Alabama
Brother of University of Alabama student James Gracey pays tribute: ‘I’m not ready to say goodbye’
The brother of University of Alabama student James Gracey posted a tearjerking tribute to his older sibling, whose body was found floating in the Mediterranean Sea outside a club in Barcelona.
“To my Beautiful Big Brother Jimmy,” younger bro Tommy Gracey penned in the touching Instagram post.
“I’m gonna miss all the texts and calls about hockey, school, and life in general. I’m not ready to say goodbye to that,” the grieving brother wrote Friday, adding elsewhere, “I would do anything to have just one more conversation with you.”
“When I visited you for the first time at bama [sic] and I ran into your arms is a memory I will cherish forever, thank you for that.”
He included snaps of the two from hockey games, family photos from Christmas and vacations, and several images of the two loving brothers simply hugging.
“Thank you for everything. I just can’t believe that’s all over. I will do my best to pass on your legacy. What a ride dude. I can’t wait to see you again in eternal paradise. I love you and fly high, Jimmy,” the tribute concluded.
Here is the latest on missing University of Alabama student James Gracey
The 20-year-old Illinois-native spring breaker was last seen at 3 a.m. on March 17 after a night of partying at popular seaside nightclub Shoko Barcelona.
Surveillance video showed Gracey stumbling near the shore and falling into the water. His body was found on March 19th, outlet El Pais reported, citing authorities.
The Alabama student was alone at the time he was taken by the tides, just a few feet from the Japanese-themed club in the popular nightlife area of Barcelona, the footage revealed.
Gracey’s wallet, with his cash and other belongings inside, was found floating near his body.
His cellphone was found in a different person’s possession. Family stated that they were not sure whether the phone was lost or stolen from Gracey before his death.
While his death is considered likely accidental, investigators privately suspect he was under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both when he went into the water, a source told Fox News Digital.
The results of Gracey’s autopsy and toxicology report were pending Saturday, according to local police.
The Alabama football offense has its share of questions heading into the 2026 season. But none may be bigger than one.
Can Alabama find stability in its 2026 run game?
Alabama struggled to run the ball in 2025, finishing with the second-worst run game in the SEC averaging a little more than 100 rushing yards per game. Will the Crimson Tide improve in 2026?
Here are three questions about the Alabama’s 2026 running back room.
How much of a load will EJ Crowell carry in Alabama football run game?
In Kalen DeBoer’s ideal world, EJ Crowell would make an impact immediately as an Alabama freshman.
While Crowell spent the spring navigating a lower-body injury — attending 2026 A-Day on a medical scooter with a boot on his right foot — DeBoer told The Tuscaloosa News in May he wants Crowell to “get incorporated full-fledged with some urgency with as much as he can handle.”
When Crowell was healthy at Jackson High School, he was electric, needing only three seasons to accumulate more than 6,000 rushing yards and 91 rushing touchdowns.
Alabama hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Brian Robinson. TJ Yeldon was the last Crimson Tide freshman back to eclipse 1,000 yards. Could Crowell be next?
Can Daniel Hill or Kevin Riley take next step?
Daniel Hill showed flashes of success. He was the bellcow back in Alabama’s regular season loss to Oklahoma, leading the team in carries and rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Kevin Riley’s days came in blowouts, recording 69 yards against Louisiana Monroe and two touchdowns against Eastern Illinois.
Both Riley and Hill are back. If Crowell takes awhile to adjust, or is still recovering from injury, both would likely shoulder the run game workload.
Can Alabama flourish if Hill and Riley are at the top of the depth chart?
Will lack of run game force Alabama to be one-dimensional offensively?
One Alabama back had a 100-yard game in 2025.
In Alabama’s 30-14 home win against Vanderbilt, Jam Miller had 136 rushing yards on 22 carries, adding a 20-yard touchdown run. The run game, as a whole, averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
With Miller’s 100-yard performance, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson added 340 passing yards and two touchdown passes.
The 2026 offense looks similar to 2025, at least from a quarterback perspective. Neither Austin Mack nor Keelon Russell have a career start, and both bring even less experience than Simpson had.
Can a stagnant run game in 2025 be revived in 2026, especially for an offense that may desperately need it?
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews.
(WHNT) — Residents of North Alabama made it out to the polls on Tuesday for the 2026 Primary Runoff Elections, and News 19 is following the results as they come in.
We are following several runoff races, including multiple state races.
News 19 is updating the election results as they become available. You can find the results for each runoff race below:
Oklahoma outlasted Georgia, winning 4-3, to move to 2-0 in the Men’s College World Series and is now one win away from the championship series.
The Bulldogs will next rematch with Texas at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.
OU freshman right-hander Xander Mercurius shined in the win, unfazed by UGA’s high octane offense, lasting 7.1 innings with nine strikeouts while holding the Bulldogs to three runs.
Check out some of the most notable numbers and moments from the contest:
- Mercurius and Georgia’s Caden Aoki both duked it out for seven-plus innings. The last MCWS game where both starting pitchers threw seven-plus innings was Game 13 in 2023
- Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder (7 IP) and LSU’s Paul Skenes (8 IP)
- They threw a combined 219 pitches
- Oklahoma handed Georgia its first loss since May 16 (Auburn)
- Oklahoma scored three runs in the first after scoring two in the first in the Sooners’ MCWS opener
- UGA went 0-for-12 with runners on base, scoring all runs via solo homers
- The Bulldogs were also 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position
- Th 4-3 victory marks the Sooners’ fourth 2-0 start in MCWS history
- Georgia’s Daniel Jackson hit his 32nd home run of the season 447 feet, the third longest homer at the MCWS since the move to Charles Schwab Field
- With brothers Kolby (Georgia) and Kyle (Oklahoma) Branch playing, the game marked the first time in MCWS two brothers played against each other in the same game. You can read more about the Branch brothers and the family here.
The Texas-Georgia game will be the second time the two have met in Omaha, with Georgia topping the Longhorns 7-1 on Saturday. Now the two will meet again in an elimination game.
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