Birmingham-Southern College is broadening its search for a buyer for its 192-acre campus by soliciting offers outside the state of Alabama. The shuttered institution announced it is working with a New York-based real estate brokerage to market the sale of the campus, which closed in May.

“BSC continues to have productive discussions with prospective buyers from within Alabama,” Daniel Coleman, president of Birmingham-Southern told AL.com. “However, given our responsibility to obtain the best price on the best terms for the campus, we are also open to approaches from outside the state. We will not disclose the details of our interactions with any prospective buyers.”

BSC retained Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC and JLL executive vice president Hugo Isom of Birmingham to market the property as a “rare opportunity” to acquire the “largest college campus for sale” in the United States.

In a surreal one-page flyer advertising the campus for sale, BSC is referred to as a “Turnkey World-Class Campus” with 60 buildings on 192 acres.

Birmingham-Southern College to officially close

“This is the premier college campus available for sale in the U.S. right now. It would be perfect for a college or university looking to expand or establish a satellite medical, technology, life science or other specialty campus,” David Levy, managing director of Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC, said.

Birmingham-Southern’s financial challenges stemmed from a series of management and fiscal missteps. According to Alabama State Treasurer Young Boozer, the private college miscalculated millions in Pell Grant awards, depleted a $130 million endowment, and faced a downgrade of its bonds to junk status by Moody’s Investor Service. Boozer denied the school a $30 million loan approved by state lawmakers in 2023 due to insufficient collateral.

Alabama A&M University made an offer to purchase the campus for approximately $52 million in May. Separately, a collective offer was being considered by a consortium of Alabama HBCUs. The A&M proposal, which eventually totaled $65.5 million, was ultimately rejected, and other HBCUs are still exploring options to purchase the campus.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270

In one of two major college football polls, Alabama football will begin its 2024 season with its lowest ranking since 2009.

The Tide was picked No. 5 in Monday’s preseason AFCA coaches poll, compiled by the USA Today. That ends a streak of 14 seasons (2010-23) in which Alabama began in the top three of the coaches poll.

The last time Alabama football was ranked outside of the top three of a preseason coaches poll was 2009, when it began No. 5 after a 12-2 season in 2008. The Tide was unranked in the preseason coaches poll in 2008.

The Tide coming in at number 5, huh? I get it, there’s no Saban and all that…. But still, the disrespect is strong and will be noted.

Really, it’s the undying love for Oregon that’s got me a little confused on all of these preseason polls. The Ducks just lost their 6th-year senior QB to the first round of the NFL Draft and are now going to have to play in a more competitive conference than they were before.

And if you’re interested in how these rankings would line up in the new Playoff format:

Alabama was ranked fifth overall in Monday’s poll, the first time since before the 2009 season that the Crimson Tide is not ranked in the top three of the preseason Coaches Poll, and the team was not one of the three to get a first-place vote. It is the third-highest ranked team from the SEC, meaning if these rankings were identical to the ones that will eventually take shape on Selection Day, Alabama would not get a bye.

The teams seeded fifth through 12th will play against one another in the postseason extravaganza’s opening round. Alabama would be seeded seventh, hosting 10th-ranked Michigan at Bryant-Dennt Stadium in a Rose Bowl rematch. Texas, new to the SEC as well, would get the No. 6 ranking as it finished one spot ahead of the Crimson Tide in the poll.

The Tide would be playing Michigan as a wildcard match, and Alabama would not have a bye week.

DeBoer enters his debut season following the retirement of longtime coach Nick Saban in January. DeBoer brings nearly an entirely new coaching staff to Tuscaloosa, led by offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.

To keep talking season going as practice gets going in Tuscaloosa, The Tuscaloosa News asks you how many games do you think Alabama football will win this season?

Voting is now open and will remain open until noon CT on Sunday.

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If you think that #5 rating is too low… Now’s your chance to vote with the Tuscaloosa News on how well you think Alabama will do this year.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers may just have two superstars on their hands with two in-state highly touted freshmen wide receivers.

For Auburn, it comes via Cam Coleman of Central Phenix City, who last season helped the Red Devils end the Thompson run of dominance in Class 7A with an MVP performance in the state championship game.

Coleman was a top-five recruit in the entire nation and has received nothing but great reports from Tigers staff throughout the spring. The official Auburn social media page shared an image of him coming down with a sensational one-handed grab at practice over the weekend.

Not to be outdone, Alabama freshman Ryan Williams out of Saraland, who skipped his senior year and reclassified after becoming the first player to ever win back-to-back Mr. Football awards, made a similar catch in practice that circled social media over the weekend as well.

There’s been something of a Twitter feud making its rounds over the last month or so with Auburn fans relentlessly hyping up Cam Coleman and going out of their way to trash talk about Ryan Williams.

I suppose it’s only natural since both would have been the #1 WR in most any given recruiting class, but Williams reclassifying to 2024 group at the last minute makes the rankings interesting and a bit ambiguous. Add in that they’re from the same state and went to rival schools, and we could have an even more heated version of the Julio Jones – AJ Green rivalry 15 years ago.

Finally, we have updated heights and weights on the official roster.

Go check out my other article on this specifically if you want the details, but the biggest changes are Tyler Booker dropping all the way down to 325, Parker Brailsford adding 15 pounds, and Keon Keeley officially moving to the line of scrimmage, bulking up over 30 pounds to 277.

Alabama’s tradition of getting prominent speakers to address the football team during fall call continued with head coach Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide welcoming Hunter Pinke. He was a tight end and team captain for North Dakota before breaking his back in a skiing accident in 2019. The spinal-cord injury left Pinke paralyzed from chest down. He was subsequently a member of Arizona’s wheelchair basketball team and is now a motivational speaker.

“I don’t actually know for fact that y’all are gonna win a national championship this year, but the direction has been set. It’s to be a champion everyday,” Pinke said in reference to the comparison between the two percent chance he walks again and the uncertainty of the future in anything, such as football. 

DeBoer had Pinke, who has a ‘No Bad Days’ mantra, speak to his team last year at Washington. Former head coach Nick Saban was known for brining in speakers during fall camp and DeBoer wants to continue the custom. 

“We will certainly have some guys. I think first year especially, It’s important to me to lay that culture, make sure it’s right where we want it,” DeBoer said during a recent post-practice press conference when asked about if guest speakers would be invited during his time in Tuscaloosa.

Former Alabama standout cornerback Terrion Arnold was being evaluated for a concussion after taking a big blow from opposing lineman, Andrew Thomas, during a joint practice between the Lions and Giants. Arnold was selected 24th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by Detroit. He’s is vying for a starting corner position.

Incidentally, there were more than 10 fights during the joint practice. Lions head coach Dan Campbell said “I told them, man, like we always do, we’re competing. We’re not pulling back. But this will be evaluated like a game, so if you do something that’s going to cost us in a game that’s part of the evaluation.”

• Morgan Dennis Morris was named the new director of operations for the gymnastics program. The former Crimson Tide gymnast was the 2007 floor exercise national champion. Robin Kelley retired earlier this week after serving in the role for 20-plus years.

• Former Alabama defensive lineman Braylen Ingraham, who transferred to Syracuse to give football another shot, suffered an Achilles tear that will likely end his playing career. “He will not be playing at Syracuse anymore,” head coach Fran Brown told reporters, adding that he hopes to get him into coaching after surgery. The injury didn’t happen during fall camp, with Brown only saying it happened “a while ago.”

• On August 4, former Alabama softball pitcher, Kayla Beaver, started her first game in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball League.

• Former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback, Jalen Hurts, was named ambassador for Global Flag Football.

• Former Alabama kicker Will Reichard drilled a 58-yard field goal in practice. Among the rookies especially he’s been the buzz of training camp with the Vikings.

25 Days

August 6, 1968: Former Alabama running back Siran Stacy was born in Geneva, Ala.

August 6, 1986: On the opening day of practice, Coach Ray Perkins said his team was a top-five squad if it can overcome one of the nation’s most challenging schedules. ‘We play Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame, Penn State, LSU and Auburn. That’s a real challenge,” Perkins said. 

“I was down in Geneva, Alabama, at a place called ‘The Bottom.’ I saw it on black and white TV one Saturday morning. You had to twist the antenna just to get a signal. I saw a man standing under the goal post and a whole bunch of guys running on the field wearing red jerseys. That ignited a dream inside me. I said from that moment on, ‘I’m going to play for that man.’”

–  Siran Stacy