's the question with this. I don't think there's any doubt about this, that they've got some talented kids. Now, some of these are death pieces.

They had to start over, basically, at tight end, and I think they've done a good job with that. Now, Golich was at the Senior Bowl yesterday, and they asked him, are you just about done? And he said, yes. Now, we may add one or two more to this, but that's the key to me, is the chemistry. Now, the offensive line, Ramil, Joe Simmons, Colt Bast, who came from South Florida, I believe 20 of this 39 are from South Florida. Wow. They've got a lot of depth. They've got 18 offensive linemen.

Started over at tight end, Jake Johnson, from what I hear, is going to be the starter. You mentioned Boardingham. He's going to be, they went from nearly zero tight ends now. I think they've got eight. Wow. Running back is Jeremiah Cobb, the projected starter, but Bryson Washington from Baylor is awfully good. Meadows, who they picked up as their 38th transfer. Receivers, Keyshawn Singleton from South Florida, Jeremiah Coger, Neal Broad, I think they're going to be good. Defensively, they've got the numbers. Rayshawn Pleasant is going to be a mainstay at cornerback.

Andre Johnson, the safety and nickel champ. Anthony's back. Sylvester Smith is back. I think they bring back a lot of the linebackers. I think they're going to be DeMarcus Riddick, Bryce Deese. Our bank, Xavier Ankins, one of the best linebackers in the SEC. But to answer your question, yes. They've got the talent, Harold. I think they're going to have better coaching, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. It just can't. Can the team mash and work together? I wonder if he's playing golf in this weather.

And by the way, if you become Auburn's 40th signee, can you at least give me a five-minute heads up on the day? Yeah. In the meantime, a heads up when it comes to big coaching news at the entire Shoals area. Coach Daryl Higgins on deck. Stay with us. Mugshot's Grill and Bar has a winning lineup with their limited-time offers. Choose from the smoky bourbon maple stack with two kid burgers or the pretzel basket with four pretzel sticks sprinkled with kosher salt. You must try the Chili Trio, which is a cup of cheesy chili, or the Nashville Hot Tacos, three flour tortillas with three Nashville Hot chicken tenders.

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Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On Thursday's edition of Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, we'll be joined by Alabama men's basketball forward, Aiden Shirell. I've seen those numbers go way up so far this season. What's a lot of success getting all these blocks? Definitely Oates challenging me for sure. During the summer, he was like, we need a rim protector. So I had to lock in and just take that role. That's good. Anything individually you've worked on? Did you have to change your body at all in any ways to be more effective?

Yeah, like, yeah, like obviously over the summer, I did like slim down for sure. But like, like I've been, I've been in with the GAs and managers. They've been getting a lot of work in. So it's just been a lot of hard work. That's pretty much it. I was pretty sure I was going here for a while. So I was watching a lot of their games. So you're living and dying in the NCAA tournament like we were, right? I'll have more in a moment. Hey, Bama fans, each Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central, join us live for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR.

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[1:18:54] Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. The Score. Welcome back in. It is an absolute pleasure for us to have you on board with us and for Coach Daryl Higgins to hook up with us. Coach, welcome in, and please forgive me. I almost said head coach at Mars Hill, Daryl Higgins. I stand corrected. It's Daryl Higgins, head coach at Russell. Hi. How are you? Oh, I'm doing good. How are you doing? How are you doing? We're doing all right.

Coach, obviously, big news, and I'm just guessing that this is one of those deals where you sat down at the dinner table over the beans and taters and cornbread and had a major conversation with the family. Talk to us about a big decision after 10 seasons, four state championships, if I missed one, please forgive me, at Mars Hill, and now heading on down to Franklin County to become the new top Golden Tiger at Russell High. It was definitely a huge decision. Those were 10 wonderful years. I spent 22 years at Deschers, so I don't move around a lot.

When I go somewhere, I like to build relationships and meet people, and I couldn't ask for a better 10 years. And the way everything went at Mars Hill, but Russellville was just an opportunity. I've been praying about it, and Lord, open up the doors, and so I'm here now, and I'm wide open, both feet on the ground, hitting it running. I bet that is correct. Daryl, we want to talk about the transition to Russellville, but we've talked with a lot of media and heard from some of the coaches about their thoughts on the big developments last Friday as far as reclassification, and particularly the public and private schools splitting off for their own championship series.

And I know that the private schools are going to continue to play the public schools. Deschers plays Mars Hill, for example, the last game of the year. But for a lot of the private schools, Westminster and Hustleville is a good example. Louis LeBlanc's got four games that are going to, as far as travel, it's two and a half to four hours. In the other sports, during the week, basketball or volleyball, for private schools in particular, you've got a lot of travel on a weekday. Daryl, your thoughts on the Alabama High School Athletic Association splitting public and private schools now?

I just think it's terrible. I don't see anybody winning out of this. The private schools are not happy about it. The public schools are not happy about it. It's just something that was not a lot of thought as far as what it's going to make some of these private schools travel and do some things, trying to come up with a region. It's a very disappointing decision for everybody I've talked to that was with the private schools and the public schools. Nobody's better qualified to delve deeper into that.

But let's back up, Coach, and talk to you. You mentioned praying. Obviously, you also mentioned when you go somewhere, you like to stay somewhere. Talk to us about some of the factors that led to your decision. Absolutely. I was really excited about moving into the 4A and being able to play that. Had the team come back I thought could win that. Everything I do is based on praying and what the Lord has pointed directions to do. A lot of things started adding up to Russellville. I guess the final thing was when they split the schools off into their own division.

We couldn't come back and try to win the 4A. I felt like that was the Lord saying, all right, it's the opportunity I've opened up the door for you. It's time for me to step in. And the other thing, let's face it, this is a business world, too. I would imagine Marseille Private, fantastic school. But the public school, as far as going forward, you mentioned 22 years at Desher. It probably is a big factor also trying to make sure that you look down the road in terms of the pension.

Absolutely. I knew when I came to Marseille at some point, I was going to have to leave. I really planned on probably leaving a lot sooner than I did, but I never could find a time to do it. I never found a school that had the tradition and the things that Russellville had at all worked out at the same time. My oldest son, Hudson, just graduated. He started at UAB. So all the things kind of lined up. If there was ever time to do it, now is the time.

Let me ask you about, not so much starting over, you're so experienced, but on the field, teaching these young men about the wing T, that doesn't happen overnight. But just, again, as you mentioned, going back to relationships, meeting the parents, meeting the kids, meeting the administration, so many things that you've got to do. Talk about your plan, your vision as far as getting started at Russellville. And I know you've got a list as long as you're arm as far as all the things that you've got to do, even getting ready for spring practice as far as implementing the wing T, getting ready if you're going to do a spring game.

[1:24:20] Talk a little bit about some of your plans as far as just simply getting started at Russellville. Well, you've got it right. There's a whole lot of things to think about. Right now, I'm just trying to get my feet on the ground, figure out which way to go to my office, which way to get to the lunchroom, where everybody's at. I sat for two days in the snow waiting to meet these kids. That's really what I'm in the business about. I couldn't wait to meet the kids.

I couldn't wait to learn their names, get to know them, learn their story. What makes them go. That's really my concern right now is I want to get in here, get to know these kids, and build a relationship with them. All the X's and O's, all that kind of stuff is down the road. Let's get in here. Let's work like I know how to work. Let's do the things that I know create success. Everybody's got their own way to do it. Mine, there's nothing special about it.

It's just the way I know how to do it. Every day you go in and you clock in and you bring it every day with maximum energy, effort, attitude, and do it as hard as you can and leave out of that day with the win that day. Once you're saying, Coach, if you can improve 1% each day, you'll be 365% better in one year. You obviously, would you also agree that a successful team has a great head coach and the head coach has a great staff? Talk to us about maybe some of the staff folks joining your team there.

Well, there's already a lot of great coaches here, and I'm just meeting them, getting to know them, a great staff here. I've been fortunate to be able to bring our defensive coordinator, Will Kilpatrick. He's going to get started over here. He's been two years as a defensive coordinator. He's two state championships in, so he's done an outstanding job. Chris Ballantyne's a guy that I think is one of the best coaches, period, that's ever done it around here, and he's going to come over here with us and get back at it.

And John Mothershed is the guy I call my mentor and the guy that I've always, you know, he's a lot better coach than me at every phase of it, and so he's going to be here with us, and I need him, and he means so much to me as a coach and as a person. I'm really excited about those guys and getting to know these coaches that are already here. Darrell, as competitive of an individual as you are, I know you, some people have a love-hate relationship with this.

I've talked to several people. They call it now the region of doom, Class 5A, Region 7. Some teams going up, some teams coming down or coming over from another region, but Athens, Austin, Decatur, East Lifestone, Florence, Hartzell, Muscle Shoals, Russell. Man, you talk about it's a playoff game every Friday night, and I know you've been so busy trying to, with relationships, but I'll tell you what, if you wanted some competition, you got it now. Well, we used to try to schedule up and try to find some people that was really good, and right now, I mean, we don't have to do anything that's right here in the track yard, and so, you know, these are some of the best teams, moving from 7A to top teams in 6A, and just kind of push down into this 5A, and I told these guys here, I said, if you're a competitor, and you want to compete and go against the best, then you could have an opportunity every week right here.

There's nowhere else that's going to play this kind of schedule and get this kind of competition, so we're just right now really talking to the guys in the school, all the ones that play, and we're probably shell-shocked when that schedule came out, but the ones that didn't play, get them back out here, and let's go out and put a product on the field that no matter who we play or what's going on, it'll look like Russell football's supposed to look. I guarantee when they see Russell there, that feeling's going to be a shell-shocked too, which means, Coach, if you will, talk to us, for all of us old-timers who know the tradition there at Russell High, what was the old saying back in the day, you know you're serious when the high school team has a jumbotron.

Talk to us about the tradition and how prideful that community is in the football team. This community is so excited for football. They love football, and that's where I'm right at home. I mean, that's just right in my wheelhouse with a lot of people that love football, love sports, love kids and competing. A lot of tradition, which means they take it serious, and their grandparents and great-grandparents and everybody's a part of it, and it means a lot to do it right. And so I'm very blessed and humbled to be able to be the coach here.

It's something that I would have never dreamed happened, and so I'm so thankful to have this opportunity. Absolutely. And listen, we appreciate the opportunity to spend a few minutes with you. We'll let you get back to it again, get back to that to-do list. Listen, we have always enjoyed our conversations with you over the years. Tremendous success at Morris Hill. I know you're very proud of what you were able to build there. God bless you and the players, the team, and the staff. And listen, good luck putting everything together, and we look forward to talking with you again soon.

Thank you so much. I appreciate y'all having me on the show. Absolutely. Thanks for taking time out. Coach Daryl Higgins, Russellville High football coach. What's going on down in Tuscaloosa, right down the road south of Russellville in Tuscaloosa? Ryan Fowler on deck. Stay with us. Roll Tide, Bama fans. This is Key, the Cypress Creek Indoor Range. Alabama football has the proudest football tradition in the country. We got that from great facilities, the top athletes in the nation, and focused practices. At Cypress Creek Indoor Range, we have all three.

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She swears it makes it taste better. It's not a science thing, but it's a pepper thing. Why do they all do it? All for that sweet, delicious, truly, one-of-a-kind taste of Dr. Pepper. It's a pepper thing. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9. The score. The Auburn Tigers were winners last night as Auburn beat Texas 88-82. Keyshawn Hall had 31 points. Auburn is now 14-7 on the year and 5-3 in the SEC. Tonight, Troy's at home to take on James Madison. The Trojans 8-1 in the Sun Belt.

South Alabama will host Coastal Carolina. The Jaguars are 5-3 in Sun Belt play. North Alabama plays on the road tonight at Florida Gulf Coast. The Lions are 1-6 in the A-Sun. Mids basketball action last night. The Georgia Bulldogs were edged at home by Tennessee in overtime 86-85. Kenned catchings had 22 points and 7 rebounds. Georgia is 16-5 in the year, 4-4 in the SEC. 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. Save more on the brands pros trust at Lowe's.

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[1:34:58] We got the portal. We got this. We got that, including the Senior Bowl on the other end of the state. Back in the day, it just seemed like it stole more headlines. What are you hearing out of the other end of the state with the Senior Bowl this week? Yeah, I think Ryan's ready with us. In fact, he actually was down there for a few days, Harold Bugg. I've heard certainly the Alabama players who were there, the three of them, and had quite some extensive comments, and particularly about some of the breakout candidates for 2026.

Some of the young guys, and I bet Ryan Fowler learned a little bit about that this week. He's in the middle of the huddle dinner. I wonder if he has increased his stock value as far as the draft. Yep, he has. When he's not working on an NFL career, or maybe even better, an NIL deal instead of the NFL, he is host of the game on Tide 109 FM in a place called Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ryan, welcome in. You're all over the place. Tuscaloosa, Mobile. How are you?

Yeah, and I'm actually back in Tuscaloosa. I pulled out of the Senior Bowl because of an injury. I don't know if you guys have got that wire, but actually I came back, and you guys are not going to believe this, but we had a team down at the Senior Bowl from our station, and I ended up going down. I come back because I wanted to go to the NCAA hearing for Charles Bediaco on Tuesday morning. We get a notice that they have pushed that back to Friday morning.

Sorry, I'm trying to park at the radio station. We've got the guy that's blocking the entire road here. No, we'll send Barney down and get that straight in the middle. Well, no, no, I mean, I'm trying to get in the office, and we've got an 18-wheeler that has literally got the entire block. Tell me your name is Ryan Fowler. You're a big shot there, okay? Let me in. I feel like I'm Alabama trying to get through Indiana's offensive line. Oh, my goodness. That bad, huh? That bad.

There is not a – I cannot get a Toyota through that hole right there. Oh, my. Keep trying. Keep trying. For just a couple of hours. Let me try. Hey, didn't Ryan Grubb just keep running the football, and they were getting no averages. Really? But let me see if I can run it in here for 1.9 yards. Boy, look, guys, I made it through. There you go. We knocked you through it. I pulled the other guard and got in there. But to go back to the NCAA and the Charles Mediaco case, I came back to cover that, and the NCAA could not get here because the weather was inclement weather.

Well, we offered to go get them in this truck. I've got a winch and I've got four-wheel drive, and they still wouldn't come, and then they filed a recusal. I think the NCAA just lied to us, okay, because I don't think they had any trouble getting down to the title town. Do they have an internet? Do they have an internet and a Zoom camera? I mean, why do you have to be there in the flesh? Well, it was just an excuse, guys. I mean, let's start with integrity.

They don't have it. And, guys, we're watching the NCAA lose credibility that really they didn't have. And we're going to watch this case. I'm sure you guys have seen it today out of Fresno, accusing Ole Miss of tampering. And if you think college football is going crazy right now because of tampering and everything that's happened in the world at NIL, if there's nothing that happens to Ole Miss, then these coaches are going to go 100-5 in a 55-5. I mean, because if we think it's the wild, wild west now, if they know that – and I think, listen, if you look back at Alex Goulash, Goulash, I'm aggravating.

But Alex said this yesterday that we really don't have any rules. He's dead on the money. He is dead on the money. I thought his audio clip of talking about, you know, he said you almost have to go back and just have to say, you know, that we have to have the football gods, I think is the way he said it. Right. Is you kind of allow them to kind of determine, well, I promise you, the football gods, whoever they are, they're not doing a good job right now because it's crazy.

And I've got to blame – and you've heard me say this before. We must – because we pretend, you know, we covered the NCAA. It's kind of like when we blame the government. We say the government. We're not going to blame our politicians. You call them by name. You know, you say these are the – that's who it is. And so when we look at the NCAA, who makes up the NCAA? Well, it's commissioners, Greg Sankey. Unfortunately, you've done a poor, pitiful job the last couple of years. And that's where we're at currently in the world of college football where there are no rules.

[1:40:21] And nobody's abiding by those rules. Nobody respects them. And if this happens, and Dabo, which I thought had one of the best cases, he did your homework for you. He did. He did your investigative reporting. And if you're not going to enforce the rules that we have, then, guys, I don't know if this model is truly sustainable in the world of college athletics. I don't think it is. Yeah. And I know that people get tired of talking about the NIL, but, guys, we're watching a sport go to its knees.

Yep. And there's nothing – I mean, tell me another system out here that has absolutely no rules that's able to sustain itself. I don't know of anything in life that we have no rules. Well, you can't go 100 miles an hour in a school zone just because you want to. There's reasons for those rules. What's going to happen Friday in your guesstimation with the Mediaco case? It'll be next Friday. I think they'll win the case. I mean, next Friday. I really do. Say it again. Yeah, I think they'll win the case.

I think Charles Mediaco will win his case. I don't think they would have put that temper – I know it's a different judge, but he's still abiding by the same rules. I think when you step back and begin to look at it, I think he'll win his case. I think that – and I wonder if NATO did this to raise awareness based on the rule structure of the European players because – think about this. A week and a half ago, did your average college basketball fan realize that there was this many European players playing?

No. Well, not only that, Ryan. Here's the other side. How many guys in college are making more money than some of these NBA guys with a light contract? It's true. It's true. And I think that's where you're looking at the college side of things, and it's paying a ton of cash. Yeah. I mean, it really is. In other words, what's a pro, Hal? How do you define a pro is the question? Great question, Harold. Great question. Great question. How do you define a pro? Yeah. I think that is a very, very fair question.

Yeah, we were – I think when you look at professional athletes, we used to find – I mean, think about in the 90s when you accepted a small payment, and that made you ineligible to play. Now, it goes back to following no rules. There are no rules in college athletics. I mean, you're making more in the college arena. Now, guys, what's going to happen when we get to the system? Is that what's going to set up an NFL player that's drafted? Let's just say seventh round. Let's say the seventh round.

And he doesn't like his draft spot. Yep. Is he going to come back? Right. Is he – Diego Paglia would be an example. Well, and because the NCAA, we don't even declare eligibility for, you know, as far as the – they let them play seven, eight years. I mean, guys, when I say there are no rules, I don't know which ones we are following currently. Now, and I understand Charles Bediaco case, you can have a strong opinion. I've got a strong opinion. I question whether he should or should not be playing, and I think that's fair.

But I also look at it, and I say, guys, it's currently the wild, wild west. And I think Nate Oates did it for a couple different reasons. I think, one, he did it to better his team. But I think the second motivation was to raise an awareness about the European players. And I've got to be honest with you, I did not realize there was this many European players just playing in this league. And when I say European players that are professionals there, that had been playing, like, they're coming in as a freshman.

I think the kid at Baylor, I know he's not SEC, but I believe he's a freshman on the eligibility side. In other words, he could play four more years out in Baylor, James Nodgy. So, the kid, I believe, at Auburn that came in from Minnesota. Yeah, Joe Vick. Yeah, Joe Vick. Yeah, I think he is also, he's 22, 23? Yes. There is, maybe he's 21. But, I mean, if he played four years, he'd be 25. There's going to have to be a clock that's going to have to say, it's kind of like when you walk out in peewee football, and you go, well, hey, this age group's here, this white class is here.

[1:45:32] But, right now, we haven't, like, I don't know who's in charge. Because the NCAA's not going to do it. The commissioner's going to be asked to do it. I think that's the big question. Let me ask you about what you saw or heard in the senior bowl. Kellen DeBoer met with the media impromptu yesterday for about 15 minutes. One thing he did say, and the Tuscaloosa News sports staff has followed up with this, is that Marion Latham, they seem to be optimistic. He's going to receive a seventh year, and that would be huge to get him back on the defensive line.

Tim Keenan talked to a lot of the media and named some names who he thought was going to have a really good year. London Simmons, Jeremiah Beeman coming back, Faga, Kevante Henry, he loves Andrew Hill, and Day-John Lee. Tell us what you've heard about Latham, Marion Latham, and what else did you hear down there? Well, I think when you look at, Jermaine Latham is going to be a really good piece because we've been talking about age. And the way to get through this is if you can get a player that's eligible, chances are a 22-year-old, 23-year-old player is going.

That's one of the reasons why Indiana was able to win the national model. I'm not taking away from what they were able to accomplish, but I think the average age of their team was like 23-and-a-half. It was 23 and some change is what the average age of the Indiana team was. And so that's the trick. Jermaine Latham is going to play a vital role because he's a depth piece. And I just have to trust what Chase Goodbread and Colin Gay from the Tuskos News, they're the ones who reported that.

Kalen was not as committed to kind of saying that. Kane Womack is the one that said that. So I got to at least got to say that. I don't, you know, you base it, and I don't think Kane would tell a fib, but based on if he is a big piece. But I also heard what you heard with Tim Keenan when you look back at listening to him. I mean, he named the entire defensive room, which I don't know. Well, and I hope they all are successful.

Because the defensive line, the more defensive linemen you've got, that position's about rotation. Now, I do like what they have done from adding the competition pieces on the line of scrimmage. I look at the offensive line. They've added some pieces that have created some competition. Have they upgraded? Kane will the board think so. And so he's the coach. But it's something that we can't even talk about quarterback competition until we discuss that offensive line. That offensive line, and it was a problem. And I know he talked about, you know, the reason they let cap go was based on production.

Well, I must, I wasn't there, but my follow-up would have been, okay, based on production, your special teams was almost second to last in the SEC. No, no, no, no, no. I mean, and that's the phase of the game, because that special teams, it was not good in Tuscaloosa. The only thing that was ranked in the top 15, I'm sorry, excuse me, top 10 in the SEC, was points after touchdown. Those are the only statistical category that they were ranked high. Hunting, dead last in the SEC. Bill go kicking, 15 out of 16.

And Bill Conley from ESPN ranked Alabama's unit in special teams in the country, 107th in the country. 107th. So, based on production, I would say that the special teams coach, I don't know if he was given a mulligan, not sure. But, yeah, it's an issue. It's a problem. No, I asked you this last week. Did you hear anything, Mobile? I saw where two other teams have announced in the SEC where they're starting spring practice and going to have a spring game. Has anything leaked down about Alabama's starting practice in a spring game?

No, I haven't. I haven't heard anything about a spring game or lack thereof. That's something that I haven't. Still a topic because I get asked by that, you know, by a lot of listeners here. Yeah. And, as a matter of fact, someone brought it to the table earlier this week. Because I know it's important. It's important for the economic meaning of our city. It brings a lot of people into Tuscaloosa. Yeah, absolutely. But I've not heard anything, you know, as far as a spring game, if that's even going to be an option.

[1:50:48] Because it was a – but it is a sponsored area. And I know that's another revenue stream because I believe Golden Flake's been the sponsor forever on A-Day. And I don't know if that tradition's going to continue or if it's something that they're going to, you know, they're going to throw away. But they're all, you know, and I think that should have come up yesterday, but it didn't. I think they're all dialed in with recruiting. Because that period, you've got a big G-O day this weekend on the campus at the University of Alabama.

But they're finishing up this last two days of visiting. And I believe the quiet dead period starts at 11.59 on Saturday evening. Yep. Yeah, yeah, you're exactly right. Listen, you've got to run. I know you've got a great show coming up. Who have you got on the lineup today, and where can we get on line to listen? Well, we've got Mike Johnson, the former All-American offensive lineman from Atlanta that does sports talk radio over there. We're going to talk about where Alabama can improve the most. And I figured it was going to be a topic that K-1 was going to discuss yesterday, and he did.

So we're going to discuss that. We've got John McClain and Rod D'Or. So those are the guests that we're going to. Last time I had John McClain on, Nick Saban retired. So I'm really nervous about bringing it on. Well, no, I mean, I live on the air, I had John McClain on, and I said, John, and we literally shifted. But we're going to talk about Bill Belichick not being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and some other things, and Rodney Orr is going to join us as well.

So we'll start it here coming up in a couple of minutes on Tide109 and Tide109.com. I appreciate you guys as always, and hopefully we'll have a little bit more about this lawsuit and all these different legal terms that I don't know anything about. But I'm trying to pretend like I do. Let's call Matt Locke and see if he can help us. Ryan, listen, in the meantime, stay safe and as warm as you can down there, okay? Okay. Hey, thank you guys so much. Thank you, buddy.

Ryan Feller, with us from Tuscaloosa, which BB, we have a lot of fun here. And you look at right now, the temperature is basically depending on where you are, somewhere in the 40s. But this weekend, I'm looking at some of the numbers. Go ahead and prepare. I'm looking at the temps from four below to five above. So as they say, BB, plan accordingly. Yeah, the wind chill is going to be ridiculous. The high Saturday, I believe, is going to be in the low 20s. And the low Sunday night is, yeah, it would be ridiculous.

We may have to move to Alaska to warm up. We're going to take care of business for now on behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, and the entire crew here. Carol Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow at noon. Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 Score.