Alabama
Where Alabama’s 2023 coaching staff ended up after Saban’s retirement
When Nick Saban retired on Jan. 10, it didn’t just impact the man who had been Alabama football’s head coach for 17 seasons. Saban’s final Crimson Tide staff has seen significant change, since the final game of the 2023 campaign.
Even before Saban’s retirement, there was turnover in Tuscaloosa. Since Kalen DeBoer’s hiring, all but two of last season’s assistants have left the program.
Here’s a look at where each of UA’s on-field assistants from the 2023 season have landed.
Kevin Steele– Retired
The news of Steele’s retirement came before Saban’s. After three stints at Alabama, the defensive coordinator opted to hang it up.
His career began in 1980 and included a stint as Baylor’s head coach. He also spent time as the defensive coordinator at Auburn and Miami.
Tommy Rees– Cleveland Browns
Rees spent a single season in Tuscaloosa as Saban’s final offensive coordinator. It was his second coordinator job, after he moved over from his alma mater, Notre Dame, before the 2023 campaign.
He will reportedly coach tight ends for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
Holmon Wiggins– Texas A&M
Texas A&M scooped up Wiggins to join its new staff, under head coach Mike Elko. The former Duke head coach took over after the Aggies fired Jimbo Fisher.
Wiggins picked up a new title during his move. He’ll coach wideouts, just as he did with the Crimson Tide, but he’s also listed as a co-offensive coordinator in College Station.
Joe Cox– Ole Miss
Cox will also remain in the SEC. He’ll coach tight ends under a familiar face at Ole Miss, former Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
However, Cox won’t see his old team this season. Due to the SEC’s new schedule with Texas and Oklahoma joining the league, Alabama and Ole Miss will not play each other in 2024.
Freddie Roach– Alabama
Roach was one of two coaches who DeBoer retained for the 2024 season. He’ll continue his role as the Crimson Tide’s defensive line coach.
He joined Saban’s staff at Alabama before the 2022 season.
Robert Gillespie– Alabama
Gillespie came in to Alabama the same season as Roach. He’ll stay on as well, continuing to coach the Crimson Tide’s running backs.
Among other stops, Gillespie coached at North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia before coming to Tuscaloosa.
Travaris Robinson– Georgia
One of the key parts of Alabama’s defensive staff, DeBoer reportedly attempted to retain Robinson as his defensive coordinator. The effort was unsuccessful, and Robinson, who coached Alabama’s cornerbacks, headed off to Georgia.
He picked up a co-defensive coordinator job in Athens.
Eric Wolford– Kentucky
Maybe you can go home again. When Wolford left Kentucky to come coach the offensive line Alabama, Wildcats coach Mark Stoops was publicly angry.
However, the two seemingly managed to patch up their differences. Wolford returned to his old role as Kentucky’s offensive line coach.
Robert Bala– Western Michigan
Bala coached inside linebackers for Saban. He was announced as Western Michigan’s new defensive coordinator on Thursday.
He had joined the Crimson Tide for the 2023 season.
Coleman Hutzler– Mississippi State
Hutzler’s departure had been finalized before the 2023 season came to an end. He’s now the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State under new head coach Jeff Lebby.
He had coached outside linebacker at Alabama and also served as the special teams coordinator.
Alabama
Gov. Kay Ivey sets execution date for Jeremy Williams
Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday set an execution date for death row inmate Jeremy Williams, who was convicted in the 2021 kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland in Phenix City.
Williams is scheduled to be executed by the state’s three-drug lethal injection during a 30-hour window beginning at 12 a.m. August 13 and ending at 6 a.m. August 14. The execution date comes after the Alabama Supreme Court granted a request from Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office on June 16, authorizing the state to carry out the sentence.
In a letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace, Ivey said the Supreme Court’s June 16 order serves as the official death warrant for Williams.
“By law, I am required to specify the time frame for carrying out the sentence of death,” Ivey said. “Accordingly, I hereby order that Jeremy Lee Williams’s sentence of death be carried out within a time frame beginning on August 13, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. and ending on August 14, 2026, at 6:00 a.m.”
Ivey noted that she retains the authority to commute the sentence before the execution takes place.
Williams, 34, was convicted in April 2024 on four counts of capital murder stemming from Holland’s death. Prosecutors charged him with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a rape, capital murder during first-degree sodomy and capital murder of a child younger than 14.
Authorities said Holland disappeared from her family’s home in Phenix City on December 13, 2021. Her body was discovered two days later inside an abandoned house less than a mile away. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
In addition to the death sentence, Williams received several other prison terms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking and for knowingly producing recordings depicting the sexual abuse of a child. He also received another life sentence for a separate sexual abuse conviction, along with a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit human trafficking and a 10-year sentence for abuse of a corpse.
Unlike most death row inmates, Williams sought to speed up the execution process. During a hearing, he told the court that he accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted the sentence carried out.
In 2025, Williams dismissed his attorneys and informed the court that he wished to waive any remaining appeals and proceed with his execution. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson determined that Williams was competent to make that decision and allowed him to forgo further legal challenges.
Under Alabama law, capital convictions automatically receive appellate review. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals subsequently affirmed Williams’ conviction and death sentence in March.
After that review concluded, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court in May to authorize an execution date. The court granted the request earlier this week, clearing the way for Ivey to schedule the execution.
If carried out as scheduled, Williams’ execution would occur nearly five years after Holland’s death and a little more than two years after he was sentenced to death.
Williams’ execution would be Alabama’s first by lethal injection since April 2025. The state’s three most recent executions were carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, which Alabama began using in 2024.
Alabama
Kids take center stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival summer camp
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – You don’t find too many camps where you learn how to slap someone. But this summer, you will in Montgomery. It’s one of many kids camps put on by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
“We have our Camp Shakespeare Junior which is our half day for the littles, kindergarten through 3rd grade,” said Cameron Williams, the ASF director of education. “We have Big Kid Shakespeare camp and everyone is learning all about ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.”
They learn about on stage combat, different acting techniques, and also how to be creative and think on their feet.
“I think theater skills are life skills. So, what makes this camp special is we’re doing more than just boosting literacy and doing theater things. We’re doing life skills, learning what it means to be team players, about discipline, and working with people who may have different personalities than you.”
Different kids have different talents. And even if your child isn’t up for a lead role in the next play, this place can leave a lasting impact.
“If you’re looking for a place where your kid can come out of their shell, to learn how to speak in front of a group, and develop some confidence, this is the place to be.”
It’s a place that’s a real treasure in Montgomery, and its mining some young gems, who one day, could be on the big stage themselves. There are still more ASF camps going on this summer for pre-teens and even adults.
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Alabama
Alabama Defense Contractor Agrees to $507K Settlement Over Cybersecurity Allegations
Huntsville-based defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. has agreed to pay $507,144 to resolve allegations that it failed to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the U.S. Department of the Navy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement resolves claims brought under the False Claims Act alleging that LOGZONE knowingly submitted claims for payment while not meeting certain cybersecurity standards required under two Navy contracts.
Federal officials alleged that between May 2021 and March 2025, LOGZONE did not implement specific cybersecurity controls outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171. The standards are designed to protect sensitive defense information handled by government contractors.
According to the Justice Department, the deficiencies were identified during an assessment conducted by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). The evaluation resulted in LOGZONE receiving a score of -170 on a scale ranging from -203 to 110, indicating significant gaps in compliance with required security controls.
The government alleged that the missing cybersecurity measures could have increased the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information or the exploitation of company systems.
The settlement does not include a determination of liability. As part of the agreement, LOGZONE will pay $507,144 to resolve the allegations.
Federal officials said the enforcement action reflects ongoing efforts to ensure government contractors comply with cybersecurity obligations tied to federal contracts, particularly those involving sensitive defense information.
The investigation and settlement involved the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, the Department of the Navy, the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
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Additional details regarding corrective actions taken by the company were not immediately available.
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