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Dear Annie: Trying to get pregnant is straining my relationship

Dear Annie: I’m struggling badly with something that occurred over a week and a half ago. I’m a mom. My son is 15. I’ve been dating a man for two years now, but I’ve known him for over six. He has no kids and has always expressed his interest in becoming a dad.

A year ago, we decided to try for a baby, but I was a bit hesitant considering my son is 15 and I was 35. In my head, that’s kind of old, particularly for me because I’m not very healthy. I have sickle cell disease, so I’d capped my latest age to give birth at 32. He’s a good man to me, and my son’s very fond of him. He told me I wouldn’t have to worry about a thing and that he was preparing for a child for a while now, but it simply didn’t happen. I also knew he would be a great dad, so we agreed to try, and now I’m 36 and expecting.

My issue is that we had an argument the other day and he texted me that he regretted getting me pregnant. I was so hurt. I couldn’t believe he would say such a thing after none of his other relationships produced a child.

Now I’m not speaking to him because I’m very upset, and I told him I will not add his surname to the baby’s birth certificate if he’s so regretful. He’s tried to apologize and reached out to my mom to vent his frustration, but I don’t want to hear from him. I didn’t wait 15 years just to have some guy say such a horrible thing to me.

Do you think I’m going too far? — Baby Blues

Dear Baby Blues: Your feelings are valid and understandable given the hurtful words exchanged.

Words, especially in moments of anger, can leave lasting scars. Communication is crucial here. It’s important to address the hurt and the root cause of the argument to understand whether this was momentary frustration or indicative of deeper problems.

Evaluate the relationship’s overall health and what future you see with him. Is this a one-off or a red flag? Consider if you can overcome this with time, conversation and possibly counseling. The choice on how to move forward should align with what’s best for you and your child.

Read more Dear Annie and other advice columns.

“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].

General

Class 7A No. 2 Thompson splits doubleheader with No. 8 Spain Park

Thompson’s Drake McBride belted a go-ahead two-run bomb in the fifth inning of a doubleheader nightcap and the second-ranked Warriors rallied to split a first-round playoff series with No. 8 Spain Park, losing 17-8 and winning 11-9, in Friday’s Class 7A matchup in Alabaster.

“It’s going to be a battle like that tomorrow and it’s supposed to be a battle like that,” Thompson coach Frankie Perez said. “I’m super proud of these guys. We get to sleep, come back tomorrow and play at least one more game.”

Thompson (27-10) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning in Game 2, scoring on a triple by D’Marion Terrell and an RBI pop-out from McBride, but James Battersby blasted a two-run triple for the Jaguars and scored on Chapman Blevins a sacrifice fly for a 3-2 Spain Park lead.

The Warriors added another run in the second and Spain Park increased its lead to 7-3 on a two-run single from Coleman Gray, along with two runs scored on a balk and wild pitch.

Thompson retook the lead in the next inning, scoring five runs on a wild pitch, an RBI single from Alex Jones, a two-run double by Bray Smith and a sacrifice fly from Troy commit Peryn Bland. The Jaguars tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a ground out that scored Aiden Berke.

Both teams scored a run in the fourth before McBride put the Warriors on top for good with a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the fifth. Spain Park had an opportunity to sweep the series with a walk-off in the seventh, but could not complete the rally with the tying runs on base.

Alabama commit Ma’Kale Holden pitched the win in the nightcap, allowing two runs on three hits while collecting five strikeouts. Cooper Cole took the loss for the Jaguars, allowing the winning runs off McBride’s home run.

Spain Park (26-11) started the hit parade in the opener, adding eight runs in the second inning to go up 9-0 on the Warriors. Sam Waldrop opened the scoring frenzy with an RBI single, followed by an RBI walk of Rhys Jones, a sac fly from South Alabama commit Matthew Wildra, a two-run single from Blevins and RBI singles by Berke and Waldrop.

The Warriors carved into the lead on a two-run double from Jones in the second, but Spain Park added another three runs in the third on a two-run homer from Widra and a hit batter bringing in the final run.

“We take every AB at a time,” Widra said. “Every AB is as important as the next one. As long as we get everyone up and taking quality pitches, we’ll be able to hit consistently.”

Spain Park scored five more times in the final two innings while Thompson forced a full seven innings with three runs in both the fifth and seventh frames. Christian Gross earned the win in the opener, allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings of work, and Thompson starter Wyatt Williams was tagged with the loss.

Star of the Game: McBride (Thompson) and Gray (Spain Park). The South Alabama commit (McBride) was 2-of-5 in the nightcap, scoring Terrell on a sacrifice pop-out, and put the Warriors ahead for good with a two-run blast in the top half of the fifth inning.

“We got a good group of guys and we’ve handled adversity all year. We got it done when we needed and our backs against the wall,” McBride said.

Meanwhile, Gray was 0-for-4 in the opener but went 2-of-4 with a two-run single in the nightcap. He totaled three RBIs and successfully stole four total bases in consecutive innings.

Stat sheet: Thompson – Terrell was 3-of-8 in the doubleheader with four RBIs and a triple and homerun, while Jones was a perfect 7-of-7 at the plate, totaling three RBIs with six singles and a double. Holden and Ethan Crook had solo homers in the night cap, the latter adding two RBIs in the opener, and Smith was 2-of-3 with a two-run double in Game 2. Spain Park – Every player that took an at-bat earned an RBI, with the exception of Andrew Thornton, and Widra and Blevins combined to go 4-of-15 with five RBIs in the doubleheader. Battersby was 3-of-5 in the night cap, including a two-run triple, and Waldrop was 3-of-4 in the opener.

Coachspeak: “I told them after Game 1, we’ve been where our backs are against the wall the entire season. These guys are used to that and this is playoff baseball, it’s supposed to be like this. I’m proud of our guys. They got some big hits.” — Thompson’s Frankie Perez

“That’s what we’ve done all year. Try to have collective good at-bats, back-to-back, and bunch them together. We were able to do that but we got to minimize and get off the field. We can’t give up a 5-spot. We can’t help them at all, they’re explosive enough.” — Spain Park’s Will Smith

What’s next: Thompson and Spain Park will meet in a deciding Game 3 on Saturday with the winner advancing to face top-ranked Bob Jones in the second round of the AHSAA playoffs.

General

Kool-Aid McKinstry and the draft: ‘Waiting on God’s timing’

Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry said he was a little surprised to be picked by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night, but he’s looking forward to taking the field in Caesars Superdome for the Black and Gold.

“Last time I played in the Superdome, I went off,” McKinstry said. “I had a great game. We played against Kansas State, so it’d be great if we could continue that.”

The Crimson Tide defeated the Wildcats 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31, 2022, as McKinstry broke up three passes and returned a punt 15 yards.

The Saints were kind of surprised to get McKinstry, too.

New Orleans had only two picks in the first three rounds of the draft, and the Saints used the first one to obtain Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga at No. 14 on Thursday night.

Because New Orleans’ next pick didn’t come until No. 45 – the 13th selection of the second round – the Saints didn’t figure McKinstry would be around.

But in the first round, an unprecedented number of offensive players were picked. With offensive players filling 23 of the 32 selections on Thursday night, some highly regarded defensive prospects got pushed into the second round.

After Friday’s selections opened with two wide receivers, four of the next five picks were defensive tackles before the Philadelphia Eagles chose Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, a player sometimes mocked to them in the first round.

The Saints then traded up to add McKinstry with the 41st selection. New Orleans sent the Green Bay Packers the 45th, 168th and 190th choices to move up four spots.

“We feel like where we got this player, we thought it was really good value for us,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “And so, yeah, I thought there was a chance he could go in the first round.”

The waiting didn’t seem to wear on McKinstry.

“Just waiting on God, man,” McKinstry said. “Just waiting on God. Just putting it in God’s hands and waiting on God’s timing. My time was my time.”

And so the overnight wait didn’t take the joy out of the moment either for McKinstry.

“It felt good, man,” McKinstry said. “All the things I’ve been through as a person, all the work I put in as a football player, it just felt good to hear my name called.”

Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Mashon Lattimore has missed 17 games in the past two seasons with the Saints, who also return their two most active cornerbacks from 2023 – Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo.

Allen said a team “can never have too many good corners.”

“I feel really good about getting Kool-Aid,” Allen said. “I think he’s a really good player, highly intelligent, highly instinctual, has shown the ability to play press coverage. He can play outside. We feel like he can go inside and play inside the nickel, so there’s some versatility that he can play with. And so we really like the player and felt like getting him at that value was the right place to get him.”

A first-team All-American selection for The Associated Press and The Sporting News in 2023, McKinstry said he’s not flashy, but he does get the job done.

“I feel like at cornerback, it’s a position that everyone can see a mess-up, so I play the game the right way,” McKinstry said. “I don’t really gamble unless I know I can make the play. I feel like that’s the way the game’s supposed to be played. Sometime you can gamble and it look good. Sometime you can gamble and it’s going the other way. Like I said, cornerback’s one of those positions that even someone who had never seen a football game or a grandmother that’s never seen football, she know when a cornerback messed up, she know when a receiver done got to a cornerback. Just being honest with you. That’s why I play the game the right way, why I play cornerback the right way because I don’t want to be that guy.”

Allen said McKinstry would train at all the cornerback variations, including as a slot corner, even though he has little experience at that spot.

“When you watch him play and you talk to the staff there, you see a highly intelligent and highly instinctive football player,” Allen said. “You see a guy that has the ability to fit in the run game and play physically. And so when you have somebody who has the coverage skills like he does on the outside and then you combine that with the instincts and the intelligence and you see the willingness in the run game and the physicality, that makes me think he can play inside. And I think coach (Nick) Saban would say he could play inside.”

McKinstry was the first Alabama player picked by New Orleans since the Saints took safety Vinnie Sunseri in the 2014 draft.

Before going to Alabama, McKinstry was the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Mr. Football and Class 6A Back of the Year while playing for Pinson Valley High School in 2020, when the Indians won their third AHSAA Class 6A championship in four seasons.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

General

Today’s daily horoscopes: April 27, 2024

The respite from retrogrades is a good time to consider that progress can look like movement, and it can also look like a stall. Pauses have something to offer. Later, a moment spent waiting around may even be your favorite of the day. Sure, a wrench in the works can cause a grinding halt. But on the bright side, “Hey! A new tool!”

ARIES (March 21-April 19). The path ahead seems obscured by the haze of uncertainty. The most prudent course of action is to pause and allow the weather to change, as it always does. Fog, in particular, can lift within moments and then you almost miss the fleeting mystery.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). In the days of search engines, most success secrets aren’t. We just type the problem in the bar and hit the return key. So when you come across the really interesting and inside information, you feel lucky. In today’s case, you really are!

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Opportunities will be like delicate flowers, requiring careful cultivation and nurturing, or you can just cut them and arrange them in a glass. Sure, they will not continue to grow, but they will make your table lovely for a while.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You have useful talents and qualities that aren’t getting enough attention. Acknowledge and honor the aspects of yourself you want others to recognize; then aim them at those who are most equipped to get it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). High expectations could either encourage or discourage you depending on who they are coming from, how much you want to please the source and your estimation of your ability to meet the demand.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It will be a day of firsts. As arbitrary as the initial move may be, it becomes an anchor for every move after. Keep this in mind before you introduce yourself, hang a price tag on something or give it a name.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Guided by the stars of their own experiences, each soul navigates a sea of emotion alone. You respect this even as you cast your lines of compassion in an attempt to help another find their own harbor of peace.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Discerning one, you will take note of the subtleties that surround you. In acknowledging the contributions of others, you honor their efforts and cultivate a spirit of harmony and collaboration. This is why they keep picking you to lead.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Adaptation is the hallmark of progress. You can do this because your imagination is flexible and it easily embraces the idea that there could be dozens if not hundreds of thousands of ways to solve the same problem.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Pride is the enemy of clarity. It forces us to consider ourselves in the picture — to essentially take a selfie instead of the panorama that will give you the lay of the land. To know all elements in play, take yourself out of the frame.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Past, future and now are obviously three different times, and yet in deep moments of thought, all seem to occur at once. As you consider the moments that have shaped you, you will be simultaneously unlocking your destiny.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Just when you begin to crave a challenge, fear comes knocking. This is how you know you’re on the right track. All you have to do is back down the “beginner” version so the fear that comes knocking is more Girl Scout than wolf.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April 27). It’s like you’re spring itself. Wherever you go, friendships bloom, and in each is an opportunity to expand in the ways that matter to you. More highlights: A new financial strategy will fuel your vision and lead to practical and creative growth. You’ll see interesting places, but your best adventures will lie in the uncharted territories of the heart. Scorpio and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 3, 33, 11 and 5.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Lizzo has released a new swimsuit line through her fashion brand Yitty and through the shapewear-inspired designs declared a trend, explaining that they idea of body positivity has evolved to body neutrality. Whatever form it takes, through music, fashion or other, self-love is at the heart of her art. The Taurus singer has a chart rich in Capricorn powerhouse planets.

Holiday Mathis’ debut novel, “How To Fail Epically in Hollywood,” is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

General

Friday AHSAA area softball tourney roundup: Hoover wins to title game

Class 7A third-ranked Hoover won a pair of softball games on Friday to advance to the championship of Area 5.

The host Bucs (35-7-1) beat No. 10 Tuscaloosa County 10-1 and downed second-ranked Thompson 3-2, securing a spot in next week’s regional tournament.

No. 2 area seed Thompson beat No. 3 seed Vestavia Hills 3-1 in first round double-elimination bracket play while Tuscaloosa County and Vestavia Hills played an elimination game, the winner facing Thompson on Saturday.

Hoover’s Olivia Christian pitched six scoreless innings against Thompson then held off the Warriors for the win.

The Bucs got a run in the third against Thompson when Hannah Christian belted an RBI-double and added two runs in the sixth for a 3-0 lead on Mollie Hanson’s 2-run single.

Thompson scored its two runs in the seventh when Dailynn Motes doubled home Olivia Tindell and Kadyn Bush hit a sacrifice fly to score Motes.

Hoover scored all 10 of its runs in the first three innings and cruised to the victory over Tuscaloosa County.

Bella Foran had a hit and 4 RBIs while Hannah Christian had a hit, 3 RBIs and 2 runs. Lindsey Westhoven belted a solo home run, Ki Davis was 3-for-4 with a triple, 2 RBIs and 2 runs and Mollie Hanson was 2-for-4 with a double.

Kaitlyn Raines pitched the win, allowing 5 hits and striking out 5.

In other area tournament action:

CLASS 5A

Area 1 at Gulf Shores

Winners bracket

Gulf Shores (32-8-2) 15, B.C. Rain 0: Tia Titi had 3 home runs and 6 RBIs.

Gulf Shores 15, Elberta 0: Maddi Nelson, Titi and Anna Leigh Price each had 3 hits.

CLASS 4A

Area 15 at West Limestone

Winners bracket

West Limestone 15, Randolph 0: Aubrey Bethune, Lilly Bethune, Bryleigh Bates, Bella Birdsong and Addie Wallace each had doubles.

Westminster Christian (8-16) 15, St. John Paul II 0: Carleigh Gothart allowed 1 hit – to the game’s leadoff batter Skyler Mullins – and struck out 7 of the 13 batters she faced in the 4-inning win. AP Slayton went 3-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBIs to lead the Wildcats.

Elimination bracket

St. John Paul 9, Randolph 6

Area 16 at Brooks

Winners bracket

Wilson 3, Deshler 0

Brooks 12, Wilson 0: Abby Herndon pitched a 4-inning 2-hitter with 6 strikeouts and slapped a solo home run for the Lions. Faith Roberson went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs, Baylee Darby tripled and drove in 3 runs.

Rogers 6, Central-Florence 5

REGULAR SEASON

Columbia 10, Mae Jemison 0: Emma Newby threw a 5-inning no-hitter, striking out 13 and walking 2. Malaysia Austin was 3-for-4 for the Eagles and Ka’Nijha Arrington had a 2-run sacrifice bunt in the 5-run third inning.

General

No. 7 Spanish Fort sweeps No. 5 Saraland in 6A playoffs

Spanish Fort’s John Henry Winstead struck out the last two batters to escape a bases-loaded jam and end the game as the visiting No. 7 Toros held off No. 5 Saraland 3-1 Friday night to sweep the Class 6A second-round playoff series.

Spanish Fort (26-10), which has won 12 straight games, took the opener 2-1 as shortstop Nemo Hixon turned a double play to end a Spartans threat and the game in the bottom of the seventh. Newton Gardner’s run-scoring double in the top of the sixth inning brought in the winning run.

The Toros continued their playoff mastery over Saraland (26-10), beating the Spartans for the third time in three tries in the playoffs. And, as in last year’s quarterfinals when Spanish Fort twice beat Saraland by a run after losing the opener, the Toros won the close games.

“I couldn’t be more pleased right now,” said Toros coach Tommy Walker, who has 614 career wins, including three state championships at Spanish Fort. “We played so hard. We knew when the game was on the line that we’d come through. We knew we had a good, quality team. Our guys have been there.”

Winstead got the save in the seventh inning of the opener when he got Jameson Curtis to hit a grounder to Nixon, who touched second base to force out the tying run in Cam Warren, then threw on to first base to complete the double play.

Warren then proceeded to throw eight straight balls to open the second game before Cooper Henson came on to steer the Spartans through a bunch of land mines, allowing Spanish Fort to squeeze out only one run with the bases loaded.

“We left a lot on the table,” Walker said.

Winstead, pitching with magnificent composure, folded up the table in the top of the seventh. Trailing 3-1, Saraland’s Mike Smith bounced a ground ball over third baseman Gardner for a one-out single and Winstead walked Santae McWilliams and Brooks Womble to load the bases.

With Winstead nearing the end of his pitch count, Walker came to the mound to check on his pitcher, who had only recently recovered from a labrum injury.

“We weren’t going to take him out,” Walker said. “We were going to win or lose with him. John Henry is the classic three-pitch guy but more than that he’s just got heart. He wasn’t coming out. I knew he didn’t want to and I wasn’t going to ask him. I think he had seven or eight pitches left.”

Winstead then struck out Cam Laffitte and Evan Hilliard swinging on 1-2 counts to leave the bags overflowing with Spartans to end the game.

In the two games, Winstead allowed five hits and a run in eight innings and threw strikes on 78 of 114 pitches. He’s been efficient in the playoffs, allowing only nine hits and two runs while striking out 16 and walking five in 13 innings.

In Game 2, Winstead helped himself with two RBIs — one coming on a bases-loaded walk in the first and when he got hit with the bases loaded in a two-run fifth to give the Toros a 2-1 lead. Grant Howard’s sacrifice fly made it 3-1.

Ethan Kick won the first game, allowing four hits and a run in six innings.

That either Kick or Winstead could pitch so well was remarkable given their health earlier in the season.

“John Henry was coming off a labrum (injury) and Kick was coming off Tommy John (surgery), so we babied them earlier,” Walker said. “We took our time with them. We knew we would need them in the playoffs.”

Their pitching held the top four batters in Saraland’s order — McWilliams, Womble, Laffitte and Hilliard — to a combined 2 of 23 in the two games. McWilliams, the two-sport star and leadoff hitter who had 32 steals in the regular season, didn’t steal a base in the postseason.

Despite those numbers, the Spartans kept both of Friday’s games manageable and coach Brett Boutwell — whose team had to sweep Theodore to reach the playoffs and then came from behind three times to beat Northridge in the first round — was proud of how his players didn’t quit.

“These kids have played four elimination games the last three weeks and fought through it,” he said. “I just knew we were going to get a hit to tie it in the seventh and then get a hit to win it and force Game 3. That’s how we’ve been playing. I never doubted them one bit.”

Henson struck out the last two batters in the first inning of Game 2 to leave the bases full of Toros. He came in with two runners on and no outs and walked Winstead to bring in a run.

“We were hoping Cam would give us three or four innings, but I didn’t know if we could get down big super early, especially after losing the first one 2-1,” Boutwell said. “We couldn’t give up a big number. Cooper came in with nobody out and pitched outstanding.”

Henson (5-2) got the loss, giving up two runs and three hits in 4.1 innings.

Hilliard (7-3) ended his high school career by pitching well but absorbing the loss in Game 1, giving up two runs and five hits in a complete game.

General

Hewitt-Trussville rallies to stay alive against Hoover in 7A playoff

Steele Hall and Drew Ollis powered Hewitt-Trussville to a 12-2 win over Hoover as the Huskies avoided elimination with the Game 2 win in the Class 7A first-round playoff doubleheader at home on Friday. Hoover edged Hewitt 2-1 in Game 1 and the teams will meet on Saturday at Phil English Field at 1 p.m. to decide who advances.

“I am proud of our kids in the way that they bounced back from a tough loss in the opening game of the series,” Hewitt head coach Jeff Mauldin said. “We were one strike away from winning the opening game. I told our kids after that we start the next game scoreless.”

Hall, who was 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs, stroked a 2-run home run in a 6-run second inning in Game 2 for the Huskies. The sophomore shortstop and University of Tennessee commitment, added a two-run double in the third inning.

“He is special,” Mauldin said. “He makes plays defensively that we have never seen anyone else make. He is only improving at the plate.”

Ollis was 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs and drove in the first run in the second inning when he was hit by a Buc pitch.

Pinch-hitter Carter Jackman slapped a full-count pitch to the gap in left field as Hoover scored two runs with two outs in the seventh inning to claim the opening game.

“That was a gutsy call to pitch by coach Moseley,” Mauldin said. “I made a bad pitch call and their guy took advantage of it.”

Jackman’s heroics took place after Will Adams walked and Card Finn singled to open the final inning.

The opening game was a pitcher’s duel with Hoover’s Mason Blasche, who will play at Samford, limiting the Huskies to a single hit while striking out 5.

Hewitt-Trussville had opened the scoring with an unearned run in the third inning. Ollis reached on an error. Pinch-runner William Lamons scored on Hall’s single.

General

High surf advisory issued for Mobile and Baldwin counties for Sunday and Monday – breaking waves of 4 to 6 feet expected

A high surf advisory was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 9:57 p.m. valid from Sunday 1 a.m. until Monday 6 p.m. for Mobile and Baldwin counties.

The weather service states, “Large breaking waves of 4 to 6 feet expected in the surf zone from late Saturday night through Sunday night. Waves will gradually diminish through Monday but still remain 4 to 5 feet through early Monday evening.”

“Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water,” adds the weather service. “Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don’t swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.”

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

General

Saban on what Jermaine Burton needs to do to succeed in the NFL

No one has ever denied Jermaine Burton’s talent, and he put it on display while playing wide receiver at both Alabama and Georgia the last four seasons.

Burton was selected in the third round (No. 80 overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2024 NFL draft Friday night. He was the sixth Alabama player off the board this year, the second offensive player.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Burton totaled 79 receptions for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns with the Crimson Tide the last two seasons after transferring from Georgia, where he won a national championship in 2021. But it was off-field concerns that limited Burton’s level of success in college, and might have caused his draft stock to drop somewhat.

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban addressed those issues after Burton was drafted on Friday.

“He is a tremendous competitor,” Saban said on ABC’s NFL draft coverage. “He’s got great quickness. He’s got really good speed. He can come in and out of a break. He can beat man-to-man.

“I really, really like this guy, (but) the No. 1 thing that he needs to do — and I think emotional maturity is the best way to say it — is do the right things all the time. He does the right things on the field. He knows the importance of what he has to do in the field. He wants to be a player. That’s all he thinks about.

“But you’ve got to do the right things in your life all the time so that you can do the best things that you can do on the field and be the best you can do. … When you get emotional, you make bad decisions and lose your brain.”

Burton was the third Alabama player drafted on Friday, after cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (Saints) and linebacker Chris Braswell (Buccaneers) both went in the second round. Offensive tackle JC Latham (Titans), linebacker Dallas Turner (Vikings) and cornerback Terrion Arnold (Lions) were selected in the first round on Thursday.

General

Alabama WR Jermaine Burton taken by Bengals, picked 80th overall in NFL Draft

Jermaine Burton will be a Bengal. Cincinnati made Burton the 80th overall pick and the 16th selection of the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Burton was Alabama’s first skill position player selected. Two of his former teammates went earlier in the evening: Kool-Aid McKinstry (41st overall to New Orleans) and Chris Braswell (57th to Tampa Bay). Burton transferred to UA ahead of the 2022 season and was the Tide’s top receiving option. Now, he becomes a target in Joe Burrow’s offense.

He scored eight times in two seasons with Georgia, including a 57-yard touchdown in the 2021 Rose Bowl against Michigan. In 26 games with UA, Burton made 79 catches for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished his career with two Southeastern Conference championships and was a constant deep-ball threat.

Burton averaged more than 20 yards per touch and his big-play ability was never more apparent than last October at Texas A&M. He exploded for 197 yards and two touchdowns as Jalen Milroe developed. After a strong combine showing, Burton was the 12th pass-catcher selected.

“I really, really like this guy. The No. 1 thing he needs to do, and I think emotional maturity is the best way to say it, is do the right things all the time. He does the right things on the field. He knows the importance of what he has to do on the field. He wants to be a player that’s all he thinks about,” his former coach Nick Saban said on ESPN’s live broadcast analysis.

In 2022, Burton was part of a controversy when he and a fan scuffled during a field storming in Knoxville. (He was never punished by the team or the conference.) Burton is the first UA wide receiver to be selected since Jameson Williams and John Metchie went in the first- and second-rounds, respectively, in the 2022 draft.

Last month, Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins requested a trade, per ESPN. Needing a dynamic downfield threat, Cincinnati opted for another SEC standout.

Alabama 2024 NFL draft picks

Round 1

7. JC Latham, Tennessee Titans
17. Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings
24. Terrion Arnold, Detroit Lions

Round 2

41. Kool-Aid McKinstry, New Orleans Saints
57. Chris Braswell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 3

80. Jermaine Burton, Cincinnati Bengals

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].