Georgia
Florida, Georgia communities pay final respects as Army Sergeant killed in Jordan is returned home
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/02-14-2024/t_2bfab6d6c0fd4f9ab25bcdb6dd1148e1_name_file_960x540_1200_v3_1_.jpg "Florida, Georgia communities pay final respects as Army Sergeant killed in Jordan is returned home")
WAYCROSS, Ga. — US Army Sergeant Kennedy Sanders has returned home to Waycross.
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Hundreds of Floridians and Georgians lined the US 1 stretching from Jacksonville to Waycross Wednesday, as the funeral procession for a 24-year-old soldier brought her casket back to her hometown.
The funeral procession from Jacksonville marked the final stretch of a roughly 7,000-mile journey back home after Sanders and two other soldiers were killed by a drone attack launched by Iranian-backed militias while serving in Jordan last month.
Family, friends, and community members released balloons as the hearse reached its final destination at the Fluker Funeral Home.
The thundering engines of more than 100 motorcycles bid farewell to the soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for her country.
“I’m just grateful for so many people showing them so much love,” said Yolando Rivers, Sanders’ family friend and former employer.
Read: A moment of silence in Waycross; fallen soldiers return home after deadly drone strike in Jordan
Rivers told Action News Jax Sanders lived her life with a dedication to serving others.
“Just think about even her working at the pharmacy. It wasn’t something that was on her goal list to do, but I needed somebody, so she was there for me,” said Rivers.
Waycross Mayor Michael-Angelo James knew Sanders from an early age and served as her family pastor.
“I loved her smile. She’s not only brawny, brainy, but beautiful,” said James.
James said the tragedy of Sanders’ loss has generated an incredible outpouring of support, respect, and unity.
Her sacrifice serves as a reminder to us all of the true cost of freedom and the courage of those willing to put their lives on the line to defend it.
“It’s connecting not only cities and counties but states and the nation,” said James.
The funeral service for Sanders is scheduled for 11:00 this Saturday at the Ware County Middle School Auditorium.
There will be another procession following the service which will end at Oakland Cemetery, where she’ll be laid to rest.
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The SEC has announced the future Georgia football conference opponents for the 2026 through 2029 seasons.
Georgia will face Florida, South Carolina and Auburn every season. The SEC announced on Friday that the annual opponents will be revisited every four seasons.
Georgia football future SEC opponents, schedule
- 2026: Florida (Atlanta), at South Carolina, Auburn, at Alabama, at Ole Miss, at Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Vanderbilt
- 2027: Florida (Tampa), South Carolina, at Auburn, at Kentucky, at Texas, at Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee
- 2028: Florida (Jacksonville), at South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas, at Oklahoma, at Missouri, at Vanderbilt
- 2029: Florida (Jacksonville), South Carolina, at Auburn, Kentucky, Texas, Texas A&M, at LSU, at Mississippi State, at Tennessee
“it’s hard. I mean, it’s brutal. And everybody’s the same,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Tuesday night. “I mean, we all gotta play each other. It’s really tough, highly ranked teams, physical teams. It’s just going to continue to be a grind. I mean, looking forward with the nines coming, it’s going to be scary because you just don’t have enough. Nobody has enough depth.”
Dates for the 2026 schedule will be announced in December, according to the conference. The schedules will be flipped in 2028 and 2029 from the home-road splits in 2026 and 2027.
In its scheduling outline, the SEC made it clear it wants competitively balanced schedules, which will be determined using the entire schedule and not just the annual opponents. Tennessee reportedly will face Alabama, Vanderbilt and Kentucky in each of the next four years. The latter two are not exactly football powerhouses.
According to the SEC, the highest opponent average winning percentage for any school in the 2026-29 schedules is 55.67% while the lowest is 46.65%, a difference of only 9.02%. From 2020 through 2023 — when the league still used the divisional format — the highest winning percentage was 61.32% and the lowest was 39.76%.
In addition to nine conference games, the SEC stipulates that schools face one Power Four in its nonconference scheduling.
Georgia’s game against Georgia Tech satisfies that requirement. Georgia has future nonconference games against Louisville, Florida State, Clemson and Ohio State on its schedule for the time being.
As it stands, Georgia has 13 games scheduled for the 2025 season. The Bulldogs have nonconfernce games against Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Louisville and Georgia Tech.
“We’re working through that right now, and a lot of that’s going to be determined as we learn when and where our schedule is going to be in the next few weeks,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said. “But that’s something we’re attacking right now to see what our options are going to be in 2026. So we’re going to take it one year at a time right now. The first focus is going to be on 2026 and then 2027 and moving on. So still a lot of work to be done, and I work closely with Coach Smart and Mark Robinson and the league to kind of figure out what is that going to mean for our schedule moving forward.”
Georgia takes on Alabama this week, with the game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The grounds for his arrest are still unknown, even to his attorneys.
We’re back for another week of college football action and the slate is loaded, including three games between ranked opponents.
Here’s how to watch in Week 3. Scroll down for live scores, highlights and more.
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Here are the best games this Saturday:
Clemson at Georgia Tech (+3), Noon ET, ESPN: The Tigers are just 3-point favorites ahead of their first road game. It’s a sign that expectations for Clemson have been way off. With Haynes King back, the Yellow Jackets will want to keep it on the ground.
Georgia at Tennessee (+4), 3:30 p.m., ABC: Has Georgia’s offense been good enough ahead of this pivotal SEC game? Saturday is the day to air it out as Tennessee will be without its top two corners again.
South Florida at Miami (-17.5), 4:30 p.m., The CW: The Bulls are the surprise team so far this season. Can they pull off a third straight upset, or will the ‘Canes handle business?
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Florida at LSU (-7), 7:30 p.m., ABC: This game was going to be the day’s marquee matchup before Florida’s loss to USF. A Florida victory would certainly quiet the idea that Billy Napier is on the hot seat.
Texas A&M at Notre Dame (-6.5), 7:30 p.m., NBC: Aggies QB Marcel Reed has thrown for seven TDs so far and A&M’s offense has racked up 953 total yards. The Irish will surely try to get the ball to their star running backs after a subpar opener.
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