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Kentucky's Mark Pope needs Jasper Johnson, but Wildcats have competition from Alabama, UNC

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Kentucky's Mark Pope needs Jasper Johnson, but Wildcats have competition from Alabama, UNC


NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Jasper Johnson’s recruitment is winding down, a decision likely coming in the next month, and his commitment could be a litmus test of sorts for three of the biggest brands in college basketball: Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama. Also known as his … parents’ alma mater, the other shade of blue blood and the SEC’s new powerhouse.

Johnson, a top-10 prospect in the 2025 high school class, grew up 15 minutes from Rupp Arena, the son of Dennis, a local legend and former football star at Kentucky. New Wildcats coach Mark Pope badly wants Johnson to become his first five-star commitment, proof that Pope can land the kind of elite talent predecessor John Calipari hoarded for the past 15 years. He isn’t taking for granted that a blue-chipper sprouted right in the program’s backyard.

“He’s definitely got to get — he wants to get — that first big piece,” Dennis said. “He went to see Jasper play with USA Basketball in Argentina. He sat down with us in his office on a visit and talked for two hours. He called me the other day, and we talked for 45 minutes. He’s made it very, very clear that he wants Jasper to be the first piece of this recruiting class.”

Pope’s problem? This doesn’t appear to be a 2-foot putt. Despite Johnson’s proximity to the program and his family’s allegiance — his mother is “the biggest Kentucky fan,” a cousin of former UK football star Craig Yeast — Johnson grew up a North Carolina basketball fan.

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“We went to Kentucky games when he was young, but he wasn’t just a diehard,” Dennis said. “He’s a different kid. Being this close, he understands what the lure of Kentucky basketball is, but he just loves watching basketball, period, and he always really liked Carolina. Once he met Hubert Davis, he just thinks he’s a great guy. I talk to that staff every single day. We went to the Carolina-Duke game, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever been to in my life. Him seeing that, being on the front row for that, I think just pricked something in his brain.”

And then there are the rising Tide. Under Nate Oats, Alabama won the SEC in 2021 and 2023, reached the program’s first Final Four last season and has produced six NBA draft picks during the past four years, including No. 2 overall Brandon Miller in 2023. Oats and his electric offense have become attractive to top transfers and five-star recruits. Now he has a chance to deliver an early blow to the approval rating for Kentucky’s new coach.


Jasper Johnson (2) is being recruited by three of the biggest brands in college basketball: Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama. (Stu Boyd II / USA Today)

“Their style of play is very big,” Dennis said. “Nate has talked a lot to him about style of play and analytics. We got a chance to talk to Brandon Miller, and he said, ‘I didn’t really become a greater player; it’s just that I stopped taking dumb shots because their analytics helped me know which shots were better.’ And they’re coming off a Final Four. I mean, come on. Nate’s sitting in his office pointing to the draft guys on his wall and the trophies, saying, ‘Listen, you’re not going to be an experiment for me. I’ve already done this.’”

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Alabama assistant Preston Murphy is an elite recruiter, and “I’ve talked to Preston every day for two months,” Dennis said.

Pope is being welcomed to the world of big-time recruiting. Johnson has taken official visits to the three biggest contenders, plus Missouri and Illinois — and he might still sneak in an official visit to Arkansas, Calipari’s new home, before the decision. Louisville and Baylor are pushing for visits. Recruiting in these waters, there are no gimmes. Pope happens to be Johnson’s only serious suitor without proof of concept, having won zero NCAA Tournament games and coached zero NBA draft picks.

“That’s always a question mark in my head,” Johnson said.

But that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker.

“The day we went over there for a visit, that night, I went up to his room, and he was in there watching some BYU videos,” Dennis said. “He’s kind of trying to figure it out, envision how they’ll use him. That’s definitely the style he wants to play. It’s going to be super tough to decide because right now, Alabama, Kentucky and Carolina are probably neck-and-neck.”

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Both Alabama and North Carolina have signed friends and former teammates of Johnson’s. Oats was the first high-major coach to start seriously recruiting him, back in the summer before his freshman season in high school. It’s not hard to understand why Johnson might leave home for college, but there are things those places just can’t offer.

“My mom wants me to stay home,” Johnson said. “She’s proud of me wherever I go, doesn’t really put any pressure on me to stay home. (But) Coach Pope has really been pushing to me that I’m one of the best guards in the country, if not the best — that he’s wanting me to stay home but also prioritizing me because I’m one of the best players in the class. He always pitches to me that he wants to win a banner as well, and he sees me coming in and being a big impact from day one. Hearing that is good.”

The Johnson family is hearing a lot of things lately. Dennis connected with former Kentucky star Jeff Sheppard, whose son, Reed, just traveled the path from homegrown hero to Wildcats star to a one-and-done lottery pick, for advice on how to handle the circus. Sheppard also happens to be Pope’s old roommate at Kentucky.

“He’s been very helpful to us. He always says, ‘Do what’s best for Jasper,’” Dennis said. “It’s almost time. He’ll decide sooner than later. Whether he goes to Kentucky or he doesn’t, I want him to make the best decision for him, where he feels most comfortable. Everybody I see, whether I’m out walking or working out or in the store, talks about Kentucky. But my dad let me make my own decision and he has to make his own.”

(Top photo: Stu Boyd II / USA Today)

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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market

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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market


Alabama football fans are invited to a preseason pep rally Aug. 4 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.  

The pep rally is part of the annual fall kickoff event hosted by the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association. 

The family friendly event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway. Tickets, which include a barbecue dinner, cost $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 to 12. Children 7 years old and younger will be admitted for free.   

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The pep rally will feature live entertainment, a silent auction and a range of family-friendly activities. There will also be a cash bar with wine and beer. 

Tickets can be purchased on the chapter’s website, tuscaloosacountyuaalumni.com. Membership in the local alumni chapter is not required for attendance. 

University of Alabama President Peter Mohler and UA baseball coach Rob Vaughn will be part of the festivities. 

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Mohler began his duties as UA president on July 21, 2025.

Before being named UA president, Mohler spent nearly 15 years at Ohio State University, where he held senior leadership roles overseeing research, innovation and economic development. He also served as OSU’s acting president, providing leadership during a pivotal period for one of the nation’s largest public universities. 

Mohler earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a PhD in cell and molecular physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

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Vaughn has been UA’s head baseball coach for three years, leading the Crimson Tide to the College Baseball World Series in 2026. 

The Humble, Texas, native served as head baseball coach at Maryland for five seasons before coming to Tuscaloosa.

Vaughn played collegiate baseball at Kansas State, where his position was catcher. 

Alabama begins the 2026 football season on Sept. 5 with a home game against the East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

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Other Alabama home games include Florida State on Sept. 19, South Carolina on Sept. 26, Georgia on Oct. 10, Texas A&M on Oct. 24, Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and Auburn on Nov. 28.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.  To support his work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News. 



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Alabama teen charged with stabbing mom to death issued vile threat to dad — as new pic shows bloodbath left behind

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Alabama teen charged with stabbing mom to death issued vile threat to dad — as new pic shows bloodbath left behind


The Alabama teen charged in a heinous knife attack on his parents in their sleepy private community hissed that he was “gonna kill” his dad as he allegedly stabbed him — as new photos show the blood-soaked front porch where his butchered mom died.

The grisly scene unfolded on home surveillance footage Sunday night along Augustine Drive in the handsome Belforest complex — which captured the 17-year-old threatening his father, while allegedly knifing him.

“You can hear both of them coming out of the house, and there’s like one scream from the mom,” neighbor Shawn Scurry, 51, told The Post Wednesday.

“Then the dad is arguing with the [son] — and when I say arguing, I mean like, ‘Why are you doing this?’

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“He’s basically saying, ‘I don’t want to die. Please stop. No.’ And then he’s repeating, ‘Somebody help me, please, help me’ very loudly,” Scurry said of the clip. 

Samantha Baker (left) was allegedly stabbed to death by her 17-year-old son — as her husband, Lance Baker (right), begged the boy to stop the sickening attack. Facebook/Lance Samantha Baker

At one point, the audio captures the son “telling [the dad] he was gonna kill him.”

“Those words are in the video,” she said. 

Meanwhile, a large pool of blood stained the front entrance of a neighbor’s home where cops say 37-year-old Samantha Baker was butchered around 9 p.m. Sunday.

Another haunting image exclusively obtained by The Post shows blood splattered and smeared across a glass window overlooking the spot where Samantha was found dead.

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The bloodbath began after Samantha and her 46-year-old husband Lance Baker got into a heated argument with their 17-year-old son over a disciplinary issue inside their family home, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Captain Justin Correa told The Post Wednesday. 

That’s when the boy — whose name is being withheld by police — turned a kitchen knife on his parents, allegedly stabbing them both “multiple times,” according to Correa. 

A large pool of blood stained the front entrance of the Belforest community home in Baldwin County, where cops say Samantha Baker was found dead from multiple stab wounds Sunday night. Obtained by NY Post
Another haunting video clip exclusively obtained by The Post shows blood splattered and smeared across a glass window overlooking the spot where Samantha was found dead. Obtained by NY Post

The parents fled outside in a desperate bid to escape — but the attack continued.  

Lance’s spine-chilling screams could be heard as he ran door to door down the block, leaving bloodied handprints on neighbors’ front doors while seeking help — with his son right on his tail, according to the traumatized neighbor. 

“It was like fighting off a bee that keeps stinging you,” Scurry said, and claimed that another neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the teen repeatedly stabbing his father outside another nearby home. 

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Correa confirmed that doorbell camera footage of the assault had been handed over to police, and said at least “a few” of the neighbors were not home when Lance was looking for help. 

Lance only “went to doors where people were on vacation — that’s why they didn’t answer, and that’s why he was becoming helpless,” Scurry claimed.  

Scurry, who was home at the time, only became slightly aware of the horror unfolding when she spotted the Bakers’ dog wandering around her front door. 

“I walked with the dog back to their house, rang their doorbell. Nobody answered, and I went around to the garage,” she recalled. 

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That’s when she heard cries in the distance. 

“I heard … ‘Help me.’ I couldn’t find where it was coming from,” Scurry said, adding that she went back into her home after that. 

The bloodbath began after Samantha and Lance got into a heated argument with the knife-wielding son over a disciplinary issue, according to authorities. Facebook/Lance Samantha Baker

The teen eventually retreated to his family’s home and called 911, said authorities, who described the attack as an isolated domestic matter. 

Cops arrested him at the home without incident, according to Correa, who pushed back on reports that the alleged killer barricaded himself inside the house.

As emergency crews flooded their typically quiet street, Scurry said she stepped outside again and saw Samantha’s body before the coroner arrived. 

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“I saw her face down with stab wounds all over her back,” the shaken neighbor said. 

Samantha, a realtor, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Lance, a US Army Reserve Battalion Commander with the 1184th Deployment and Distribution Support Battalion in Mobile, was flown to a local hospital in critical condition, according to cops. 

Nest camera footage from a neighboring home allegedly captured chilling audio of Samantha’s final moments — along with Lance’s frantic pleas for the teen to drop the knife.  Obtained by NY Post

As of Wednesday, the father of two was still in the hospital, where his condition had become stable, Correa said. 

The teen, who will be tried as an adult, is facing charges of murder and attempted murder. He is being held in jail on a $1 million bond after his arraignment on Monday.

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The family’s younger teen son was not at the home at the time of the attack, police said.

“A very sad event for sure,” Correa said.



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Mac Jones asked who was his craziest teammate at Alabama

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Mac Jones asked who was his craziest teammate at Alabama





Jan 8, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Tony Brown (2) against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 CFP national championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mac Jones joined “Bussin With The Boys” and was asked who his craziest teammate ever was, and he went back to his Alabama days to highlight Tony Brown.

Brown is a former Alabama cornerback.

“There’s this guy, Tony Brown,” Jones said. “I don’t know if you guys know him. Look him up on there. His name’s Crazy Tony, but he was a stud at Alabama. He played on that defense with like Daron Payne, like all those guys, Minka (Fitzpatrick), everybody. He played in the league for a little bit. He was the man, like scout team, me and him. Every day, like going at it, like pretty much fighting. He was just crazy, dude. I’d throw a dig route over the middle, and he would just crush our scout team receiver. Like, Mac Hereford… he would go over the middle and Crazy Tony would just crush him. Saban would just look the other way. I’m like, dude, he just got smoked. Like, what are we doing? It’s like same thing, fighting at practice and stuff. But he was a great teammate. He just had his thing on the field where it was like he just blacked out. It wasn’t because he was a bad guy or anything. That’s what he does. He goes and knocks people out.”

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Brown played for Alabama from 2014 to 2017, and he was a part of two National Championship teams. He finished his career at Alabama with 89 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions before moving on to the NFL.







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