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Alabama tops preseason AP Top 25 for 9th time

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Alabama tops preseason AP Top 25 for 9th time


With two of the perfect gamers within the nation main the best way — and a championship-game loss as motivation — Alabama is No. 1 within the Related Press preseason school soccer ballot for the second straight season and ninth time general.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Younger, nationwide defensive participant of the 12 months Will Anderson Jr. and the Crimson Tide acquired 54 of 63 first-place votes and 1,566 factors within the High 25 offered by Areas Financial institution launched on Monday.

Ohio State is No. 2 with six first-place votes (1,506 factors) from the media panel, and defending nationwide champion Georgia is third with three first-place votes (1,455 factors). Clemson is No. 4. Notre Dame rounds out the highest 5, organising a tantalizing opener at Ohio State on Sept. 3.

The Tide’s preseason No. 1 rating is their seventh in 15 years beneath coach Nick Saban. For the reason that preseason rankings began in 1950, solely Oklahoma, with 10 appearances, has been No. 1 within the preliminary ballot extra typically than Alabama.

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The Crimson Tide began final season No. 1 and completed ranked No. 2 after shedding the nationwide championship sport to the Southeastern Convention-rival Bulldogs.

Saban not too long ago referred to as 2021 a rebuilding season for his Tide dynasty, which has gained six nationwide titles over the previous 13 years. He has a degree. Younger was in his first season as a starter final 12 months, taking part in behind an inexperienced offensive line. He was unfazed, throwing for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns.

Anderson was a drive on the opposite aspect of the ball as Alabama broke in a again seven with largely new starters. The sophomore led the nation in tackles for loss with 33.5, 11.5 greater than No. 2 on the listing.

Ohio State brings again a Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback in C.J. Stroud, whereas at Georgia, a lot of the key gamers from the most effective school defenses of the previous 25 years at the moment are within the NFL. Nonetheless, quarterback Stetson Bennett and All-America tight finish Brock Bowers return to a Bulldogs offense that might be much more explosive in 2022.

Texas A&M, which completed final season unranked regardless of handing Alabama its solely regular-season loss, begins this season No. 6.

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Defending Pac-12 champion Utah is seventh, the perfect preseason rating at school historical past. Defending Large Ten champion Michigan is No. 8 after making the playoff for the primary time final season.

No. 9 Oklahoma is the highest-ranked Large 12 college, one spot forward of defending league champion Baylor.

POLL POINTS

Alabama has been within the preseason prime 5 in every of the previous 14 seasons and within the preseason prime three in 13 straight. The Tide’s thirty first preseason top-five rating this 12 months matches Ohio State for essentially the most in ballot historical past.

Turning preseason No. 1 right into a nationwide championship has proved difficult all through historical past, even for Alabama.

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The Crimson Tide have gone on to win the nationwide championship after beginning No. 1 simply as soon as beneath Saban and twice general.

For the reason that AP preseason ballot started in 1950, there have been 11 preseason No. 1 groups that additionally completed the season top-ranked. Alabama was the final to do it (2017).

RARITIES AND STREAKS

• No. 13 North Carolina State is ranked within the preseason ballot for the primary time since 2003. The Wolfpack matched their greatest preseason rating; they had been additionally thirteenth in 1975.

• No. 17 Pitt is within the preseason rankings for the primary time since 2010.

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• No. 20 Kentucky is making its first preseason ballot look since 1978.

• No. 22 Wake Forest made the preseason rankings for the primary time since 2008.

• Ohio State is ranked within the preseason for the thirty fourth straight season, breaking a tie with Nebraska (1970-2002) and Penn State (1968-2000) for the longest such streak in ballot historical past.

• Texas A&M has the second-best preseason rating for a crew that completed the earlier season unranked. Ohio State was No. 3 within the 1972 preseason ballot after being unranked on the finish of the 1971 season, and Notre Dame began No. 6 in 1983 after ending unranked in 1982.

How did the seasons work out for these groups? Ohio State went 9-2 and completed the season No. 9. The Irish went 7-5 and unranked once more.

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NOTABLE LEFT-OUTS

• LSU with new coach Brian Kelly will begin the season unranked for the primary time since 2000, Saban’s first of 5 seasons as coach of the Tigers.

• Florida and Florida State are each unranked to begin the season, which has not occurred since 1974.

NEWBIES

5 colleges ranked within the preseason ballot have head coaches beginning their first full seasons main their groups: Notre Dame (Marcus Freeman), Oklahoma (Brent Venables), No. 11 Oregon (Dan Lanning), No. 14 USC (Lincoln Riley) and No. 16 Miami (Mario Cristobal).

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That is the second time prior to now 5 seasons that 5 groups with new coaches had been ranked within the preseason, based on analysis accomplished by Sportradar. It additionally occurred in 2018, however earlier than that season, that kind of illustration within the preseason ballot for groups with new coaches was a rarity.

It’s a must to go all the best way again to 1990, when six colleges with coaches getting into their first full season, appeared within the preseason High 25, based on Sportradar. That listing contains some notable names: Gary Moeller, Michigan; Ken Hatfield, Clemson; Gene Stallings, Alabama; Jack Crowe, Arkansas; Paul Hackett, Pittsburgh; and John Jenkins, Houston.

CONFERENCE CALL

For the fourth straight season, the SEC has three groups within the prime six.

The Atlantic Coast Convention matched its greatest displaying within the preseason ballot with 5 groups. The ACC has reached that quantity 4 earlier instances.

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SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 6, 19, 20, 21).

ACC — 5 (Nos. 4, 13, 16, 17, 22).

Large Ten — 4 (Nos. 2, 8, 15, 18).

Large 12 — 3 (Nos. 9, 10, 12).

Pac-12 — 3 (Nos. 7, 11, 14).

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American — 2 (Nos. 23, 24).

Independents — 2 (Nos. 5, 25).



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16-year-old 'Baby Driver' actor dies after fall from moving vehicle in Alabama

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16-year-old 'Baby Driver' actor dies after fall from moving vehicle in Alabama


(From L) US actor Clayton Royal Johnson, US producer Christa Boarini, US director Todd Wiseman Jr., US actors Kue Miller Lawrence, Hudson Meek, US actress Christina Brucato, US actor Michael Sean Tighe and US model singer and photograph Eugenie Bondu

Hudson Meek, a rising teen actor best known for his role as “Young Baby” in the 2017 Atlanta-filmed blockbuster Baby Driver, has tragically passed away at the age of 16.

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Meek died on Saturday from injuries sustained after falling from a moving vehicle in his hometown of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, according to multiple sources. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that he suffered blunt force injuries in the incident, which occurred last Thursday on the 1900 block of Canyon Road. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation by the Vestavia Hills Police Department.

Meek’s family shared the heartbreaking news on his Instagram account, writing, “Our hearts are broken to share that Hudson Meek went home to be with Jesus tonight.”

Hudson Meek was a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and had a blossoming career in the entertainment industry. In Baby Driver, filmed and set in Atlanta, he portrayed the younger version of Ansel Elgort’s main character in the Edgar Wright-directed action film. His talents extended to appearances in NBC’s Found, the MacGyver reboot, and voice acting roles. Alongside his brother, Tucker Meek, he also appeared in the 2014 Lifetime movie The Santa Con.

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Meek’s obituary highlighted his passion for acting and his love for working on set, saying, “He absolutely loved spending time on set and having the chance to learn the names and stories of every member of the cast and crew.” Several of his projects are set to be released in 2025.

READ THE OBIT

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J Pervis Talent Agency, which represented Meek, paid tribute on Instagram: “Hudson was an extraordinary young talent, whose dedication, passion, and promise shone brightly within our industry. Over the past 10 years, he contributed so much to the spirit of our agency, and his loss leaves a void that will be deeply felt by all of us.”

Baby Driver (2017) is a stylish action-crime film directed by Edgar Wright. The movie revolves around Baby, a young and talented getaway driver with a passion for music. Played by Ansel Elgort, Baby uses his carefully curated playlists to drown out the tinnitus he developed from a childhood car accident and to synchronize his driving, making him one of the best in the business.

Baby works for Doc, a mysterious crime boss played by Kevin Spacey, who organizes heists with rotating crews of criminals. Baby is reluctantly tied to Doc due to a debt, but he dreams of leaving the criminal world behind. His plans are further solidified when he meets Debora, a kind-hearted waitress played by Lily James, and the two begin to imagine a future free from crime.

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However, Baby’s path to freedom is complicated by a dangerous heist crew and escalating tensions with volatile criminals like Bats (Jamie Foxx) and Buddy (Jon Hamm). As the stakes rise, Baby must use his driving skills, quick thinking, and determination to protect Debora and escape the life of crime once and for all.

EntertainmentNewsAtlanta



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Alabama quadruplets out of NICU and home for Christmas

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Alabama quadruplets out of NICU and home for Christmas


AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) – When Becca Bryant found out she was pregnant, she was excited to add a fourth child to her family. What the family didn’t expect is it wouldn’t just be adding a fourth kid, but also a fifth, sixth and seventh.

The quadruplets – Kali, Koen, Laney and Lennon – were born premature at 23 weeks and four days.

Because of their early birth, they had to spend five to six months in the neonatal intensive care unit. The last one was brought home on Dec. 10, just weeks before Christmas.

“We get closer to Christmas and our last one’s still in the NICU, and I’m like come on, come on, come on, let’s go home, let’s go home,” Bryant said. “So now that we’re all here, I’m so excited. I cannot wait to get all of them in front of the tree and take a picture.”

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Having three more kids than you’re expecting is sure to put a financial strain on any family, but the community has made sure the Bryant family has all of its needs covered.

“We are very blessed to say that we have not bought a single diaper yet, and we’ve had people send gift cards, and we’ve had people send cash,” she said. “We wouldn’t make it without that.”

The parents are also getting much-needed help from their older kids.

“Once they started trickling home, they were all excited, and they just couldn’t wait. They wanted to hold them, they wanted to help, they wanted to get their clothes, they wanted to do their bottles, and they still want to do all that stuff,” said Bryant.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 148 sets of quadruplets or higher-order births in 2023. That’s the lowest number since it started collecting data in 1998.

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South Alabama adds Samford wide receiver transfer Brendan Jenkins for 2025

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South Alabama adds Samford wide receiver transfer Brendan Jenkins for 2025


South Alabama on Wednesday picked up its first transfer portal commitment of the current cycle, from former Samford wide receiver Brendan Jenkins.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Jenkins caught 89 passes for 888 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Bulldogs, and was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023. A native of Hochston, Ga., he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

South Alabama has a major need at receiver, with four seniors among its top five pass-catchers in 2024. First-team All-Sun Belt selection Jamaal Pritchett has used up his eligibility, as have Salute to Veterans Bowl Most Valuable Player Jeremiah Webb, tight end DJ Thomas-Jones and No. 4 receiver Shamar Sandgren (though it’s now possible Sandgren could return next season after a recent NCAA ruling involving former junior-college transfers).

Devin Voisin, who caught 34 passes this past season, is expected to return for a seventh year at South Alabama in 2025 after receiving a medical redshirt following an early-season knee injury in 2023. Also eligible to return are Anthony Eager (10 catches, 2 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2024), program veteran Keyshawn Woodyard and a host of less-experienced receivers including Micah Woods, Noah Toster, Jeremy Scott and Jerrian Graham.

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South Alabama is expected to add a number of other portal transfers before spring semester classes begin on Jan. 13. The transfer portal closes for new entries on Dec. 28, though a player already in the portal by then may commit to or sign with his new school at any time.



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