The Alabama Port Authority, in partnership with CSX, today broke ground on the Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), a state-of-the-art facility that will enhance freight mobility and stimulate economic growth throughout the region.
Located on a 272-acre site with direct access to Interstate 85 and U.S. Highway 31, the Montgomery ICTF has a throughput capacity equal to 30,000 shipping containers and will provide seamless rail and truck connectivity between central Alabama and the Port of Mobile.
“The Montgomery ICTF is a game-changer for freight movement in Alabama and beyond,” said John Driscoll, Director and CEO of the Alabama Port Authority. “This facility will provide businesses with seamless access to global markets, driving economic growth and strengthening our state’s supply chain infrastructure.”
CSX, a key partner in the $94 million project, will serve the facility, ensuring efficient rail connectivity between the Port of Mobile and inland markets.
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“This project is a significant step forward in advancing Alabama’s supply chain connectivity and economic growth,” said Christina Bottomley, CSX Vice President of Business Development & Real Estate.
“This inland port will transform how freight is moved across the state — shifting more goods from congested highways onto the sustainable, efficient rail network that CSX operates,” she added.
Since the Port announced the ICTF project in 2022, the area surrounding the facility has attracted over $3 billion in economic development investments from private companies, further solidifying Montgomery’s position as a key logistics hub.
“Whether it’s boosting freight transportation, fostering economic development, or connecting key industries in the state, the Port of Mobile — or as I like to call it, the ‘Port of Alabama’ — means big business,” Governor Kay Ivey said. “With this expansion of the Port to a more central area of our state, we will strengthen Alabama’s freight connectivity with a larger, less congested reach.”
Governor Ivey added that she is working with the Port Authority, CSX, and other industry leaders to ensure our Alabama-made and Alabama-sourced goods have the opportunity to reach all of the state’s 67 counties.
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The Montgomery ICTF is expected to be operational by 2027 and will provide critical intermodal services that enhance Alabama’s competitive advantage in global trade.
The facility will operate five days a week, offering express daily service from the Port in Mobile to Alabama’s automotive and manufacturing hub in Montgomery. Additionally, this facility will relieve stress on the interstate system as the Port sees additional cargo volume following the deepening of Mobile Harbor.
“By enhancing connectivity between the Port of Mobile and inland shippers, this logistics facility will open doors for job creation and new opportunities across multiple industries in Montgomery and beyond,” said Ellen McNair, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“This project really demonstrates the power of strategic partnerships and having spent much of my career at the Montgomery Chamber, I know that this facility will generate economic momentum in the region for years to come,” she added.
Montgomery officials said the project will have a massive economic impact on the region.
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“With the rapid growth of our industrial sector, Montgomery is emerging as a premier logistics hub for the Southeast — centered around the transformative Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility,” said Anna Buckalew, President & CEO of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce. “This investment is already fueling billions in economic development, strengthening our supply chains, and creating new opportunities for businesses to thrive.
“Strategic public-private partnerships like this are reshaping our region’s future, making Montgomery a critical gateway for global commerce,” she added. “The leadership of the Alabama Port Authority has been invaluable in this effort, and we are proud of our partnership with this engine driving growth across the state.”
The project is funded through federal appropriations secured by former U.S. Senator Richard Shelby.
Courtesy of the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.
Philon is the first pick of the Mike Gansey era after he replaced Daryl Morey as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Who is Labaron Philon Jr.?
Philon, 20, led the Crimson Tide in scoring last season, averaging 22.0 points on nearly 40% shooting on 3-pointers. He was the focal point of one of the nation’s most potent offenses, as Alabama led the country in points per game in the 2025-26 season. The Crimson Tide (No. 16) finished the season with a 25-10 record and went 13-5 against conference opponents.
Philon, who helped lead Alabama to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, earned Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors in his sophomore season.
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In 33 games last season for Alabama, Philon scored 725 total points, which is ranked third-most by a player in a single season in program history.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with Labaron Philon Jr. after he is drafted twenty-second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images
Philon was the 34th-ranked basketball recruit in the country entering his freshman season at Alabama, according to 247sports. The four-star guard initially committed to playing at Auburn, but decommitted. He then signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas, but didn’t play there, either. He then committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2024.
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Philon impressed as a freshman at Alabama and averaged 10.6 points in 37 games. He declared for the 2025 NBA draft but then withdrew and returned for his sophomore season, where he saw his scoring average jump more than 10 points.
Philon is a Mobile, Alabama, native and played at Baker High School in Mobile County, where he scored 2,334 points in three seasons. He was named the Class 7A Player of the Year twice.
As a junior, he averaged 35 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists and was named Alabama Mr. Basketball, which is given to the best high school boys’ basketball player in the state. Philon transferred to Link Academy, a boarding school in Missouri, for his senior year of high school.
Philon now joins a backcourt headlined by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe heading into the 2026-27 season. Quentin Grimes could return to Philadelphia next season and add even more depth, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
The pick the Sixers used to pick Philon was acquired in the deal that sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline.
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Labaron Philon Jr. scouting report
CBS Sports had Philon ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the 2026 NBA draft.
Here are his strengths and weaknesses, according to CBS Sports:
Strengths
On-ball creator who made an extreme leap as a sophomore, ranking in the 99th percentile in isolations (was 24th percentile as a freshman) and 94th as a pick-and-roll handler (was 32nd percentile as a freshman). Combines smooth attack with sudden change of speed and direction, dexterity, and finishing craft in the lane.
Shot-maker who can make tough shots off both the catch (36% on contested catch-and-shoot 3-pointers), dribble (38% from deep), and has extreme gravity when he’s spacing the floor (46% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers).
Shown pliability to thrive in different roles over the years and is a similarly versatile creator, because he’s a scoring threat at multiple levels and also an accurate, and somewhat creative, passer with both hands off the dribble.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent defensive approach. Showed more engagement and potential as a freshman, but couldn’t maintain that as a sophomore when taking on a bigger offensive role.
Lacks overwhelming physicality or highest level explosiveness, and didn’t add any notable muscle mass between his freshman and sophomore seasons (175 pounds at 2025 combine and 176 at 2026 combine).
Unclear how well his creation scales to the NBA level when he will have less usage and volume coupled by more physicality in opposing defenders.
Alabama football hosted a hometown kid for an official visit last weekend when it got Jeremiah Beverley on campus for an official visit.
Beverley attends Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and ESPN currently has him rated as a four-star recruit. He is considering Alabama, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and others.
The Crimson Tide offered Beverley earlier this month and got him on campus for an official visit last weekend. The Alabama target told Touchdown Alabama he used the visit to learn what the Tide has planned for him if he commits.
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“I’m truly happy that I went on that official visit,” Beverley said. “Blessed for that. All I was talking about was the next step, what I got to do? So, just knowing what they have planned for me, knowing what they have set for me.”
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Beverley makes plays for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa as a defensive end. Alabama has plans to use him similarly at the next level.
“They’re going to have me at wolf mostly,” Beverley said. “I know coach (Kane) Wommack and coach (Christian) Robinson, I think they see me at other positions, but I know it is guaranteed they’re going to see me at Wolf and me working my way up on special teams, and they expect that out of me.”
Beverley is expected to announce a commitment decision on Friday.
Watch Jeremiah Beverley’s Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
Alabama football is hiring Noah Fisher to be its assistant tight ends coach, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Fisher spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends at Louisville before joining the Tide’s staff. He played three years on the offensive line at South Alabama and spent one season with Tulane. The Jaguars started Fisher along its offensive line when he was a player for multiple games.
The Crimson Tide appear to want to use their tight ends in multiple ways in the future including as extra blockers along the line of scrimmage. Fisher looks as if he can assist the Tide with this mission.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
