Coast Guard Graduates First Class at New Birmingham-Southern Training Center

Inaugural 29-member leadership class marks major milestone as Coast Guard shifts FORCECOM and enlisted leadership training to former Alabama college campus

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | The U.S. Coast Guard has graduated its first class at Training Center Birmingham-Southern, marking a major milestone in the service’s transformation of the former Birmingham-Southern College campus into a national hub for leadership development and force readiness.

Twenty-nine students completed the Coast Guard’s Leadership and Management School, or LAMS, becoming the first service members to graduate from the newly established Alabama training center.

Rear Adm. Matthew Brown, commander of Coast Guard Force Readiness Command, presided over the ceremony.

The graduation comes just months after the former college officially transitioned into TRACEN Birmingham-Southern on June 5, 2026, beginning a new chapter for the historic campus and significantly expanding the Coast Guard’s training footprint.

The service plans to make Birmingham-Southern the new home of Force Readiness Command, or FORCECOM, currently relocating from Norfolk, Virginia, and the Leadership Development Center, moving from New London, Connecticut.

More than 30 permanent Coast Guard personnel have already transitioned to Birmingham, including Brown.

Vance Pledges Help for Airman’s Widow as Benefits Dispute Exposes Confusion for Combat Families

Air Force says, Maj. John “Alex” Klinner’s family has received all eligible combat-related benefits after his widow’s viral account prompted a Pentagon review and White House attention

BIRMINGHAM, AL | Vice President JD Vance has pledged to help the family of an Air Force officer killed during U.S. combat operations against Iran after the airman’s widow publicly described difficulties determining whether her family qualified for certain combat-related military benefits.

But the case has since taken an important turn: The Air Force says a review confirmed that the family of Maj. John “Alex” Klinner received all combat-theater benefits for which he was eligible, while his widow has clarified that her family’s military benefits were not broadly denied or withheld.

The episode nevertheless highlights a complicated issue facing military families after a combat death: navigating the distinctions among casualty benefits, special military pays, combat-zone tax treatment and administrative classifications while grieving the loss of a service member.

Klinner, 33, was one of six airmen killed March 12 when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting U.S. operations against Iran. He served with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron in Birmingham, Alabama, and was the squadron’s chief of Standardizations and Evaluations.

Marine Corps Plans 6,500-Billet Expansion to Reinforce Infantry, Drone Warfare and Pacific Forces

Five-year force expansion will add Marines to 19 infantry battalions, autonomous systems units, counter-UAS defenses, and new specialties as the Corps prepares for a more dispersed, technology-driven fight

PARRIS ISLAND, SC | The Marine Corps is preparing to add more than 6,500 billets over the next five years, expanding infantry formations, drone and counter-drone capabilities, precision fires and specialized technical career fields as the service reshapes itself for future conflicts.

The expansion represents a significant manpower component of the Corps’ continuing modernization effort, pairing additional personnel with investments in autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, robotics, sensors and long-range fires.

Under the plan, the new billets will be distributed across 64 initiatives, including reinforcing forces oriented toward the Pacific, establishing additional unmanned aircraft training capacity and creating new military occupational specialties.

The Corps is targeting roughly a 4% increase in end strength by 2031, followed by an additional 1% increase by 2032.

The changes suggest Marine leaders see manpower — particularly Marines with specialized technical and combat skills — as essential to translating years of modernization investments into battlefield capability.

Notre Dame Overpowers Wisconsin 41-13 With Dominant Second Half at Lambeau Field

 CJ Carr throws for 239 yards, Aneyas Williams scores twice, and DJ McKinney delivers a 55-yard pick-six as the Fighting Irish overwhelm the Badgers in the Shamrock Series

GREEN BAY, Wis. | Notre Dame turned a three-point halftime advantage into a Lambeau Field rout.

The Fighting Irish erupted for 28 second-half points and smothered Wisconsin’s rushing attack after halftime to pull away for a 41-13 victory in the 13th edition of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series.

Quarterback CJ Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards, distributing the ball to nine receivers, while Aneyas Williams rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns. The Irish defense supplied one of the game’s defining moments when DJ McKinney intercepted an overthrow and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.

After taking a 13-10 lead into halftime, Notre Dame outscored Wisconsin 28-3 over the final 30 minutes and held the Badgers to just 1.4 yards per rushing attempt in the second half.

What began as a mistake-filled, tightly contested Shamrock Series matchup ended as an emphatic showcase of Notre Dame’s balance, depth and defensive strength.

Auburn Edges Baylor 17-16 in Aflac Kickoff Thriller as Eric Winters Saves Tigers at Goal Line

Bryum Brown scores the go-ahead touchdown late, while Winters’ game-saving tackle on a two-point try seals Alex Golesh’s first victory as Auburn coach

ATLANTA | Auburn opened the Alex Golesh era with a finish that instantly felt bigger than a normal season opener.

The Tigers survived Baylor 17-16 on Saturday night in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scoring the go-ahead touchdown late and then stopping the Bears inches short of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt with 11 seconds remaining.

Quarterback Bryum Brown broke a 10-10 tie with an 11-yard touchdown run after directing a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes. Then linebacker Eric Winters delivered the defensive play of the night, tackling Baylor tight end Matthew Klopfenstein just short of the end zone to preserve Auburn’s one-point victory.

It marked Auburn’s first one-point win since the 2010 Iron Bowl and gave Golesh a dramatic victory in his debut.

Alabama Opens 2026 Season With 48-10 Rout of East Carolina Behind Keelon Russell’s Debut

Crimson Tide quarterback accounts for 342 total yards; Ryan Coleman-Williams tops 100 receiving yards and Alabama’s defense smothers ECU in dominant opener

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. | Alabama opened the 2026 season with the kind of performance expected from a national contender.

The No. 13/11 Crimson Tide rolled past East Carolina 48-10 on Saturday at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, combining an explosive offensive debut from quarterback Keelon Russell with a suffocating defensive effort that held the Pirates to just 162 total yards.

Alabama finished with 487 yards of offense, scored on all six of its first-half possessions and received contributions from nearly every part of the roster.

Russell, making his first career start, accounted for 342 total yards, completing 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards while rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown.

That total ranks second in Alabama history for a quarterback making his starting debut, just one yard behind Bryce Young’s 343-yard performance.

Keelon Russell Makes Immediate Impact

Russell looked comfortable from the opening possession.

He directed Alabama to points on its first drive and continued to move the offense throughout the first half, accounting for 236 total yards before halftime — the most by an Alabama quarterback in one half during a starting debut.

The Crimson Tide amassed 304 yards in the opening half and scored on every possession, building a commanding 38-7 halftime lead.

Russell’s athleticism gave Alabama an added dimension, particularly when plays broke down.

He finished the first half with 182 passing yards and 54 rushing yards before adding his first rushing touchdown late in the second quarter on a 3-yard run.

For Alabama, the debut offered an encouraging glimpse of what its offense could become with Russell at the controls.

Maryland Crushes Hampton 62-0 as Terps Extend Nation-Leading Nonconference Winning Streak

DeJuan Williams erupts for a 94-yard touchdown run; Maryland rushes for six scores, and the defense holds Hampton to 85 total yards in a dominant 2026 season opener

COLLEGE PARK, Md. | Maryland did not simply open the 2026 season with a win. The Terrapins delivered a statement.

Maryland overwhelmed Hampton 62-0 on Saturday night at SECU Stadium, extending its nation-leading nonconference winning streak to 19 games while producing one of the most complete season-opening performances in program history.

The Terrapins rushed for 365 yards and six touchdowns, piled up 646 total yards and held Hampton to just 85 yards of offense. Maryland also forced three interceptions, recorded five sacks, and limited the Pirates to six first downs.

It was Maryland’s first season-opening shutout since 2019 and its highest-scoring performance since a 62-0 win over Howard in 2021.

The Terrapins also extended their streak to 16 consecutive season-opening victories against nonconference opponents.

Michigan Stuns Western Michigan With 47-Yard Hail Mary on Final Play of Season Opener

JJ Buchanan delivers a Michigan Stadium miracle as No. 16 Wolverines overcome three turnovers and a late five-point deficit to escape Western Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. | Michigan needed one second, one throw and one remarkable catch to turn what appeared destined to be a stunning season-opening defeat into an unforgettable victory.

With No. 16 Michigan trailing Western Michigan by five and the clock about to expire, quarterback Bryce Underwood launched a desperation pass toward the end zone. JJ Buchanan came down with the 47-yard Hail Mary as time expired, delivering a dramatic walk-off touchdown and sending Michigan Stadium into celebration.

Call it the Michigan Miracle.

For a Wolverines team that struggled offensively for much of the afternoon, the final play erased nearly everything that had gone wrong. Michigan overcame three turnovers, a 30% third-down conversion rate and a Western Michigan offense that controlled the football for long stretches of the second half.

Most importantly, the Wolverines escaped their opener with a victory, improving to 9-0 all-time against Western Michigan.

JJ Buchanan Becomes Michigan's Opening-Day Hero

Buchanan could hardly have picked a more dramatic moment for his first touchdown in a Michigan uniform.

Trailing by five with only 35 seconds remaining, the Wolverines pushed the ball to midfield and managed to preserve one final second.

That was enough.

Underwood sent the football deep, and Buchanan emerged with the 47-yard touchdown reception on the game's final play.

San Diego State Rolls Past Portland State 53-20 as Aztecs Launch Pac-12 Era in Style

Lucky Sutton rushes for three touchdowns; Jaylon Hawkins electrifies Snapdragon Stadium with a 100-yard kickoff return as SDSU turns special-teams takeaways into a season-opening rout

SAN DIEGO | San Diego State could hardly have scripted a more emphatic beginning to its new era.

The Aztecs opened their season — and their first campaign as members of the Pac-12 Conference — with a 53-20 victory over Portland State on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium, combining a punishing rushing attack with explosive special teams and timely defensive plays.

San Diego State seized control after an early 6-0 deficit, scoring 29 points on four consecutive possessions over a span of just more than a quarter. By halftime, the Aztecs had transformed a competitive opening into a 29-6 advantage.

And once they took the lead, they never surrendered it.

The 53 points represented San Diego State's highest scoring output since a 55-0 victory over Hawai'i on Nov. 5, 2016, at Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs also won their home opener for the 11th time in their past 12 opportunities.