Alabama
Alabama Roots: NFL Draft picks sign for $137.6 million
Dallas Turner signed his first NFL contract with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the team announced, bringing all the players with Alabama football roots picked in the 2024 NFL Draft under contract in time for training camp.
The other 26 draft picks who had played for Alabama high schools and colleges already had signed their first contracts by the time the No. 17 pick and the Vikings got the details hammered out on his deal.
Each player picked in the NFL Draft receives a four-year contract, and the range in the total value of those deals for the Alabama-roots players in the 2024 draft stretches from around $26.045 million to about $4.101 million. The approximate value of the 27 contracts is $137.606 million.
The values of the contracts are based on the NFL’s salary cap of $255.4 million for the 2024 season and this year’s rookie compensation pool in a formula spelled out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players association. While the values of rookie contracts aren’t negotiable, other factors are, including the amount of guaranteed money.
It wasn’t always that way. Before 2011, all factors were in play for negotiation, and quarterback JaMarcus Russell (Williamson) signed the biggest contract for a rookie from an Alabama high school or college as the No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft at $61 million for six years with the Oakland Raiders.
One of this year’s draft picks isn’t in training camp and will never play in the NFL. A fourth-round selection of the Minnesota Vikings, former Alabama cornerback Khyree Jackson died in a traffic accident on July 6.
A rundown on what the drafted players who played at Alabama high schools and colleges signed for this year, with values from the sports financial web site spotrac.com:
J.C. Latham, offensive tackle, Alabama
First round, Tennessee Titans: Four years for $26.045 million, including a $15.762 million signing bonus. The contract is fully guaranteed and carries a team option for a fifth season.
Bo Nix, quarterback, Pinson Valley High School, Auburn
First round, Denver Broncos: Four years for $18.613 million, including a $10.357 signing bonus. The contract is fully guaranteed and carries a team option for a fifth season.
Dallas Turner, linebacker, Alabama
First round, Minnesota Vikings: Four years for $15.767 million, including an $8.287 signing bonus. The contract is fully guaranteed and carries a team option for a fifth season.
Terrion Arnold, cornerback, Alabama
First round, Detroit Lions: Four years for $14.344 million, including a $7.252 million signing bonus. The contract is fully guaranteed and carries a team option for a fifth season.
Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry, cornerback, Pinson Valley High School, Alabama
Second round, New Orleans Saints: Four years for $9.157 million, including a $3.48 million signing bonus. The contract includes $7.282 million in guaranteed money.
Kamari Lassister, cornerback, American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa
Second round, Houston Texans: Four years for $9.015 million, including a $3.376 million signing bonus. The contract includes $7.091 million in guaranteed money.
Chris Braswell, linebacker, Alabama
Second round, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Four years for $6.785 million, including a $1.755 million signing bonus. The contract includes $3.885 million in guaranteed money.
Jermaine Burton, wide receiver, Alabama
Third round, Cincinnati Bengals: Four years for $5.821 million, including a $1.053 million signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Justin Eboigbe, defensive lineman, Alabama
Fourth round, Los Angeles Chargers: Four years for $4.859 million, including an $839,012 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Khyree Jackson, cornerback, Alabama
Fourth round, Minnesota Vikings: Four years for $4.847 million, including an $827,148 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Javon Baker, wide receiver, Alabama
Fourth round, New England Patriots: Four years for $4.807 million, including a $786,748 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Nehemiah Pritchett, cornerback, Jackson High School, Auburn
Fifth round, Seattle Seahawks: Four years for $4.399 million, including a $379,072 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Kris Abrams-Draine, cornerback, Spanish Fort High School
Fifth round, Denver Broncos: Four years for $4.368 million, including a $348,272 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Jaylin Simpson, defensive back, Auburn
Fifth round, Indianapolis Colts: Four years for $4.317 million, including a $297,012 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Keilan Robinson, running back, Alabama
Fifth round, Jacksonville Jaguars: Four years for $4.302 million, including a $281,956 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Javon Solomon, linebacker, Troy
Fifth round, Buffalo Bills: Four years for $4.274 million, including a $254,276 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Kimani Vidal, running back, Troy
Sixth round, Los Angeles Chargers: Four years for $4.227 million, including a $207,436 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Jase McClellan, running back, Alabama
Sixth round, Atlanta Falcons: Four years for $4.214 million, including a $194,368 million signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Tejhaun Palmer, wide receiver, UAB
Sixth round, Arizona Cardinals: Four years for $4.205 million, including a $185,228 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
D.J. James, cornerback, Spanish Fort High School, Auburn
Sixth round, Seattle Seahawks: Four years for $4.204 million, including a $184,432 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Will Reichard, kicker, Hoover High School, Alabama
Sixth round, Minnesota Vikings: Four years for $4.191 million, including a $170,620 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Tylan Grable, offensive tackle, Jacksonville State
Sixth round, Buffalo Bills: Four years for $4.19 million, including a $169,912 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Nathaniel Watson, linebacker, Maplesville High School
Sixth round, Cleveland Browns: Four years for $4.183 million, including a $162,724 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Cedric Johnson, defensive end, Davidson High School in Mobile
Sixth round, Cincinnati Bengals: Four years for $4.158 million, including a $138,388 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Justin Rogers, defensive tackle, Auburn
Seventh round, Dallas Cowboys: Four years for $4.108 million, including an $87,640 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Marcus Harris, defensive tackle, Park Crossing High School in Montgomery, Auburn
Seventh round, Houston Texans: Four years for $4.105 million, including an $85,480 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
Jaylen Key, safety, Alabama
Seventh round, New York Jets: Four years for $4.101 million, including an $80,736 signing bonus. The signing bonus is the guaranteed portion of the contract.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OURNFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at@AMarkG1.
Hegseth on Iran: ‘This is not Iraq. This is not endless.’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said operations on Iran won’t be “endless” like Iraq.
The United States and Israel-led attacks on Iran are having an impact in Central Alabama.
The military actions that began Saturday targets the military forces of Iran and the nation’s ability to build nuclear weapons.
In Montgomery, Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex have stepped up security so that all entry points will have a 100 percent ID check, the bases said on social media. The Trusted Traveler Program is suspended, which allowed Department of Defense identification holders to vouch for passengers.
Visitors without base access will have to go through the visitor center to get a pass.
Central Alabama residents react to the Iran attacks
For Travis Jackson of Montgomery, the attacks bring back memories, bad memories. He served one tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 with the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of sergeant before leaving the service and has worked the last 10 years as a community activist and diversity, equality and inclusion coordinator.
“I had a flashback of being overseas again,” he said when he first heard news of the attack. “The first thing I thought of was corporate greed. Of yet again seeing what has transpired throughout the years of any war overseas.”
He feels the attacks are a mistake.
“It’s going to be detrimental to the economy, notably with the increase in oil prices,” he said.
Removing the current regime in Iran and establishing a more western friendly country could improve hopes for a more stable Middle East, said Amy Stephens of Elmore County.
“I don’t know if there will ever be peace there,” Stephens said. “But Iran has been the causing trouble over there for almost 50 years.”
Ray Roberts of Prattville served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990 and 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait. He served in an ordinance company with the Alabama Army National Guard. He was a sergeant when he left the service and now works as a draftsman at a Montgomery manufacturing plant.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” Roberts said of the attacks. “President Trump had said they were coming. When he says something like that, he means it. I am glad we are working with Israel so it’s not just the United States. I wonder if Europe and some of the other Gulf nations will join the attacks.”
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey was honored for her lifelong dedication to youth and community service during the 12th annual Black Warrior Council Boy Scouts of America Circle of Honor awards luncheon.
The ceremony, which was held Feb. 27 at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa, serves as a fundraiser for the council’s scouting program.
The Circle of Honor award is presented to people in west central Alabama whose livelihood and actions reflect the same values of the Black Warrior Boy Scouts. Recipients have also shown advocacy for youth and leadership in the community.
Past recipients of the award include Terry Saban, Nick Saban, former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, scientist and philanthropist Thomas Joiner, pharmacist and retailer James I. Harrison Jr., civic leader Mary Ann Phelps and more.
Cathy Randall, a Tuscaloosa businesswoman, educator and philanthropist, presented Ivey with the award. Randall was inducted into the Circle of Honor in 2025 along with her late husband, Pettus.
Ivey said she was grateful to receive the honor by the Black Warrior Council and highlighted the importance of public service.
“I’m proud to have dedicated my life to public service, there’s no more noble calling than to uplift and empower lives,” said Ivey during the Feb. 27 ceremony.
Ivey thanked the scouting organizations, including the Black Warrior Council for its contributions to educational opportunities, economic development, and public safety.
“In particular, I’m proud of the work done by our Scouting organizations like the Black Warrior Council, who lay a foundation for successful future in both our young people and our state, thank you for all you do to build a stronger Alabama by changing lives and preparing our future leaders,” said Ivey, a native of Camden in Wilcox County.
Ivey is wrapping up her second term as governor after a long career spent primarily in government.
After graduating from Auburn University in 1967, Ivey worked as a high school teacher and a bank officer. She served as reading clerk for the Alabama House of Representatives under then-Speaker Joseph C. McCorquodale and she served as assistant director at the Alabama Development Office.
In 2002, Ivey was elected to the first of two terms as Alabama’s treasurer and in 2010, she was elected to the first of two terms as lieutenant governor. On April 10, 2017, Ivey was sworn in as Alabama’s 54th governor after the resignation of Robert Bentley. She filled out the rest of Bentley’s term before winning the gubernatorial election in 2018 and she was re-elected in 2022.
She will leave office at the end of this year.
She is the first Republican woman to serve as Alabama’s governor but she’s the second woman to hold the state’s top executive office. Tuscaloosa County native Lurleen B. Wallace, a Democrat, became Alabama’s first female governor in 1966.
Circle of Honor luncheon raises nearly $200,000
Also during the ceremony, retired DCH Health System administrator Sammy Watson, who served as the event’s emcee, announced that the council had raised $197,000 through the luncheon that day.
Proceeds from the lunch will be used to expand Boy Scouts programs, making them available to over 3,000 young people in west central Alabama.
The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s leading outdoor education and character development program. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@usatodayco.com. To support her work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News.
SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) – After more than a decade serving Alabama’s fourth judicial circuit, Judge Collins Pettaway, Jr. is stepping away from full-time service, closing a chapter that spans nearly four decades in the legal profession.
Pettaway was elected to the bench in 2012 and served in several counties including Dallas, Wilcox, Perry, Hale and Bibb counties, the largest geographical circuit in the state.
Now, he says, it was simply time.
“I never wanted to serve in that capacity forever,” Pettaway said “And plus, I wanted to also make room for some younger, brighter minds to come forward.”
Before becoming a judge, Pettaway practiced law in Selma for nearly 30 years after being licensed in 1985. During that time, he handled cases that helped shape Alabama law; something he says he didn’t fully appreciate until colleagues reflected on his impact.
“I handled several cases which actually affected and changed the direction of the state of the law in our state,” he added. “And I didn’t realize I did all that.”
Friends and fellow legal professionals once presented him with research showing his involvement in Alabama Supreme Court cases that made significant changes in state law; a moment he describes as both surprising and humbling.
During his time on the bench, Pettaway says one of his priorities was maintaining professionalism and respect within the legal system.
He often referenced the Alabama State Bar’s Lawyer’s Creed — a pledge attorneys take promising to treat even their opponents with civility and understanding.
“In that creed, you are promising that you’re gonna treat even your opponents with civility and with kindness and understanding.”
Pettaway says he believes the legal profession — and society at large — must continue working toward a culture rooted in respect and service.
Although stepping away from full-time duties, Pettaway says he is not completely leaving the legal field. He has transitioned to retired active status and plans to assist with cases when needed, while also returning to private practice.
He says this new chapter is about balance.
After decades shaping courtrooms across five counties, Pettaway says he is focused on health, perspective and trusting the next generation to carry the bench forward.
Governor Kay Ivey has appointed former Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones to serve the remainder of Pettaway’s six-year term.
Jones previously served as senior chief trial attorney under District Attorney Robert Turner Jr. and has also led the Fourth Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force.
The transition marks a new era for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, while closing a significant chapter in its recent history.
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