Alabama
Alabama WR Jermaine Burton taken by Bengals, picked 80th overall in NFL Draft
Jermaine Burton will be a Bengal. Cincinnati made Burton the 80th overall pick and the 16th selection of the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Burton was Alabama’s first skill position player selected. Two of his former teammates went earlier in the evening: Kool-Aid McKinstry (41st overall to New Orleans) and Chris Braswell (57th to Tampa Bay). Burton transferred to UA ahead of the 2022 season and was the Tide’s top receiving option. Now, he becomes a target in Joe Burrow’s offense.
He scored eight times in two seasons with Georgia, including a 57-yard touchdown in the 2021 Rose Bowl against Michigan. In 26 games with UA, Burton made 79 catches for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished his career with two Southeastern Conference championships and was a constant deep-ball threat.
Burton averaged more than 20 yards per touch and his big-play ability was never more apparent than last October at Texas A&M. He exploded for 197 yards and two touchdowns as Jalen Milroe developed. After a strong combine showing, Burton was the 12th pass-catcher selected.
“I really, really like this guy. The No. 1 thing he needs to do, and I think emotional maturity is the best way to say it, is do the right things all the time. He does the right things on the field. He knows the importance of what he has to do on the field. He wants to be a player that’s all he thinks about,” his former coach Nick Saban said on ESPN’s live broadcast analysis.
In 2022, Burton was part of a controversy when he and a fan scuffled during a field storming in Knoxville. (He was never punished by the team or the conference.) Burton is the first UA wide receiver to be selected since Jameson Williams and John Metchie went in the first- and second-rounds, respectively, in the 2022 draft.
Last month, Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins requested a trade, per ESPN. Needing a dynamic downfield threat, Cincinnati opted for another SEC standout.
Alabama 2024 NFL draft picks
Round 1
- 7. JC Latham, Tennessee Titans
- 17. Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings
- 24. Terrion Arnold, Detroit Lions
Round 2
- 41. Kool-Aid McKinstry, New Orleans Saints
- 57. Chris Braswell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 3
- 80. Jermaine Burton, Cincinnati Bengals
Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.
Alabama
Alabama’s SEC opponents revealed for 2026-27 season
The SEC opponents for Alabama women’s basketball during the 2026-27 campaign has been officially revealed.
The Tide will face some of the top teams in all of women’s college basketball throughout SEC play this upcoming season. Alabama will face Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Texas A&M at home, with Ole Miss being the Tide’s only SEC opponent that they will face twice this year, both home and away. Alabama will be on the road for matchups against Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well.
The dates, start times, and television network for each will be revealed at a later date.
Alabama held a 7-9 record throughout SEC play last season. The Tide were widely regarded as one of the top teams in the nation despite struggling at times during conference play, and Alabama was able to make a run during the SEC Tournament with a shocking upset to the Tennessee Lady Vols in Nashville.
Alabama went 24-11 last season as a whole, but the Tide will undoubtedly need to play better during SEC play this year nonetheless.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Alabama
Two Alabama bridges rank among longest in U.S. Have you crossed them?
Enjoy two nights of free dance at Stars on the Riverfront
Alabama Dance Theatre will present Stars on the Riverfront on June 20 and 21, at 7:30 p.m. each night at Riverwalk Amphitheater in Montgomery.
In Alabama’s coastal landscape, two Alabama bridges quietly stand among the longest in the United States.
A new World Atlas ranking of the 11 longest bridges in the United States is a reminder that not all crossings are so forgettable. These are the spans that stretch the idea of a “quick drive” into something else entirely.
As World Atlas notes, the country’s roughly 617,000 bridges are mostly routine. The ones on this list “swallow the horizon,” turning open water into a roadway that can take ten or fifteen minutes to cross.
Louisiana dominates the ranking, but Alabama also makes its presence known with two entries: the Jubilee Parkway and the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge.
Jubilee Parkway: Alabama’s 7.5-mile bridge ranks No. 7 among longest in US
Ranked at No. 7 on World Atlas’ list, the Jubilee Parkway carries Interstate 10 across Mobile Bay as a pair of parallel viaduct bridges stretching 7.5 miles between Mobile and Spanish Fort/Daphne. Opened in 1978, the four-lane crossing is often called the “Bayway.”
The World Atlas says the bridge takes its name from Mobile Bay’s “jubilee” phenomenon, when marine life is pushed into shallow water, making it unusually easy to catch.
General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08-mile span ranks No. 10 in U.S.
The General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge ranks No. 10 on the World Atlas list, stretching 6.08 miles across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of Mobile as part of Interstate 65.
World Atlas says the bridge is better known locally as the “Dolly Parton Bridge,” a nickname inspired by the paired arch design that, locals say, resembles a distinctive silhouette when viewed from certain angles.
Completed in 1980, it features twin parallel weathering-steel arches and concrete viaducts carrying four lanes over the wide, marshy delta.
Longest bridges in the U.S. Full World Atlas ranking
World Atlas ranks these as the longest bridges in the U.S.:
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway: 23.83 miles
- Manchac Swamp Bridge: 22.8 miles
- Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge: 18.2 miles
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: 17.6 miles
- Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge: 11 miles
- Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge: 8.26 miles
- Jubilee Parkway: 7.5 miles
- San Mateo-Hayward Bridge: 7 miles
- Seven Mile Bridge: 6.79 miles
- General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08 miles
- Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge: 5.8 miles
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.
Alabama
Late nights, Father’s day deals and fireworks at Alabama Adventure
The iconic wooden roller coaster at Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is officially back in action, along with some seasonal deals. This Father’s Day, dads can get into the park for free to ride the restored coaster, Rampage.
It’s not the only attraction returning; this Halloween, Alabama Adventure is bringing back not one but two haunted houses for the first time since the late 2000s.
If you can’t wait until then, the Bessemer park will be open late on Saturdays and end with a pop of color. Adventure Summer Nights will have the park open until 9:30 p.m. once a week with a fireworks show to round off the night.
And as an apology to their loyal visitors, people who bought a daily ticket before June 10 are welcome to come back and try their new and improved attractions for free. If you’re a season pass holder, don’t feel left out—pass holder discounts are doubled for the month of July.
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