Alabama
Jumbo Package: Alabama lands four on Preseason All-American Team
Offensive guard Tyler Booker made the first team, alongside new kicker Graham Nicholson. Nicholson transferred in from Miami of Ohio, where he was a first-team all-American, and won the Lou Groza award as the nation’s top kicker, beating out UA’s Will Reichard.
Booker returns for his junior season as one of Alabama’s offensive line leaders. He remained with the Crimson Tide through the head coach transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer.
One of his fellow offensive linemen, Washington transfer Parker Brailsford, was named to the second-team list for Alabama. Brailsford missed most of spring practice for personal reasons after following DeBoer from the Huskies, but is primed to return for the season, likely in UA’s starting center job.
Nicholson’s special teams counterpart, punter James Burnip, was also listed for the Crimson Tide. Burnip, a native of Australia, ranked second in the SEC last season, averaging 47.6 yards per punt, and was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the top punter in college football.
Check it out! Alabama enters the preseason with four All-Americans, per Walter Camp. It’s also kinda funny that two of them are special teamers, and two of them are transfers.
Only Tyler Booker and James Burnip are All-Americans from last year’s Alabama squad.
Interestingly (or maybe not), Jalen Milroe was left off of the list. Carson Beck was QB1 and Quinn Ewers was QB2.
I do think Deontae Lawson could be in consideration with any of the other linebackers on the list – however, I totally understand that his injuries the last two seasons have kept him from living up to where I think he can be.
Coming off his best season in Tuscaloosa as a third-year sophomore, Deontae Lawson is arguably Alabama’s most well-known returning starter on defense within the front seven. He’s an alpha in the middle of that unit and loves to stick his face in the fan against run support. With Caleb Downs transferring to Ohio State, the Crimson Tide need Lawson to be the new enforcer of sorts as well. He’s wearing a new number this season, which he says represents a program — and player — in transition of sorts under a different staff.
247 agrees, listing Lawson as a top candidate for SEC DPOY. Lawson taking the next step is going to be critical for Alabama this season.
Off-field issues caused Brailsford to miss most of spring practice (much to the concern of some Bama fans), but it seems as though he has now settled in in Tuscaloosa. Still, Coach Kalen DeBoer and company were wise to add some insurance in the form of Michigan State transfer Geno VanDeMark.
The late spring pickup gives Alabama another veteran and a versatile piece on the interior offensive line. VanDeMark will likely be the top backup at one or both of the guard positions. Bama returns the imposing duo of Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts, and getting another experienced player behind them is huge.
VanDeMark also has experience playing center. Though his game reps at that spot have been limited, he is more experienced than any other center option outside of Brailsford. While this is a very valuable job, it’s hard to believe the senior will be content to settle for a reserve role. Expect VanDeMark to push Brailsford and the guards, ultimately making all parties involved better in the long run.
Hopefully, Brailsford is going to a breath of fresh air for Alabama fans after three straight seasons of generally poor center play. On top of having a season’s worth of good snaps under his belt, a preseason All-American, and a national championship appearance…. He’s also been rumored this offseason to be one of the strongest players in the locker room.
I’m sure everyone saw the interview clip with Jalen Milroe a couple of days ago talking about the “vibe” that coach DeBoer brings to Alabama.
Our favorite blog site of pure envy, DawgNation, saw it too, and immediately had to write an article about how Kirby Smart does none of this “giving compliments” nonsense.
Fact is, Smart hates complacency and fancies the slogan that, “if it isn’t broke, find a way to make it better,” as Dean can attest.
“It was always, you can do this better, you made this play, you got this Pick 6, but you could have gotten to the end zone faster if you took this step, or, you could have read the play faster,” Dean said.
“Or, you got a sack, but you could have gotten a sack-fumble. So it was never pat yourself on the back.”
Time will tell if DeBoer’s approach will uplift the Tide, or perhaps derail the emotional discipline Saban’s programs most always exhibited.
Those poor guys really have no idea what to do if they aren’t constantly comparing themselves to Alabama.
In recruiting news, Alabama’s picked up another new prediction:
As June closes, Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide football coaching staff have put together an incredible month of recruiting. Over the past few weeks, Alabama has surged to the No. 2 ranked recruiting class for 2025 and still has plenty of its top targets uncommitted.
One of the most coveted targets is a four-star tight end from El Dorado Hills, California, Kaleb Edwards.
Edwards is a 6-foot-6 235 prospect who has shown the ability to be a solid end-line blocker but also a legitimate threat in the passing game.
Steve Wiltfong of On3 recently logged an expert prediction for the talented Edwards to commit to the Crimson Tide.
A higher 4-star player and a top 5 TE in the country, Edwards would be a huge addition to the recruiting class. If he does follow what most of the recruiting experts are predicting, he’ll be yet another California native helping to fill out this recruiting class for the Tide. Edwards is expected to announce a commitment on Wednesday.
Alabama
Coldest weather of the fall coming to Alabama: Get ready for a chilly Halloween
Some parts of Alabama will get a winter preview tonight.
The National Weather Service is expecting some of the coldest temperatures of the fall to descend on Alabama tonight, and Friday morning many will wake up to temperatures in the 30s.
The weather service said the first frost of the fall will be likely tonight for parts of north and central Alabama, which will fall into the low to mid-30s tonight.
Frost advisories could be issued later today for parts of the state.
The southern half of Alabama won’t get off easy, either, and also will face the prospect of lows in the upper 30s to low 40s.
(See the forecast temperatures for tonight at the top of this post.)
High temperatures today (Thursday) will also be on the chilly side, according to weather service forecasts.
Here are today’s expected highs:
Western Alabama will be warmer than eastern Alabama today.
Northeast Alabama will have the lowest high temperatures today, which may only make it into the low to mid-50s.
The rest of Alabama will have highs anywhere from the mid-50s in the north to the low 60s in the south.
It could also be quite windy, with wind gusts of 20-30 mph possible, according to the weather service.
Some lingering showers may be possible through the first part of the day, but drier air will be moving in starting this afternoon.
The weather service expects the clouds to slowly move out during the day today, with west Alabama getting to see some sunshine first later this afternoon (which is why it is expected to be several degrees warmer there).
East Alabama may get a peek of the sun, but clouds aren’t expected to really break up until around sunset.
Tonight is expected to be the coldest night of the week, but Halloween night will also be very chilly.
Low temperatures from Halloween night (Friday) into Saturday morning will again make it into the 30s in north and central Alabama, but the weather service thinks it may be a degree or two “warmer” than tonight is expected to be.
Frost will again be possible in many locations in north and central Alabama from Friday night into Saturday morning.
Here are the forecast low temperatures from Friday night into Saturday morning:

Warmer temperatures are expected over the weekend, and the next chance for rain could arrive on Sunday or Monday, though the weather service noted that the forecast details were still frustratingly murky at this point.
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Alabama
Some Alabama counties among highest SNAP users in nation
Some parts of Alabama are among the nation’s most reliant on food benefits, data shows.
About 15% of Alabamians will feel the impacts of a pause on Supplemental Nutrition Aid Program benefits if a weekslong government shutdown does not end by Nov. 1. That’s about 754,000 people – many of whom are children, senior citizens and individuals with disabilities.
But the need is much more pronounced in some of the state’s rural Black Belt counties, AL.com found, where as many as one in three residents received SNAP benefits in 2024.
Few other counties in the U.S. have higher enrollment rates than west Alabama’s Wilcox, Perry and Dallas counties, according to a recent report from the Associated Press.
Can’t see the map? View it here.
Nearly half of Alabama households receiving food stamps reported having a child under 18 or someone with a disability living among them. And two in five lived with at least one senior citizen, according to 2024 Census survey data.
Need closely mirrors racial wealth gaps in the state. Recent research from the Economic Policy Institute found that cuts to SNAP could disproportionately harm families of color.
Nearly a quarter of Black householders in Alabama were enrolled in SNAP benefits last year, compared to just 8% of white householders. About 15% of Hispanic and Native American householders in the state also received benefits.
Statewide, SNAP enrollment ranged from just 5% of the population to up to 38%.
Shelby County, which has the lowest share of residents living below the poverty line, saw the lowest SNAP participation rates, at just 5.5%.
Other high-need counties span across much of lower and west Alabama, with Greene, Lowndes, Sumter and Butler counties reporting enrollment rates of more than 25%.
Far-reaching impacts
Nationwide, SNAP disbursements have been on the decline since reaching a peak in 2012. Today, far fewer Alabamians are receiving benefits than did a decade ago.
It’s a trend that largely mirrors economic patterns, experts say: As employment and income levels improve, fewer people enroll in food benefits. The country saw some of its lowest poverty rates in history in 2019, before swinging back up slightly during the pandemic.
Can’t see the chart? View it here.
The shutdown began on Oct. 1, after Democrats refused to pass the Republican-sponsored bill to fund the government unless health care tax credits, part of the Affordable Care Act, were extended.
The Trump administration has confirmed it would not use roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November.
As states like Alabama brace for a pause, researchers and advocates warn of far-reaching impacts.
In addition to sending more than $140 million in food benefits to Alabamians each month, the program supports more than 7,800 jobs and $350 million in wages for grocery employees statewide, AL.com reported earlier this week. Cuts or interruptions to the program could cost Alabama up to $1.7 billion in annual federal funds, resulting in a $2.6 billion economic loss.
Alabama’s Department of Human Resources said individuals can still apply for SNAP during the pause and that current recipients must still recertify their benefits, report as they normally would and submit all normal documentation.
“These steps are of the utmost importance so DHR can submit each recipient’s benefit file as soon as the suspension is lifted; in other words, this will allow recipients to more quickly use their November funds in the grocery stores,” the press release said.
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Alabama
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