4.23.24 Football Articles

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si.com

What Will Auburn's Most Recent Recruit Bring To The Plains?

Brian Smith

~3 minutes

Auburn's 2025 recruiting class resides at 11 verbal commitments and the latest is a versatile defensive back.

With Dante Core joining the Auburn family, the 6-0 and 170-pound cornerback will be able to help the Tigers quickly because he's a physical player, shows good anticipation when breaking on the football, and is a good tackler.

Look for Core to see action as a freshman. With his all-around skills, it's a good bet that the Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) High School cornerback will see immediate opportunities to at least play special teams for the Tigers. Core's junior film will be a pathway to defining how the Tigers can use him in many ways, as he continues to hone his talents.

That's the most physically complex position on the gridiron because tight ends and traditional slot receivers will each line up there, keeping defenses guessing from play-to-play. It's good to have strong and versatile players defending the position, because if not, teams will use a tight end to overpower the slot defender and run the football in addition to throwing wide receiver screens. Defending the shifty slot receivers is not easy either. Core is also capable of making the big play no matter where he lines up.

Similarly, his strength is noticeable. Whether playing bump-and-run coverage or making a tackle, Core's upper body strength allows him to derail a receiver's route or bring down a running back in his tracks. With his physicality, he will have more chances to make plays near the line of scrimmage.

Many cornerbacks struggle with tackling. It's one thing to be physical but quite another to showcase the ability to line up a shifty running back and bring the opposition to the ground. Core does a quality job of getting low and running through the midsection of a ball carrier. His coverage skills are distinguishable.

Core's ability to anticipate and break on a pass in the air is also a way he changes high school games. The SEC level is more challenging but he changes direction well when moving out of his backpedal. That skill is a must for corners and defensive backs overall. As Core continues to improve, he can become a starting corner for the Tigers.

He's more advanced as a tackler than most prep defenders, shows the awareness and natural physical tools to be an SEC cornerback, and still has room to improve. Auburn's latest verbal commitment is one Tigers fans should be happy about.

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al.com

Auburn’s Brian Battie and brother reportedly fired back at man who shot him in head, court records state

Updated: May. 22, 2024, 9:34 p.m.|Published: May. 22, 2024, 8:55 p.m.

3–4 minutes

FILE - Auburn running back Brian Battie (21) runs with the ball during the first half of an NCAA football game against Massachusetts on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. A Sarasota man has been charged with murder in a shooting that killed the brother of Battie and left Battie and three other men injured. (AP Photo/Stew Milne, File)AP

Details of the shooting that critically injured Auburn running back Brian Battie and killed his older brother, Tommie Battie IV, came into focus on Wednesday with news reports gathered from Florida court records, 911 calls and newly released videos from the scene.

A report from the Tampa Bay Times, referencing a probable cause affidavit against suspect Darryl Bernard Brookins, 28, claims Brian Battie was shot in the head and transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, while Tommie Battie IV suffered a fatal gunshot to the chest.

AL.com’s attempts to obtain the arrest affidavit were not immediately successful.

On Wednesday, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brookins, who was booked into the Sarasota County Correctional Facility on charges of murder, attempted murder, and as a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the Times’ report, video from surrounding businesses showed Brookins leaning against a window of the Tallywood Centre Plaza in Sarasota around 3:30 a.m. Saturday when the Battie brothers approached him.

Brookins went on to draw a firearm and began shooting at the brothers, who both returned gunfire before falling to the ground, The Times’ report, citing the affidavit, continued.

In 911 recordings obtained by FOX 13 News, witnesses can be heard frantically pleading for ambulances to be sent to the scene of the incident outside a hookah bar in the 3400 block of 17th Street.

“We need an ambulance, not the police! Hurry up,” a female caller yelled over the phone to the 911 operator.

Another male caller told the 911 operator that he wasn’t sure if the victims were breathing and that “there’s just blood everywhere.”

“It doesn’t look like they’re breathing, sir. I just need ambulances here,” the male caller continued.

Deputies found Tommie Battie IV deceased, while four other victims, Battie and three people ages 36 to 46, were sent to local hospitals.

In a video obtained by ABC7, a Sarasota-area news station, a large group of people in a parking lot can be seen reacting to the gunfire and taking cover behind videos. The timestamp on the video is 3:11 a.m.

According to the Times’ report, Brookins fled the scene on foot and was the subject of several Crimestoppers tips that indicated he shot the Battie brothers in the hours that followed the incident.

There has been no update on Brian Battie’s condition since Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze took to social media Monday and asked for prayers as Brian Battie was “still on a ventilator” after suffering a “set back” the night prior.

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al.com

Suspect in shooting that injured Auburn’s Brian Battie, killed his brother arrested

Updated: May. 22, 2024, 5:01 p.m.|Published: May. 22, 2024, 12:57 p.m.

~3 minutes

Auburn running back Brian Battie (21) tries to elude the pursuit of Alabama linebacker Quandarrius Robinson (34) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

An arrest has been made in connection to a Sarasota shooting that left Auburn running back Brian Battie in critical condition and his older brother, Tommie Battie IV, dead.

Darryl Bernard Brookins, 28, of Sarasota was arrested Wednesday by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Task Force, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a press release.

Brookins had been identified as the suspect in the shooting that place near the Tallywood Centre Place in the 3400 block of 17th street in Sarasota, Florida, early Saturday morning.

Brookins has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and as a felon in possession of a firearm. He will be booked into the Sarasota County Correctional Facility.

According to the initial press release from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the scene at approximately 3:30 a.m., where they found a large crowd with multiple shooting victims in the parking lot.

Among those victims was Brian Battie, who Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze said was on a ventilator in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday.

Brian Battie’s older brother, 24-year-old Tommie Battie IV, was pronounced dead at the scene, Sarasota Director of Community Affairs Evan Keats confirmed to AL.com on Saturday.

On Sunday, a GoFundMe campaign was launched in effort to support the Battie family.

“With all of the emotional pain and stress that tragedy brings, it also brings financial burdens,” wrote the campaign’s organizers.

“We would like to raise money for the Battie family to help with unforeseen funeral expenses and medical bills. The family is understandably shocked by this loss and not prepared for all that is happening at this time.”

With a goal of $100,000, the campaign has raised more than $94,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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al.com

Additional network to air CFP games through ESPN sublicense

Published: May. 22, 2024, 3:33 p.m.

3–4 minutes

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 08: A view of the The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy during the 2024 CFP National Championship game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies at NRG Stadium on January 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. The Michigan Wolverines won 34-13. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)Getty Images

ESPN has reached a five-year agreement for TNT Sports to sublicense select College Football Playoff games, beginning with the upcoming college football season.

TNT Sports will present two first-round CFP games during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. TNT Sports will add two quarterfinal games each year starting with the 2026 season and going through the 2028 season.

“It is exciting to add TNT Sports, another highly respected broadcaster, to the College Football Playoff family,” Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, said in a released statement. “Sports fans across the country are intimately familiar with their work across a wide variety of sports properties over the past two decades, and we look forward to seeing what new and innovative ideas they bring to the promotion and delivery of these games.”

ESPN will present all other College Football Playoff games on its networks, including the annual CFP national championship game.

“We’re delighted to reach this agreement with ESPN, providing TNT Sports the opportunity to showcase these College Football Playoff games on our platforms for years to come,” Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, said in a statement. “TNT Sports aims to delight fans and drive maximum reach and engagement for these marquee games.”

This year will mark the expansion of the CFP from four teams to 12. The four highest-ranking conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and receive first-round byes. The CFP first round will consist of four games played at home campus venues, with teams seeded 5-8 hosting teams seeded 9-12.

“ESPN is pleased to sublicense to TNT Sports a select number of early round games of the College Football Playoff, an event we’ve helped to grow – alongside the CFP – into one of the preeminent championships,” Rosalyn Durant, ESPN executive vice president, programming & acquisitions, said in the statement. “We’re confident in the reach and promotion that this new agreement will provide as we enter the new, expanded playoff era.”

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