Alabama
'Hope he realizes he's at Alabama:' HS coaches react to Kalen DeBoer news
Veteran UMS-Wright coach Terry Curtis has some point-blank advice for new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.
“I just hope he realizes he’s at Alabama,” said Curtis, who has won eight state titles at UMS. “It’s a whole different ballgame.”
The Crimson Tide is set to hire DeBoer, who led Washington to the national title game this season, to replace legendary coach Nick Saban, according to multiple reports. DeBoer was meeting with his players at Washington late Friday.
“I’m sure they did their due diligence,” Curtis said. “I don’t want to say anything bad, but undoubtedly, he wasn’t their No. 1 choice. But he’s been successful. I guess we will have to wait and find out who he hires.
“I’m sure he will need coach Saban to help him and kind of give him the lay of the land. To me, it’s just kind of surprising to go way out West to get a coach with no real background in this part of the country.”
Several prominent Alabama high school football coaches said they also were taking a wait-and-see attitude about DeBoer.
“I think Alabama fans have to trust the athletic director and the people who made the hire,” Thompson head coach Mark Freeman said. “Let the guy get here and prove himself and see who he puts around him. The alumni and the boosters have to get on board and support him and pray he keeps it going.”
Recruiting – whether from high school or in the transfer portal – is clearly the lifeline of college football success. Alabama’s final recruiting class under Saban is currently ranked second behind only SEC rival Georgia. It includes a pair of five-stars and 19 four-star recruits. Washington’s 2024 class ranks 36th, according to 247 sports. It includes seven four-star players and 16 commits total.
“The first thing he’ll need to do is get down here and get some coaches familiar with the SEC and the South and Alabama,” said new Hoover coach Drew Gilmer, who led Clay-Chalkville to two of the last three Class 6A state titles. “He will have to get in there and hold on to those kids they have and build relationships with them, and I’m sure he will.
“It will be interesting to see how fast he can pick up on things. It really all goes back to hiring good assistants and getting good recruits. His record on the field certainly speaks for itself.”
The top unsigned player in the country, Saraland 5-star wide receiver Ryan Williams, quickly decommitted from Alabama when Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday.
Alabama officials informed the AHSAA this week that, if a coach was hired in time, he would likely be at the Alabama Sports Writers Association Mr. Football banquet on Tuesday in Montgomery. Williams, who is visiting Texas A&M this weekend, is again a finalist for Class 6A Back of the Year.
“He’s got to get to work quickly and try to solidify the guys Alabama has and try to get some, like Ryan Williams, back if he can,” Curtis said. “If he can do that, it would obviously be big.”
Williams’ high school coach, Jeff Kelly, was intrigued by the hire.
“With him being out on the West Coast, I know we don’t hear a lot but, watching them play and the things they do offensively, it seems like he’s as good as anyone out there,” Kelly said. “It’s a fun brand of football to watch. I think he will be a guy who will stretch the field, and Alabama has been successful with that lately with Tua (Tagovailoa) and Jalen (Milroe) and other guys. I don’t know him, but I look forward to getting to know him.”
DeBoer grew up in South Dakota and has little or no background in the South. That likely will make the structure of his first staff at Alabama integral.
“On any staff, who you hire is important,” Hewitt-Trussville coach Josh Floyd said. “That is the case no matter where you are or what level you are on. He’ll need to have guys who know the South and know the landscape. That’s very important, but I do think Alabama sells itself. They have every resource available to recruit players and get coaches. He’s already starting way ahead of most people.”
Floyd said he was impressed by DeBoer’s ability to win at every level in which he has coached. Each coach agreed on one main thing.
“You have to live off recruiting,” Freeman said. “He has got to get to know kids as sophomores and juniors and build those relationships. He needs to hire some Alabama people. That’s the biggest thing – hire some guys who have been in the SEC, recruited in the SEC and know the background of Alabama. That is a must.”
Alabama
Former Alabama WR transfer signs with UNLV, Dan Mullen
TCU transfer wide receiver JoJo Earle signed with UNLV under new head coach Dan Mullen, On3’s Pete Nakos has learned. He started his career at Alabama before spending two seasons at TCU.
Earle entered the transfer portal earlier this month following his second year with the Horned Frogs. He only appeared in four games in 2024, totaling seven receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown. That came after he played in all 12 games as a junior when he had 16 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns after transferring from Alabama.
During his two years at Alabama, Earle appeared in 20 games. He totaled 303 yards and two touchdowns during that time before taking his talents to TCU. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and X account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Earle played high school football at Aledo (TX), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 44 overall player from the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
JoJo Earle is the latest high-profile transfer to commit to UNLV under Mullen, who is returning to the sidelines as Barry Odom’s replacement. The Rebels have been active in the portal market since the transition, notably making a splash at quarterback.
Former Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea is also making his way to Las Vegas next season after announcing his commitment Dec. 21. He arrives as the No. 340 overall player and No. 30-ranked quarterback to enter the portal so far this cycle, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.
Colandrea played in 11 games last season with Virginia, throwing for 2,125 yards 13 touchdowns, along with 11 interceptions. He chose UNLV over suitors such as Pitt, Syracuse and Ole Miss, which were all in pursuit.
Mullen is making his return to the sidelines after two years as an ESPN analyst. He previously worked as the head coach at Florida, amassing a 34-15 record, including a 21-14 mark in SEC play. That came after nine seasons as the head coach at Mississippi State, where he went 69-46 and led the Bulldogs to a 10-win season in 2014.
Alabama
16-year-old 'Baby Driver' actor dies after fall from moving vehicle in Alabama
ATLANTA – 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Alabama
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.”
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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