Boomo Bugg Show 062926

[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 new ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in and welcome to 4th of July week where Alabama lights up some early recruiting fireworks.

Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? You and the listeners, as you alluded to, Alabama gets commitment number five on the week with wide receiver Osani Gales of IMG Academy. We'll talk about that a little bit later. Brian Matthews of Auburn Sports previews the 2026 Auburn Tigers. But Adam is here right now to talk about his number one team in the college football playoff in six SEC players in the top ten defensive players for 2026. Not just number one, but number two, number three, and so forth and so on.

I won't steal Adam Spencer's thunder. That's because he's already done all the hard work there. It's Saturday down south. Find a sports betting dime as well in Saturday tradition. Adam, welcome in. Earthy, 4th of July hats off to you. How are you? I'm doing great, guys. How are you? Good. Man, we're doing all right. It's hard to believe. Are you one of those, Adam, once everybody kind of, it's always football season here as it is in your backyard. But it just ramps up to another gear once the 4th of July comes.

We know that's coming this weekend. Your thoughts as far as just where we are right now and are people ready? We've heard criticism, people saying, well, I'm not as fired up about college football as I once was. I want to see that come game day. Yeah, I agree with you. I think that, you know, sometimes June feels a little long and, you know, it just seems like football is so far away that it's just an abstract vision. But, yeah, once things start getting closer, once, you know, the late summer starts to roll around, I think the buzz will be back.

And I think we'll have full stadiums once again and lots of TV viewership. I'm not worried about the product on the field, even as the noise swirls around it off the field. Number one, Ohio State Buckeyes. You have been counting this down from 12 until number one. Boise State 12, Michigan 11, Alabama number 10, LSU number 9, Indiana 8, Texas Tech number 7, Georgia 6, Oregon 5, Notre Dame 4, Miami 3, Texas 2. And there's no question, as you pointed out, Ohio State returns a lot of talent. Julian Sang, Jeremiah Smith, maybe the best player in the country, Bo Jackson, Brandon Ennis.

But they've got some tough games. Five true road games, Texas, Iowa, Indiana, USC, Nebraska, Oregon, Michigan at home. And they lost, as you can imagine, a lot of guys, either the transfer portal, they went on to the NFL, only returning 50% of the production. But believe me, they've got enough talent to finish number one. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it all starts, you know, we all were impressed by what Matt Patricia did with that defense last year. And, you know, even if the defense takes a step back, I don't expect it to completely collapse.

I still think that they'll be mostly fine defensively. Like, you know, some of the pieces that they added, you know, they got Earl Little Jr., who had four interceptions for Florida State last year. So, I mean, I think that, you know, when you're Ohio State, you're going to bring in some talent in the, in, in, you've got plenty of depth to work with from the start. So, I mean, I think that the defense will be fine. I think that that offense, now that Julian Stan has a year of starting under his belt, and let's not forget that a year of starting led to him being a Heisman finalist last year.

I think he's going to be even better this year. So, I expect a lot from him. You know, I think that this team could get a favorable schedule early. Yes, that Texas game is going to be brutal in week two, but Texas is going through a defensive transition of its own. You know, Texas has plenty of talent on its defense, too, but Will Muschamp is taking over as defensive coordinator. So, you know, they have some question marks on that side of the ball, too, and I think, unlike last year's game, I think that this year's Texas-Ohio State matchup could turn into a shootout, and when you have a guy like Jeremiah Smith, you know, that's always going to be in your favor.

[5:05] So, yeah, I like the Buckeyes. I like the Longhorns, too. You know, I had the Longhorns number two, so, you know, I think that could be a potential national championship preview that we're lucky enough to see in week two, and I think that both teams will be living up to expectations this year. Adam Smith, we're going to with us Saturday down south. I heard a couple of names mentioned there, Earl, Little, Junior, Julian, what have they got in common? Both of them starting out at Alabama, which, to me, leads to the next point, Adam, as far as where we are with college football.

If they stayed at Alabama, and by the way, if Nick Saban had stayed at Alabama, where would Alabama be right now? And where would, in the modern era, Texas Tech, which is ranked ahead of Alabama, Indiana is ranked ahead of Alabama, where would they be? In other words, your poll and the fact that two premier Alabama guys are now at Ohio State, to me, that's the poster child of where college football is now. Yeah, I mean, I think that, you guys hear me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're good.

Yeah, yeah, I think, you know, that Nick Saban guy sure knows how to identify talent. Yes. He also had Caleb Downs, who was on the same team, and just went number 11 overall in the NFL draft. So, yeah, I mean, I think that that's a great position for Nick Saban's legacy there. And, yeah, if those guys were still around in Tuscaloosa and Nick Saban was still around in there, I think that Alabama probably has another national title and, you know, a top five at least, maybe a top three or two team heading into this season.

I mean, you know, I get that, you know, he wanted to step away. He didn't like the direction college football was going, but, you know, I think he would have adapted. Yeah, I just don't know that, yeah, I just think that if he still had the passion to coach in this era, then I do think that Alabama would have another banner. Yeah, I agree. You also commented on an article by Max Olson of ESPN. He looked at the 10 best defensive players in college football. Boy, this is a shock.

Six of them play in the SEC. Colin Simmons of Texas, who you alluded to, Dylan Stewart of South Carolina, Ty Benefield, the safety at LSU, Biles, linebacker at Texas, two Texas guys, William Echols, very talented defensive tackle at Ole Miss, K.J. Bolin at safety at Georgia, who seems like he's been there 10 years. Not a big surprise, six of the 10 from the SEC. Yeah, what's interesting about that is, you know, at least, you know, the top two there were homegrown talent. You know, Colin Simmons and Dylan Stewart have both been at their schools for the entirety of their careers, and they're going to be top ten picks probably in the 2027 draft.

And then you get a couple of transfers in Benefield and Biles, and I think that that just shows, you know, the kind of state that we're in with college football now where those guys came from smaller programs and, you know, are now getting the NIL money that they deserve and are going to step in and help defenses right away. So, yeah, I think that this year, you know, there's always some ebbs and flows to it, but, you know, this year I think that the defensive side has plenty of talent, even, you know, even though Arch Manning is going to get a lot of the buzz, and rightfully so, when it comes to NFL draft prospects.

But the defense is what's probably going to carry the SEC's potential run to get back to first-round dominance of the 2027 draft. Adam Spencer centered down south. Adam, I think most would agree that it's one thing to sit here and look at a roster, but look at the schedule, who you're playing, when you're playing, and where they're playing. As far as the top two, this is CBS. They got Northwestern and Iowa, but relative to the SEC, everybody's got LSU almost a shoe-in, but according to CBS, they got the third toughest schedule.

You can agree or disagree. Right behind them is Mississippi State. And then relative to our neck of the woods, Adam, everybody's talking about Auburn being a dark horse. If they are, and if CBS is right, boy, are they going to earn it. If they got the fifth-rated toughest schedule in the country, Michigan's right behind. But then Alabama is number seven. This, again, according to CBS, I know it's subjective. Alabama's got back-to-back SEC road games, LSU and Vanderbilt. Don't laugh. Vanderbilt, what happened a couple of years ago.

But your thoughts about some of this as far as the relative? Looking at a roster, LSU's got a million, but they also got, according to the folks at CBS, the third toughest schedule, and then Auburn five, Alabama seven. Yeah, I mean, it's no surprise to see a bunch of SEC teams in there. And, you know, I think the one thing, you know, Auburn, if they're going to surprise early, we're going to know it. Because they start out with, you know, before they have that back-to-back and really three-game stretch, where they're at Georgia versus LSU and at Ole Miss in mid to late October, you know, they do have some winnable games.

I mean, I think we'll know out of the gate just how talented this team is because they get Baylor at home. And, you know, I think, you know, they went into Baylor and won last year. So, you know, I think that they could, you know, if they can beat Baylor at home, I think that that sets the tone for the rest of the year. And then September 19th, they start SEC play with a visit from Florida. And that's going to be a really key game for both of those teams with new head coaches just trying to set the tone for their 10 years because, you know, I've heard Auburn as a dark horse.

[10:35] There's some buzz around Florida being a dark horse, too, when it comes to college football playoff contention. And, you know, so that game at Jordan-Hare is going to be an intense one. And, you know, it's always good for Auburn to have those games at home because more often than not, the crazy bounces go their way. Adam, did the NCAA come up with actually some logical common-sense proposals last week? So at 2027, 14 weeks to play 12 games, which means you've got two buys. The transfer window is whittled down to only 10 days now, January 4th through the 13th.

And something we've talked about, spring practice, spring games probably going away of the hula hoop. OTA is going to be taking place. Adam, did they get a few of these right? Yeah, I think so. And, you know, I think with all these games that these athletes have to go through now, I think two buy weeks is smart. I still think we need to figure out how to condense the calendar a little bit more. But, yeah, not having a complete free-for-all with the transfer portal while teams are trying to compete for national titles is always good, too.

You know, you don't want the situations that we've seen in the past where guys have to enter the portal while they're still playing in the playoff. You know, so I think that some of these things make sense. I like the five-in-five rules they came up with in the past. And, you know, I think we're heading in the right direction. There's still a lot of work to be done. But, you know, I think that some of these common-sense measures are starting to pass, you know, which is not something that we've been able to say about the NCAA and common sense in a lot of past weeks.

Absolutely. Listen, I always enjoy beginning of the week with you. Great stuff. The countdown to number one, some of the top players. Listen, happy fourth to you and your family. Where can we get online to get your stuff and all the rest of the team? Yeah, SaturdayDownSouth.com. We're going to start, you know, gearing up some preview content here because, like we said earlier, it's getting close to football season. So check us out and subscribe to our newsletter. That's great. And listen, man, thanks so much.

Stay safe out there. Let's do it again soon, okay? Sounds good. Thanks a lot. Thank you, bud. Adam Spencer, Saturday Down South. All the way to South Alabama and to Pridemobile. Randy Kennedy and more on deck. Stay with us. Pros, save more on what you need to get the job done right. Right now, at Lowe's. Get 15% off. Select custom entry and interior doors. Plus, save $80 on the DeWalt 20-volt Max 228. Cool combo kit. Now just $169. And at the Lowe's Pro Desk, bring us your materials list and get a quote in minutes.

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Randy Kennedy, welcome in. How are you? Man, it is going very well for me. I'm glad to be with you guys. Man, we're still in Alabama. We just want to make sure, Randy, that there's still any prize recruits in the state of Alabama who may be going to Alabama or Auburn. It seems like the door is wide open. All these folks coming in like Oregon and Texas, does it have anything to do with deep pockets, Randy? It absolutely does. And, you know, for those of us, and I think you guys are in this category as well, who follow this stuff closely, recruiting, it's just used to when you got a, you know, a big recruiting win and the kid would say he's coming to your school.

It was such a big celebration. And now it just feels like it's almost like if you follow a professional team, you know, a major big baseball team, an NBA team, like, okay, we decided to pay that guy because we think he'll fit our team well. It's much more of that. It's much more clinical than, hey, this guy realized that our school is better than our rival, you know. So there's still a little bit of that, but there's so much of that, like, you got to make sure everybody fits in the salary cap.

Who is more affected by that, Alabama or Auburn? Because for years, Auburn sold the family. Alabama sold tradition as far as national championships. Is it pretty much a wash? But as far as, which are the two big ones in the state of Alabama? Who's more adversely affected by the new climate out there? I think it's mostly a wash, but I think one thing you really got to realize is that when you look at recruiting classes, you've really got to look at what a school has coming back with their roster.

For instance, I think the majority, if you hold any of these coaches and you said, where would you like to spend most of your budget, whether that's $20 million a year or $50 million a year or whatever it is, and I think every coach would say, ideally, we'd like to spend most of our money on retention. We want to pay our guys. We signed a guy out of high school. We thought he was good. Turns out he's great. Now let's pay so that he won't go somewhere else.

And so you've got to look at these rosters and say, all right, how many such players are there that these schools, like in Alabama, how many of those guys are they looking at saying, look, we've got to pay Jackson Lloyd, so therefore we can't pay a big-time high school offensive lineman because we want to pay this guy that we've already got here who is a five-star. So I think you've got to factor that in greatly of, okay, what have you got coming back, and what do we think we're going to have to commit to retention before we can think about the transfer portal and the high school recruits now?

Randy, let me ask you about a player who I've heard a lot about in the last week before we get to your list of top defensive banks and linebackers, and that's cornerback Kingston pre-year. He transferred, led Montgomery Catholic to a pair of state titles, 3,100 yards, 31 touchdowns. The rivals has him as the number four quarterback in the 2028 class. Now he's moved on to Benjamin Russell. Some of the recruiting services are saying he is down to Florida, Alabama, and Vandy, and he is going to announce July the 10th, and several of them are saying he's leaning to Alabama.

Randy, tell us a little bit more about him. Yeah, I've had a chance to see him play in person. He's one of those guys, if you go to a high school game, you don't have to say which one's him. You know, when you walk out there for warm-ups, you're like, oh, wow, that guy looks like an SEC quarterback. And I was watching him last year as a sophomore. He'll be a junior this year at Benjamin Russell. He's all that. When we publish our best in Bama complete list, he is going to be extremely high on this list of recruits, regardless of classification or graduating class.

He's really good. He's not one of these overachiever sort of guys. He looks like, you know, if you put him out there, if you snuck him into an NFL warm-up, you wouldn't think he'd think about it. Yeah, he looks like one of those guys. He is really a great prospect at Benjamin Russell. Randy Kennedy with us. Name one of the 50 legends of sports writers in Alabama. One thing that you guys do is you scratch the itch for a lot of football fanatics who know there's still days away to football.

[20:40] So you come out with some interesting stories, namely the top picks at the respective positions. Randy, for the folks who might have missed the top defensive backs in Alabama, where do you start with your list? Yeah, it's so cool. We get to do it position by position, and that eventually folds into the overall best in Bama top 50 list. But it's a good year for defensive backs. I mean, we've talked before. Junior James from Thompson, who now goes by Junior Tupo. Yeah. Tupo is his name now.

He's not going by James at all anymore. I had a chance to interview him last week out of the Foley 7-on-7 tournament. He's, again, a guy who looks the part. And then a couple of days after I interviewed him, he committed to the University of Texas over Alabama. He's really one of those guys who's kind of a can't-miss. Also, a guy from down here in Mobile at Williamson, Jalen Scott, who is just a playmaker all over the field, committed to Oklahoma, is also one of the top defensive backs in the country.

But overall, it's a good year in state. You know, we get these new high schools that pop up. For the first time, there's a kid at Dothan High School, the new Dothan High School, not the old Dothan High, who is going to Miami by the name of Hall. King Hall is a very good player. So you see some of these usual suspects, usual schools, but then some of these other ones as well. A guy that we got a chance to see, Kylan Johnson, who we got to see last year win a state championship.

At Cusa Christian, now at Flainview, is also an underclassman who's going to be one of the top prospects in the country coming up in that class of 2028. Randy, Campton Munderland, Jr. Yeah, he's the son of Campton Munderland, the 10-year NFL veteran. I asked you about him earlier this year. Randy, I know he's a sophomore. How good is he? He's really good. And the thing is, you know, his dad was 5'9", played at Murphy High School, was a really good player, but nobody really wanted the dad.

He ended up going to South Carolina, which is great. He went to an SEC school, but it's not like they beat anybody big for him. And he goes there, he's, you know, a three-year starter and an all-SEC player and then 10 years in the NFL. The younger Munderland is going to have a much different experience. He's been offered by Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Miami. All the big dogs are already on him, and he's just a sophomore. So, very, very different. Dad was a great player. Junior is about four inches taller and a better athlete.

We'll see if he has the 10-year NFL career that his dad did. Randy, I'm just looking at some of these names here. You mentioned Tutu, whatever it is. Do you have fun with some of these guys? I'm looking at one now. Correct me if I'm wrong. Monroe Willis. Where do these guys get these names, Randy? By the way, this may be the last week that you referred to Brett Beaird as Brett Beaird. I think it's going to go by Rhett Butler next week. So, we better enjoy this week.

But where do these guys get these names, Randy? No. That kid's name is actually Barack. Yeah. Okay. Barack. I think he's the – you better get used to it. I think we're going to cover, you know, kids of that age. You better get used to a couple more Barack's coming down the pipeline. But he's the first one who's been a major recruit that I know of named Barack. But he's a good player. He's definitely a good player. He's going to Colorado. So, yeah. But I think we're going to get some more Barack, regardless of if it's spelled the same way or not.

You know, I think we're going to get some more Barack coming. Can you imagine back five years ago, ten years ago, certainly before the Internet, these kids hopping all over to Oregon and Colorado, the power of money and social media, there really are no state boundaries anymore, are there? And the world's just a smaller place now. You know what I mean? Like, I think when we were growing up, the thought that I would go to Eugene, Oregon to college, I bet I would have enjoyed it.

But I didn't even consider going to Oregon. That wasn't even on my radar to even think about that. And I think these kids today, because they're traveling for these tournaments, we certainly see a lot in basketball, but the world just seems like a smaller place. And these kids, you talk to them like, oh, yeah, I'm friends with this kid who's a high schooler in Colorado. You're like, what do you mean you're friends with a high school kid in Colorado? That wasn't on my bingo card as a 16-year-old.

But these kids, it's just not that big a deal to them. And I just don't think you see that kind of, you know, in the past, we would have taken the top 20 players in Alabama. And you would kind of split them up between Alabama and Auburn. And now that's just not the case at all. Randy, I really feel sorry for Mark Freeman at Thompson. You did an article on the, quote, backup, the eighth grader, when Trent Seaborn finally goes on to Alabama. Had a good article about that.

And also tell us the best of Alabama. I believe it's going to begin dropping July the 12th, maybe the 40th through 51st. Randy, is that correct? That is correct. Yeah, we'll unveil it 10 players at a time. And then once we get over a week's time, then when we get to the end of the week, we'll kind of evaluate all the players, who made it, where they're going to college, where they go to high school. Just kind of do all the breakdown of all that. Some of it, you know, is in motion still.

[25:55] Because I think some of these guys, between today and when that final story publishes, I think we're going to get a couple more guys choosing a college, like you mentioned already about Kingston free year. So, yeah, so we'll go over that whole week, just a couple weeks away. Now with this defensive back story, we're done with the individual position. So now it's just the overall top 50 we're going to unveil. Busy, about to get busier, Randy. Thanks so much, and have a great and safe fourth, okay?

Great to be with you guys. Thank you, bud. You too. Randy Kennedy checking in from South Alabama. What's going on at Jorley O'Wilmanen? The latest next. Stay with us. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update, brought to you by Fisher Investments. It's opening day at Wimbledon, and after an early exit at the French Open, seven-time Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic will once again begin pursuit of that elusive 25th Grand Slam title. I think I'm better prepared here than I was for Roland Garros. Obviously, playing on grass, comparing to play, you don't need to exert as much physical effort.

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I am doing terrific, guys. Thanks for having me in. Hey, Ben. You too. Have you got all your fireworks? Are y'all loaded up? Are you a heavy fireworks guy or are you more like us sparklers? I used to be really into fireworks, but I think after my kids grew up, it kind of waned a little bit and now it's going to be so hot. We'll see about getting out there for fireworks. I'll probably be out there, but I don't know. There you go. I guarantee you.

A lot of folks can relate to that, Brian. Your thoughts. Boy, what a difference that you're amazed coming into this 4th of July as far as the vibe. Starting with that, this is kind of a marking point. After the 4th of July, most folks in our neck of the woods will say football season's underway. It always is. But really, after the 4th, it really gets down to business. Where's the vibe coming into this 4th for Auburn fans compared to just one year ago? Well, I mean, a year ago, I think there were a lot of high expectations, right?

You know, Freeze and his staff are coming off two straight top 10 classes. You know, there's a lot of hope that Jackson Arnold was going to be a special quarterback, you know, and they were going to put it together. And the opposite happened, right? It all fell apart. Freeze got fired. A lot of those players have gone. We've got a whole new staff in now. And, you know, I think there's some, there's a hopeful vibe. I think there's some excitement, too. I think people really appreciate Alex Golesh and the way he's running the program right now, you know.

And then we'll see what that looks like later this fall, right? We've still got a little ways to go. But I think there is some excitement around this team. And just ready, I think everybody involved with Auburn is ready for this team to take a step forward. Before we look ahead, you mentioned the name there. Where is Hugh Freeze? What golf course is he on? The only place I've seen these days is on the side of a milk carton. Where is Hugh Freeze these days? I'm not exactly sure.

I think he's in and around Auburn at times, you know. I've seen him, but I don't know what his current plans are as far as, you know, what he's doing full-time or whatever. Just relax a little bit. You do a good job with analyzing positions. One of them is, I know recently he's a wide receiver. We'll get to that in a minute. But defensive ends and edge positions. Auburn lost some good ones. I think everybody knows that. Kendrick Falk to the NFL. Keron Crawford. But they've got some guys coming in that you noted, of course.

[36:45] Deshaun Womack, the Ole Miss transfer, Missouri transfer, Nate Johnson, Jared Smith, Chris Murray, of course, there. All these guys now are 6'6", 6'5", 250. Reminds me of middle linebackers 10 years ago. But now they're on the end. Your thoughts going in. There's some talent there, no question. How will Auburn be at defensive end and the edge positions? Yeah, they've got some depth there, I feel like. They've got some experience. You know, I think they need Deshaun Womack to take care of all of his business on and off the field and be the player they expect him to be, right?

Be that guy who can set the edge over there. Be that power defensive end. And I think Jared Smith is one of the big wild cards for this entire team. You know, is he going to be, you know, pretty good, good, potentially great? I mean, I think he could be any one of those three things, you know, this fall. You know, could this be his big breakout sophomore season, played as a true freshman, had a really good spring, was a standout in the spring game. So we'll see if he can take that into the fall or not.

But, you know, you're getting Chris Murray back, I think was important there at the edge, too. An experienced guy that's played a lot. Nate Johnson has been in college football for a long time, another transfer there. So they have guys that can rotate in and out. So you feel like in this D.J. Durkin defense, too, you don't have to have, you know, an edge guy get 10 or 12 sacks. It's nice that they do, but he likes to use those linebackers, too, especially a guy like Xavier Atkin.

Brian Matthews, check him out, auburnsports.com. Brian, obviously a lot of folks we talk with, when we ask them who's their dark horse in the SEC, guess who? Got the Auburn Tigers penciled in there to fill that role. We talked earlier today, looking at the whole picture, what I think the conclusion was. If that's the case, boy, they're going to earn it. Because CBS, think it or not, all of a sudden CBS got a lot of questions there. But they got Auburn with the fifth toughest schedule in the country.

Not just in the SEC, but in the country. Your thoughts, what's realistic as far as, yes, there's a lot of unknowns. You've got an offense that's coming in that a lot of folks still don't know about in the SEC, unless you're Florida. But you also have a tough menu there to iron out. Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm ready to call Auburn a sleeper team yet. When I think of sleeper team, I think of a team that nobody's really counting and comes up and wins, you know, nine or ten games.

And I'm not sure Auburn's in that category yet. Maybe they will be. Right. But, you know, they've had five straight losing seasons. They need to get to seven wins, period. And, you know, there's an opportunity in September, again, to get off to a good start. You know, they have the Baylor game in Atlanta and then three straight home games. But, you know, Florida's a really good team or has been a team that's beating Auburn, you know, is usually talented. Vanderbilt beat Auburn lately a lot. And then they, you know, they don't take care of it in September.

They've got a really, really tough October, you know, at Georgia, at Tennessee, at Ole Miss, at LSU at home. So, yeah, I'm not convinced this team's ready to take that step yet and be a dark horse or, you know, win nine or ten games. I have a lot of questions about that offensive line, how it's going to come together and, you know, how some of those USF dudes on offense, quarterbacks and receivers are going to, you know, make that transition to SEC. We'll see. It may all come together.

Maybe they will be that team. But, yeah, I'm just not ready to say that yet. And the other thing, too, it's going to be interesting to see some of these guys in South Florida when they come out and see the stands at Auburn and compare that to when they played at South Florida. It's like, OMG, they're human like the rest of us. But, you know, your thoughts, obviously, can you put enough emphasis on the Baylor game as far as it doesn't make the season, but it sets the tone.

But, to me, another spicy game is going to be that Florida game, not only on the field, but also the back story. Everybody thought at one time it was almost a shoe-in that Summerall would wind up at Auburn. Now he's at Florida. Between Baylor and Florida, you're going to get a pretty early read on this team, are you not? Yes, 100%. And, you know, I think Baylor is a team that's, you know, in a tough situation. Had to bring in a bunch of transfers, too, like Auburn.

Yep. And their coach is on the hot seat, right? He almost got fired last year. So, that's an interesting game for them. You know, and Auburn, of course. And then Florida, of course, you know, two brand-new coaches, two coaches both involved with Auburn, you know, in the process here. So, there will be a lot of talk about that. You know, I think Summerall probably inherited a little bit better roster or managed to return a little bit better roster. But I'm not, you know, entirely sure that's a, you know, a big difference maker there.

But that'll be a fun game to talk about and watch just to see where those two programs are, you know, just to, you know, less than a year into their new coaching staff. You know, you've already done previews of Baylor and Southern Miss. I was amazed, as you mentioned, and you're not trying to be critical, Southern Miss just basically turned over their entire roster and their coaches. You know, God bless them. Baylor, a name our listeners are quite familiar with, DJ Lagway from where? Florida. They got 29 players in the transfer portal, had a signing class, according to you, that was 54th nationally.

[42:16] Now, they're going to be a solid, decent team. But as you mentioned, they returned one starter on offense and four on defense. That's not exactly a prescription for success. No, it's not. And, you know, I just, you know, I watched DJ Lagway for two years at Florida. I thought he was a talented dude, but I just didn't see him as a guy who was going to be able to, you know, be the guy that's going to make the difference on your team. But I think he needs a good team around him.

And I'm just not 100% sure he's got that at Baylor. I really don't. And, you know, I don't want to, you know, they may come out there and prove me different, right? Sometimes that happens. But, yeah, I just, to me, they look like a team that's had to replace a bunch of players, and they're going to get, better as the season goes on, as long as they're still dialed in. And Southern Miss, you mentioned, I mean, I looked at them, it was an incredible number. I think it was 54 players.

It is. My goodness. That's insane. It is. That's on top of any players that ran out of eligibility, right? They are literally having to put together a whole new team in a lot of ways. So that's a tough situation for their first year coach there, too, for sure. Chad, Blake Anderson, sorry, I won't watch one. It's a Chad, Blake Anderson, who's been a head coach before. But, yeah, I just, I look at those two first games, and I think that's a real opportunity problem. I really do, to get some wins there and get some confidence, but we'll see.

Yeah, I mean, Dale Earnhardt, back in the day, was a good NASCAR driver, but if he's on a bicycle, he ain't going to win many races. He's still a good driver, but poor old Southern Miss. Brian Matthews, AuburnSports.com. Brian, correct me if I'm wrong. I'm looking at the numbers here. Auburn right now has 24 in the house. How much bigger will that number grow? I think it's still going up, right? I think Marquise Evans, the edge, we talked about edges from Hoover. I think he's really getting close to making a decision, and Auburn is in really good shape there.

So I would say, I think it's July 1st, actually, is announced, and I think it's Wednesday. So, yeah, I think Auburn, I think it's going to go up here this week, you know, assuming nobody drops out of the class. And, you know, there's some other guys to watch. Tay Walden, of course, is a very talented athlete, cornerback, can play on the other side of the ball, too, who Auburn's recruiting really hard. Nasir Banks is a, I guess he's kind of a safety DB from Georgia. I think Auburn's definitely the team to beat for there.

So, and I know Walden's announced on July 1st, too. So that's, and I don't think Auburn's the team to beat for him, but that's one to keep an eye on. But, yeah, I think Auburn's going, going to keep going. And, you know, we'll see that this is the big recruiting period right now, but there'll be kind of a slow period, and then they'll pick back up in November, December as we get closer to that early sign period, too. We talked to Tom Lemming last week, again, the guru who started all the five-star, the star system, and he mentioned three players in particularly.

Mason Johnson Cook, he actually thinks he is maybe in the top two or three running backs in the country. Leighton Von Brandt, the offensive tackle, he was very high on. James Pace, the third, he was really high on, and this guy, he's met all these guys and interviewed them. So he was also high on Deshaun Hall, the receiver. So there are four dudes right there, Brian Matthews, that the Dean Yoda of recruiting was really high on. Yeah, I'll tell you another one, Jalen Moore came to camp, already committed, and had a terrific camp, and really I think up to his stock there.

So, yeah, I think this is a really good class they put together. It's top 12 nationally, 24 commitments. I think it's the sixth in the SEC right now. I think it could still go up, but I do think it's probably going to end up being a top 15 type class, which is, I think, what Alex Golesh and his staff want right now. I'm sure they'd like to be maybe top 10 eventually, but I just don't think there's a path where you can sign too many five stars and rivals 100 players because you can't afford them, and you can't play them all.

And they end up leaving. They end up throwing your money in the trash can. So you've got to be careful how you recruit now, and I think Auburn's doing a really good job with that. All right, tell us, what is on top for this week, young man, as far as fireworks, position previews, teams on the schedule? And I think the Gators will be next for you to preview as far as opponents are concerned. What have you got on top this week, and where can we get it?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm getting my money musings out here just in a little while. Yeah, by the way, get that out earlier next time so we can talk about it. We usually do, but we had some content this morning. I got you. But, yeah, that's coming out and continuing my position and game early previews. We're going to talk to some coaches, I believe, at the ambush up in Alk City on Wednesday. So we'll have a lot of content from that, just catching up. I think Dolish and Stephen Pearl will be there, but we'll see for sure.

[47:47] And then we'll continue to roll out all the recruiting information. Like I said, there's a couple of big announcements coming here in a couple of days that Auburn could pick up at least one commitment. Stay tuned, as they say. In the meantime, again, a happy and safe fourth to you and your family, Brian. All right, same to you all, everybody out there. Thank you. Thank you, bud. I'm Matthew, senior-enter, AuburnSports.com. Maybe, is it ironic that we mentioned the fourth? And what do you think of when it comes to the fourth?

And that's fireworks. Well, I'll tell you what, the show is losing an icon with TNT fireworks and, of course, books a million. Charles Anderson, the patriarch of the family, in case you missed it, passing away last week. A huge, huge, if you will, contributor to the entire show's area, BB. Yeah, I was reading about him this weekend, had an incredible business mind. But Harold, again, he really believed in giving away. He received a lot, as he said, our family's been blessed, but we wanted to give back.

And he did that, and particularly for UNA. He and his wife, big contributors to UNA. I believe his memorial service is Thursday, if I'm not mistaken. But, again, the Anderson family, we've talked about him for years on our show. They've been incredible of their support for North Alabama and, of course, the shows. And, of course, Florence High, and people may not realize it, but he was not only in the shows, he was international. I mean, going back to the 70s when President Nixon tried to work a deal with China, he was one of the guys the president invited.

So, he kept it, he was a humble man and kept it down home, knew where his roots were, but still had a footprint across the entire globe. So, again, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Anderson family. Coming up the next hour, going to go down to the Sunshine State. John Frawler is going to be on board. Vince Frawler talking Big Orange. And Ben Thomas, got everything else covered there at AL.com. It's all straight ahead of the Boom on Bug Show. Stay with us.

It's summertime in the Shoals, which means sunshine, hot weather, and a lot more bugs. Ants, mosquitoes, termites, they love this time of year just as much as we do. That's why so many homeowners and businesses trust Southern Pride Pest Control, locally owned and operated right here in Muscle Shoals. With years of experience, honest service, and a commitment to doing the job right, our team doesn't walk away until you're completely satisfied. Let us help you take back your home this summer. Call Southern Pride Pest Control today to schedule an appointment.

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That challenge is coming from another Republican in Limestone County who believes that the issue needs to be considered now so that Democrats are not able to disqualify Wall closer to the November elections. The challenge comes from Tim calling and has to do with Wall having obtained a Tennessee driver's license. Alabama law requires seven years of residency before running for state office. Wall admits to having a residence in Tennessee, but also says he has evidence that he has lived in Alabama for the required seven years. The steering committee voted 14-4 to not proceed further with this challenge by holding a full hearing, as was done recently in the Tommy Tuberville residency case.

I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Are you enjoying 1819 News? If so, consider joining 1819 News as a member. As a nonprofit news organization, we depend on the support of Alabamians like you. Memberships start out as little as $5 a month, and you'll get access to exclusive content only offered to our members. You'll be supporting independent journalism done by people who cherish Alabama values. Become a member today by visiting 1819news.com and clicking Become a Member. That's 1819news.com and click Become a Member today. Patients at Huntsville Hospital are being notified of a data breach that allowed access to their personal health information.

The breach occurred with a third-party system that holds health records for the hospital. The breach occurred last year with Cerner Systems and the data that they had stored on their system. Apparently, the delayed announcement of this data breach was to help investigators in this case. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Are you an adult with uncontrolled moderate to severe Crohn's disease symptoms and still packing a backup bag of clothes just in case?

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They are at the half and Japan leads Brazil 1-0. The Blue Samurai struck first, snapping the scoreless tie with a goal in the 29th minute. Coming up after this match, Germany will battle Paraguay at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, tonight, the Netherlands and Morocco will square off in Guadalupe, Mexico. Could this be the year for the Netherlands? The Orange have never won a World Cup despite reaching the finals three times before. I'm Erica Herskowitz, Westwood One Sports. You know that junk drawer you keep avoiding?

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It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM sports voice. The Boomhole Bug Show. The Boomhole Bug Show. New 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 to the Boomhole Bug Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. B.B., can you think of a better place to spend the 4th of July week and a better place to throw off some fireworks in the beach of South Alabama?

Now, are you insinuating that Ben Thomas opened up his spare bedroom and let us come down for the weekend? Well, I wasn't going to steal Ben's thunder, but I'm sure he's jumping up and down now that we have revealed that. And he reveals everything else in the state of Alabama there at AL.com. B.T., welcome in. We'll see you in about, give us about four or five hours, okay? How are you? Come on down. Bring your bathing suits. It's about 105 down here. Oh, it's hot up here too, Ben.

Obviously, the 4th of July is one of those marking dates. I'm just saying you're talking about high school football over the years. You do a great job, obviously, covering that, Ben. But can you imagine back in the day, Bear Bryant coming into the weight room, said a place like Thompson, or maybe there may be a school out there now that may even top them as far as the weight room. Your thoughts about where some of these high school programs are. Is there such a thing as offseason anymore, especially with high school football?

And the weight room is now compared to some of the college teams back in the 60s and 70s. Yeah, no, there really is no offseason, I mean, for a high school football. I mean, I think maybe some of the smaller schools don't do a lot of work in June when the other sports are having their play dates and stuff. But for the most part, it's not like when the three of us grew up and you were done with school in June and you didn't do much until those two-a-days began in August.

Now it's pretty much year-round. If you're not doing 7-on-7, then you're certainly weightlifting or conditioning. Yeah, some of the facilities, I mean, obviously, a lot of private schools, a lot of these big city schools, you mentioned Thompson. I mean, it's like a college campus. You know, down here we kind of got almost a facilities war between Orange Beach and Gold Shores. I mean, they're both just building these huge new athletic facilities. So, you know, that's what draws these great young players. And so everybody's trying to compete with each other to have the best facilities.

When I was growing up, and probably a lot of us, you, maybe even Brent growing up, we had a weightlifting program the offseason that was called Loading Hay. And what you did, you developed your quickness over dodging snakes hiding in the hay. So it was a different program back in the day. But, Ben, obviously, it's also that time of the year when the coach's carousel is going on. It happens every year. In your opinion, who are some of the notables as far as the coaching shelf on the state?

[1:03:23] Well, I mean, right now, the most notable things, I think, is, you know, what happened at Mary G. Montgomery in Pell City. You know, obviously, Zach Golsan, you know, those two places, those coaches got suspended for a year. Mary G. Montgomery has moved on from Zach Golsan to Alex Pays, their defensive coordinator. Pell City, you know, I talked to Jason, their, Jason Deason, their principal, last week. And he said that, you know, they're planning on Jake Gaines being their coach after his suspension. And they promoted currently to interim coach, Eric Kuykendall, will be the interim coach this year.

So, you know, obviously, those two are on my mind. You've got to look at Central Phoenix City, you know, Patrick Nix stepping down and Cody Fornoy moving over from Jackson after winning two state championships at Jackson with a ton of talent, including E.J. Crowell and Landon Duckworth and all those guys. So, you know, those are just, you know, a couple that come to my mind. But there have been a lot of significant changes this offseason. Yeah, Daryl Higgins is one, too, going from Morris Hill to Russellville.

You had a good article last week with some questions about the upcoming season. Who is Mr. Football? Well, there's only about 20 you can choose from. Trent Seaborn, duh. Gunnar Rivers, duh. But they've got some other guys. And we talked about Kingston pre-year that Benjamin Russell, he transferred there, who is going to be announcing on July 10th, maybe for Alabama, Randy Kennedy. We talked to him about that. And there, Maya McCray, Jamison Roberts at Sarah Land, Kayson Myers at Auburn. BT, just one after another, potential candidates for Mr. Football for 2026.

Yeah, it seems like, you know, I think the odds don't favor it is a quarterback somewhere. One of these quarterbacks. I mean, you know, there'll be some running backs to emerge. But these quarterbacks, I think, are going to steal the show this year. You mentioned Trent Seaborn, who I think, if they play 14 games this year, I think he would finish with 59 career starts in the highest level of football in Alabama. I mean, I can't imagine that would ever be overcome. Jamison Roberts, very good at Sarah Land, obviously.

And, you know, Gunnar Rivers is probably going to be the state's all-time leading passer. So, you know, but so that'll be, you know, will the competition St. Michael's played in the new private school league, how will that affect versus Trent Seaborn playing, you know, against the highest class teams in the state? So that'll be a question. Kingston pre-year, you know, Randy tells me he's going to be a phenom. It already is. You know, I think he won a couple of state championships at Montgomery Catholic before moving over to Benjamin Russell.

So a lot of good talent and more to come. And more candidates will emerge, obviously, as the season rests. Ben, Tom, at sal.com. Ben, it's a fun question. Nobody knows. It's the old proverbial only time is going to tell. It's a fun question, though. You mentioned Trent Seaborn. Probably going to go down as one of the, if not the most decorated high school player in the history of high school football in the state. But he'll be right there in the mix. But here's the deal, Ben.

Obviously, he is used to being the man, not a man. When he goes to Alabama, he's a mere four-star. He'll be competing against a room full of five stars at that same position. Your thoughts, everybody's human. Your thoughts, you know Trent better than any of us. How is he going to adjust from the environment there at Thompson, where it's basically his show, to basically being just a team player at Alabama and competing for playing time? Yeah, man, I think he'll adjust fine. I mean, I don't know that he'll be the starting quarterback on day one or even maybe as a freshman or a sophomore.

But, you know, he's been in that. There's probably not a better program to get kids ready for college football than Thompson, especially as a quarterback. Mark Freeman is kind of known as a quarterback guru over the years. I mean, just look at some of the guys that have come out of there recently and the success they've had. So, he won't have any problems with Justin. He has a great work ethic. He's a very humble kid. I call him a kid. I mean, he's a senior. I don't know if you can call him a kid anymore.

But he's been playing since the eighth grade. That's right. Winning championships in the eighth grade. Yeah. He'll have no problems with Justin at Alabama. Whether he'll be the starter even in his career. I mean, he might be a backup. I don't know if it depends on what the depth looks like at Alabama. But he won't have any problems adjusting to that situation. We always talk about the poll questions that come out on Thursday and the ones we know the results from. The question was, do you think significant progress has been made to curb recruiting of high school athletes in the state of Alabama?

The first response was 44% no. It's still rampant across the state. The second response was time will tell, which that was 39%. And yes, which was 17%. Recent Alabama Husky Athletic Association rulings are a step in the right direction. Your thoughts, B.T. Well, I think they have made some progress. I'm not sure they're going to satisfy everybody. I mean, I think that it's going to continue to be divided. But these major landmark rulings they made against Mary G. Montgomery and Bell City, I think, would have had to at least open some eyes across the state.

[1:09:04] Now, I think we're in the age of you're always going to have people, nameless people on social media saying, well, X school is clearly cheating because they've got all these guys. And why don't they punish them? And, you know, a lot of times it's a matter of, number one, somebody turning that school in, and number two, making sure the evidence agrees with what social media thinks. So I think Keith Harmon's done a very good job of, you know, whatever schools have been turned in, looking at the evidence and making a ruling on it.

I mean, these were pretty significant rulings he made. And, you know, there's been talk that there's some other schools that they're looking into. I'm sure there are, whether any penalties come out or not, we'll have to see. I think the whole HSA office is in Salt Lake City this weekend because Steve Savarese is getting inducted into the National Hall of Fame tonight. So that's a really cool event for him. So we'll see if anything comes out in the next few weeks. I do think some progress is being made.

I mean, we've talked about it for years. What's going to happen with all these transfers? But you can't just penalize somebody if you don't have evidence that they're wrongdoing. And it seems like we're just throwing out a bunch of accusations on social media about people who aren't going to put their names out there. Speaking of names, the People's Choice is now in the house. Ben, I defer to you to open the envelope and unveil. And let me say this. It sounds like it may be somebody not too far from us who's the winner of the People's Choice Contest in the state of Alabama.

Yeah, in the baseball, it was Hartzels, Asher Doppel. You know, very good player there for many years and obviously led him to back-to-back state titles. He was seeded. I can't remember what he was seeded. Maybe three or so. I think he was three. Yes, I think he was. And he beat John Stowers, who is the Auburn signee from St. Paul's, in the final voting. So congratulations to Asher. He'll be receiving the prestigious AL.com People's Choice Trophy. And also on the softball side, it was Corey Gogets from Hewitt Trussell, who was also mid-softball.

And she was the number one seed in softball. So those were the two winners. And I appreciate everybody voting for that. And, you know, I enjoy doing that each quarter for our top sports. And hopefully, our readers enjoy it as well. By the way, your other poll question, you may have the results now. What is the best way to build a successful college football roster in today's landscape? Believe me, a lot of college coaches would like to have the definitive answer for this. High school, option one, high school recruits primarily.

The transfer portal, mostly. Number three, high school recruits first and then use the portal to fill the crucial spots. I know we'll get the results of that later in the week. Interesting question. I'm going to guess a lot of people would probably say number three. Probably, yeah. I haven't seen the results. That will be in Tuesday's newsletter. Or, I'm sorry, Thursday's newsletter. Yeah, I would think number three. I mean, you know, Alex Golesh, the new coach at Auburn, has kind of made a point of, after this year, we're going to build from the high school up.

Well, we'll see if that happens or not. I think a lot of schools have been successful going through the transfer portal. Well, it hurts our high schools because a lot of kids, you know, who, you know, we've gotten away from 10 years ago. If you had a great senior year, you could play your way into a big-time scholarship. Now, you have a great senior year. Almost everybody, all the spots are already committed for high school people. They're looking for, you know, they're looking for select spots from the transfer portal.

So, it's changed. I do think there's still value in high school recruits. So, unfortunately, I think if you're not a four- or five-star, it's really hard for you to come out of high school and get to an SEC-type program. But the positive thing is you can go to, you know, a Division I or, you know, a Division II school and work your way up. We've seen that happen a lot, but it's definitely changed the way recruiting goes. No question about it. Tell us what else is on the agenda this week.

Tell your wife to get the extra room ready when Harold and I come down a little bit later this week and where can we get online and get your column, the poll questions, and everything else. Yeah, just go to AL.com in the summer, but still a lot going on. This week we're doing our Male and Female Athletes of the Year in North, Central, and South Alabama. So, I think today was South Alabama. So, we'll be doing that. And as you guys probably heard from Randy, in a couple weeks we'll be debuting the best in Bama with the current cycle of Class of 2027 seniors leading the way.

I think that starts July 12th, maybe. So, be on the lookout for that. Plenty more to come. I hope you all have a happy and safe Fourth of July. If I don't see you down here, but if I do, then we'll just do it together. Absolutely. We were coming down Friday. We decided Wednesday, Ben. So, we'll be seeing you early, Ben. Hey, have a safe and a happy Fourth of July, okay? All right. Thanks. Thank you, bud. The BT Express, Ben Thomas, AL.com. Coming up, he's the big man in big orange country.

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The Score. You would say that Vince Roller is one busy boy. Sometimes, I don't say he keeps up with what he does. You, BB. Well, we're still efforting to get him on here in just a few minutes, hopefully. Maybe he'll join us. But in the meantime, some breaking news here. And I think a lot of folks took a second look at this news recently about Terry and Arnold. We know the back story. That was Miss Saban's, Miss Terry's favorite player back in the day. We know the story about getting in trouble with the kidnapping charges, et cetera, down in Florida.

[1:19:56] And just a few moments ago, the Tampa court has denied the government's request to hold the Lions cornerback without bun pending trial. The court said a $1 million bun. It refused to impose an ankle bracelet as a condition of that bun. And what that means is, obviously, he doesn't stay in jail until it's trial. And it clears the way to participate in training camp. I think a lot of folks look at that story with a double take, BB. Well, again, you're right. He was one of Miss Terry's favorites.

They got along really well. He's been injured. He's had some injury issues and, quote, off-the-field issues. But this is serious stuff. Yeah. As far as armed robbery, kidnapping, again, obviously, he got in with the wrong folks and ended up poorly for him. It's a shame. He's been a good player. He was hurt a lot. The Lions were a little bit disappointed in his performance in November and December of last year when they were trying to make a playoff run. But he's got a lot bigger things right now to work on than football.

Your thoughts about these guys. Obviously, Nick, to me, it just shows you how much control Nick Saban had over the teams. This is not the only incident where a former player under Nick's gotten in trouble. We saw Josh Jacobs, domestic. We've seen other players. Some pretty serious charges, BB. Two things. It tells me that Nick had a pretty good handle on these guys when they were there. But it isn't amazing. They get out. They get into, by comparison, a nice-paying job. Let's face it. It's not the toughest job in the world as far as 52 weeks like most of us.

It's tough on game day. No one's going to take that away from them. But by comparison, they live the lifestyle that a lot of people can only dream, and yet they still find a way. There's no other way of putting it to sometimes screw it up. Well, when you're making that kind of money, a lot of times it goes to your head. You've got a lot of free time during the off-season. And unfortunately, money sometimes attracts the wrong people, and he obviously got involved with some other people.

I think he had some items stolen, and he more or less went overboard trying to get them back. And I hope he can get his life together. He needs right now his family and the good friends around him so he can begin to rebuild his life. Certainly wish him luck, but he's got a lot to overcome. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, obviously Alabama fans now are almost in a panic mode with the way this class is being put together. And again, we don't try to sugarcoat things here.

You can draw any conclusion you want. The strategy right now is to go out and grab a lot of three stars. Only the coaching staff knows the reasoning for that. A lot of folks speculate because they don't want to sit here and put a lot of money into a four or five star and have them transfer out next year where they've lost that money this year and having to start all over. That's beside the point. But over the weekend, BB, they did pick up a four star.

And I'll tell you what, amongst other things, the coaching staff knows they've got, look at this roster. There's a plethora of guys down the line as far as recruiting rankings. But who has a quarterback room with higher rankings, not just one or two, but it's four and five stars everywhere you look. And you know, these quarterbacks are saying, coach, you might want to go out there and get me some four and five star wide receivers. And it looks like they did over the weekend. Well, they've got some pretty good wide receivers.

They've got another one on July the 4th. We'll talk to Freddie Kirby about that tomorrow. Alabama was actually able to bring in five players since last Sunday, beginning with Darius White, a three star cornerback who committed to Alabama. Tyler Younger from the Atlanta area, a 6'5", 240 pound, three star edge. Now, Cedric Simmons from Southside Selma decided to go to Auburn. That came down to Alabama and Auburn. Stanford Willis, Alabama got two on Tuesday from A-Rab, a three star offensive lineman committed to Alabama. James Tupou, as I thought he would, ended up going to Texas on Friday.

Jeremiah Beverly, out of Hillcrest High School, a three star edge, committed to Alabama. Sonny Gales, the four star, committed on Saturday. I thought he would. I've seen some clips of him. He's a very precise route runner. I've been impressed. He was at Stockton, California. And, again, didn't have a very good team around him and moved to IMG. And believe me, they've got a lot of good folks around him. But I've been impressed. He's one of the best, his four commitments so far for Alabama. It moves them up.

I'm not kidding. It moves them up to number 32 in the country right now in Vanderbilt and everybody else in the SEC. And by comparison, Auburn at number 12. B.B. the Braves have their own problems. It must be hot. That big lead that they had is melting like a snow cone at the July 4th picnic. Now down to a mere three over the fields. Well, Chris Sale did not get any support for the fourth consecutive game. Lost three to two. That ten and a half lead is now down to three games.

[1:25:21] They've just got problems everywhere. You've got role players playing in place of starters. Austin Riley, they had two key errors yesterday from Albies and Austin Riley. The pitching is being sketchy, to say the least. They begin a series tomorrow night with your Cardinals. Hopefully, they can get a little bit better at home. But Braves right now have got a lot of problems. Bryce Elder's velocity went down the other day. They don't need one starting pitcher at the trade deadline. They need two. Coming up, basically, on the halfway mark of the regular season, again, three up on the field.

It's a good opportunity for the Braves to come back because the Cardinals, they're not exactly lighting up the world either. They're going to throw Libertor on the mound tomorrow night. He's a much-hyped guy. He's three and five. His ERA, 556 Perez will go on the mound for the Braves. He's six and four, a three ERA. And anything under three and a half this day and time, that's a pretty good ERA. So, again, the Braves off tonight. The Cardinals tomorrow night. In the meantime, the latest from creams and strawberries at Wimbledon here on 93.9.

The score. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update. Four-time Grand Slam champ Irina Sabalenka is seeking her first Wimbledon crown. She won her opening round match today, defeating Serbia's Teodora Kostovic in straight sets. It wasn't as cut and dry for Janik Sinner. Sinner came from behind for a tense five-side victory over Serbia's Miamir Keczmanovic. Coming back here as defending champion is a lot to me, even though every year is different. Every year, you know, can be very, very tough. So, first of all, very happy to win the first one.

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He's busy there on 1021 FM, 1240 AM, WFOY in St. Augustine. Also busy there on the line. And we'll give you some of that information here in a second where you can check out John there. But in the meantime, John, thanks so much for your time. Day, how are you? I'm doing great, Harold. And I'll tell you, the only thing hotter than the Sunshine State right now and the temperature are all the women that chase the Beard Brothers at SEC Media Days. That's about it. What do you think the draw is there?

I mean, John, where do you start breaking down? I mean, every guy right now, me and Spin, I mean, they break the bank. They go to the DNA bank. They do all this surgery. And what is it about the Satchel Boys? I don't know, but it's like Thanksgiving dinner. I just had to try to hope to get a leftover, Harold. They get the cake, we get the crumbs, right? And the only thing next to that, and it's a very distant third, would be John Summerall recruiting right now.

That's pretty hot, too. And it's just the buildup to this season, guys, there's 68 days to go now. Not that I'm counting, right? I can't wait to see September 5th and 745. It's Florida Atlantic, I get it. But then again, this team, not to pick on Billy Napier, it seems like every time I come on, I do. But Florida could lose to a Florida Atlantic when Billy Napier was there. And it is a team that was 4-8 a year ago. So nothing's a certainty, as we have learned in Gainesville.

But a lot of excitement as this season approaches. You mentioned John Summerall. Quick, this is a true story, John. I hear when people say this. So what's the other one? Are you going to lie? True story. John obviously has roots to Huntsville. And his old house, I don't know if he still has the old house, but it was down below what is now the new Grissom High. And if you go on the Internet now, they don't talk so much about Grissom High or his house that's nearby the new high school.

But literally, the cops were called down that neighborhood the other day. There was a big alligator in the street down there. It was John Summerall, even when he was in Huntsville, destined to be an alligator. Well, the way he recruits Harold, I believe it. I'm sure he's getting all these real alligators. That's the truth. I mean, it was basically Gators in his old Hustle backyard. I just don't know what he's selling, but I'm buying it. And I know Florida fans are loving this because, again, every time I come on, I know I'm redundant.

[1:35:54] But they haven't seen this type of recruiting since Urban Meyer. Now, what it translates once the season starts and the years to follow, I don't know. But it's been pretty exciting, especially after the last couple of years of disappointment for Florida football. So it's just what the doctor ordered. Yeah, but the thing is, wasn't Napier brought in for one of the reasons because he could recruit going back to his days with Nick? That's a head-scratcher, is it not? It is, Harold. And the difference between Summerall and Napier, besides the fact that he's getting the numbers right now that Napier couldn't, is that Summerall didn't come in telling that it's going to take three and four years.

Both Napier did. And I think it just goes back to, if you get the right guy, it's not going to take three or four years. Now, we'll see what again happens on the field, but I just think there's a lot of credence in you've got to get the right guy. And I'll tell you, John Summerall, the charisma and the connection he has with the kids, that part of it is right, there's no doubt. It just, again, reminds me of what Kirby Smart did back in 2016. He got that job at Georgia, as you guys know, had never been a head coach.

And the recruiting, in fact, there were accusations back then, because it was before NIL and same players, at least legally, and there were accusations, how is he doing it? And, you know, I dare say there would be that with John Summerall right now, if not for the NIL. It's just amazing. But that's the comparison I have right now, what I'm seeing. John, just to back up your comments, Florida right now, according to Rivals.com, is number four in the recruiting rankings. Offensive tackle, Maxwell Hiller, is a five-star offensive lineman.

The number one-ranked center in the country, Peyton Miller. They got another offensive lineman, Elijah Hutchinson. Yeah, what's the common denominator there, lineman? And they've got another one, well, Tewks, a defensive lineman. And, I mean, it's all fence and defense. But, John, you're exactly right. Florida right now, we've got a long way to go with this. And this was 12 commitments. Well, 12 commitments in the ESPN poll. I'm sorry, I said Rivals. This is an ESPN recruiting ranking. But in the top ESPN, 12 right now. And what I like, Brett, is he's building it from the inside to out.

But that's correct. Bingo. And that's the thing that Florida has been lacking desperately for years. And that's the concern for this year's team, by the way. Because, unfortunately, none of these guys you just rattled off can help this year's team. And they've only got two offensive linemen returning from last year's team on this roster. They've got some transfers, including one at center, one at guard. But that's going to be the concern this year. But I just like the way he's doing that. Because, again, it reminds me of Kirby.

And also, and I'm not saying he's Nick Saban. Nobody's Nick Saban. But Nick Saban sort of did it that way, as you guys know, too, when he first got there. Build it from the inside out. You've got to win the line of scrimmage in the SEC. If you don't, you're nowhere. And that's kind of where Florida's been for years. So, again, I just think there's a lot of optimism and a lot to really like what you're seeing so far. How John Tomerall's, you know, beginning and building this.

What was it Nick said back in the day? Recruit, make them, they're A-equipped, if you will. It all starts with being physical. John, your thoughts about, you mentioned this year. Obviously, there's, as they say back in the old days, there's help with the posse coming in the recruiting chain. But what is realistic about Florida and Auburn's date? In some ways, it's kind of interesting, is it not? Because Diego Pavia beat Auburn when he was at New Mexico State and then beat him at Vanderbilt. And now Golesh beat Florida last year when he was over across the state there in Tampa.

And now he's at Auburn. Your thoughts, realistically, what's going to happen when Florida goes for the game of the Plains with Auburn this season? Well, that's going to be the first litmus test for John Tomerall in year one, Harold. Because you've got to believe Florida, Atlantic, and Campbell, Florida's going to win those two games. And I think he's got Campbell in the house right now, too, don't you? Yeah, exactly. But you're right. That's such an intriguing game, the Auburn game, because, number one, you've got two coaches that are first-year head coaches in the conference.

Alex Golesh, who I think is a heck of a coach, by the way, as well, from South Florida. And Florida painfully learned how good a coach he was last year when they came into Gainesville and won. And the same quarterback that beat Florida that night's going to be the same one that plays for Auburn on September 19th. I think, realistically, Florida 7-5 or 8-4 overall. And I think they could win the game at Auburn. Honestly, I think it's a toss-up right now without having seen either one of them play a game.

[1:41:27] Auburn is a slight edge because of that home field. You know how it is over there, guys. Oh, yeah. But having said that, I'm excited about Buster Faulkner calling the plays. And I think Aaron Filo is going to be the quarterback over Trammell Jones just because there's a reason they brought him down here. I know Trammell had a good spring, but I think Aaron Filo, unless Trammell really, really lights it up in the fall camp, I think this is Filo's job to lose. And he's familiar with the offense.

It's not a guy that is going to come in not familiar with the play calling because Buster Faulkner was the coordinator at Georgia Tech. And I'm excited to see a healthy Dallas Wilson back at wide receiver because you kind of thought what he could do when he was 100% against Texas last year. And Burnell Brown's back. And last but not least, Jaden Baugh at running back. I think he's going to get fed a lot. Speaking of Thanksgiving, he's going to get all the leftovers and everything this year, guys.

I mean, they didn't go up on Christmas Eve to talk to Jaden Baugh to just bring him down and only give him the ball 12, 15 times a game, which sadly was, which is what he was getting with Billy Napier. So, again, it comes down to the offensive line to me, guys, and the interior of the defensive line, too, as far as how far this team goes. But just looking at the schedule and just my gut, without having ever seen Tom Summerall coach a game at Florida, I'm leaning towards 8-4 for this team next year.

And maybe a Gator Bowl appearance or maybe an appearance on December 31st somewhere in the state. But that's where I'm leaning right now. Yeah, I agree with you on Finlow. Now, again, when you look at the numbers, 938 yards, two seasons, is a backup to Haynes King at Georgia Tech. But it really is huge. He and Buster Faulkner, the offensive coordinator from Tech, are in lockstep, as far as how to work. But you're right. Jaden Baugh, Bernal Brown III, Dallas Wilson, Singleton, he's got the weapons. He does, and I'm glad you mentioned Singleton.

I was remiss for it in not bringing him up because he, of course, was with Georgia Tech and Auburn. But he's got a little bit of familiarity, too, with this offense. So, yeah, I think the weapons are there. I think if Philo gets sufficient protection, I think this team can be successful this year. And I think offensively, we're going to see stuff we haven't seen in the last few years at Florida. Florida's been ranked towards the bottom nationally in a lot of categories, which did never happen.

And the other thing, I think the clock management is going to be much, much better. It's got to be. I mean, there's only one direction it can go. I mean, it's just been atrocious, to put it mildly. So, all those factors combined, I just go back to there's a lot of optimism right now. Now, everybody's optimistic on June 29th. I get it. But I think the arrow is pointing up for Florida, finally. It feels like Scott Strickland might have hit on this one, which he's due.

If he was the hitter for the Atlanta Braves right now, you would have benched him, guys. Oh, boy. But I think he's got this one with John Summerall, but only time will tell. I think something else is up, too. Somebody somewhere is opening up the purse strings. Your thoughts about that aspect, it looks like right now that Florida has sent the call out and the big donors are coming through. Looks like the same at Miami. Is the odd man out here, Florida State, as far as the big three?

Because they're in a different ballgame up there in Tallahassee. Your thoughts just about how things are going in terms of money with Florida, Miami, and then Florida State. Looks like right now, at least from afar, that they're kind of the odd man out when it comes to finding the big bucks to land the big talent. Well, I think enthusiasm has a lot to do with the money in Florida right now with the Gator program. Let me start there. I think the purse strings were tightening. Each year, Billy Napier remained his coach because, as you know, guys, if you're paying that kind of money as a booster and you're not getting anything back, it's going to start falling on deaf ears.

And that's what's going on in Tallahassee with Florida State right now, Harold. There's no doubt. Mike Norvell will be fired this year. No question in my mind. Even with the payout, the program's going to dry up. There's zero enthusiasm. I was talking to a celebrity over here in Duval County about that over the weekend. You know who that is, guys. But I think Florida right now that the purse strings are open because of the recruiting results that the boosters are seeing. John Summerall's personality, that's had a lot to do with it because Billy Napier didn't have that either, which if you win, it doesn't matter.

[1:46:40] But if you lose and you don't have a personality, that's a killer. That's just a death wish. And obviously, if they get any kind of results on the field in this first year, again, eight and four, they might hold a parade for John Summerall on New Year's Day. I think with what's been going on in Florida and if they get the eight wins or even seven, I think with the recruiting that started, I think the floodgates continue to stay open. That's really the key. The only thing you fear, you can't afford a four and eight or five and seven because then the kids that have committed may have second thoughts and you know there's going to be noise in the system.

So, I think it's imperative Florida at least gets seven wins this year, but I think they can get to eight. John, are you amazed the NCAA has come up with some logical, common sense proposals. The transfer portal, which used to be two windows in 45 days, now down to one, 10 days from January 4th through the 13th. The schedule next year, 14 weeks to play 12, which means you've got two bye weeks, which college football now has got to have two bye weeks. And the OTAs are going to replace spring practice.

Now, I've always enjoyed the spring games, but you've got two five- to seven-week periods. And then they came up with the five years to play five, which we've been talking about for lower 20 years. John, has some common sense been interjected in the NCAA? I am amazed, Brett, to begin with, because common sense in the NCAA don't go hand in hand. But I am happy to hear all that, what you just laid out, especially the five and five and the 14 weeks to play 12 games. Because as physical as football is, and especially the Southeastern Conference, I think you need two bye's during the year.

And I think you need that every season. I agree. Not just one here and one there. I think you need to incorporate that in. I mean, you've got these kids playing almost into February now anyway with this college football playoff, which they need to do some tweaking on that. But I love what you just laid out and what's been proposed, and hopefully that's where we're going. Because that's definitely what needs to happen. And I like the spring game, too, Brett. But I'll say this. College is getting to be more like the professional game in the NFL.

So I'm okay with the OTAs, to be honest with you. I mean, because that's where we are right now. I mean, I think everybody's just going to have to accept that. But I'd love to keep the spring game in some format, because when April gets here, we all want to see some type of football. I think everybody. So hopefully they can have both, meaning the OTAs and still have a spring game. But I like the five for five and all the rest that you laid out, no doubt.

Absolutely. Listen, I always enjoy the conversation. And again, Harold and I and Brother Branch told you that that was a great hire with Sumrall. We'll see, John, the proof's in the pudding. But I think Florida fans are going to be pretty happy at the end of the season. But where can we get online and listen to your show this week? Well, you can get online at 1021news.com or in St. Augustine at 102.1 or 1240 WFOI. And I'll tell you, if John Summerall keeps recruiting the way he is, guys, I think I'm going to go over to his high school in Huntsville and bring an alligator with me.

There you go. I'll tell you. But thanks for having me on, as always. Always an honor. I promise you, they're down there. As always, John, we appreciate it. Have a great and safe 4th of July. John Ferrari checking in from St. Augustine. B.B., back to this. Again, the Braves off tonight. A game that you've got to watch. The Fields and Pirates, that's a battle of the Keystone State. Pirates, not your old Pirates. They're playing 500 ball. But a win tonight with the Adel Braves to move the Fields within two and a half games.

So, in other words, it's go Pirates if you're a Braves fan tonight. And, Harold, teams like the Chicago White Sox have completely turned their program around. People used to snicker every time you mentioned the White Sox, and the Braves have lost to them. The series, I think, the last three years, they're a very good team now. Hopefully, the Braves can get some of these players healthy and turn it around off tonight and then again play the Cardinals tomorrow night, which you can hear on 93-9, the score.

Yeah, another one of those teams that's out of the Ashes, the Athletics. They're doing pretty well, too, compared to the past. That's going to take care of President's Times now. On behalf of B.B., Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Parole Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two, for the Boomer Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio 93-9, the score. For the Boomer Buck, thank you so much for your time today. For the Boomer Buck, thank you so much for your time today.

[1:51:58] Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today.

Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you.