Alabama
Trick-or-Treating with the Tide: Alabama players share Halloween favorites
No. 14 Alabama’s bye week comes at a crucial moment for the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff aspirations. Following this week of rest, Alabama will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face off against No. 16 LSU in a make-or-break game for both teams.
As Alabama players heal up from a physical first nine weeks of play, the bye week also comes at a festive time for Crimson Tide players to enjoy a different season—a spooky season. A few Tide players shared their Halloween favorites, including candy, costumes and memories.
Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker has been touted as one of the top offensive line prospects eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft. In the same way that the 2023 All-SEC first-teamer is slated to be one of the more popular names among NFL general managers next April, Booker shares the same favorite Halloween candy as most of America: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Booker plans to enjoy the rest of his midseason break by returning to his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut but said one of his favorite Halloween memories occurred recently in Tuscaloosa. He and his partner took photos together in a couple’s costume, which Booker said didn’t want to spoil before posting the Halloween photos in a grand reveal on social media.
“My favorite Halloween memory was probably the other night,” Booker said. “I’m going home for Halloween, so my girlfriend and I took pictures in our costumes, and they’ll be dropping later, so be ready for those.”
Booker is a big part of Alabama’s offensive line, but the unit couldn’t be complete without multiple pieces. The same can be said for center Parker Brailsford’s favorite candy.
“Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, besides Christmas,” Brailsford said… “My favorite candy is probably Kit Kat.”
In the same way that Billy Loomis and Stu Matcher wreaked havoc as a partnership in the 1996 horror film “Scream,” the high school and now Alabama defensive duo of Qua Russaw and Que Robinson struck fear into the Missouri sideline when Robinson pressured Tigers quarterback Drew Pyne, leading to Qua Russaw’s first career interception in Week 9.
Russaw may just have a kick for the haunting side of the holiday. His favorite Halloween memory is when he and his brother used to run around their neighborhood while living in Troy, scaring people as children.
Not to be outdone, Robinson has his own Halloween favorites. The linebacker, one of the oldest players on Alabama’s roster as a redshirt senior, says he is a fan of some classics in both the candy and costume department.
“I might be showing my age a little bit, but I’m in love with the Twizlers and Swedish Fish,” Robinson said. “My favorite costume would probably be when I was Optimus Prime when I was younger.”
Once the bye week and Halloween warps up, Alabama’s players will go from spooky season to working to avoid another scare on the road. The Tide will face LSU inside Tiger Stadium in Week 11. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and be broadcast on ABC.
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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Alabama
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.
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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