Boomo Bugg Show 120325 (Signing Day 3 Hrs)

[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. 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. Good morning and welcome into the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Mallet. Brett Beaird, Christmas is what, about three weeks away unless you are a recruiting fanatic and it's Christmas Day today.

Bonus hour, Santa Claus coming to you early here in the Boomo Bugg Show. Expanding coverage starting now at 2 o'clock. Keep your eyes on the road and we'll keep an eye on the latest big and small surprises on National Signing Day 2025. Welcome in. Are you feeling like a five-star today? Well, I haven't decided that yet after spending the morning chasing after some of these guys. Happy National Signing Day or Early Signing Day, your preference. Right now, Harold, Alabama is listed as number five in the rankings, recruiting team rankings on rivals.

23 commitments. Right now, Max Suter signed about five minutes ago. So, Alabama now has got 18 signatures in the house. Tennessee is number 11 in rivals. They've got 25 commitments. They've got 18 signees. Auburn has got their number 50 in rivals. They've got 13 commitments. Eight have signed. And I'll go over in a few minutes. Auburn has flipped right now. Four former commitments to South Florida. Picked up another one. Alabama's had a few D commitments and picked up a few. So, as far as the rankings, the team rankings, that's where we are as of 11.04 Central Time.

Of course, back in the day, everybody's still comparing back to the big Saban days. It was almost like an afterthought that Alabama would not finish one, two, or three. Right now, as you mentioned, Alabama is five. But here's the thing about it. There's different ways of looking at this thing. It's going to be hard to catch USC and Notre Dame, in particular Oregon, because Oregon's got five five stars. Alabama with three five stars. And if you go as far as the average per player, now there's two ways of looking at this.

You can look at the overall. USC is number one right now. They have a total low. Here's the difference. They have 35. Think about that, baby. They got 35 commitments. By comparison, Alabama's got 23. So, simple math says that USC should be ahead, even if the balance of those 12s are three or even two stars. So, that's one way of looking at it. The other is the average per player. USC is, this is according now to on3.com. They have the composite, which is kind of the one we now default to.

90.83. That's their average per player ranking. 90.83. By comparison, Alabama is 91.15. So, apples to apples. Alabama's ahead as far as raw talent. But, even they fall behind Oregon. They lead the pack as far as average per at 92.13. It may have something to do with field night and money, BB. Well, NIL played a big role in this. For example, J.J. Finch from Indianapolis, a three-star defensive lineman, was committed to Alabama. And Tennessee ramped up. He's been flirting with Tennessee for two months. Tennessee ramped up NIL. And, supposedly, he's going to commit to Tennessee later today.

But, this is just simple math. Alabama's got 23 total commitments. As you mentioned, USC's got 35. Notre Dame's got 27. And Georgia, right now, at number four, has got 30. In Alabama, again, Bryson Cooley, an offensive lineman from Mississippi, may be committing to Alabama and signing at 115 this afternoon. We'll know that a little bit later. Alabama may have one or two more, but they ain't going to 35 or 30 today. And, the thing is, it's a whole different ballgame now because you've got to leave some wiggle room in there for the transfer and NIL down the road.

B.B., let's break it down. As far as Alabama, as you mentioned, 18 of 23 right now. That's coming into the day they had 23 commitments. They have now got 18 in the house. Before we talk about who is in, you mentioned some of the decommitments because on National Signing Day, you give us and you take us away. I know one of the guys is the kid out of the Nashville area. Looks like he is going to keep a down-home cuz there. He's a three-star. Your thoughts about, on the other side of the coin, I think most people are focused on guys like Xavier Crowell.

[5:21] And what I like about these guys, these people can go anywhere they want to. And they went ahead, dropped the drama, and signed earlier. And Marian Johnson, out of Muscle Shoals, he is in the house. That's the way everybody's got a different size foot, therefore a different size shoe. The one that fits my foot is make up your mind what you're going to do, drop the drama, get busy, going forward, B.B. Well, Maury Johnson, out of Muscle Shoals, signed this morning at 7.30. E.J. Crowell was a little bit shortly after him.

Here are the decommitments for Alabama. And most of these are not a surprise. Javari Barnett, a three-star running back from Tampa, Florida. Bay Tech is a decommitted from Alabama earlier, and he's going to Illinois. Brian Williams, Jr., a three-star from Orlando, First Academy, right now is looking, supposedly, the tea leaves say Auburn. We'll find out a little bit more about that later today. You mentioned the kid from Nashville, Owen Cabale. The deal there was Harold, Alabama essentially is going to give him a scholarship, or was, but no NIL money.

Now, someone has come out and said, well, we're going to give you some NIL money. So, he said, Kalen, I like you, but I'm going to where the NIL money is. The big one I think Alabama really wanted was J.J. Finch, and we'll talk to Freddie Kirby coming up in a few minutes. He had been committed to Alabama for a while. He's, quote, a three-star, but he plays like a four-star, very good player. But Tennessee has hung in there, took a visit to Tennessee in the last two weeks, and I think he will announce at some point today that he's going with Tennessee.

You know, I think something else that's very interesting here is you look at that quarterback room that Alabama's got, and you look at this list this morning. Tayden Kawa, he's out west. He's in the house, but the one I think that, to me, is one of the guys flying under the radar, BB, part of the pun, Jet, flying under the radar, Thamala. He's out of Nebraska, and who's this kid? He is the all-time high school quarterback in the Cornhuskers state, and for someone with that kind of resume to come in and look at the room that Alabama's got coming back, not only this year, but maybe the next two years, to me, that's a very interesting signature there.

From Jet, Thamala, particularly out of Nebraska. Well, Tom Lemming is going to be coming on a little bit later in the show this morning, and Tom told us several times, he's on with us two weeks ago, he has Thamala rated as a five-star. Now, a lot of people don't. One of the reasons is he's playing in Omaha, Nebraska. I thought it was interesting. He spurned the Cornhuskers, but he is one of the top quarterbacks. I think he won their state championship last weekend. We'll talk to Freddie a little bit more about him and also Tom Lemming, but, yeah, he's a five-star, according to Tom, Tom Lemming.

Yeah, in Alabama, number five right now in the on-three team rankings. Auburn down at 50. Today, this is going to be one of the more interesting signing days, in my opinion, in Auburn history, because here's why. We know where Hugh spent seemingly more time on the golf course than he did sitting here and grooming these recruits coming in. And I don't envy the job that Goldish has got in front of him, but he's a hard worker. And not only that, I think something that kind of got lost in the shuffle when the news was made, he's made a lot of inroads in the state of Florida.

And we don't have to sit here and tell you how rich the grounds are when it comes to high school recruiting in the state of Florida, BB. Well, he's already flipped the following. Sarah Land, receiver. He was a Duke commitment. Deshaun Spencer, who's got some very impressive stats. We'll give you a little bit later. Offensive lineman, Mikel Foster, a flip from South Florida, along with tight end D.J. Broughton Jr., and also quarterback Reese or Rice. We'll get Caleb Jones to correct us on the pronunciation of his first name.

Auburn also signed about 15 minutes ago Parker Pritchett, a three-star offensive lineman at Columbus, Georgia. What he's done is the commitments that he had at South Florida. He's been able to talk with those guys and get them to flip to Auburn, which certainly has helped. But he's between a rock and a hard place. It's not fair for him. He's been there 48 hours. He's not even 48 yet. He's just doing the best he can. But we'll talk to Caleb Jones about him a little bit later in the show.

[10:22] But, yeah, right now there are five players from South Florida who had a commitment to the Bulls who have flipped to Auburn. Let me ask you what he's going to do. That is, go to Auburn with a quarterback spot. We spoke yesterday with some folks, and they seem to think he's going to bring some of his boys with him from South Florida, including Brown, who's an outstanding quarterback. Just ask Alabama fans and other teams. But to get Austin Daniels already there, he gave up a game against Mercer so he could be eligible to come back next season.

And he saw Deuce Knight come in in the Mercer game and just started walking on water immediately relative to the competition. You know, Deuce Knight's got all kinds of offers on the table. And you know if he brings someone else in from South Florida who these guys, they're human. They're already comfortable with him, and vice versa. How in the world is he going to keep that quarterback room happy if he brings in someone else, baby? He's not going to be able to do that. Brush, Reese Brush, or Rice Brush, is the one who has flipped to Auburn.

Barry Brown, who a lot of our listeners have watched him torment Alabama for two games, is very talented. But if Brown comes in and the transfer portal, I guarantee you, Harold, one of those quarterbacks you just mentioned is walking out the door. Let me just throw something at you. To me, everybody's wanting to say here's the national media being what they are. They need the clicks. They need the money. We get it. Incredibly left a long time ago in this industry in so many cases. Not in every case, but in too many.

Anything to throw out there, to bait the fish, to bite, they'll do it. Obviously, a lot of the bore to Penn State rumblings out there. But I looked this morning just out of curiosity. Where do you think Penn State is? On National Signing Day, where do you think Penn State is in the rankings, baby? I'll give you a little hint. Well, if memory serves me, they were something like 120th. They wish. They're behind Troy, South Alabama, Jack State, and others. In fact, they're behind about 130-something schools.

They're 136th on National Signing Day. Did you ever think you'd see Penn State at 136th? And if you're a head coach, particularly if you're in the board, and you've got a number five class, and maybe even moving up from there, and you're X number of games away from winning a national championship in your second year, why would you even think about it, other than the obvious business of leveraging out with Jimmy Sexton? Well, it's going to be interesting to see where they go. Kalani Satake, the football coach at BYU, has taken his name out of those sweepstakes.

Now, I hear right now maybe the leader in the clubhouse, now that they've gone back on probably looking at number, it's not plan B, this is about plan F, is Jeff Abram at Louisville. And I really think he is so tied into Louisville because he graduated from there. But yeah, it's an embarrassment, I know, for Penn State fans, donors, and et cetera, to be that low. Again, they should have named a coach weeks ago. And for anyone, in all fairness to them, Harold, who's been hired in the last month, all they're doing is basically trying to salvage this class.

The 2027 and 28 is where they're going to make their hay, and then you've got the transfer portal opening up in January. But yeah, I know it's embarrassing for Penn State to be that low. It is a busy day, and we appreciate giving us an extra time, an hour of your time. If you've got friends out and about, they want to know what's going on in this neck of the woods, whether it's North Pole with Santa right now, or down with the Penguins at South Pole, tell them they can check it out on 93.9, the Sports Outputs, so check it out.

Tell them that we're going to be here between now and 2 o'clock. That's sinful time. I don't know what time it is in Santa Claus, Zip Code, but go ahead and tell them we've got you covered, including a man who would be part. It would be remorseful if we didn't have him in on opening day. When it comes to signing period, Freddie Kirby, the legend on deck. Stay with us. Oh, hey, welcome to gift wrapping. Whoa, Zoe Saldana. Hey, can you wrap these, please? Wow, iPhone 17s.

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And for the man who always goes the extra mile to make sure he's part of a tradition. You're on 93.9 The Score. Freddie Kirby, the man at Southeastern Athletics. Freddie, welcome in. We did everything we could to get you out of jury duty. Did it work? How are you? Yeah, apparently it worked and everything. I told him that I had a choice of either making a convict out of somebody or joining your show, and they told me to join your show. The jailhouse is full. Freddie, man, it wouldn't be National Signing Day without you.

Appreciate you going the extra mile. And miles in this case. Here we are coming up between 11 and noon. What strikes you as far as any surprises so far, no matter if it's Alabama, Auburn, or elsewhere? Well, doing as much running as I have been doing the last few days and dealing with jury duty as well and everything. I don't know every move that's happening and everything. The other way, Alabama losing Owen Cabell this morning was a little bit of a surprise, especially when him and Jet Tomala were supposed to get together going to watch the SEC championship game and everything.

But it's a situation there. Losing Jamarcus Shepard, I think, hurt that situation a little bit. And Vanderbilt getting Jared Curtis to stay home, and I think that aided him getting Owen Cabell to stay home. And people are going to understand, Clark Lee is building something big time in Nashville. Yep, he is. And right now, he's the cream of the crop in that state and everything. And a lot of people got their eyes on it and the education coming out of there second to none. Freddie, let me ask you about the offensive line.

Jared Downey, a lot of these dudes are from Atlanta. Jared Downey from Atlanta. Chris Booker, four-star, interior offensive lineman from Hapeville Charter in Atlanta. Brett Fretwell, three-star offensive lineman from Southeast Bullock. Terrell Miller, an offensive tackle. Again, he came in, I believe, Saturday night from San Mateo in California. Very interesting prospect. And then Bryson Cooley, reportedly the four-star from West Jones High School in Laurel, Mississippi, is going to announce at 115. A lot of people thought LSU, there are predictions now that he's going to announce for Alabama.

Freddie, your thoughts on this offensive line class? Well, there's a situation where I think you're starting to see the trend move back to the Sam Huff type of offensive line that they had in Washington. Players that are a little bit more in the 6'4 to 6'6 range, 300 to 3'10 range, or 290 to 3'10, I should say. And everything a lot quicker, a little faster off the ball, and with better footwork. Of course, like in Barry Fretwell's situation, you've got a young man here, 6'6, 295, running a 4'7.

[21:09] Yeah, that's right. And everything. And you're looking at players that are physical on the snap of the ball, and I think that's what they're trying to get to. And everything, you've got versatility because Fretwell can play tackle or guard, but I think they're looking to make him a quick guard. Booker can play guard or center, and I think the center may be his destination. Jared Dowdy was the fastest growing as far as a player whose stock rose drastically throughout the year and everything. And Terrell Miller is a JUCO kid, so he only played two years of football and everything.

He's 6'5", 305 pounds, but he made a name for himself at College of San Mateo. Now, Bryson Cooley would be the icing on the cake and everything. I think he has been at the top of Alabama's board all year long, and he's a young man. Now, one report I've seen said he was going to do something at 115, Brent and everything, and going into this morning, it was all Alabama. And some people have gotten to him, and I got him really confused and everything. I've heard he could wait till Friday.

Oh, man. But I don't know because, like I said, whoever got to him is pretty confused. He's got, I think, schools going through family members and everything like that probably promised them the world to get him to come to them and everything. If the kid makes his own decision, it'll be Alabama. If not, it'll be LSU or Mississippi State, whichever one comes through with the biggest package and everything. But right now, I know the kid wants to go to Alabama based off everything I've heard and everything.

That it's just going to come down if he's mad enough to go ahead and go through with it. Stay tuned. Go ahead, Freddie. Same thing I was talking about on the offensive side of the ball. You're seeing the same thing on the defensive side of the ball with the size of the linemen. And with Alabama getting five linemen already in the house and everything, the range in the 250 to 265 range, because I think they want to put their own weight on them, and losing J.J. Finch, who got bought out from under him by Tennessee and everything.

Of course, nobody expected Roach to deliver him and O'Donnell Wilson because he never can deliver two. And Malik Franklin is a kid that should have been offered by Alabama a long time ago from Daphne, Alabama. Well, Kenny King, I got people that know him, he's been begging Roach to take him for two months, and Roach wouldn't do it until Todd Bates at Oklahoma got involved. Then all of a sudden, Courtney Morgan has to go down there and seal the deal. And so, it's a situation, but they did get five defensive linemen, which I think to me is always the staple of how good your class is.

And I think everybody is pretty much signed that they were expecting, except I think the paperwork may be in on Xavier Griffin and everything, but I think he may do something on an official signing tomorrow or something. But he may already be in the house. I haven't been able to check here in quite a little while. Freddie Kirby, Southeastern Athletics. Obviously, it's always fun to talk about the one who's considered to be the star and to be hard to top. Maybe there's somebody that's out there with him, but Crowell, the running back, obviously he's going to give somebody a running for the star of the show.

The other side of the coin, come in on that, if you will, Freddie. And on the other side, who right now, in your opinion, is the sleeper in the class so far? Well, Xavier Crowell, I thought, was the number one player they had to have in this class. Yeah. And because they need that burst running back, the physical, the point of attack, they can break it, take it to distance, break tackles. It's very shifty and everything. I think he's an immediate player right off, and I think that's part of the reason Javari Barnett is going to Illinois instead of Alabama, other than there's very big, big concerns on his grades and everything.

And plus, with Crowell, you may get somebody out of the portals. If somebody like a Jaden Ball was to come available, yeah, you're going to jump all over that. It's going to take a special running back to join that group. So with Daniel Hill, AK Deer, and Xavier Crowell, you've got a pretty good trio there. And as far as the sleeper of the class, ain't a doubt in my mind. The player that I love that I think is going to make an early impact is Ryle Kelly, the safety of the Ohio, Indiana area.

And everything, I think that kid, 6'3", 180, has got a chance to be really, really good. And he's the kid I've always looked at as the sleeper. I guessed that. I looked at this list this morning, and I said, now, who would Freddie pick as a sleeper? And I said, the length of Kelly. He's from Wentwood High School in Cincinnati. I bet he picks him. Let me ask you about the rest, the two corners. Jordan Edmonds, the five-star from Marietta, Georgia. Zion Gibson from Gaston City. I saw him earlier this year.

He decommitted for about two hours and then got back in the fold. And Jara Edwards, I give him a lot of credit, Freddie. A lot of people consider he's the number one safety from St. Francis in Baltimore. He committed early and has stayed there. And he is a tremendously talented player. Most definitely. And he was the first signature in the house this morning to let you see when the fax goes off the first time. It's a five-star. It's going to be a pretty good day. And then everything.

[26:32] But he is an instant contributor, along with Jordan Edmonds, who I think is going to be an instant contributor and everything. And because both of them are five-stars, both of them are highly athletic, both of them are physical. And both of them know how to cover. And they're not afraid of contact. And to me, this day and time, you've got to have those kind of corners. The border on the edge of knowing what it takes to be interference and whatnot and everything because you can't give in to the receivers.

Zion Gibson, I think it's going to take him a year physically to get ready to play at the SEC level. He's got the athleticism to do it and everything. He's got the knowledge to do it, and he's got the coverage ability to do it. I think he needs a little bit more meat on his bones and everything. But he's a player that, like you said, there was a decommitment and a recommitment over a short period of time. Somebody put out something about Link was going to Oregon State with Shepard and everything, and I think that's what might have led to that.

But I don't know that there was any truth to that. But it's a situation there where it's a defensive backfield that, well, I've already got very good talent there, but you've got some of these kids that are going to walk in and play. Freddie, talk to us about the other side. Nobody's got a more daunting job than amongst them. There's five guys in the SEC with a heck of a job in front of them on the recruiting trail, and Auburn obviously is one of them. Your thoughts about the job of Goalish so far and the situation on the plains?

I think he's done everything he could do to this point, Harold, and everything. I think he is a very good coach and a very good pickup for Auburn as their coach. Keeping Durkin was a major plus and everything because he can focus on one side of the ball, which is his strength, the offensive side, and everything. And Auburn was expected to have a small high school class anyway, and I don't know how many of theirs are in the house, but I know Jacquez Wilks, the big guy, down at Wadley in the 1A that led them to the state championship last year, and the Toodle brothers are in there.

I think they could pick up Brian Williams today, who was committed to Alabama as a wide receiver in Lake Mary, Florida, and everything. He was potentially going to go to South Florida, could stay closer to home, but with Goalish leaving, I think he could potentially follow him to Auburn. Plus, getting DeMarcus Brown to stay home. He was going to South Florida, and he followed his coach to Auburn also, which is in his home state because he plays at Mary Montgomery. Parker Pritchett, the offensive lineman, Columbus, Georgia, I know is in the house based off what I've been told, and I don't figure there's going to be any problems with Wilson Zaire.

He may already be in, he may not, and everything. But I think those are the ones. But losing Braylon Womack was a big hit. And everything, because any time you lose a five-star instant contributor and everything, it hurts and everything, but any time you go through a transition, you're going to have some of that. But overall, I think they're going to make their way into the portal. That's where they're going to do a lot of their damage and everything. But I figure you're going to see them sign, oh, maybe 10, 11, high school kids, and they work from the portal from there.

Freddie, thanks. I want to go back to one other thing here. But Sutter was one that I could have brought up. But we need to bring up these two quarterbacks that Alabama signed. Both of them are six foot four and over 200 pounds. And their arms are exceptional. And Tamala, I think, is highly underrated. Watching that kid on film and watching how he moves in the pocket and everything, he's got it between the ears. And to me, what separates a great quarterback and what don't, other than just being an athlete playing quarterback, but just Tamala and Tate and Kyle will both, I think, have a chance to worry if Alabama was to lose a quarterback going into next year and everything, because it's going to be hard to keep all of them and everything.

And we didn't even mention Cedarian Morgan, a five-star wide receiver, six foot five. No, you're exactly right. He had a very good season. Freddie, tell us about Max Suter. Max Suter is a player I fully expect to be Josh Quavers, too. He's going to be that kind of tight end. He can get down the field, make his catches. He's elusive and everything. And he's got very, very good hands, catches them all well with his hands. He don't have to trap it with his body and everything.

He's going to be a player that's going to walk in and learn quickly and everything. And I ain't going to say he'll play first year and be Quavers, but I think you can expect that after a year of being in the program. You do a lot of this every day trying to help young men and women seventh through the 10th grade find a scholarship and do a lot of the leg work. Freddie, tell us before you go about Southeastern Athletics. Well, we're an organization that's been here for 40 years and everything, and this is actually my 41st year to do recruiting.

[31:42] And everything, come February, it will be 41 complete and everything. We've got young men and women that have signed already in our organization. As a matter of fact, I've got one that's fixed to sign here at 12 o'clock. Over St. John Paul in Hustle, a big wide receiver, had well over 1,000 yards this year in receiving. He's signing with Army University of West Point and everything in Division I. We've got a big young man, Jackson, Vincent down at Red Bay is getting several looks and everything, and Dakota Crawford for the Brewer, a big lineman.

And all of them are getting some strong looks, and I'm waiting to see what they try to do this week and everything, if they're going to pull the trigger, if they're going to wait until February and everything. But that's what we do. We get you out there and get you seen by the college coaches and let your talent determine how far can you go. We get the eyeballs on you, you've got to sell it with your talent and everything. But it's worked for this organization. Like I said, this is our 40th year, and 87% of our kids assigned scholarships in all the sports and everything.

And our home office is 256-332-5513, and my personal phone number is 256-227-6986. We work with boys and girls in all different sports. And give us a try. If you look our website up at searecruiting.com, if you want to reference on us and look at what we do. But we can open the doors and pave the road. You've just got to take your talent and run through it. 41 years of proving it, and you're just getting started. Freddie, I think you had more fun today with us than on that jury.

Thank you so much. Stay safe out there, okay? Well, based on those words right there, Harold, you're guilty. As always, I've heard those words before, Freddie. Hi, brother. See you, brother. Freddie Kirby, Southeastern Athletics. From one recruiting expert to the man at CBS Sports, the guru, Tom Lemming, on deck. Stay with us. Is your business insurance tailored exactly to your individual needs? Are you getting the best coverage for your money? That's what the Michael Noe Agency is for. They're your local independent insurance agency that specializes in helping you protect your business, including liability and property, commercial, auto equipment, and workers' compensation, all while ensuring you're getting the best possible rate.

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Welcome back in bonus coverage today. It must be National Signing Day now between now and 2 o'clock this afternoon Central Time. Our next guest knows every time zone, not only in the U.S., probably beyond the borders. If you're listening to this show, you know he's the guru when it comes to recruiting. Tom Lemming, college football recruiting analyst and co-host of the Lemming Report on CBS Sports Network and the Prep Football Report magazine. Tom, welcome in. We are flattered that you could carve out time for us today.

How are you? Always for you guys. No problem at all. Hey, bud. Doing good hanging in there. I got shows from 6 a.m. all the way up to about 11 p.m. tonight. I bet you do. Well, we'll make sure that we make the most of the time. Tom, obviously, here it is. It starts with the sun coming up. Any surprises so far? And right now, what are your impressions of the guys who are in the house right now across the country? You know, the surprises will be only because, well, obviously, Georgia losing their top quarterback to Vanderbilt was a surprise a couple of days ago.

Because, you know, he is a big-time ball player. It's Vanderbilt. I've been – I was real close to Coach McIntyre back in the late 70s, early 80s when he was head coach of Vanderbilt. And I followed them over the years. And he's their biggest – their biggest recruit in, you know, the 47 years I've been doing this. Wow. Mark Lee. And then the other drama would be players that were already committed to LSU and Ole Miss and see where they're going to wind up. Guys like Lamar Brown, who's a great offensive lineman, defensive lineman out of Baton Rouge, is he going to sign with LSU?

Because I don't know if he has. What's happening is I think their agents are working overtime now figuring, hey, we've got a new coach. We've got a lot of money. Maybe we'll get a little bit more now too. There you go. Yeah, yeah. That's a sign of all of this. Now, Oregon hasn't signed a lot of their guys. You know, they're two hours behind us. So, we'll see what happens. But so far, so good with most of the guys. There haven't been that many flips of real big names.

But I'm waiting to see what's going on with Ole Miss and LSU. And Lane Kiffin usually has – you know, remember Tennessee throwing things at them when the first time Ole Miss played them? Yeah. You'll be thinking of an Oscar when LSU comes up. Trust me. I'm trying to steal some of the Ole Miss recruits and have them over to LSU. So, we'll see what happens. Let me ask you about Auburn and Alex Golich coming in literally on Sunday and Monday. Auburn was going to sign a smaller high school class to begin with, and he knew that.

But we'll judge him in the 27 to 28 classes. They're right now ranked number 50 by the majority of the services. They've got 13 commitments, eight who have signed. But he's flipped some guys. Sarah Land, wide receiver Deshaun Spencer, who was at Duke. He flipped three South Florida guys. Mikael Foster, an offensive lineman. DJ Broughton in Reese or Rice Brush. But we'll know much more about him next year. But your thoughts on Alex Golich and trying to salvage our recruiting season. I first met Alex when he was recruiting coordinator at Illinois for a couple of years.

He did a very good job. So, he's one of the guys uniquely in tuned in recruiting, which is what you need nowadays. And I do think that he's very much aware. You know, I don't know if stealing his own USF flyers are going to do anything. They probably should find more portal. They do have a decent amount of good guys coming in because it's such a low number. They're not going to have a highly ranked class. But sometimes the rankings don't mean a whole lot. USC is number one only because I think they signed like 500 guys, it seems like.

[42:02] Thank you, at least. I did. One because they signed so many. So, then it's relative. You've got to think about, you know, why they did it. Because after that, really, it's a jumble between Alabama, Notre Dame, and Oregon when you look at the classes. They, those three, if they had the same amount as USC, would be ranked ahead of USC. But that's how recruiting goes nowadays. And there's guys, Kelvin Russell, who I think is a great wide receiver, a legit five-star guy out of Miami. He's been committed to Syracuse for a long time because he's also a legit big-time basketball player.

But he hasn't signed yet. So, I'm waiting to see if money could come up from Michigan or Miami or Oregon and get him turned around from Syracuse. Guys like that, guys that have these agents now that are kind of working deals with people. If they haven't signed yet, that means the agent's probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of the school that they're committed to. And most times they'll win at school, just trying to get a few extra bucks. But you'll see a few flips between now and 2 p.m.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could have Bear Bryant on in this modern era talking about that subject. Tom Lemming is in the house with us. Check him out there with the Lemming Report on CBS Sports Network. Tom, talk to us about Alabama. I know, at least, well, I don't know, but I got a pretty good indication who you think may be one of the stars in that class. A certain kid from Nebraska. Your thoughts overall about Alabama, particularly landing his signature this morning, the Mala, that is.

And, of course, Crowell, who right now is walking on water out of Jackson High. So, Crowell's definitely either the first or second-best running back in the country. And he's a big-time player. But like I mentioned before, I saw Jet at the end of March or early April, and I immediately gave him five stars. Well, everyone else had him like a three-star. But that's why it pays to go see these guys in person. He's building a college quarterback already. But then when I saw his arm strength, they played the best teams in Nebraska.

They're usually the best team. And talking to the coach and everybody else around the kid that he's got leadership ability, he's got the arm strength, he's a lot better than people think he is. He's a legit five-star quarterback. And you watch what happens. I mean, probably you'll do him a favor by sitting out one year. But I think he'll become a big star in Alabama. Let me ask you about Tennessee. As you can guess, we followed them closely on and off the field. Well, they're ranked number 10 or 11, depending upon the service.

Five-star Tristan Keyes, Hezekiel Harris from Mae Jemison in Huntsville, flip from Auburn to Tennessee, Kamari Blair. Another flip, Faison Brandon, a five-star quarterback, Gabriel Lucinda, a five-star offensive tackle. Tom, your thoughts on the Tennessee class so far? All the guys you mentioned I've seen in person, including guys like Joel Wyatt, who I thought was a five-star wide receiver, even though he also was a very good linebacker, DB. Tristan Keyes is the best player in Mississippi. He's a go-to type wide receiver, as is Joel Wyatt, who's a much bigger and stronger type guy.

I went to the Baylor school to see Osenda, and I was really impressed. He's an intelligent, well-built kid who looks like an NFL guy. It looks like he just got drafted in the NFL. He's that big. Usually these offensive linemen take a couple of years to get developed size-wise, but he's already there. I think he's another guy that has to be a five-star offensive lineman. T.J. White, who's one of the best players in Mississippi and one of our final 15 for the linebacker award, for the Butkus Award, T.J. White from Jackson Academy.

Tennessee did a very good job. They always do well in Tennessee. Faison has been a quarterback that's dominated with state titles and everything else out in North Carolina, and I've always liked him. Another leader, I stopped by his school to see him and a couple of the juniors-to-be, and the coach had nothing but high praise for Faison saying that he was going to be probably the school's bell cow that everyone's going to be talking about, because that school's developed a lot of great players, but Faison will be the top guy.

So, Tennessee, you know, they struggled a bit on the field at the end, but they really came through in recruiting. So, I know they do a good job in recruiting, and they don't have any problem with NIL money either, so I think they're always going to have a good recruiting class. Tom, talk to us about one of the other side of the coin. We were talking earlier in the show, and did you ever think we'd be here on National Signing Day and see Penn State, I'm just quoting one service here.

I know it's going to vary across the board, but this one service has Penn State's class at 136th. Put another way, what coach in the right mind would choices want to go, boy, I want to live up to those expectations with the 136th ranked class behind, by the way, South Alabama, Troy, and Jack State? You know, what's funny is, James Franklin did a great job there. He was one play away from being in the national title game last year. That's right. And all of a sudden, the AD, I think, you know, got cold feet because there's probably every school's got a couple of goofy, rich alumni that want to have control over their board, and that's every big school.

[47:14] And then the problem is, if the AD doesn't have enough cachet to stem these guys pushing, then he's going to have to give in, and that's exactly what happened at Penn State, and Franklin's going to do a good job at Virginia Tech. In fact, they've lost a good number of their top players, including the best running back in the country for next year, Kamon Spell, have been committed to him, and he's now out there being offered by every single school in the country. Matt Sieg, who's an outstanding safety from Pennsylvania, who was born to play at Penn State.

He just committed to West Virginia or signed to West Virginia today. And same thing with the Brown kid, the offensive lineman from there, the best offensive lineman in the state, left, Kevin Brown, born to play at Penn State. So whoever comes in is going to have trouble. I would say they should keep the coach in waiting now, who came from Monroeville Gateway. We had him as our head coach for one of the Army games. This guy is a great recruiter. The players love him. They've rallied around him and pushing for him.

And since so many guys have turned, I think both of you guys turned down the Penn State job, too. Everyone's got it. So I think they should go after this guy. That would kind of keep things given. They've got the whole staff still in place, the in-house guy, that could go after NIL players. And maybe save this class a little bit next month. But if not, Penn State's going to be in for a couple of bad years. No question about that. Let me ask you about Georgia.

Alabama and Georgia, of course, play Saturday in Atlanta again. Kirby learned from the master. And they have another very good class. You mentioned earlier Jared Curtis, their top player, flipping to Vanderbilt. And I agree with you. Clark Lee's doing an amazing job there. Tuddy and Caden Prothro, corners, Justice Franklin, Caden Harris, defensive lineman, P.J. Dean. Once again, Kirby's got a top five class. Yeah, you know what? And you don't have to be a great recruiter in Georgia. You just have to be nice to the high school coaches.

But Kirby's nice. Mark Rick was a golfer. And I've said this. Whenever you golf, you're never going to be a great recruiter. Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier, Rick Neuheisel, Rick, who's worked with me at CBS, they're prolific golfers. I said on the air one time to Rick, I go, show me a coach who's a prolific golfer, and I'll show you a lousy recruiter. And we were at commercial break, and the next guest was Steve Spurrier, who thought I was talking about him. And I said, I'm talking about him.

And he goes, oh, Ricky, we've got to go play 18 and so on. So right away, he goes right into the golf. And really, that's the case. And I do think that when you're at Georgia, all you've got to do is be nice to the high school coaches. And he is. And that's why Clemson has sort of dropped off a bit. Because they used to get a lot of their stars out of Georgia, particularly their quarterbacks. That's not happening anymore. Georgia's keeping a lot of those guys.

And Clemson, even though they're still a good program, have dropped a bit because they've lost that great recruiting edge they had in Georgia while the other head coaches were playing golf. But I think the big guy, keep this guy in mind, a tight end. Georgia got out of Michigan, Lincoln Keyes. I went and saw this kid. Boy, this guy's got soft hands. He can run. He's got everything. But he's not as big a name as some of the other guys I've gotten. Plus, the kid, I think from Sweden, I saw him.

He came to my Virginia get-together, Valdine Son. He's going to be a big star as a defensive tackle. And he seemed to really move his game up this year. So Georgia's got a real good class. They're top five, as they always are. If they're not, the coach isn't doing his job. Tom, how's Lane going to do when all the dust settles at LSU? Lane's an excellent recruiter. He learned from the first master, Pete Carroll, and then the second master, Nick Saban. He went from one to the other.

Two of the greats. Two of the guys on my Mount Rushmore of great recruiters over the past 50 years. And Lane's learned. He knows. But he's also become a master of the transfer portal. And I think that he's trying to switch guys now. We'll see what happens in the next couple hours. But then you watch what happens in the transfer portal. Now he's got the power and the money of LSU. He'll probably have his pick of the top transfers next month. Tom, Oregon in the top five.

Dan Lanning has been able to pull players out of Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, and Alabama. Anthony Jones, just a tremendous edge rusher from St. Paul, is going to Oregon unless something happens at the end. Emmanuel, a hidden nacho is their big five-star offensive tackle. Dan Lanning gets them from everywhere, doesn't he, Tom? He does. He uses a lot of the Nike money to be very successful nationally. And he's also a very good recruiter. Emmanuel, the one you mentioned, I went and saw him. He looks like an NFL player already when I stopped by Georgetown.

[52:14] And then Tridarian Ball, one of the premier running backs in the country, is outstanding. It says that he plays in Texas, Canada. He doesn't get the kind of publicity you would if you're in Dallas or Houston. But he may be the best running back in Texas. And Tony Cumberland, who's bounced around like crazy. I don't know how he wound up in Eugene, Oregon. But then he committed to Oregon. What a surprise. Yeah. I saw him in Nevada. All of a sudden, then he's at Oregon. And then he commits to them at Eugene.

So money talks. And I think Oregon has been spending as much as just about anybody else. A couple of big names that I really liked at Oregon was this kid, Prince Tavizian from San Diego, who I thought was an outstanding athlete. And then a linebacker that a lot of people don't know, Dutch Horacek, from Pasco, one of the premier programs in high school football. And Dutch is the team leader of a team loaded with powerful players. So Oregon's got a real good class. Although I have seen there's a few of them they haven't actually signed yet, which means their agents are working, trying to get a few bucks out of Oregon.

I can't tell you how much we've enjoyed the conversation as always. And particularly on this day, as you mentioned, you probably got eight more of these to do before 11 o'clock. Tell everybody where they can get online, get your magazine to get you online. Just go to, let me, on Twitter, it's Lemming Report. That's the name of the TV show, too. Or just go to TomLemming at gmail.com. Or no, TomLemmingFootball.com. I don't even know what I'm talking about. Between driving today and then signing day.

But that's what it's. It's TomLemmingFootball.com or Lemming Report. At Lemming Report. Tom, we appreciate your time. We know you're on the road. Stay between the ditches out there. Stay safe. And, again, it's Christmas Day early for recruiting fanatics. Thanks so much. If we don't get another chance, Merry Christmas to you and your family, Tom. Hey, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you guys, too. And look forward to talking to you again. Absolutely. Thank you. I guarantee you, TomLemming, hooking up with us. Busy there with the CBS Sports Network.

Coming up, the second of three hours. It's Bonus Day on National Signing Day. Going to kick it off with a man who knows the state of Alabama, as well as anybody anywhere, the award-winning Randy Kennedy and more straight ahead. Stay with us. Nice job, Pete. I like those clean lines. Fellas, do we have anyone that can get to Greenport today? At Corey's Landscaping, the staffing plan is in the weeds. Anthony, we need that leaf blower over here. Three more new customer requests just came in. Who wants to work some overtime?

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[57:32] Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. 1819 News. ESPN radio commentator Paul Feinbaum says he will not be running for the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama in 2026. Feinbaum says he has been deeply moved by the many people here in Alabama who have encouraged him to run for that office. And he also expressed gratitude to his bosses at ESPN for allowing him the time to explore this political option. Feinbaum says he will now be focusing solely on college football.

I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Did you know that 70% of people experience a potentially traumatic event in their lifetime? And that 6 out of every 100 adults face PTSD every day? Help us bring hope to these survivors by signing up for your Alabama distinctive PTSD awareness license plate today. The great thing is you can sign up no matter when your current plate renews, and the first year is complimentary. All you need is your FIN number on hand. Drive awareness. Drive hope. And customize your plate today at atease.org.

A federal judge out of Mobile has denied a request to dismiss the charges against a man and his wife accused of running a drug operation. District Judge Terry Moorer recently issued several rulings in the case that's being brought against Glennie McGee and his wife, Echanza Maxey. McGee is charged with operating a multi-million dollar drug distribution network in the South Alabama area. This same case drew the ire of Judge Moore just a couple of months ago when the defense lawyers for McGee submitted a court filing with fraudulent case sightings that turned out to be all made up by artificial intelligence.

A jury in Jefferson County has awarded $10 million to a sheriff's deputy after she was attacked by a canine officer during a training exercise. Amy Jo Brasher was injured by canine officer Rocco back in 2021. The trial against the canine handler showed that he failed to meet minimum monthly training requirements for Rocco and also failed to muzzle the canine when he was asked to do so on the day of the training. I'm Andrea Tyson. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter.

YTK Rogersville-Athens to cater the show. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Valley Broadcasting Corporation. Miss the Boomo Bugg Show today? Or Bill King or Paul Feinbaum? Miss the last Florence Falcons game? You can access the latest episodes and game broadcasts at our website 939thescore.com. Click on Podcast and then All Podcasts to access the latest Bumo, Feinbaum, Bill King, and Florence broadcast. That's 939thescore.com. 939thescore.com. Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. It's Joe Cox, and he is busy as a columnist there at Saturday Down South. Welcome in.

How are you, and have you thawed out, or has it been as cold where you are as where we are? It's been cold. Today, I've been running my daughter around. She's 16, and she was job shadowing. So, for off of half a day, she could tell me that work is fairly tedious and fairly boring, and I could have saved her half a day and just told her that myself. But you know how it is. Yep. The Boomo Bugg Show, weekdays noon to 2 on 93.9 The Score. 93.9 The Score weather.

For today, mostly cloudy to partly sunny skies, high around 50. Tonight, becoming cloudier, low around 30. Tomorrow, mostly cloudy skies, high around 50. Tomorrow night, a 70% chance of overnight showers, low near 35. And for Friday, a 40% chance of showers, high around 50. Your weather from 93.9 The Score. Now, get ready to roll. Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

Welcome back in hour two of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a visit today on this special day. We say hour two, normally hour one, but it's because of National Signing Day, giving you three hours to get the very latest. And, B.B., checking quickly before we jump into the deep end here with Randy. Alabama moves from five to six. Auburn at last report, 50th in the team rankings as of this moment, B.B. I wasn't too surprised about Ohio State jumping Alabama at five.

They're still very close. I mean, this is 92.499 for Ohio State. Alabama's 92.464. So, that can certainly change before the end of the day. His horseshoes would be in good shape. Randy Kennedy's always in good shape. He is the award-winning writer there at ale.com. Behind the microphone is host of, you guessed it, the Randy Kennedy Show. Four to six afternoons down on 995 Sports Talk in Mobile, Alabama. He is the winner of the Mel Allen Award from the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and Name, one of the 50 legends of sports writers in Alabama.

[1:02:55] Randy, welcome in. How are you? I am great, man. I am already in the stadium at Birmingham. We've got a little flag football going on right now. So, halftime of the first game. We're getting ready for tonight's 7A championship. Wow. Randy, before we jump in, now that Paul is taking his name out of the hat to running for the Senate, have you? Are you shopping for apartments in D.C. these days, Randy? I will not seek nor accept any nomination. You are a very intelligent man.

Randy, before we get into the state dates, your thoughts about some of the guys, obviously in the modern era, these kids come from all over the country, but at the end of the day, the ESPN folks, they focused the other night on the Iron Bowl, but the core of both teams, Alabama, Auburn, still come from this state. Your thoughts, as far as overall, the talent level this year of kids coming out of high school on their way to either Alabama or Auburn, where do you write this class this year relative to years past?

I think it's really good, and it's so interesting when you look at kids who are like a perfect guy from down in the Mobile area, Deshaun Spencer, the wide receiver from Sierra Leone. I can tell you, I've been watching him for a couple of years, and he has been SEC ready for a couple of years, and yet he was going to be going to Duke, you know, for the longest time. That's where he was going to go. You bring in a new coaching staff and, you know, kind of different voices, and they look at it differently, and so now he is officially signed with the Auburn Tigers.

He's a big-time player. So, you know, it's a little bit of eye of the beholder, but so many of these guys can play at this level, and I guarantee you we're going to see guys out of this class because it's such a good, deep class. We're going to see players sign with Jacksonville State or, you know, North Carolina or North Carolina State, and those guys are going to be in the NFL out of this class in Alabama. It's a good class. It is a very deep class.

Randy, if it's a deep class and you're either number one or number two, what does that say about you? And you know where we're going with this. We've asked you before about Mr. Crowell. I don't know how many more ads we can throw on him as far as the verbal bouquets, but how good of a get is that for Alabama? Well, he's incredible. Just in terms of turn and pitch him the ball or hand it to him, he's the best I think I've ever seen in this state.

He is absolutely the best. Now, look, he still has some improvement to do. He's got to be, you know, he's got to learn to pass protect a little bit. He's got to learn to block a little bit and understand concepts and all that. So, you know, there may be a little bit of a learning curve there. I'm sure there will be. But just in terms of hand him the ball and then just, you know, just gawk at how great he is, I've never seen anybody as good as him in the state of Alabama.

Randy, I asked you, too, a couple weeks ago about Vodney Cleveland from Parker. I watched Muscle Shoals beat Parker. And we were talking about his journey that's gone to three or four schools. And at that time, he had been a Texas commitment, according to multiple reports. He has flipped to North Carolina. You mentioned the Tar Heels earlier, Randy. There must be five or six players who are committed to North Carolina who are playing in the Super 7. Corey Barber from Clay Chalkville is another one who's gone in a different direction.

Randy, your thoughts on Vodney Cleveland and Corey Barber. It's so interesting with Cleveland that 364 days ago, or 66 days ago, I was at Parker High School for signing day with all those guys. And Vodney Cleveland was still a junior about to play in a state championship game. I wrote a story with him when he was committed to Alabama at the time. Then he was decommitted. And for a while, it looked like he was going to go to Auburn. Then he was committed to Texas. And now he's officially signed with North Carolina.

It's so interesting that in the best in Bama list that I do, which is recruits from all classifications, that we rank one through 50, there are only three schools that have three or more players. It's Alabama with eight, Auburn with three, and North Carolina with three. So they've done a nice job coming into the state of Alabama. They've got a couple of guys from Jackson, and now they get Vodney Cleveland. And then it's Corey Barber, just an elite playmaker that we're going to see here at the Super 7.

And he's going to LSU, was going to go to Ole Miss, and now he's slipped and will follow Lane Kiffin to LSU. He's elite. He's more of a slot receiver kind of guy than he is playing on the outside, but just an elite playmaker. Randy Kennedy in the huddle with us. Randy, obviously the list is long. We're going to talk about both, but kind of a guy that's kind of flying under the radar is Cedarian Morgan. Your thoughts, how good is Mr. Morgan out of not too far from you there, Alexander City?

Well, I'm so glad you asked, because I've got a story coming out on Thursday on AL.com. That I'm really proud about, so I hope that people will read it on Thursday. But I did a comparison with Cedarian Morgan from Benjamin Russell. He's a senior, now signed with Alabama, 6'4", 220, and won the genetic lottery. He is just the best-looking athlete you've ever seen. Looks like Brad, right? Similar, similar. Maybe from a different era. Yeah, from a different angle. From a different angle. I went back over the last 20 years, and I took all the guys who would fit into that big-bodied wide receiver category and compared him to all those guys.

[1:08:26] That would be Julio Jones, Ken Coleman, some other guys like that. The big guys who you know you could throw it up to, and they could go rebound it. And so I compared his career at Benjamin Russell to those guys in high school, and I'll just say Alabama fans will be excited when they see how he stacks up compared to all those guys. Randy, one of the great things about the Super 7 is some of these guys we've been talking with you about in the best of Bama, and throughout the course of the season, the year as far as recruiting, you get a chance to see them on Alabama Public TV, and I'm so glad that they moved the broadcast to that.

Jackson, 12-2 and an undefeated Aniston team. They beat Dastler here a couple of weeks ago. We all know about Crowell, but Landon Duckworth committed to South Carolina. Jamarian Gordon committed to North Carolina. Here we go with the UNC again. And then the Chapman boys both committed to North Carolina. I know Aniston has got a very good offensive lineman by the name of Sharonte Bailey. Again, Randy, we can pick every game, and there are guys who have committed today or will sign today, but that talent at Jackson is special.

It is. I have not had a chance to see Aniston this year, so excited to see them. The thing with Jackson is they've got a couple of losses, but they lost the first game of the year when they played without Crowell. They lost to Sterling, and then they lost to St. Michael, which was undefeated except for the fact that Jackson eliminated them last week in the semifinals. The thing to know about Jackson is they've had a tough year injury-wise, so they had a lot of people miss games, including that St. Michael game.

No excuse there, but they did have a bunch of guys miss. They're healthier now. They are as healthy as they've been all year, and, of course, they're coming off a state championship win last year when they literally won by, what was it, 60 that they won by over Cherokee County last year. They're as talented or more talented than they were last year, and it feels like maybe they're just now starting to put it together just because they've been so disjointed with injuries this year, but I think they're pretty close to full strength now.

They're going to be tough to beat. Randy Kennedy, got it going both ways. Check out his writing there at AL.com and his voice at 995 Sports Talk in Mobile Afternoons, 4 to 6. Randy, obviously, you're getting ready for the big state dates. Let's talk about a team close to us against a team that's close to you. Mars Hill Bible taking on Bayside Academy. What's going to happen there? Man, I need a scouting report from you guys because everybody I talk to about Mars Hill, they're just like, oh, they're good.

They're really good. They're pretty good. I think they're clearly the favorite. I definitely think they are. I've seen Bayside a good bit. They are extremely well coached. Barrett Trotter, the former quarterback at Auburn, is the head coach there, and they are extremely sound. They've got a linebacker tight end who is Monroe Parton, who is now signed with Wake Forest. He runs right next to Billy Neal. Their two linebackers are as good as anybody in the state, I would say, any classification, which they're going to need to be.

From everything I know about Mars Hill, they're going to have their hands full against that team. I think Mars Hill is the favorite in that game. I really do. But you're going to see a very disciplined, really good team from Bayside. They have won 13 in a row. They lost the opener to St. Michael, and then they've won every game since and been impressive in every single one. So they're no slouch, but I definitely would say Mars Hill would be the favorite in this one. Randy, I'm going to be curious to see your thoughts on Mars Hill.

I've seen him two or three times this year. Jackson Penn and Hudson Higgins combined have run for 3,700 yards. Randy, they just run over you, and both of those guys, Penn runs a 4-3, and Higgins runs a 4-4. Both of them play defense also. Their closest game of the year was Madison Academy when they won by 24. They beat Scottsboro, who just lost in the playoffs last week, by 27 points. Just a 3-A play and a 5-A. Everything you've heard about them, Randy, is true. That is so fascinating because, like I said, the strength for Bayside is they've got these two linebackers that if you lined them up in 7-A, you would say that was the strength of a team.

They've got two great, great linebackers. So, it's going to be really interesting to see how those guys are able to fare because I promise you, they're as good a linebacking duo as you're going to see, but I know they've got their hands full with Mars Hill. Randy, before we jump off, let's talk about a late guy to the class for Alabama who's also a neighbor, and that's Malik Franklin, edge rusher out of Newby and Daphne for you. Yeah. Interesting timing. You're a critique of Mr. Franklin.

It's so interesting because how does the guy in this day and age kind of sneak under the radar? But he's a big kid. He's a late developer in terms of his size. He's 6'6", 250, and they play him on the edge. I saw him two weeks ago, like second series of the game. He knocked out the quarterback for Auburn, separated his shoulder in a perfectly clean hit, by the way. But he's a really, really dynamic athlete. But it's just a guy that, you know, when the year started, if you asked me who are the best eight guys on Daphne's team, I'm not even sure I would have said him.

[1:13:51] But, obviously, he has come on really strong as the season has progressed. And I've seen him play a few times. I was like, man, why isn't that guy a bigger recruit? Well, now he's signed with Alabama, so obviously everybody caught on after a while. But, you know, last year I didn't necessarily think this was a guy that was an SEC player, but really matured there and, of course, played for Kenny King, the former great defensive lineman at Alabama. You should have a fun three days. I know Ben Thomas and Thomas Ashworth are there trying to help you get through this incredibly torturous detail you've got for the next three days.

Thompson Opelika opens tonight at 7. Rainy, again, I'm so glad the Alabama Public TV now broadcasts all of the games. It should be fun. Rainy, where can we get online, hear your show, and also get all your good stuff on AL.com? Yeah, AL.com. You can find everything we're doing there. And, like I said, I got that story coming out on Thursday about C.D. Morgan from Benjamin Russell, now the Alabama signee, which I think people will find interesting. My show is Sports Talk 99.5, but you can get it on the free iHeartRadio app anywhere in the world.

It's free. Get the iHeartRadio app. And it's the Randy Kennedy Show on Sports Talk 99.5. Sounds like a good deal, Randy. Stay safe and warm down there, okay? And thanks for your time today. I appreciate it. Good to talk to you guys. Thank you, bud. Randy Kennedy, again, AL.com, and also on the radio, 995 Sports Talk and Mobile, 4 to 6 afternoons down in the Port City. Coming up, interesting day down on the plains. The very latest Auburn recruiting news with Kalem Jones next. Stay with us. Flavor is calling at Lost Pizza Company Shoals.

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[1:18:55] Shoals Royale, 2026, Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m. at the Renathon Shoals Conference Center. Tickets are available now at givebutter.com slash Shoals Royale 2026. The Score. Welcome back in. It is, of course, the second hour, normally the first hour because it's National Signing Day. Bonus coverage, a full three hours today, and we appreciate Caleb Jones making that possible. He's got the Auburn Tigers covered there at auburnsports.com. Caleb, welcome in. How's your day going? Well, it was an early morning, that's for sure, but it's going pretty good, man.

Let's talk about it. Obviously, it is amazing. Let's go back to last, what, Wednesday. How many folks, let's see a hand raising here, but a thought. How's Alex Golesh's class going at Auburn? What seven days it has been, Caleb? Well, I don't think Alex Golesh has had much time to sleep ever since he arrived in Auburn. It's been go, go, go, stepping off the plane, and then, I mean, you get right into it. You got to go right into work because signing day is, well, it's here now, but, I mean, that's three or four days that you have to get this class in order, and things are going pretty much as kind of expected, I think, ever since the news that Alex Golesh was hired as Auburn's next head coach.

Things are going pretty much kind of as expected. This Auburn class is not necessarily, you know, the biggest or anything like that. There's not a ton of elite talent like you have maybe seen in some previous Auburn classes that were, you know, the back-to-back top ten classes. This is not going to be one of those. They still could make some noise here with some other guys that they're really, that they're certainly targeting, but it's going pretty much as expected. You've seen some guys previously committed to Golesh under South Florida.

You know, kind of transfer over and sign with Auburn. You know, the quarterback, Reese Brush, is one of those guys, the tight end, DeMarcus Broughton. So, it's going kind of as expected. You know, any class on National Signing Day, you're going to pick up some, you're going to give up some, and any time you make a change like this, obviously, that's going to be a topic de jure. And I think the folks at Don3.com, they are reflecting that in some of the other services. Last report I saw, Auburn started today at 50th.

They're at 58th. There's two ways of looking at that. You can go, oh my gosh. Or, I look at Indiana, and they're right there, and look where Indiana is. It's all about system. Your thoughts as far as some of the surprises that Auburn has picked up so far, and maybe when you take the coin and flip it over, maybe some of the folks they've lost because of the coaching change. Yeah, they did lose Braylon Womack, Mississippi State. Mississippi State, that's certainly a guy that Auburn would have liked to keep in his class.

But, I mean, this is, any time you bring in a new head coach, especially three or four days before signing day, it's going to be difficult to really kind of turn something around that faster. A lot of the focus is going to be on kind of the roster that Auburn has right now. You know, Golesh said in his introductory press conference that a lot of the focus that he's going to do is kind of getting to know the guys that are on the roster right then and there, figure out who they need to keep around and who's going to be a priority.

And I think this is a talented Auburn team. I really do. I think you've got a lot of pieces that, you know, when used correctly, this could be a really good team. And I think Golesh kind of knows that when looking at the current roster. And so I think paying attention to the current roster and making sure that, you know, some of the guys that have been really impactful this past season, a lot of underclassmen, I think that's going to, that's going to take a lot of the focus right now.

It's just making sure that you have those guys for next year. Because there's not a, like, if you can't keep a lot of those guys for next season, there's not going to be a ton of opportunities for some of these other guys to play. So the signings, you know, that's the thing. Absolutely. Let me ask you about a couple of guys, wide receiver Deshaun Spencer, Sarah Land. You get a chance to see him on Friday night, flips from Duke to Auburn. And I know Auburn also picked up or signed today offensive lineman, a three-star, Parker Pritchett from Columbus, Georgia.

Caleb, tell us a little bit about both of those guys. So we've got really good coverage on odd3.com, on odd3, AuburnSports.com. We've been kind of, we've been busy all day. And so shout out, shout out to Cole Pinkston, who is our analyst here at AuburnSports.com. I was talking about Deshaun Spencer. He said Spencer's a smaller body receiver, but he's got the ability to, you know, make really explosive plays. He's got a knack for making tough catches, but a lot like Eric Singleton, kind of very similar to Eric Singleton Jr.

[1:24:09] You know, he's not, he's not the big wide receiver, but he's fast and he's quick and he's really athletic. Parker Pritchett is a guy that Auburn identified early on. You know, they, they targeted him early on. This is a guy that stuck with Auburn throughout everything, committed back in, back in April. He's 6'4", 310 pounds. And he's kind of, he's kind of slimmed down a little bit. He's trimmed down since the, since the spring and he's beginning to add the right weight to his frame. So when it comes to mobility, Pritchett, he's, he's excellent with his feet and agility, especially when he's on the move or out in space and put a foot down in the ground and, and cut as a puller.

So it can look a little unorthodox for his size, but that's, that's a good thing. And that's, that's directly from our analyst, uh, Cole Pinkston. So we'll, we'll see how, but that's, that's a guy that, you know, loves Auburn and wants to be a part of Auburn's signing class. And it's good to see that guy finally put pen to paper. Caleb Johnson with us, AuburnSports.com. Caleb, talk to us. Obviously a team is going to usually go or die. According to the quarterback, Steve Vanderbilt and other teams, your, your thoughts about the quarterback room going forward.

We know, uh, Daniel's what happened in the Mercer game. He gave it up so he can come back next year. Deuce Knight has a promising future in this day and time. It's hard to keep two, let alone three quality quarterbacks in the same room. Your thoughts about the strategies that are under goal is for the quarterbacks. Yeah. The, the quarterback room at Auburn totally look different this season, as opposed to what it did, you know, uh, in 2024. And I'm not necessarily, I, I, I, it could definitely look different next year.

Um, you know, there, there's a lot of moving parts that, you know, guys are going to have to choose whether to stay at Auburn and then, you know, work under Goalish or explore other opportunities. Uh, Ashton Daniels, they preserved his red shirt for the sole purpose of that Daniels would return. Obviously, Deuce Knight looks to be a future star, just very small sample size. But I mean, everything against Mercer looks like Deuce Knight is exactly what people kind of expected Deuce Knight to be. Uh, there's a lot of chatter that if Byron, uh, Brown, the, the South Florida quarterback gets the portal, there's a lot of chatter that Goalish would try to bring him to Auburn.

So there's a lot of moving pieces. And I think a lot of things are going to be figured out of the next couple of weeks. Um, obviously you would love if you're Auburn, you would love to have a quarterback room, you know, just for example of, of Byron Brown, Deuce Knight and Ashton Daniels. But again, that's a lot of talent in one room. The J and H, it's kind of tough to pitch that. And so we'll just kind of have to see how it plays out.

Um, but again, uh, Auburn would certainly like to keep those guys around. Let me ask you about a guy who I think is one of the most underrated players in the state of Alabama. We'll get a chance to see him in the Super 7 this week. And that's linebacker Jacquees Wilks. Um, again, sometimes when you play for a smaller classification school, you get overlooked, but he's been very loyal to Auburn. I think he's one of the best linebackers, one of the better players in the state of Alabama.

Yeah, he's, uh, like you said, he's at a little bit of a smaller school. And so he can, you know, dump a, uh, both sides of the ball, whether that's playing linebacker on defense or mixing around and that's kind of where he fits in on defense for Wadley. Uh, but he also plays running back for Wadley and I mean, he just, he runs over kids at the end of the day. He's making them look silly. I mean, it's, it's hard, but that's the guy that, you know, once he gets to Auburn, he's going to be able to put on a little bit of good weight, good muscle, um, kind of fill out a little bit, fill out into his frame.

Uh, and so I bet he's an interesting guy because, because of the way that he's built, you could even maybe see him sliding down into maybe even like a buck linebacker. You know, not necessarily a micro will, but maybe even into a buck. And so once he kind of grows into his frame, it's going to, you're going to get a little bit of a better idea to where he can contribute on the field. But yeah, that's a great pickup for Auburn and another one that, again, stayed strong through everything.

The coaching change, the coaching search, the new coach, he's locked in, he signed with Auburn. Yeah, the two little boys, Darius and Shadrick are also signed with Auburn. I think those, I'm going to be curious to see how those guys do. Shadrick, uh, I, I remember more of a basketball player to begin with than football, but they're two very talented guys. Caleb, we know you're busy. It's been a long day, been a long week, quite frankly, uh, do a great job. We certainly enjoy talking to our buddy, Brian Matthews on a weekly basis, uh, but where can we get online and get the latest in recruiting, the latest on the coaching, assistant coaches coming in, basketball, the whole nine yards.

Where can we get online to get the good stuff? Yeah, absolutely. We're at auburnsports.com again, auburnsports.com. That's where you're going to get, you're going to get everything you just said. You're going to get recruiting. You're going to get intel on the coaching staff. You're going to get intel about, you know, the future of Auburn, Auburn football. You're going to get intel of basketball. You're going to get game coverage, practice notes, everything that you need for Auburn, just sports in general, baseball, softball, women's basketball, men's basketball.

[1:29:36] It's all going to be found on auburnsports.com. We've got the greatest message boards, two of the greatest message boards on the internet. You've got the corner and you've got the bunker. Uh, come check us out on auburnsports.com. A.K.A. one-stop shop. Kato, listen, man, thanks for your time. Again, I echo those sentiments from BB. You're busy. Thanks so much and stay safe out there, okay? Absolutely. Thanks, guys. Thank you, man. Thank you. Kato Jones, you're going to win this at auburnsports.com. What's going on with Alabama sports?

The man on the inside, Rodney Orr from Titer Insider on deck. Stay with us. Hello, my name is Debra Bell Passour, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passour, Medley, and Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law? Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

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Pre-game coverage at 5 o'clock. Tip-off between the Tigers and the Tide is set for 6 o'clock. 20th-ranked Auburn will host NC State. Auburn Tigers 6-2. NC State is 5-2. Progressive is helping veterans drive their lives forward with its Keys to Progress program. Online at keystoprogress.com. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93-9. The score. Find what you love, love what you find. A total wine and more. There's so much waiting for you. Spirits and beer. Thousands of wines. Walk right through the door.

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[1:35:01] Rodney Orr is busy there at tighterinsider.com. And also, we're going to be giving some details on a great book just a little bit later on. Rodney Orr, welcome in. Are you playing golf or following recruiting today? He must be playing golf, BB. We'll see if Rodney is with us here in just a second. Obviously, your thoughts so far, but while we effort to get Rodney on, BB, your thoughts. To me, this is pretty much a drama-free day in Tuscaloosa. Would you agree? Well, it is.

And particularly, well, compared to two or three years ago, I mean, throughout the college football landscape, unless you're a new coach and we've got quite a few of them, this has been a drama-free day, Alabama now, just to give you an update on the three schools we follow very closely, Alabama now number six, ranked in Rivals.com. 23 commitments, now up to 20 signees. Tennessee has moved up from 11. They're number seven. 25 commitments, 18 signees. And Auburn now ranked number 57. They've got 13 commitments and eight signees. And I'll go over the flips in a few minutes, but that's where we are right now as of 12-38.

And the thing is, everybody, you have to sit here and just say, my goodness, what a task that DeBoer and his staff have in Alabama. All they've got to do is mimic what Nick Saban did back in the day. And you remember, we remember, when on national signing day originally, it was, what, first Wednesday in February. And then they kept shuffling it around in December. Well, it was the third Wednesday in December. Now it's the first Wednesday. Here we are in December. And anything less than one, you remember the panic when Alabama fans would say, Nick Saban signed a number two or number three class.

Oh, yeah. He's slipping. It's a whole different ballgame now. All the rules have changed. And you've got to believe that the NCAA said, Nick's got this thing figured out. We've got to sit here and get parity back into it. So let's do this and this and this. I don't know how much of that's involved as far as specifics, but here's where we are with this game. Your thoughts about, there's two ways to look at this. You can go for the numbers, which right now USC is doing.

They got, what was it, Tom Lemming from CBS Sports said earlier, they got 500. Actually, they got 30-something. By comparison, Alabama is trying to land 23 by the end of the day. Got 20 right now. There's two ways of looking at it. You can sit here and try to win it all on National Signing Day. Keep in mind, you still got February. And then, are you meeting your needs? Your thoughts about Alabama meeting their needs with this class so far? Well, I think they've been able to do that.

Now, Harold, really and truly, to me, the only area that they may be a little light since Owen Cabell, the three-star from Nashville, decommitted. There are several reasons for that. As Freddie Kirby mentioned in the first, second segment of the show, was the coaching changes at wide receiver. Mo Lindquist was rumored to be going to be the defensive coordinator at Oregon State. That did not happen. Maybe wide receiver would be one area that I think Alabama will look to pick up some more guys in the portal.

And E.J. Crowell is, again, the best back to me since Alabama signed Najee Harris. I think he's the best running back in the country. But they did exceptionally well on the offensive line. They've got, right now, four. Three of them out of Georgia, and they're waiting on Bryson Cooley from West Jones High School in Laurel, Mississippi. A lot of people have predicted that he was going to sign with Alabama today. He may put that off for a few days as far as – he may be a little confused, as Freddie put it.

But defensive line is really an area Alabama needed and a need. And they really have done an excellent job with that. Nolan Wilson is now in the house from Mississippi to Marion Matthews, who used to be at Spartan High School, transferred to Gainesville High School in Georgia. Maury Johnson, who I've seen four or five times this year from Russell Shoals. Corey Howard from Valdosta High School in Georgia. And Malik Franklin, and we talked about it. He's a late signee. He's really flown under the radar with Kenny King, who coaches the former Alabama defensive lineman.

Coaches Daphne High School. That's one area where Alabama did a tremendous job, and they needed some additional depth, in particularly defensive line. But to answer your question, probably wide receiver is one area that they probably wish they had picked up at least one more. Well, here's the deal. I mean, going back to what we talked about earlier with Nick Saban. In that current frame of time, if you missed on getting a guy, you kind of hit the panic button. But do you now? I mean, because let's just say this thing holds true as far as the high school window.

[1:40:20] Alabama, you know they've got the money to spend. You just go out in a portal. If you don't meet your needs on National Signing Day, what do you think Alabama is going to do there? Because you know there's going to be folks right now, it's about a month away, before they jump in the portal. And these agents are working like crazy. And you know these agents are sitting here and keeping a close eye on Alabama and saying, guys, looky here. They've got a need, and that's all business is.

You've got a need or an itch, we're going to scratch it. Your thoughts about the strategy in the modern era, in this case, Alabama with wide receiver, saying, don't hit the panic button yet in December. We've still got a ways to go. It's called a portal. Well, that's the great thing about the portal. It giveth and it taketh away, but it also giveth. In Alabama, quite a few people found the program closely and told me that they were looking at going in the portal to add more offensive linemen.

They've actually signed a little bit more, and particularly if they sign Bryson Cooley out of Mississippi, and you've got four offensive linemen. But don't you know Alex Golesh, again, we just got through talking to Caleb Jones of AuburnSports.com. They're going to sign a very small class for Auburn, about 13 players. I think nine are in the house right now. But he's going to really target the portal for the needs. We know Lane Kiffin is the portal king, but a lot of coaches take advantage of this.

But, yeah, Alex Golesh is another prime example. I know he can't wait to January to begin to fill some of those holes he's got on his roster. Your thoughts about the running back room, BB. Obviously, this running back room, it has not met the standards of Alabama running back rooms of the past. You've got kids coming in. I think Deer has a lot of promise. I think Hill has a lot of promise. But it's been a growing up process this year. Miller, bless his heart, he's been banged up.

I think too many people sit here and question this kid's heart. That would be a mistake in my opinion. He has suffered a lot of injuries. He's answered the bell as best he could. To be objective, I don't think he obviously has met the standards of a lot of guys in the past. But who could? They're still making money, big money in the NFL for those classes over the past few years. Just for the sake of argument, could it be said that Crowell right now may be, if he was at Alabama, he'd probably be the best, in my opinion, he'd be maybe the best man in the room as far as toting the mail.

The question is, could he do a pass pro at this level? Well, that's the question. Everybody knows how good he is. And that's one of the great things about the Super 7. You're going to get a chance to see him play on TV later this week. But, Harold, again, he's everything that he's billed. He's tough, durable. Now, can he pass block? Can he pick up a linebacker or a blitzing corner? We'll find out about that. Cam Miller has had three major injuries. He has had a dislocated or broken collarbone that he recovered from.

He's had the concussion. Now he's got a lower leg injury, either the knee or the ankle. And I thought he played better against Auburn than he has practically the entire season. Richard Young, the five stars, kind of disappeared. We'll kind of see where that goes. But, A.K. Deer, I think you're going to see more in the Georgia game from Deer. Daniel Hill, again, is tremendous, 240 pounds. But, no, Crowell, Harold, to me, once he picks up the blitz, he's going to either be number one or number two next year.

Let's pick up Rodney Orr. He's been kind of busy today there at tighterinsider.com. That's because he's the founder and editor and the fine author of the book, Bigger Than Bama. Rodney, have you been on the phone with your agent trying to work a deal here? Have you flipped yet? How are you? I feel like flipping sometimes. A bit. Everything but a finger, right? I feel like flipping out sometimes. How's your day been so far there? It's been pretty good. I don't think you can complain.

I'm sorry, guys. I'm a little down with this wicked cold. Oh, man, sorry. No, it's fine. So, I mean, I think it's gone pretty much as expected. Basically, everyone's in the fold. I know that some talk that Brian Williams, Jr., the receiver from Florida, may end up going elsewhere, maybe Auburn. I know that Owen Cabell, one of the other receivers, maybe ended up at Vanderbilt. I mean, I don't think that that's really a significant loss if that happens. I mean, good players, they sure were, but I think Alabama's in pretty good shape with Cedarian Morgan.

If they feel like they need some more, they'll certainly go to the portal. Well, as far as the strengths, we talk with a lot of folks, and you know Randy Kennedy, and he knows this state. He's like a lot of us. He has decades of experience covering high school kids, and he puts Crowell right up there at the top of the class. He says he's as good as anybody he's ever seen as far as toting a rock. Obviously, like any running back coming out of high school, starting at that level, you've got to learn to block.

[1:45:36] You're the rock star, so you just tote the rock. Your thoughts about that, and is maybe one of the guys who's not getting enough love, is the Jets out of Nebraska. Yeah, certainly Xavier Crowell. There's a reason why Texas and everyone else in the country wanted him. I mean, he's obviously a very dynamic runner. I think sometimes people forget he's only supposed to be a junior in high school. I mean, he's shining early, reclassifying, kind of like Ryan Williams did. But, you know, he's got really good size.

He's over 200 pounds. He runs extremely hard. You know, he's very elusive. He's got all the tools. I mean, but like you said, Harold and Brett, I mean, listen, we see a lot of these guys come in. Don't forget this. Derrick Henry, when he came here, he was lost in terms of what he was supposed to do when the ball wasn't in his hand. And, you know, it took him a while to learn. By the end of his freshman year, though, we saw how good he was.

I mean, that Oklahoma game and the bowl game, he really lit them up, glimpse of what he was going to do in the future. So, I mean, sometimes it takes these young backs coming out of high school a little time to get adjusted to all the things they have to do when they don't have the ball. And Jed Tamala, I really like that guy, man. I mean, he's a very impressive looking guy. When you start looking at his size, he's 6'5", he's 215 pounds. He moves extremely well.

He's got a really, really nice mechanical delivery. I mean, has he played some of the top competition in Nebraska? You know, we don't know. But I would tell you this, I think he's a fantastic prospect. And I certainly wouldn't rule him out in the future. Ronnie, the defensive line has been a position in need. I know your board tells you that every day in the last two or three years. But some impressive guys. Nolan Wilson at Apiccum, Mississippi. Alabama was able to hold some folks off.

He's one of the 20. I believe you've got 20 signees in the house right now. Marion Matthews, Gainesville High School, transfer from Spartman. Marty Johnson from Muscle Shoals. I'm quite familiar with him. Corey Howard from Valdosta High School in Georgia. And a late, once JJ decided he was going to take the money and run to Tennessee, Malik Franklin in the Daphne High School came into the picture 13 sacks. It's not a bad hole on the defensive line. Yeah, pretty solid. Again, I don't see any monsters in terms of those physical interior guys that you always want to get that Georgia gets, Ohio State gets, Texas gets.

I think that's the one thing that, you know, I'd like to see. You know, there's a couple of those guys physically have the, you know, the frame to get bigger and do those things. I mean, I know I talked to Kenny King last night, of course, the former Alabama star, two-time All-SEC selection for five years in the NFL. Kenny knows what a defensive lineman looks like. I think he's been hoping for a while that Alabama would pull the trigger on Malik Franklin. But, you know, he thinks Malik's really an outstanding player.

He's got a unique story. He was a backup offensive tackle last year. They moved him to defense, and he's just exploded. He had 98 tackles, 23 tackles for losses. And guess what? He had 11 sacks breaking Kenny King's school record of 10. Yeah. So, he's a really, you know, he's a good-looking player. It's going to be interesting to see, you know, how quickly he can develop and all of that. But, yeah, it's a good group. Like I said, Nolan Wilson, Marty Johnson, Jamarian Matthews, Corey Howard. Those are all guys that have frames and are athletic.

So, we'll see how they're developed. We've been doing this a while together, Rodney, as you know. By the way, RodneyTiterInsider.com. We always love to ask you the sleeper in the class. Back in the day, you said this kid out of Texas by the name of Waddle's pretty good. I keep an eye on him and how that turned out. Who's the sleeper in this class, Rodney? Oh, wow. Yeah, I'd probably just have to think about this for a little bit. A lot of names running through my mind.

You know, I'll tell you one. I'm going to fire this one at you. Okay. Bear Fretwell. Offensive tackle. I look at Bear Fretwell. He's 6'7", 275. He ran a 4'7", 740. Yes. He's athletic. He's fast. You know, he's not rated highly. But I talked to someone who started in the SEC, started at Alabama on a national championship team. He told me, he said, look, that guy's vastly underrated. He said, I think he's got a chance to be really, really good. So, you're asking me now, after just a quick scan of my mind, I would go with Bear Fretwell.

[1:50:41] Our good friend, Freddie Kirby, mentioned Ry Gale Kelly because of his length, the three-star. Yeah, from Witten Woods High School. Bryson Cooley was supposed to make a public announcement today. Freddie mentioned to us that he seems to be a little confused because this is a surprise. Teams are throwing money at him. Who are we talking about, Brett? Which one are we talking about? Oh, I'm sorry. Cooley out of Mississippi. Bryson Cooley, four-star offensive lineman at lower Mississippi. What are you hearing about his plans? Well, I don't know what he'll do.

I mean, I know he, on Monday night he indicated he was committed to Alabama, but he wasn't going to release it. So, you know, again, that's why I say, let them release it, let them say it, whatever. We saw a fiasco with the quarterback up there in Nashville, Jared Curtis, when somebody jumped out there and, you know, blew his announcement. So, but, I mean, I think Cooley was set on Alabama. If that's changed, you know, I don't know. You know, I guess we'll have to see.

Isn't he supposed to announce it, like, in about 40 minutes? Yeah, well, originally it was 1-15 today. Okay. So, has he canceled that? Because I have not heard he postponed it. A scuttlebutt is he's going to wait until Friday, but that's not official. Yeah, well, I mean, if that happens, then that usually does mean money, you know, and it doesn't bode well for the, you know, team that's not going to overpay. And Alabama generally does not overpay. So, with that said, I honestly have no idea what all Cooley's looking at right now.

But it does not surprise me because, I mean, he's very talented. He's a four-star offensive tackle. I thought he would have been a great addition to this class, something much needed, because Alabama needs some pure offensive tackles. I mentioned Brett Weld being one. But they could have really used Cooley, and, you know, hopefully they get that worked out. Absolutely. Listen, take care of that cold. I know it's been a long day for you. Certainly wish you well with that. Where can we get online and get your update?

I know you've been literally having, minute by minute, as far as the signees in the names, you'll have more information. Certainly later today, Titer Insider TV, the 24-7 message board, which I bet is running hot this afternoon. Where can we get online and get all the great Alabama sports coverage for a very nominal price? Right. It's TiterInsider.com. It's only $48 a year. You can get instant access with your credit card right now. Or if you prefer, there is an address there. Send a check. Gives you all our premium information.

I have a great story on Malik Franklin with Kenny King, his high school coach down in Daphne. And, you know, like you said, our all-sports forum. It's really rolling right now. And, again, it's only $48 a year. Rodney, take two and call me in the morning. Hope you get to feeling better. Thanks so much for your time today, buddy. All right, guys. Hey, I appreciate it. Take care. Thank you, bud. Rodney, you're talking about winning one for the Gipper under the weather and still stepping up to the plate.

Coming up in the next hour, how are things going at UNA? Got Coach Brent and Jeremy going to be hooking up with us. Ron Higgins. Just wondering what's going on at LSU these days. And Drew DeArman, he's got it all covered. It's all straight ahead. Stay with us. At Bob's Tire and Alignment, we've been keeping the shoals rolling for 49 years. From tires to alignment for cars and trucks up to 550s, we'll keep your ride game day ready. And don't forget free tire rotations and fast oil changes with whatever you need, conventional, blend, or full synthetic.

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[1:55:55] Then donate your vehicle to Heritage for the Blind today by calling 1-800-983-6530. Every donated vehicle will either be properly recycled in an eco-friendly manner or given a new life through reuse. Donating your vehicle is easy. Simply call 1-800-983-6530 and Heritage for the Blind will do the rest. They'll even arrange for your vehicle to be picked up at no cost to you. And for a limited time, when you donate your car, you'll receive a $200 restaurant voucher and a two-night, three-day hotel stay at one of 50 locations.

Call 1-800-983-6530 right now to schedule your vehicle donation and make a positive impact on the environment while helping others. Heritage for the Blind, where every car donation counts and every person makes a difference. Call 1-800-983-6530 now. This advertisement is paid for by Heritage for the Blind. 1819 News. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is voicing very strong opposition to the expansion efforts coming from the Islamic Academy of Alabama in Hoover. The school's request for rezoning was denied by the Hoover Zoning Commission. Senator Tuberville was on Infowars saying he wants to stop entirely the infiltration of what he called an Islamic death cult into the state.

Muslim communities are moving everywhere. In every state, they're building mosques. They're having these five prayers a day. They're pushing this cult in Birmingham, Alabama, in Hoover. There's a small school that's a Muslim school in that area. They want a larger area where they can build a bigger school, infiltrate more, and bring in more young people to teach them the Muslim faith. And again, I'm a senator right now, and I'm going to fight it. In the future, in a year, I'll be the governor. And I'll be d***** if we're going to do that in the state of Alabama.

We're going to protect the people of Alabama. We're going to protect our Constitution. We're going to protect our state. We're going to protect our country. 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. The Christmas parade in Headland, Alabama, has been canceled due to heavy weather coming into that area. Any registrations to take part in the parade will be refunded. And in the city of Pritchard, the annual Christmas parade there has also been canceled. The Christmas lighting ceremony will still be held this coming Friday.

It's just being moved indoors to Pritchard City Hall. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. WITK Rogersville-Athens to cater the show. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Valley Broadcasting Corporation. Scott Graham here from Westwood One. Don't miss any of our exclusive NFL action all season long until a new champion is crowned at Super Bowl 60. Of course, each week begins with Thursday Night Football. I'll get it started with a preview and a look ahead at the big weekend games.

Then it's to the stadium for the play-by-play of all the action. Join us all season long on Thursday Night Football. Ryan Ranke here from Sunday Night Football on Westwood One. Join Mike Golick and me every Sunday for a marquee primetime NFL matchup. Scott Graham gets things started with a pregame show from the studio with exclusive player interviews and the latest league news. Then from the stadium, Mike and I bring you the exclusive play-by-play call of the action. Join us every week for Sunday Night Football. For today, mostly cloudy to partly sunny skies, high around 50.

Tonight, becoming cloudier, low around 30. Tomorrow, mostly cloudy skies, high around 50. Tomorrow night, a 70% chance of overnight showers, low near 35. And for Friday, a 40% chance of showers, high around 50. Your weather from 93.9, the score. Now, get ready to roll. Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, the score. Welcome back in Hour 3 of the Boomo Bugg Show.

[2:00:59] I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. BB, did we say Hour 3? Can you explain why we're here in Hour 3 today? Well, it is, some people call it early signing day. I call it national signing day because about 95% of the kids sign in the next three days from, you can sign from Wednesday to Friday this week. And we've had bonus coverage with a lot of these guys. We knew where they were going, but been a few surprises today.

But yes, it is national signing day. Let's give you something that ESPN and 99.999% of the people out there in this business world will not give you. And that's the latest from UNA. And who better to get the very latest than the man himself, UNA head football coach, Brent Dierman. Coach, welcome in. How are you? A little bit busy here lately, guys. Beautiful, beautiful Wednesday, first Wednesday of December, national signing day. And trying to balance out portal guys, JUCO guys, and high school guys. So, really excited about the future that we're bringing in today.

Coach, obviously the rules say we can't comment before today on the kids. Now, what's the old Stevie Wonder song? Now that they've signed, sealed, and maybe, I guess, yet to be delivered. What can you tell us about your day in this class so far? You know, I think in the three years I've been here, we've had great pride in taking care of the state of Alabama. And this class is going to be no different than that. We've got two defensive linemen. Tegan Harris just signed his papers from Scottsboro High School.

A big 62, 275-pound defensive tackle. Deshaun Pope is a second defensive lineman that's from the state of Alabama that played down in the Tuscaloosa area at Hillcrest High School. So, two defensive linemen. We've got two defensive backs, one from Hanley High School, Jamarcus Daniels, probably one of the best athletes in the state, went. And they played Jackson last week and made a lot of big-time plays against one of the best teams in the state, if not the country. So, really excited about him, bringing him in as a DB.

Chris Leatherwood is a defensive back from Blunt down in Mobile, Alabama. Both of these guys are 6'1", 6'2", corners, which are hard to find in the world out there. You're looking at the state's leading rusher in A.J. Alexander is a kid from Dothan High School right here in our own state. Two straight years in a row that he's led the state in rushing yards. I think he's got a chance to come in and play extremely early as a running back for us. Two offensive linemen from our state with Davis Shoemaker is a Huntsville guy.

Big Jesse from Holtville is another offensive lineman that we've got today. And then we've got a tight end out of our state, Cates Blackman. Coach Blackman is the head football coach at Enterprise. Actually, his brother played here, Brian Blackman, played at UNA, so we've got tons of ties there. And Coach's son, Cates Blackman, is one of the best tight ends in this state. So we were able to sign 13 total today, but of those 13 total, the majority of them from the state of Alabama. One of the most improved teams in North Alabama this year was Huntsville.

Jimmy Gay, of course, was the offensive, was on the coaching staff of Shane Bajton at Muscle Shoals. And one of the reasons they went 7-3 was the improvement on their offensive line. And I've been listening to how good Davis Shoemaker has been all year long. And one name that caught my attention was Connor Lindsey. Not only can he play, but I think most people who follow college football in North Alabama throughout the SEC know his dad, Chip Lindsey. A lot of roots to North Alabama, Troy, et cetera.

I was impressed when I saw Connor Lindsey's name. I said, hmm, I wonder who his parents are. And, yep, sure enough, that's who it was. Well, a cool story behind that. Me and Chip were on staff together at Auburn in 2013 and basically shared an office. And me and Chip have been really good buddies. And about three months ago, Chip just called me out of the blue and said, hey, can you do me a favor? Can you watch Connor's highlights? And up until this moment, Connor had never been a starting quarterback.

And the starting quarterback at his high school was committed to Wake Forest, signed at Wake Forest today. And that kid got hurt early in the season, like two or three games into the season. And then Connor goes in and plays and has a fantastic season. They're still playing. They're in the semifinals in the North Carolina state playoffs. And it's all because of Connor. So, a late bloomer because of the situation he was in there. And his mom, Chip's wife, is from Sheffield. Chip went to UNA.

[2:06:04] Chip was the offensive coordinator for Darrell Higgins at Deschler High School many moons ago. And Connor actually was born in this area. So, a cool story to be able to sign him and bring him back to kind of the home state of Alabama. Absolutely. Tell us about meeting your needs. I always look at what teams have signed on the line of scrimmage. The offensive line, defensive line. What were your area needs? Linebacker, secondary, offensive line? I know we've still got a long way to go with this.

But what were your needs going into this? What we try to do now with the high school classes, because it's tough to fill an immediate need with high school football players. So, what we try to do is get a good developmental group of high school football players that we can sow into that if they play as a freshman, it's probably not a great thing. If they play as a sophomore or junior, then it means we've done a good job developing over the last three years. So, we've hit about every position with the high school class.

And now the biggest needs on our roster will probably fill in the junior college or the transfer portal world. So, we're in a good spot O-line-wise where we're only probably going to take one transfer offensive lineman. Because I think our offensive line is one of the most improved positions on our team. DB-wise, on the flip side of that, we had four seniors on the back end. Wow. So, we're going to have to invest a lot of time. Over the next two or three weeks in finding transfer defensive backs or junior college defensive backs.

Let's talk about that, Coach. Because, obviously, back in the day, this would never have been a part of the conversation. But it's almost like a chess game, is it? Now, between trying to garner what you need out of high school today and then shop down the road. Your thoughts, what is your strategy when it comes to the mix, if you will, of trying to sit here? And, obviously, as you mentioned, the blueprint, the base for it is high school. But, at the same time, you've got to plug and play at certain positions.

Your thoughts on how things have changed just as far as the strategy? I think you've got to find a good mix. I think you can't sell out to one or the other. If you just go with high school kids, you understand that sometimes they're going to play well and get in the portal. And you don't want to replace that position with a high school player. So, you're never going to have older kids on your roster. If you just sell out to the transfer portal or junior college as well, then you're never going to have a developmental team.

You're never going to be able to grow. You're going to be doing it every single year. And so, I think you've got to find a great mix of whatever you lose in the portal or lose to making a different decision in life, you need to replace that guy with an older guy. When you lose a senior out of the building, when you lose a natural attrition that leaves the building, you replace that number with a high school player. So, I think you have to have a good balance for all aspects of controlling your culture.

Let me ask you about some guys. I know the record was not what you wanted, but United Athletic Conference honored three of your players as far as all-conference. Junior punter Adam Wartford had a tremendous year. Co-specialist of the year. And one of the most underrated positions on the team for anyone is lone snapper. Nathan Curry snapped all 66 of Wartford's punts. And I don't know how many times I ask you about Demarcus Robinson, who finished with 98 tackles, 56 solo, 11 and a half tackles for a loss, and three sacks.

I know one thing. Those three guys had good seasons. Yeah, they did. And two of them have been playing here since they were a freshman. You look at both of our specialists. Adam Wartford started as a true freshman. Nathan Curry started as a true freshman. You're looking at kind of the product of what me and you just finished talking about. We developed those guys here. And Adam Wartford's actually up for the National Punter of the Year Award. So, to see those guys develop into the all-conference players, the all-American possibility players that they can be, shows the coaching and the development they've had.

The flip side of that, you take a transfer portal linebacker that we got from Georgia Southern in June and is able to walk right into being a starter because of his talent and his ability in D-Rob. And is a second-team all-conference linebacker. So, I think all three of those guys have done a fantastic job for us this past season, but their journeys have all been different to get them to this point. Absolutely. Tell us about the off-season schedule. I know you're really going to get started, obviously, in January.

[2:11:05] What are they doing in December? I know you've got a lot of work to do as far as the roster, as you indicated, as far as the transfer portal. We'll be talking about spring practice next time we turn around. What's the schedule for December and January? So, our players will spend this week and next week finishing up finals. And a lot of them will head all over to head back home all throughout the state. And school starts back January 6th. And for us, the Division I portal opens on January 2nd.

So, we've got about a five-, six-day window to evaluate, get to know, develop relationships, do some homework, talk to previous staffs, talk to high school coach, and get them on our campus in about a week-long period. So, us as a staff, we're going to have a hectic early January. Our players, we're going to use them a lot to help in recruiting, but they will start back conditioning and running and all that non-ball-related stuff early January until we get to spring ball in March. Speaking of non-ball stuff, maybe it is the biggest, congratulations, Coach.

I know that any time it comes to the end of the year, you're always sitting here in this business saying, okay, I want to come back. Congratulations on the contract extension. Yeah, it was nice to know that this place believes in you, believes in our staff, sees what we're building on and off the field, and to be able to step into that brand-new stadium in 2026. It's going to be a huge season for North Alabama and North Alabama football. Absolutely. Listen, I know you're busy. Thank you for coming on with us again.

We always enjoy the conversation. Much luck in finishing out this high school and then getting into the transfer portal. If we don't talk with you before then, have a great Christmas. Maybe a little bit of downtime for you and the staff, but a lot of work in front of you. But always enjoy the conversation with you. Merry Christmas. Have a great week. We'll do this again with you soon. I appreciate you guys and Royal Ives. Sounds great. There you have it. You and I head football coach Brent German coming up.

I wonder how crazy life is. It's always crazy down in Cajun country. It just got crazier. Ron Higgins, the latest next. Stay with us. Hey, nice job, Pete. I like those clean lines. Fellas, do we have anyone that can get to Greenport today? At Corey's Landscaping, the staffing plan is in the weeds. Anthony, we need that leaf blower over here. Three more new customer requests just came in. Who wants to work some overtime? He needs to dig up quality landscapers and fast. I need Indeed. Indeed you do.

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Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Coming back in, hour three bonus coverage, National Signing Day, and if you're listening on the 93.9 The Score app over in Oxford, warning, we're about to cross the state line into Louisiana where Ron Higgins calls home. The Hall of Famer, fine columnist, Shreveport, Bossier, Journal. Ron, welcome in. Are we safe to enter the Pelican State today? How are you? I'm good. It's, uh, everybody's always welcome here. There's always, always liquor and gumbo available 24-7. Come on down. They were friendly people, and, uh, you know, sorry that LSU stole him as his coach, but that's the way it goes.

Yeah, it's just live, isn't it? Now, Ron, you've got a unique perspective. You spent a lot of time at 555 from Ole Miss as an award winner there with the Memphis Commercial Appeal, so you know Ole Miss back and forth. You know Louisiana back and forth. What is, what is your take from your perspective on what happened, what was closed anyway over the weekend? I think when the LSU job came open and LSU wanted Lane, I think Lane started thinking about, I look at it like when, when Nick Saban went from LSU to Miami.

Right. And he told me a couple, he told me a couple years ago, he goes, you know, yeah, maybe I shouldn't have left LSU. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Maybe I regret that. He said, but what, you know, during your career, you get these opportunities and you just, and you just want to find out if you can do it. Right. And I wanted to find out if I could coach you in the NFL. And then after two years, when I was, I couldn't, I think Lane wants to find out if he can coach at a place that is, you know, top tier name brand throughout the nation has won three national championships, you know, three different coaches, uh, Heisman winners, uh, 105,000 seat stadium, uh, where a place where the entire state gets behind you there, there, the, you're, you're the only power of five schools in the state.

They're behind you. Uh, uh, you know, the, the recruiting and instead of recruiting and high school football, uh, best in the, on the best in the nation, uh, all these resources. And, uh, I think, I just think, I think he wants to scratch an itch. That's the whole thing. I know he, I look like he said a lot of day, he was sincere. He said this because, you know, those are the six best years of my life. And I really believe he believes that I really do.

[2:21:30] Uh, but I believe in his head, like, you know, I got to know, I've got to know if I can take that next step. I can stay here for a long time, be fine. I can, I need, I just need to know. And, you know, he may come here and it may not work. Uh, and the funny thing is, uh, I hear fans all over the place, especially Elvis fans saying, you know what he's going to end up doing to you y'all what he did to us.

You know, the fans are like, are like, okay. Well, that happens. You know, we get five or six years out of me when something, that's good. I mean, LSU fans don't tell you that, that personally, they just don't, you know what I mean? Uh, they'd be like, I'm trying to think, has their coach ever left to LSU? Well, Paul Dietzel did for Army. Uh, uh, uh, Mac was fired. All I see, Orange Barger was here and left to be a Florida AD. Uh, the rest, uh, Nick went to Miami and the rest have been fired.

Uh, so I'm trying to think, uh, all the coaches who were fired and left, you know what I mean? But, you know, I understand why they're upset. I mean, this guy took them to the, you know, national playoffs. They got them there. But the way, I think the way he looked at it is, I'm sorry. I'm sorry this timing's bad. I'm sorry, you know, I really didn't want to coach a tenacious job here, okay? But I understand why you don't want me here. I get that.

But I think he's like, I've got to find out what I can do when I have all these resources. And as the only school in the state, all eyes are on me, on us. And I think he wanted to, just like, I think that's the reason he left. And he, and I think, you know, he thought, you know, I'm 50 years old. I'm coaching six places now, 14 seasons with a head coach. And I think he looked around and he looked, you know, he thought, when did Nick have won his first national championship?

Like, you know, I think it was probably late 40s, early 50s. He started going through all his mentors when they won their first national championship. And he realized, I'm 50 years old. Maybe all the things I've learned now come to fruition. You know, maybe this is the time that I'll make this move. And like he said, it wasn't about the money. Ole Miss would have come closer to matching money. Now, NIL, LSU is giving them a boatload of NIL money. I think that was a difference. Yeah.

I think all the difference was, you know, what he did at Ole Miss was miraculous, okay? And you should be at Ole Miss. If you've got eight or nine wins, they throw you a parade. They give you a contract extension every year. But he did a fantastic job of making that program relevant again. And then he, you know, in the greatest season ever, he decides to leave. And, I mean, yeah, like I said, again, the timing's bad. But there's no easy way to leave a football team.

There really isn't. There's no easy way to, you know, all these guys you recruited and you put your sweat equity and then you, you know, had relationships with them. And, you know, and then you leave. And nobody ever likes that, but it happens all over the place. And it's the hardest thing. It's harder for a head coach to do that than, I guess, the average fan thinks. The average fan thinks, well, you know, all these guys are like, they use car sales and they're vagabonds. They go from town to town and they stay there for four or five years and collect a bunch of money and they move on to a better job and they don't think anything of it.

They always think something of it. They always think about the place they left. They all, the rest of their life, they think about the years they spent in that city and the friends they made and the players they coached. So it's not as cut and dry as people think it is. I just, I have a problem with national media just killing Lane Kiffin, just killing him, calling him, you know, a villain. He ruined college football. He has no soul. Shut the h*** up. He just, it's like he's, it's like he's an easy target.

He's an easy target. You know, it was bad timing, yes, but you know what? It couldn't be helped. He wanted to leave. They made a great offer. They made a great offer. Their timing was right. He had to find out what his next step would be in his career. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but he had to find out. So you're killing the guy for that? You know, some of these, some of these media people, I say, you know what? What happened if, like, you were working on a Pulitzer Prize story with a team of reporters, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere, somebody offered you $90 million in a five-year contract.

[2:26:47] Would you, like, think, I just, I just can't do this. It's a bad timing. Or would you think, Jesus, this is, I've turned a lot of time. I'll never make this kind of money ever again. I've got to take this. No matter if it works out, I've got to take it. That's what I want to see him. Everybody, anybody who has a podcast, anybody who has a tape recorder in a basement where they can play it on Facebook or whatever, everybody who's got, they think they've got an opinion, just absolutely think this guy is the worst human being in the world.

Okay? Because he made a decision to leave somewhere that everybody else would do the same thing, probably would have done the same thing. For that much money, to have a chance of a job that, that they, at a top-level school, but they always wanted to try that, they'd go. It's hard to leave the players. Yeah, but it doesn't mean you're a rotten person. But I guess, I get, it's like they've actually crucified this guy. You know, and he's done some dumb things in the past. Lane brings a lot of his own self.

I beat that. You know, left Tennessee after a year, you know, got fired with tarmac at USC. You know, Alabama, he was trying to do two jobs at once at the end there, and Nick said, no, we can just leave. But he was great there. He saved Nick, he changed the direction of the program because he put it in the offense and brought Alabama up to speed about, you know, faster tempo, more spread offense. We can do this. He changed Nick's thought pattern about that. And one of the national championships, even after he left, because he changed the dynamic of the Alabama program.

So he did good there. Foreigner National, he was fine. You know, they didn't get mad when he left there. They understood. But, you know, all of a sudden, this guy is a rotten person, a bad guy, because he's a little quirky, yeah. Does he go on social media? Yeah. Do I think that's normal? No. But not every coach is the same, you know. They're not the same, you know. I don't think Lane Kiffin will dance with a recruiter like Brian Kelly if he'd look awkwardly like that.

I just don't understand the hate for him. I don't get it. The guy made a career decision that any of us would make, any of us, if he offered that much money, and all of a sudden you don't have a conscience, you don't have a soul because you took him, you know. No, he had a conscience, honestly. That's why he wanted to finish coaching there. You know, he wanted to finish the job before he left. And LSU was willing to let him do that. They told him, just do this.

Sign the contract, you know, we'll announce it and say at the end of the year you're leaving. And if you want to coach, if they let you coach, you can coach until you're out of the playoffs. So, LSU was willing to do that. But Ole Miss wasn't. And I understand Ole Miss' point, too. I get it. I mean, I understand why Keith Carr did what he did. Mm-hmm. But, you know, here's another thing Lane did. He didn't have to send Charlie Weiss back to the call place.

Yeah. But it really bothered him that the fact that he might, his leaving might hurt their playoff seating. So, he did that and also called the committee and said, listen, I want you to know, Charlie Weiss is going to go back to the call place. I mean, don't penalize us because I'm not there. Okay? And they didn't. He didn't have to send Charlie Weiss back to the call place. He could say, h*** no. But he didn't want to do anything to hurt Ole Miss' chances. He wasn't trying to hurt their chances by leaving.

And I also wonder this, if they weren't a playoff team, and say they were like LSU, 7-5 and going to a dumpy bowl, would they be as p***** off? Would they? No, no, because they've never been three or four wins away from a national championship. No, yeah, I don't think so. Exactly. Would they be as angry and calm as a bad human being? Oh, my God, that's awful. Would all the national media get on his butt about that? No. He just left there a better job, you know?

But because of the timing of it, it's not great timing. And he knew what happened. What was a coach supposed to do in that situation? Turn down $90 million, you know, for four, five, six years, and at a place where you have unlimited resources. Things that Ole Miss doesn't have. I mean, a better in-state high school recruiting area with more academic, academic, eligible athletes. A bigger stadium. A place where the entire state is invested in you and your school most, basically. And it's a unique place. This place is unique.

[2:32:12] And, you know, like people said, people said, he must be crazy to go to LSU. In my life, what I think is, Louisiana invented crazy. It's a good marriage. We invented crazy. We're not normal people. You're right. I mean, we got a wacko governor trying to get involved in this stuff, you know? And we're just not normal people. I mean, right now, it's cold batteries. Everybody's probably emptying their shelves because they want, you know, bread and milk and water. I think they're going to think, you know, everything's going to freeze over.

But, yes, when a hurricane's coming, they go out in empty stores and buy liquor and party, waiting for them to come in. It's crazy, isn't it? Man, it's going to be an interesting job for the folks who want to get the very latest because this is just the beginning. Where can you take us to get the very latest on the lane train down in Louisiana? Go to ShreveportBosierJournal.com. It's a free website. My website, dronhiggins.org. Twitter, at Ron Higg. And on Instagram, my SEC Ron.

You talk about a marriage made in heaven for the media. This is going to be it. Ron, listen, man, we don't get another chance. Thanks for your time today. It's never boring down your state of the world. And if we don't get another chance, Merry Christmas to you and your family, my friend. All right. You too, Ron. Take care. Thank you, bud. There you are. The one, the only, Ron Higgins. We're going to win the Shreveport Boisier Journal. BB, coming up, it's a chance for us to go from one end of the state to the other with Double D.

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More terms apply. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9. The score. South Alabama topped New Mexico State last night 77-75. Men's basketball action tonight. Two games in the ACC-SEC Challenge. That includes number 12 Alabama at home against Clemson. The Tide 5-2. Clemson is 7-1. You can hear all of the action tonight right here on the score. Pre-game coverage at 5 o'clock. Tip-off between the Tigers and the Tide is set for 6 o'clock. 20th-ranked Auburn will host NC State. Auburn Tigers 6-2. NC State is 5-2. Progressive is helping veterans drive their lives forward with its Keys to Progress program.

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Drew, welcome in. How's National signing day going for you? Yeah, it was different today, guys. I mean, not the energy and the anticipation of the past, especially when we used to have the one signing date in February, but even when we went to a lot of more of the early enrollments and things of that nature, the transfer portal and the growth of it has really changed a lot of things, and there's really, I'll be honest, there may be more anticipation now for January the 2nd, this will be our first year on this calendar, but for January the 2nd than there was for today, because there'll be a lot of schools trying to turn their teams around by using the portal.

And, you know, the guys can declare they're going into the transfer portal. They can't really sign with anybody until January the 2nd, but a lot of these guys, those deals will be getting worked out, and a lot of them won't announce until January the 2nd or after. So there'll be a lot of anticipation for that time and place, but, you know, so it just feels a little different because I know Auburn's going to sign a very small class today. We talked to Jason Caldwell this morning, and I mean, they had about 12 commitments, and I know there was some guys that were on the fence and things of that nature, and some guys they flipped this morning, but it's going to be one of those things where they weren't planning on signing a big class anyway.

It wouldn't surprise me if Auburn only signed 15 or 16 guys, and right now Alabama's only signed 20, and I wouldn't anticipate many more than what they've already done today. Your thoughts about the respective class starting with Alabama looks like just about they got certain of the big dogs, the four and the fives, looks like they've been able to lasso them, maybe with some exceptions, but where do you start in breaking down Bama's class? Well, I mean, it starts with, you know, high-profile guys like Tadarian Morgan. Ironically, it looks as though with some attrition this morning, and one was expected, completely had been expected for weeks, Brian Williams from Orlando, Florida.

He may very well end up signing with Auburn. I think he was headed to USF before we saw, you know, Alex Gowish take that job. And then, you know, Owen Cabell from, you know, from Nashville, he'd been committed to Alabama since the summer, but he ends up flipping and joining the Jared Curtis movement at Vanderbilt. And that doesn't really hurt Alabama because I think they could try to get an experienced receiver or two in the portal. And Tadarian was by far the most heavily touted of the class and is arguably the best player in the state of Alabama.

I mean, if he's not, then it might be his signing mate, you know, Xavier Crowell. But Tadarian's a big wide receiver, you know, a good fit offensively for this class and a good fit for what Kellen DeBorn and his staff want to do. So, Tadarian's up there is Xavier Crowell, who he may be the favorite for Mr. Football. I mean, I know he reclassified it, and he had to miss the first game to the suspension. But we know Jackson's in the 4A state championship game against Aniston.

And when that guy's been on the field, he's been unstoppable. And he's just – he's a special running back, and he can give a big jolt, I think, in the future to Kellen DeBorn in this Alabama running game. But I would say Tadarian, Xavier Crowell, and then Xavier Griffin from Gainesville, Georgia, former Huntsvillian, big-time linebacker who signed, a very versatile guy that can rush off the edge and also play inside. I think he's another big piece for Kellen DeBorn and the coaching staff. Me too. I think they did a pretty good job with the line of scrimmage.

[2:42:46] I know we have heard for the last three years or so wuddling and gnashing of teeth, and it certainly is merited on the defensive line. They really did not sign what I call a war daddy as far as a Quentin Williams, but they signed a lot of guys that have got good frames. They can fill out Nolan Wilson, Jamarian Matthews, Corey Spartman of Gainesville, Corey Johnson, Corey Howard, and then the very underrated Malik Franklin at a Kenny King's backyard and Daphne in the offensive line right now.

They've got four. Will they bring in Bryson Cooley, who was supposed to announce 30 minutes ago and may wait until Friday. He seems to be a little confused with some of the offers now, but Dowdy, Booker, Bear Fretwell, these three guys are from the Atlanta area, Georgia. Tyrell Miller, the offensive tackle from College of San Mateo, your thoughts on the signings for the line of scrimmage. Well, I mean, you know, and we understand that, you know, certainly Alabama had a big loss. Probably their biggest loss of the last week or so was J.J. Finch, who ended up from Indianapolis in Warren Central High School.

He ends up flipping to Tennessee due to a bigger NIL offer. That kind of made Alabama pivot to Malik Franklin, who, you know, may be a really good consolation prize. So, Alabama gets Malik Franklin from in-state Daphne High School, as you said. Kenny King, very high on him. Really quite a story. I mean, up until this year, he only started one year of high school, and he also grew several inches. And he was, you know, kind of an undersized backup offensive tackle last year, guys. And then he grew to 6'5 or 6'6 and asked for a shot on defense.

And in his first game, he had 10 tackles and two sacks. And then from there, he ends up, you know, with 98 tackles and breaking the school record of sacks, probably held by his head coach, who was a Daphne Trojan himself and a five-star prospect. And Kenny King, I believe, played for Glenn Vickery before going on to start at Alabama for four years and then playing the NFL for five more. So, a good get for Alabama, a good fallback option, no doubt about it. You know, and then they did lose Sam Utu.

I haven't checked today to see if Utu signed. The word was he was going to go to SMU, but he flipped the California tackle guard. But, you know, Alabama, you know, they pivoted to Tyrell Miller, who's an interesting story himself from San Mateo out there in the JUCO, out there in junior college. He's 6'5", you know, 300, with an 83, you know, inch reach, but with a wingspan of 83 inches. So, you know, when you think about that, he's only played football for two years, and that was basically in junior college.

Yet, he doesn't have a lot of bad habits. He's still raw, got to be developed, but he has the link to be an offensive tackle. So, Alabama was able to pivot. And then you talked about Bryson Cooley, Brett. I heard the same thing this afternoon. I know he was supposed to sign, I think, at about 1.30. I don't know if that was Eastern or Central time. But, you know, the word was he still might sign today, but he may very well wait to tomorrow. He's from Laurel, Mississippi.

And he had been committed to LSU for a while. And, you know, Lane Kiffin, you know, a.k.a. The liar from Acme, you know, lie detector test. He's now in Baton Rouge. And so, you know, he hit the ground running. He's trying to, you know, cobble together this recruiting class. And that's kind of what you have to do when you change schools now. And then I think he'll hit the transfer portal hard. But Cooley is a good offensive tackle prospect. He would be big if Alabama could find a way to sign him either today or tomorrow if he does wait until Friday because I think they'd like to get in some tackles.

They already got Doughty. Jared Doughty from Atlanta, you talked about that, and Bear Fretwell. They need some developmental talent in the pipeline. But I also think when the transfer portal opens, guys, that Alabama would like to find a center and probably an offensive tackle, maybe even a guard. But, you know, offensive linemen are expensive. You mentioned the lack of defensive tackles. Those are going to have to be developed. But also, you may have to try to find a tackle in the portal. But they're very expensive pieces.

And so, but I think Alabama got two good quarterbacks in the deal. I think they got an outstanding running back, an outstanding wide receiver. When it's all said and done, I think they'll have a top six or seven class in the country. And, you know, you lose a few pieces right before signing day. But they've been able to pivot well. Courtney Morgan had a plan. And certainly, you know, I think they're going to sign a very solid high school class with the one Juco addition. And if they can sign a good portal class and get five or six quality pieces, then I think they're going to be in really good shape roster-wise going into spring practice.

[2:48:01] Jeremy, 97.7 FM, the zone. Drew, your thoughts, obviously, you mentioned Auburn earlier. We know the challenge. He hasn't even been there three days basically yet, four days certainly. Your thoughts about where things are and where you think things will wind up at the end of the day for Auburn? Well, it's hard to say just simply because, you know, when you have to hit the ground running like Alex Goish did. And, I mean, don't forget, guys, he got called and offered the job at 1 a.m. on Sunday.

That's right. Yeah, that's right. And then basically took the job by 2 a.m. And by then, you know, Jason Caldwell was still up at 3 a.m. and told me he asked Cody Burns, why didn't you just text me at 3 a.m. and say y'all took the job? I was still awake because, I mean, everybody was having sleep deprivation after, you know, the Iron Bowl and what was going to happen, you know, going forward. But Auburn did a good job. They flipped Demarcus Broughton from UCF. He's an athletic tight end prospect out of Mary G. Montgomery.

He's a good player. They were able to flip Mikael Lundy Foster, an interior offensive line prospect that had also been committed to him. They were still able to hold on to Shadrick Toodle. And I would imagine his brother as well, the two brothers. Yeah, they did. He's going to end up signing Shadarius and also out of high school. Shadarius is out of high school. His brother Shadrick's out of Juco. They're going to still be Auburn Tigers. So those are two really good building blocks. And then Jaquez Wiltz, who will play this week.

I want to say on Friday, but in the 1A state championship game against Maplesville. But he's almost a Derrick Henry light. A huge kid that plays running back on the small school level. Could be a running back on the next level, but he might end up being a linebacker. So all in all, I think Auburn's had a pretty good day when you think about the small window. Now, they want to hold on to Jace Matthews. I know he's probably not going to sign anything until Friday.

And I know LSU and Layden Kiffin were making a big push. And they did lose, you know, the big-time safety, you know, Womack to Mississippi State, it looks like. But that's just the part of doing business when you change coaches. But all in all, I think it's been a pretty successful day. And I would expect Gullish and his staff to hit the portal just as hard as Alabama come January the 2nd. Absolutely. Quite a week. We're only halfway through it with National Signing Day. Super 7 begins tonight with Thompson.

Morris Hill going to be in the morning at 11 a.m. against Bayside Academy. And Nate Oates has got the next game tonight. In fact, I believe it's at 6 o'clock on ESPNU approximately. You can hear that game beginning at 5, I believe, on 93.9 to score. D2, quite a week, quite a day. Where can we get online and listen to the show? They're recruiting blitz. And hopefully the Twitter feed's up and running again. Well, still don't have the Twitter feed back, to my knowledge. So I did not buy a million-dollar home nor an SUV worth $500,000.

All those that might have happened to my Twitter account, I do not work in crypto. And I did not win the lottery. But you can certainly follow our station account at 977-ESPN. We've definitely been tweeting on there. And then you can, of course, catch all of our content at 97.7, the zone, on our SoundCloud page. With Scott Tyson and I bring you talking ball. And, of course, you can catch us at 977ESPN.com. And I'll be headed down to Tuscaloosa in a little while to see that game tonight with Brad Brownell and Clemson.

And don't forget, Clemson has Budda Johnson, former Grissom Tiger. Well, that's right. Yeah. And a transfer from UAB. So he'll be playing against his home state, playing against Alabama. Alabama's still going to be a little shorthanded with injuries. I don't think Bristow or, you know, certainly, you know, T-Reilly will be playing tonight. Latrell Wright, so I don't think he'll be back in the lineup. But I did hear through the grapevine that we may see Jahlil Bethea. So you might see him for the first time. So it's a good opportunity to see the ACC-SEC Challenge and watch the Crimson Tide.

And don't forget that Western Union, a.k.a. Will Wade, will be bringing his NC State squad to Auburn tonight as well. That's right. As always, we appreciate your time today, Drew. Safe travels to and from, and keep up the good work, okay? Thank you, guys. Thank you, bud. Drew DeArvin, 97.7 FM, the zone. National signing day coming to a close. Quick update. Alabama jumps back over Ohio State. They are now at number five. Auburn moving up 11. They are now 47th on the 03 board, BB. Yeah, Alabama's done for the day with 20.

Tennessee's made one of the biggest moves today. They've gone from 11 to 7 with 27 commitments. Auburn, last I checked, still 57 with 13, even though they've added a couple of guys late. Looks like USC's going to bring home the crown. That's what happens when you sign, as Tom Lemming put it, about 500 kids. That's going to take care of a busy, busy day. Again, thanks so much for giving us the next hour of your time today. It's been bonus day on National Signing Day. Thanks so much for your time. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here, Harold Black, thank you so much for your time today.

[2:53:30] Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to 2 for the Boom O' Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score.