1 minute ago, Mims44 said:

You need a Trump version of that "lets go brandon" thread for when you get excited lmao.

3 threads in 6 mins dude  

EDIT: 4 now, you made another one as I replied to this hahahah

i have ocd mims........true story. besides it is quiet today for some reason.

cannot vote but he can run for the highest office in the land? wow

“When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous,
but dismay to evildoers.”
(Proverbs 21:15 RSV)

 

i could have not said it any better.................

Happy friday folks! i hope i posted something in many sports to please you guys................

this is semi finals and it was not there yesterday morning.

 

 

 

 

 

I am not real sure where this goes but here it is anyway.

al.com

Goodman: Fire Greg Sankey if the SEC starts cutting sports

Updated: May. 30, 2024, 10:07 a.m.|Published: May. 30, 2024, 6:32 a.m.

6–7 minutes

This is an opinion column.

______________________

SEC spring meetings take place in Sandestin at an expansive resort on the beach.

It’s a beautiful little work junket for the league.

Coaches bring their families. Administrators do, too. There’s a big party with an open bar. There’s free golf. Television executives fly in to keep the wheels of big business well greased. Reporters tag along to cover the shindig, soak it all in and enjoy the scenery.

Everyone acts like important meetings are taking place, but these guys couldn’t even bother to vote for playing nine conference football games last year.

What I’m saying is this: SEC spring meetings are just a big excuse to spend a whole lot of money on nothing.

Because the SEC has tons of money, and the SEC needs to spend all that money on something. After all, it’s a nonprofit organization. Its official mission is to help member institutions organize championship events.

The real mission of the SEC, though, is to generate as much money as possible for everyone except the athletes playing the games.

But that’s about to change.

Goodman: Can Birmingham-Southern still be saved?

Documentary on BSC baseball draws interest from streaming services, producer says

Goodman: Birmingham-Southern swings for the fences one last time

Major donations, positive vibes fueling Birmingham-Southern baseball

Goodman: Inside an ‘insane’ day of food-poisoning and history for Birmingham-Southern baseball

I wonder how many athletes are at SEC spring meetings representing the interests of athletes? Something tells me not enough, if any at all.

Instead, we have guys like SEC commissioner Greg Sankey saying vague things like “hard decisions” will need to be made when the athletes start getting paid. Instead, we have Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne uttering banal words about deferred maintenance for stadiums.

The implication, of course, is that non-revenue sports might need to be cut to pay athletes.

“There may have to be hard decisions,” Sankey said. “Some I can’t even begin to imagine.”

Said Byrne: “Last year, we spent $20 million in deferred maintenance. That’s to make sure steel is reinforced. Concrete is reinforced … deferred maintenance isn’t real sexy but you have to do it.”

Let me just make this emphatically clear. If teams in the SEC begin cutting sports before Sankey and Byrne begin cutting their salaries, then they both need to be fired.

The bald-faced audacity of Sankey threatening “hard decisions” while organizing an opulent all-expenses paid summer vacation for coaches and administrators of his league is so comically ridiculous that it sounds like the idea of a very bad skit on “Saturday Night Live.”

If Sankey wants to keep earning his paycheck, then Sankey needs to figure out how football can make the most money possible. Is it by further ruining college football, or is it by making college football the best version of what it can be?

Maybe start with 10 conference games every year and go from there. Suddenly, these are not hard decisions after all.

It doesn’t take a genius to do simple math.

If Byrne can’t keep the books balanced when it comes time to pay players, then he’s going to need to cut the bloated salaries of coaches, administrators and support personnel. Maybe football teams don’t need so many employees for recruiting and breaking down film after all.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart is set to make $13 million per year. How is Georgia going to pay players? Maybe start by slashing Smart’s preposterous salary down to a measly $2 million a year and go from there.

Sankey makes $3.6 million a year. Byrne makes $2.625 million per year. They should be making no more than university presidents and college deans.

Here’s the truth about college sports. They have to spend what they make. These are non-profits, after all.

No, these were scams. College athletics are big business. It’s just fraudulent business built on a framework that has been deemed to break antitrust laws. For a long time, all the money was given to coaches, athletic directors, construction companies, third-party contractors, etc., etc. The list goes on and on.

Now some of it needs to be given to players.

Major college athletics are ways for executives and coaches to bilk the system for millions of dollars because they didn’t have to pay the employees. Welp, not anymore.

The Olympic sports aren’t going anywhere. It’s the runaway salaries of guys like Sankey and Byrne that need to be wiped from the books. These are just college sports, after all. That’s what everyone with a microphone keeps saying. College sports are different. College sports aren’t pro sports.

Exactly right. Then why do administrators need to make multi-million dollar salaries when the athletes get nothing?

It was illegal all along and no one is letting them off the hook if they continue stealing money by cutting college sports.

SOUND OFF

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind for the mailbag. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com

Georgia Tech transfer, Auburn commit Miles Kelly withdraws from NBA Draft

Published: May. 30, 2024, 6:42 p.m.

2–3 minutes

Bruce Pearl gives offseason updates on Auburn Basketball during his charity golf event Monday

After initially committing to Auburn on Sunday, Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly officially withdrew his name from consideration in the NBA Draft 2024, according to a press release from the league.

It’s a largely expected move that virtually confirms Kelly will come to Auburn. He has yet to sign with Auburn as of the NBA’s announcement Thursday evening. Kelly is one of 93 players to withdraw and return to college, according to the press release.

The deadline to withdraw and return to college with their remaining eligibility was Wednesday.

Kelly led Georgia Tech in scoring last season with just under 14 points per game. He was brought in as the last piece to complete Auburn’s 2024-25 roster, which has now filled the spot of all five key departures it took.

After Auburn made several attempts to land another guard to add depth to the position, Kelly ultimately became the answer. Once he signs and is added to Auburn’s roster, it will be the finalization of the 2024-25 team. Kelly is the only remaining unsigned addition for next year’s team.

Auburn will likely start Furman transfer JP Pegues at point guard and returning guard Denver Jones at the same shooting guard position. Kelly and incoming freshman Tahaad Pettiford will be the top guard options off the bench.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

As Auburn basketball has reloaded what SEC teams have the strongest rosters

Nathan King

11–14 minutes

The SEC looks to be an absolute juggernaut in its first season as a 16-team league, as several other programs besides Auburn have also enjoyed strong offseasons of roster moves

Auburn isn't the only team in the new-look SEC feeling good about its roster this offseason.

The Tigers' work in the transfer portal is complete, and many other programs have put the finishing touches on their teams, too. And Wednesday's NBA draft deadline provided some further answers for the SEC's outlook next season, including the news that Alabama point guard Mark Sears will return to school, giving Auburn's Johni Broome some competition for preseason player of the year in the conference. With the rosters mostly set across the league, let's take a look at how the transfer portal and other offseason movement has treated Auburn's SEC cohorts, and how things compare to the Tigers' healthy roster.

We'll go in order of 247Sports' SEC power rankings, published last week. The obvious caveat here is that teams aren't necessarily finished adding through the portal — especially those that had massive roster rebuilds on their hands, like Arkansas and Kentucky. But at this point in the offseason, most scholarship spots have been accounted for, so there's a good idea of what all 16 teams will look like — especially after the added clarity from some NBA draft decisions Wednesday.

AUBURN 

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 1

Departing: F Jaylin Williams, G Aden Holloway, G Tre Donaldson, G K.D. Johnson, G Lior Berman

Returning: C Johni Broome, G Denver Jones, F Chad Baker-Mazara, F Chris Moore, F Chaney Johnson, C Dylan Cardwell

Newcomers: G JP Pegues (Furman transfer), G Tahaad Pettiford (No. 27 overall recruit), G Miles Kelly (Georgia Tech transfer), F Jahki Howard (No. 53 overall recruit), Ja'Heim Hudson (SMU transfter)

Likely starting lineup

G JP Pegues

G Denver Jones

F Chad Baker-Mazara

F Chaney Johnson

C Johni Broome

ALABAMA

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 2

Departing: G Aaron Estrada, G Rylan Griffen, F Nick Pringle, F Sam Walters, G Davin Cosby Jr., F Mohamed Wague, G Kris Parker

Returning: G Mark Sears, F Grant Nelson, G Latrell Wrightsell, F Jarin Stevenson, F Mouhamed Dioubate

Newcomers: G Labaron Philon (No. 32 overall recruit), F Derrion Reid (No. 16 overall recruit), F Aiden Sherrell (No. 30 overall recruit), F Naas Cunningham (No. 39 overall recruit), G Aden Holloway (Auburn transfer), G Houston Mallette (Pepperdine transfer), G Chris Youngblood (USF transfer), C Cliff Omoruyi (Rutgers transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Mark Sears

G Latrell Wrightsell

G Chris Youngblood

F Grant Nelson

C Cliff Omoruyi

TENNESSEE

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 3

Departing: F Dalton Knecht, F Josiah Jordan-James, G Santiago Vescovi, C Jonas Aidoo, F Tobe Awaka, G DJ Jefferson, G Freddie Dilione

Returning: G Zakai Zeigler, G Jordan Gainey, G Jahmai Mashack, C JP Estrella, G Cameron Carr, F Cade Phillips

Newcomers: G Bishop Boswell (No. 87 overall recruit), G Chaz Lanier (North Texas transfer), C Igor Milicic Jr. (Charlotte transfer), C Felix Okpara (Ohio State transfer), F Darlinstone Dubar (Hofstra transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Zakai Zeigler

G Chaz Lanier

F Jahmi Mashack

F Darlinstone Dubar

C Felix Okpara

TEXAS A&M

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 4

Departing: G Tyrece Radford, G Eli Lawrence, F Wildens Leveque, G Bryce Lindsay

Returning: G Wade Taylor IV, F Henry Coleman, F Solomon Washington, F Andersson Garcia, G Hayden Hefner, G Manny Obaseki, F Jace Carter

Newcomers: G Andre Mills (No. 81 overall recruit), F George Turkson (No. 113 overall recruit), G Zhuric Phelps (SMU transfer), C Pharrel Payne (Minnesota), F CJ Wilcher (Nebraska)

Likely starting lineup

G Wade Taylor IV

G Manny Obaseki

F Zhuric Phelps

F Solomon Washington

C Pharrel Payne

FLORIDA

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 5

Departing: G Zyon Pullin, G Riley Kugel, F Tyrese Samuel, G Julian Rishwain, C Aleks Szymczyk 

Returning: G Walter Clayton Jr., G Will Richard, F/C Alex Condon, C Micah Handlogten (medical redshirt), F Thomas Haugh, G Denzel Aberdeen, G Kaijus Kublickas 

Newcomers: G Isaiah Brown (No. 114 overall recruit), C Olivier Rioux (No. 302 overall recruit), G Alijah Martin (FAU transfer), C Rueben Chinyelu (Washington State transfer), F Sam Alexis (Chattanooga transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Walter Clayton Jr.

G Alijah Martin

G Will Richard

F Sam Alexis

C Alex Condon

ARKANSAS

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 6

Departing: F Makhi Mitchell, F Jalen Graham, S El Ellis, F Jeremiah Davenport, F Chandler Lawson, F Trevon Brazile, G Tramon Mark, G Khalif Battle, G Davonte Davis, G Layden Blocker, G Joseph Pinion, C Baye Fall, F Denijay Harris

Returning: None

Newcomers: G Boogie Fland (No. 20 overall recruit), F Karter Knox (No. 23 overall recruit), F Billy Richmond (No. 25 overall recruit), G DJ Wagner (Kentucky transfer), C Zvonimir Ivisic (Kentucky transfer), F Adou Theiro (Kentucky transfer), F Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee transfer), G Johnell Davis (FAU transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Boogie Fland

G Johnell Davis

F Karter Knox

F Adou Theiro

F/C Jonas Aidoo

KENTUCKY

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 7

Departing: F Antonio Reeves, F Tre Mitchell, G Rob Dillingham, G Reed Sheppard, F Justin Edwards, G DJ Wagner, F Adou Theiro, C Zvonimir Ivisic, C Aaron Bradshaw, F Jordan Burks, G Joey Hart, C Ugonna Onyenso

Returning: None

Newcomers: G Travis Perry (No. 77 overall recruit), F Trent Noah (No. 109 overall recruit), F Amari Williams (Drexel transfer), G Koby Brea (Dayton transfer), G Lamont Butler (San Diego State transfer), G Otega Oweh (Oklahoma transfer), F Andrew Carr (Wake Forest transfer), C Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State transfer), G Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia transfer), F Ansley Almonor (Farleigh Dickinson transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Kerr Kriisa

G Lamont Butler

F Koby Brea

F Andrew Carr

C Brandon Garrison

OLE MISS

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 8

Departing: F Allen Flanigan, C Jamarion Sharp, C Moussa Cisse, G Brandon Murray, F Reshaud Marshall, G Austin Nunez, F Cameron Barnes

Returning: G Matthew Murrell, G Jaylen Murray, F Jaemyn Brakefield, G TJ Caldwell, G Robert Cowherd

Newcomers: C John Bol (No. 61 overall recruit), Eduardo Klafke (No. 194 overall recruit), G Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech transfer), F Dre Davis (Seton Hall transfer), F Davon Barnes (Sam Houston State transfer), F Malik Dia (Belmont transfer), F Mikael Brown-Jones (UNC Greensboro transfer)

Likely starting lineup 

G Sean Pedulla

G Jaylen Murray

F Jaemyn Brakefield

F Dre Davis

F Malik Dia

TEXAS

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 9

Departing: G Max Abams, F Dylan Disu, G Tyrese Hunter, F Dillon Mitchell, G Ithiel Horton, G Brock Cunningham, G Chris Johnson, G Alex Anamekwe

Returning: C Kadin Shedrick, G Chendall Weaver, F Ze'Rik Onyema, F Devon Pryer

Newcomers: F Tre Johnson (No. 6 overall recruit), F Nicolas Codie (No. 71 overall recruit), G Jordan Pope (Oregon State), G Tramon Mark (Arkansas), F Jayson Kent (Indiana State), G Julian Larry (Indiana State), F Malik Presley (Vanderbilt)

Likely starting lineup

G Jordan Pope

G Tramon Mark

F Tre Johnson

F Jayson Kent

C Kadin Shedrick

MISSISSIPPI STATE

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 10

Departing: C Tolu Smith, G Dashawn Davis, F DJ Jeffries, F Jimmy Bell, G Shakeel Moore, G Trey Fort, F Jaquan Scott

Returning: G Josh Hubbard, F Cameron Matthews, F KeShawn Murphy, G Shawn Jones, C Gai Chol, F Adrian Myers

Newcomers: G Dellquan Warren (No. 78 overall recruit), F Eric Paymon (No. 112 overall recruit), G Kanye Clary (Penn State transfer), G Claudell Harris Jr. (Boston College transfer), F RJ Melendez (Georgia transfer), G Riley Kugel (Florida transfer), C Jeremy Foumena (Rhode Island transfer), F Michael Nwoko (Miami transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Kanye Clary

G Josh Hubbard

G Riley Kugel

F Cameron Matthews

F Michael Nwoko

MISSOURI

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 11

Departing: G Sean East, G Nick Honor, F Noah Carter, C Connor Vanover, F John Toje, F Jesus Carrelo Martin, G Curt Lewis, C Jordan Butler

Returning: G Tamar Bates, G Caleb Grill, G Anthony Robinson, F Aidan Shaw, C Trent Pierce

Newcomers: F Annor Boateng (No. 24 overall recruit), C Peyton Marshall (No. 59 overall recruit), F Marcus Allen (No. 69 overall recruit), C Trent Burns (No. 103 overall recruit), G T.O. Barrett (No. 139 overall recruit), F Jacob Crews (UT Martin transfer), G Tony Perkins (Iowa), G Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky transfer), F Mark Mitchell (Duke), C Josh Gray (South Carolina)

Likely starting lineup

G Tony Perkins

G Tamar Bates

F Jacob Crews

F Mark Mitchell

C Josh Gray

OKLAHOMA

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 12

Departing: G Javian McCollum, G Rivaldo Soares, G Otega Oweh, G Miloz Uzan, G Le'Tre Darthard, G Maks Klanjscek, C John Hughley, G Kaden Cooper

Returning: F Jalon Moore, F Sam Godwin, C Luke Norweather, F Yaya Keita, F Jacolb Cole

Newcomers: F Kuol Atak (No. 123 overall recruit), G Dayton Forsythe (No. 246 overall recruit), G Duke Miles (High Point transfer), F Jeff Nwanko (JUCO), G Jadon Jones (Long Beach State transfer), G Kobe Elvis (Dayton transfer), G Brycen Goodine (Fairfield transfer), F Mohamed Wague (Alabama transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Duke Miles

G Jadon Jones

G Jeff Nwanko

F Jalon Moore

F Sam Godwin

GEORGIA

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 13

Departing: G Noah Thomasson, C Russel Tchewa, F Jabri Abdur-Rahim, F RJ Melendez, G Justin Hill, F Jalen Deloach, F RJ Sunahara, F Frank Anselem, F Matthew Alexander-Moncrieffe, F Mari Jordan

Returning: G Silas Demary Jr., B Blue Cain, F Dylan James

Newcomers: F Asa Newell (No. 18 overall recruit), C Somto Cyril (No. 41 overall recruit), G Jordyn Kee (No. 297 overall recruit), G Dakota Leffew (Mount Saint Mary's transfer), G Tyrin Lawrence (Vanderbilt transfer), F RJ Godfrey (Clemson transfer), G De'Shayne Montgomery (Mount Saint Mary's transfer), F Justin Abson (App State transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Silas Demary Jr.

G Tyrin Lawrence

G Dakota Leffew

F Asa Newell

F Justin Abson

SOUTH CAROLINA

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 14

Departing: F BJ Mack, G Ta'Lon Cooper, G Meechie Johnson, C Josh Gray, F Stephen Clark, G Ebrima Dibba

Returning: F Collin Murray-Boyles, F Myles Stute, F Zachary Davis, G Jacobi Wright, F Benajmin Bosmans-Verdonk, G Morris Ugusuk, F Arden Conyers

Newcomers: G Cam Scott (No. 45 overall recruit), F Okku Federiko (No. 158 overall recruit), F Nick Pringle (Alabama transfer), C Jordan Butler (Missouri transfer), G Jamarii Thomas (Norfolk State transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G Jamarii Thomas

G Cam Scott

F Myles Stute

F Collin Murray-Boyles

C Nick Pringle

VANDERBILT

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 15

Departing: G Ezra Manjon, G Tyrin Lawrence, F Ven-Allen Lubin, G Evan Taylor, F Collin Smith, F Jason Rivera-Torres, F Taso Kamateros, G Paul Lewis, G Isaiah West, F Malik Presley, F Carter Lang, F Lee Dort

Returning: F JQ Roberts

Newcomers: G Karris Bilal (No. 241 overall recruit), G Tyler Tanner (No. 147 overall recruit), G Jason Edwards (North Texas transfer), G Grant Huffman (Davidson transfer),  G AJ Hoggard (Michigan State transfer), F Devin McGlockton (Boston College transfer), F Tyler Nickel (Virginia Tech transfer), G MJ Collins (Virginia Tech transfer), F Jaylen Carey (James Madison transfer), G Chris Manon (Cornell transfer), G Alex Hemenway (Clemson) transfer), F Kijani Wright (USC transfer)

Likely starting lineup

G AJ Hoggard

G Jason Edwards

G Chris Manon

F Devin McGlockton

F Kijani Wright

LSU

247Sports spring power ranking: No. 16

Departing: G Jalen Cook, F Jordan Wright, C Will Baker, G Trae Hannibal, F Hunter Dean, G Carlos Stewart, G Mwani Wilkinson

Returning: F Tyrell Ward, F Jalen Reed, G Mike Williams III, F Derek Fountain, F Daimion Collins, F Corey Chest

Newcomers: F Robert Miller (No. 70 overall recruit), G Curtis Givens (No. 73 overall recruit), F Vyctorious Miller (No. 74 overall recruit), G Jordan Sears (UT Martin transfer), G Cam Carter (Kansas State transfer), G Dji Bailey (Richmond transfer), C Noah Boyde (JUCO)

Likely starting lineup

G Jordan Sears

G Cam Carter

F Tyrell Ward

F Jalen Reed

F Derek Fountain

theplainsman.com

Auburn men's golf team secures first national championship, caps historic season

4–5 minutes

For the first time in program history, the Auburn men’s golf team is national champions.

The No. 1 Tigers clinched their first national championship on Wednesday, defeating No. 6 Florida State 3–2 at the Omni La Costa Champions Course in California.

 

Throughout the season, Auburn head coach Nick Clinard emphasized that the team’s mission was not complete until they secured the championship. The Tigers’ determination paid off. 

“I’ve got a great group of young men. We’ve got six of the best players in the country,” Clinard said. “We’ve got great leadership with Alex Vogelsong. They went out there today and got the job done.”

With the Tigers and Seminoles tied at two matches apiece heading into the final matchup, Auburn took the title on the 17th hole in match play when senior J.M. Butler made a par putt to win his match 2 & 1, defeating FSU’s Luke Clanton — the No. 5 amateur in the world. 

 

 

“[I'm] glad we could get it done,” Butler said. “I knew we had it in us. All we had to do was go out there and do it, and we did. My trust and my confidence were key in me winning today, combined with all the hours of hard work.”

Auburn’s first point of match play against FSU came from true freshman Jackson Koivun. Koivun was tied with FSU’s Brett Roberts after eight holes, but he gained the lead by winning the ninth and 10th holes, extending his advantage by taking both the 12th and 13th holes. Facing a birdie attempt from Roberts, Koivun made a tough chip-in to win the hole and clinch the match, putting Auburn on the scoreboard.

“I was just happy to be part of it,” Koivun said. “I was just trying to make up and down and was lucky enough to hit the flag and go in. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions. There’s a lot of awards I’ve collected, but this one right here is definitely the biggest one.”

Brendan Valdes also secured a win for the Tigers, finishing his match 4 & 3. Valdes struggled through the front nine — eventually evening out the match score on the fourth hole — but he never trailed on the back nine, finishing with birdies on the 12th and 15th holes. 

“It means everything,” Valdes said. “To get it for guys like J.M. and [Vogelsong], it means the world to see the smile on their faces.”

Auburn’s season — the best in the program’s history — included winning the SEC championship, a second consecutive NCAA Regional title and Koivun receiving the Ben Hogan Award and the Fred Haskins Award, the highest individual honors in college golf.

With 10 tournament wins, including seven consecutive victories to end the season and a national championship, Auburn men’s golf team has solidified its place in the 2024 season, capping off a historic season. 

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Grace Heim | Assistant Sports Editor

Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.

Share and discuss “Auburn men's golf team secures first national championship, caps historic season” on social media.

auburnwire.usatoday.com

Auburn fans celebrate Auburn golf's first-ever national title

Taylor Jones

3–4 minutes

Auburn athletics claimed its 23rd program-wide national championship Wednesday as men’s golf earned its first national championship by taking down Florida State, 3-2, in the NCAA finals at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.

“I’ve got a great group of young men. We’ve got six of the best players in the country,” Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said after leading the program to its first national title. “We’ve got great leadership with Alex Vogelsong. They went out there today and got the job done.”

In the late hours of the day, Auburn’s JM Butler clinched the title by winning the 17th hole after Florida State’s Luke Clanton’s birdie shot just missed sinking into the hole.

“Glad we could get it done,” Butler said following the match. “I knew we had it in us, all we had to do was go out there and do it and we did. My trust and my confidence were key in me winning today, combined with all the hours of hard work.”

Auburn fans were understandably excited to watch the golf program win its first national championship, and shared their enjoyment on X (formerly Twitter). Here is a look at the best reactions to Auburn golf’s first national championship win in program history.

The graphic makes it real

The moment the title was won

Clinard grabs the trophy

This one was more enjoyable to watch

Roll the corner!

Flaunt it!

I absolutely am getting an Auburn Golf National Championship shirt I paid for a lifetime alum years ago get off my lawn War Eagle!

— Delvin (@dee_ray1977) May 30, 2024

Love from another Tiger

Good to see @AuburnMGolf winning their first Natty. That team was absolutely stacked this year and played incredible all year. My wife is very happy and I think my daughter is too as she is a big Aubie fan 😂 https://t.co/3gCwHU0ayd

— Smylie Kaufman (@SmylieKaufman10) May 30, 2024

This team is good, y'all.

Let's put this @AuburnMGolf season into perspective. They just won for the 10th time and it was for the NCAA title. They finished the season with a record of 182-9-1 overall. In 16 tournaments, only nine teams finished ahead of them all year long. That's insane.

— Jason Caldwell (@ITATJason) May 30, 2024

Blizzard warning for the Plains

That feeling when you just lost to Auburn

Way to barn, everyone

Auburn was the best team all year. Congrats to all who barn.

— Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) May 30, 2024

Did Auburn invent golf? People are talking

It's just nice to win one

It's freezing in May

Jackson Koivun is that dude

Newly 19 yr old Jackson Koivun was a flag stick clank away from winning everything this year.

24’ Freshman of Year
24’ SEC Player of Year
24’ Ben Hogan Award Winner
24’ SEC Individual Champ
24’ Haskins Award (Golf’s Heisman)
24’ First Team All SEC
24’ D1 All American
24’…

— Jim (@Cakalacman) May 30, 2024

nbcsports.com

'This was my destiny': Inside the team that brought Auburn its first national men's golf title - NBC Sports

Brentley Romine

12–15 minutes

CARLSBAD, Calif. – The seating area in Bar Traza, Omni La Costa Resort and Spa’s late-night spot for libations and light bites, was jam-packed with Auburn supporters when Tigers senior J.M. Butler walked into the room, still donning his national-championship T-shirt.

The ovation was deafening.

Just a couple hours earlier, Butler had capped a dominant match-play performance with a 2-and-1 victory over Florida State’s Luke Clanton that earned Butler the clinching point and Auburn its first NCAA Championship in men’s golf.

That’s exactly what Butler promised Tigers head coach Nick Clinard as a high-school senior, sitting in Clinard’s office on a recruiting visit and proclaiming, “I want to win a national championship, and if I come to Auburn, that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Here he is now,” Clinard said, “a senior, on his last hole of college golf, and he got it done for us.”

Added Butler: “This was my destiny.”

The top-ranked team in the country entering the week, Auburn not only won 10 stroke-play tournaments, two shy of Cal’s modern-day NCAA record (12, 2012-13), but the Tigers also lost to just nine teams all season – five of those losses came in stroke play at La Costa – and completed the year with a perfect 8-0 record in match play, a ledger topped by Wednesday’s thrilling 3-2 win over fifth-ranked Florida State.

“I told them before we got here, if they won this golf tournament, they could go down as one of the best teams in the history of college golf,” Clinard said, “and I think we’ve accomplished that.”

It took a village.

•••

IN TRUE ROCKY BALBOA fashion, Butler can often be found scaling the thousands of steps at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Most times, he’s alone. And when he’s not doing that, he’s in the gym.

“He’s a big fitness guy,” Clinard says.

Butler, a psychology major who will graduate this summer before embarking on his professional career, says he’s constantly studying the greatest athletes of all-time – how they train, how they think, how they control their breathing. As a Louisville native, Butler especially idolizes legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.

“I’m just trying to figure out what made them great,” Butler said, “and how I can take what they do and add that to my game.”

Butler is only the second player in program history to achieve All-SEC status four times. He spent time as the nation’s top-ranked player as a sophomore, though he truly broke out at last summer’s U.S. Amateur, advancing to the semifinals at Cherry Hills before falling to Ohio State’s Neal Shipley.

On Tuesday at La Costa, Butler got his revenge on Shipley, downing the reigning Masters low amateur, 2 and 1, to help send the Tigers to their first NCAA final. Butler never trailed in any match at nationals, and for the season, he went 6-2 in the format.

For Clinard, despite a “rocky spring” that saw Butler win twice but also finish T-49 or worse three times prior to the postseason, there was no other player he wanted in the anchor spot.

“He’s the guy who wants the golf ball in his hands,” Clinard said. “He just hit clutch shot after clutch shot. A lot of guts, and a lot of heart.”

Butler didn’t lead Clanton, a three-time winner this spring, by more than 1 up until the par-4 15th hole, when Clanton sent his approach bounding over the green, down a steep slope and into the water. Butler then nearly holed a bunker shot at the par-3 16th before sealing the deal with a routine par at the par-4 penultimate hole, where Clanton’s birdie chip hit the back of the cup and bounced out, sending Clanton collapsing to the ground; he’d lay on his back for several seconds.

Moments later, Butler was being mobbed by his teammates, who tackled him to the ground. No uppercut needed.

Still sore from the celebration, Butler said, “I don’t know how you can beat this.”

•••

 

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 28: Jackson Koivun of the Auburn Tigers celebrates with a teammate after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in the semifinals during the Division I Men’s Golf Championship held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 28, 2024 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

NCAA Photos via Getty Images

FOR THE FIRST TIME since Alabama’s Justin Thomas in 2012, a freshman won the Haskins Award, the sport’s only player of the year that is selected by players and coaches. That was Jackson Koivun, who also claimed the Hogan and Nicklaus awards, plus the Phil Mickelson Award as the nation’s top freshman.

“He was the best player in the country coming in,” Clinard said, “but I didn’t think he was going to do this.”

The soft-spoken Koivun finished sixth or better in all but one of his 12 starts. He won the SEC individual title by a whopping six shots and went a perfect 8-0 in match play. In the quarterfinals and semifinals, it was Koivun who made the clinching putt for the Tigers. Not surprising if you consider that Auburn volunteer assistant Buddy Alexander, who won two NCAA titles as Florida’s head coach, called Koivun, “The best putter I’ve ever seen at that age.”

And Alexander coached a guy by the name of Brian Gay.

“He’s dynamic with the flatstick in his hands,” Clinard added.

Perhaps the only weakness in Koivun’s game is his chipping. But what did he do Wednesday to put away Brett Roberts, 5 and 4? He chipped in from behind the 14th green.

“I walked by Brendan Valdes after that, and he goes, “Oh, I guess Jackson let you out of work early today,’” Clinard said, laughing. “He’s just a winner.”

With as much as Koivun accomplished individually this season, he’d never smiled as wide as he did Wednesday night when asked how an NCAA team title compared.

“This tops all of them,” he said.

•••

SPEAKING OF SMILING, NO one on the Auburn team does it more than Valdes, the junior from Orlando, Florida, who Clinard says has an infectious personality.

“Buddy always tells me, look like you’re having a joyous time,” Valdes said.

After winning four of five holes Wednesday against Frederik Kjettrup to flip their match and take a 3-up lead after 10 holes, Valdes was downright buzzing. Five holes later, Valdes was a 4-and-3 winner.

Valdes also joined Koivun as a first-team All-American, and he might be the most athletic person on the team, according to Clinard. Valdes is a former gymnast who excelled in all five disciplines. He can clear a 48-inch box jump and hovers around 185 mph ball speed. And when he gets hot, he can rattle off birdies with the best of them.

“He’s going to do very well on the Tour,” Clinard said, “because he’s going to have seven to eight weeks where he shoots 20 under.”

•••

 

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Josiah Gilbert of the Auburn Tigers tees off against the Florida State Seminoles in the championship match during the Division I Men’s Golf Championship held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 29, 2024 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

NCAA Photos via Getty Images

CLINARD WAS SPEAKING TO a group of Alabama high school golf coaches a few years ago when one pulled him aside and said, “There’s a kid who just moved here from Australia who you should look at.”

“I’m like, yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” Clinard recalled.

The coach, who coached at a rival high school, replied, “It would be worth your time.”

That kid was Josiah Gilbert.

The son of Jeremy Gilbert, the director of instruction at Capitol Hill in Prattville, Alabama, and the oldest of five siblings, Gilbert never had his own room until moving into his dorm at Auburn. Though under the radar, largely due to the pandemic, Gilbert picked the Tigers over rival Alabama.

But he went eight starts before finally cracking the starting lineup for Auburn at its final event leading into conference, the Mossy Oak Collegiate. Clinard admits he “rolled the dice a little bit” in inserting Gilbert into the counting squad, but he loved his PGA Tour-level skillset. Plus, back in January, Alexander had told Clinard that Gilbert would be in the postseason lineup.

“Just you wait,” Alexander said to Clinard, who was skeptical at the time.

Gilbert took the opportunity and ran with it. He finished solo fifth as the Tigers swept the top five finishing positions. He then closed SECs with a bogey-free 68 before going 3-0 in match play, and he followed that with another top-5 at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.

“I feel like it’s just a matter of time before some of us find our groove,” Gilbert said, “and that’s what I did this spring.”

•••

CARSON BACHA IS THE type of kid, Clinard says, who you’d want you daughter to marry. He’s a skilled ball-striker, a finance major who holds a 3.5 GPA, and unquestionably the smartest worker on the team.

But after a T-11 finish at Auburn’s fall opener, the Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate, Bacha fell out of the lineup. At least until the calendar hits April, Clinard has his players qualify for every spot; Bacha wasn’t playing poorly, he was just on the wrong end of a deep roster.

“It makes you tougher at the end of the year,” Clinard says of his methods.

Bacha, who began working with instructor Mark Blackburn this season to correct his tendency to sometimes over-draw the golf ball, responded, posting six straight top-6 finishes entering SECs. He never surrendered his place in the lineup after that.

“Coach always talks about how this sort of stuff takes all of us, and we’re constantly pushing each other back home,” Bacha said. “Qualifying is one of the hardest tournaments we play all year. Obviously, it’s great to have that kind of depth, and you’re really working hard at home, and when you’re able to break through in qualifying, it really builds confidence.”

•••

 

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Head coach Nick Clinard of the Auburn Tigers celebrates with the trophy as his team looks on after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the championship match during the Division I Men’s Golf Championship held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 29, 2024 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

NCAA Photos via Getty Images

AFTER PROFESSIONAL GOLF DIDN’T work out, Clinard figured his next step would be as a golf instructor. Then, in 2001, UCF was looking for a head men’s golf coach.

So, Clinard dialed then Knights’ athletic director, Steve Sloan, who had recruited Clinard’s brother while the head football coach at Duke. After some conversation, Clinard, a 28-year-old with zero experience, inquired about the job opening.

When he was eventually offered the position, which paid $25,000 per year with no benefits, Clinard jumped at the opportunity, saying, “I’ll take it!”

“My office was in a trailer, and I just went to work,” Clinard said. “And I didn’t really know what I was doing, to be honest.”

Eight years later, Clinard was hired by Auburn. He brought with him future PGA Tour pro Blayne Barber, who helped Clinard lay a strong foundation. He also led the revamp of the Tigers’ practice facility. On the golf course, Auburn has now reached 11 of 13 NCAA Championships under Clinard. The Tigers advanced to the national semifinals in 2018 at Karsten Creek, and in each of the past two seasons, they notched top-10s at the NCAA Championship, though fell just short of match play both times.

“I joked with our A.D.; we’ve now made nine ‘Sweet 16s’ the last 15 years,” Clinard said. “I said, ‘Hell, if I was Bruce Pearl, you’d build me a damn shrine.’”

Added Alexander: “No one works harder than Nick.”

But on the morning of Auburn’s national-championship bout with Florida State, Clinard redirected the praise. He’s long said, as a golf coach, “30% of coaching is golf; the rest is life.” His teams don’t chase expectations but rather standards. None of this is about him.

“I don’t need this win today to validate my career,” Clinard said as he sipped a coffee in the same room that would serve as Auburn’s after-party that night. “I’d love to win one for these players, for all the past players who made this program great, and obviously, would love to win one for the Auburn family.”

If the toilet paper streaming from the oaks at Toomer’s Corner back on the Auburn campus late Wednesday night was proof, the achievement was much appreciated.

And Butler’s guarantee fulfilled.

golfdigest.com

Auburn's golfer of destiny leads Tigers to first NCAA men's golf title

By

7–9 minutes

CARLSBAD, Calif. — A story was making the rounds on Wednesday evening about the meeting J.M. Butler, then a high school senior, had with Auburn men’s golf coach Nick Clinard in his office. The recruit from Louisville, Ky., said very passionately that he wanted to win a national championship in his college career. It didn’t matter that he would be coming to a Tigers program that had never reached the summit.

It made for a tidy full-circle tale when Butler, a senior, secured the winning point on Wednesday as top-ranked Auburn did capture its first national title with a tense 3-2 victory over Florida State at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa to cap the 2024 NCAA Championship. But there are dozens of junior golfers who walk into a coach’s office and say they want to lift a trophy. It’s what they do to make that happen, and in Butler the Tigers got the player who would see it to the finish.

“It’s just a matter of following through and making sure that their commitments match their goals. That’s the biggest thing,” Clinard said on the La Costa North Course’s 17th green as his team celebrated in the background.

“I’ve never seen anybody work as hard as he does,” the coach added of Butler. “He’s so committed on and off the course to be the best version of himself every day.”

Butler described the journey more dramatically. “I just believe it was my destiny,” he said. “I always knew. I just always knew I was going to work as hard as I can every single day. And it didn't matter what was in front of me. As long as I had my teammates, that's all I needed.”

Butler, whose previous time in the national spotlight came when he reached the semifinals of last year’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills, went out as Auburn’s anchor in the No. 5 match against Florida State’s Luke Clanton for good reason: In Tuesday’s quarterfinals and semifinals, Butler didn’t trail once. And though Clinard certainly hoped his team might wrap up the match before needing Butler, he knew there was only one guy to put into that last spot.

“We knew he had a lot of guts, and he had a lot of heart, and he refuses to lose,” Clinard said.

Head coach Nick Clinard of the Auburn Tigers celebrates with the trophy as his team looks on after defeating Florida State.

C. Morgan Engel

In drawing Clanton, who entered the tournament ranked eighth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the 38th-ranked Butler faced an enormous test. And, with the teams trading two wins each in the afternoon’s earlier matches, the focus of about a thousand fans trailing the final twosome was intense.

There were only five holes won between the two over the first 11, and then Butler got the lead when Clanton bogeyed the long par-3 12th. His lead remained 1 up until the short, par-4 15th, when Clanton’s driving-iron tee shot found the first cut of rough, and he suffered a cruel break on the approach when his ball barely rolled over the steep bank behind the green and into the water.

With Butler 2 up, both men faced the ornery tee shot over water at the par-3 16th. Butler skied a beautiful wedge that found the very firm green, but his ball managed to trickle into the back bunker. Clanton matched with his own great shot that stayed on the green, but Butler produced a clutch bunker shot to concession range, and Clanton missed his birdie chance.

Clanton then needed to win the 17th to take the match to 18, but he drove into a fairway bunker and couldn’t get to the green with the second, while Butler was safely on in two. Then, after taking the flagstick out for his pitch, Clanton watched as his ball motored toward the hole, only to hit the back of the cup and bounce out. Might the flagstick have helped?

"He hit a great shot and it just had a little too much speed on it. Maybe if that flag was in, it could have changed it a little bit," FSU head coach Trey Jones said. "If it would have hit the pin and bounced out, we would have been sitting here saying, ‘Why didn’t he pull it?’ That’s the thing about golf."

Butler couldn’t make his birdie, but Clanton, with tears in his eyes, conceded, and Butler’s Auburn teammates rushed onto the green, eventually tackling their leader to the ground.

Minutes later, Butler still looked shellshocked. “I haven't really taken it in yet,” said Butler, wh confirmed that he will turn professional next week. “I feel still like I need to go to the 18th hole and hit a tee shot. I'm just kind of relieved and a little sore from all my guys tackling.”

The contrast of emotions was painfully obvious on the 17th green, with an inconsolable Clanton being surrounded and supported by his teammates. For a time, Clanton still held his wedge and golf glove in his hand.

"There’s no words for it," Jones said. "You can’t say I’ve been there before and it will be OK; they don’t want to hear that. You only get so many chances at a national championship, and you’re either very fortunate and you’re blessed the opportunity to win one. It didn’t go our way. We didn’t win. Golf is hard."

Later, after he’d posed for photos with his team, Clanton said, “All five of us out there playing today was a goal we were looking for over the last 364 days. To fall just short is really hard to handle, especially with the guys who are leaving. Those guys are brothers to me. I really wanted to give them a national championship.”

Auburn was the dominant team all season, losing only nine times in head-to-head matchups against all teams, and the Tigers won an impressive 10 tournaments, including a seventh straight with the national title. "I think that goes down as one of the best teams in the history of college golf,” Clinard said.

Still, all of that success created enormous pressure on the Tigers to finish it off, and things looked shaky in the early going of the final, with the Seminoles taking the lead in three matches early on.

Florida State, which finished the season at No. 6 in the rankings and was making its first championship match appearance, would get its two victories from a senior and freshman. In Match 1, Cole Anderson staved off a rally from Carson Bacha, 1 up, in the only battle that reached 18. And first-year player Tyler Weaver captured Match 3 over fellow freshman Josiah Gilbert, 2 and 1.

But Auburn was able to answer with a trio of newly named All-Americans in the final three slots. Freshman Jackson Koivun, winner of the season’s Ben Hogan and Fred Haskins awards, played up to his billing by capturing three straight holes to defeat FSU senior Brett Roberts, 5 and 4. And in the penultimate match, Auburn junior Brendan Valdes, another first-team All-American, came back from an early deficit by winning five of the last nine holes to beat Seminoles senior and No. 13-ranked Frederik Kjettrup.

The title for Auburn was a long time coming, with the Tigers having made 28 previous trips to the NCAA finals, while only making the match-play cut once.

"It doesn’t even feel real to be quite honest,” said Clinard, who is in his 15th season at Auburn’s helm. “We worked so hard for this, and I just got some great players and some great young men. I'm just so happy for them. It's all about them.”

cbssports.com

Auburn RB Brian Battie improving but could face 'permanent paralysis' after shooting, per court records

Shehan Jeyarajah

~2 minutes

USATSI

Auburn running back Brian Battie could face "permanent paralysis" after a fatal shooting in his hometown of Sarasota, Florida, according to court documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. 

Battie was shot during an incident on May 18 that left his 24-year-old brother, Tommie Battie, dead at the scene. Brian was transported to the hospital in critical condition, where he remains. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze previously revealed a setback in his recovery, which leaves Battie on a ventilator. 

"He's getting better," Freeze told reporters at SEC spring meetings. "[To] honor the family, I don't want to go into too many things, but they appreciate all the prayers, for sure. It's been a difficult time for the whole family, but he seems to be getting better each day." 

The suspect, Darryl Brookins, is in custody after turning himself in to Sarasota County deputies. Brookins was charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a firearm as a felon. Brookins' lawyer claims he was acting in self defense. An affidavit claims there is video evidence of the incident. 

Battie transferred to Auburn from South Florida, where he was a consensus All-American kick returner in 2021. He returned kicks for the Tigers in 2023 and ranked fourth in the SEC with a 23.0 yards per kickoff return. Battie also rushed for 227 yards and a touchdown. 

si.com

Jarquez Hunter ranked as the SEC's second-best RB

Andrew Stefaniak

~2 minutes

This season, the Auburn Tigers are going to try and establish the run every game, and they will do that with their veteran running back Jarquez Hunter.

A year ago Hunter rushed for 909 carries on 159 carries. This gave the star back 5.7 yards per carry on the season, and he scored seven rushing touchdowns. If he had played in the first game of the season against UMass, he more than likely would have over 1,000 yards on the season.

James Fragoza of College Football Network ranked the best running backs in the SEC, and he had Hunter second only behind Trevor Etienne of Georgia.

Hunter is one of the best backs in the SEC, so Coach Freeze and his offensive staff need to make sure that they are feeding him every game. Hunter is going to have a massive season for the Auburn Tigers, and there is no question that he is going to have 1,000+ yards on the ground.

Here is Fragoza's reasoning for ranking Hunter as the second-best running back in the SEC, "All Jarquez Hunter has done in his three-year career is produce. Earning more playing time each season, he has generated 2,177 yards and 17 scores on 352 carries — that’s 6.2 yards per attempt! Even more impressive is the fact that he posted those numbers behind a middling offensive line against SEC defenses. Hunter is also good for roughly 15 catches, 130 yards, and a score as a receiver and holds up well in pass protection. What can’t he do?"

11 hours ago, autigeremt said:

I don’t take it personally. All good. 

if someone accused me of being a trumper i would want to kick off in their behind. and it was sincere. anyway good for you!