
Lipscomb's Lennie Acuff is heading home to Alabama to take job at Samford
Acuff had winning records in five of his six seasons at Lipcomb, with this past season's team sweeping the Atlantic Sun regular-season and tournament championships before losing to Iowa State in March Madness and finishing 25-10.
The 60-year-old Acuff is a native of Huntsville, about 90 minutes northeast of Birmingham, and was head coach at Division II Alabama-Huntsville from 1997-2019. Lipscomb athletic director Philip Hutcheson said Acuff couldn't pass up the chance to return to his home state, where his adult children and extended family live.
'While we are disappointed that he is leaving, we understand the attraction of being close to one's family and we wish him continued success in this new opportunity,' Hutcheson said.
McMillan left Samford on Saturday to take over at Texas A&M. The Bulldogs were 22-11 this past season with a loss to George Mason in the NIT. They were 99-52 in five seasons under McMillan and drew national notice in the 2024 NCAA Tournament when they narrowly lost to Kansas in the first round.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Jordon Hudson and Bill Belichick's ex, Linda Holliday, attend same Nantucket party months after holiday clash
It seems the ice has thawed in Nantucket. Jordon Hudson and Linda Holliday were spotted at the same Massachusetts fundraiser on Saturday, roughly eight months after Bill Belichick's current gal pal and his ex-girlfriend, respectively, clashed at a holiday affair. TMZ reported Monday that 'no issues were seen by partygoers' at the Boston Pops on Nantucket soiree, which is 'believed to be [Hudson and Holliday's] first public run-in' since the Nantucket Dreamland encounter last December, when Holliday confronted Hudson. 5 Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson in February 2025. Getty Images 5 Linda Holliday, who previously dated Bill Belichick, was at a fundraiser in Nantucket over the weekend that Jordon Hudson also attended. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Holliday — who split from Belichick, 73, in 2023 after 16 years of dating — told organizers at the December 2024 gathering she felt Hudson's 'presence was inappropriate, since the event was widely advertised as a party headlined by her daughters,' and asked a staffer to 'remove Ms. Hudson from the premises,' according to an incident report obtained by TMZ in May. Holliday and two others confronted Hudson on the dance floor, and when a staffer approached Hudson about whether 'she thought it was a good idea to be there,' the former college cheerleader defended herself, stating she hadn't done anything wrong. 5 Linda Holliday and Bill Belichick dated for 16 years before their breakup was reported in 2023. Getty Images for Churchill Downs However, the fireworks didn't stop there as Hudson claimed to the event staffer that her friend, former Miss Massachusetts USA Melissa Sapini, was 'seemingly threatened by Ms. Holliday, saying that if Ms. Sapini valued her current title, she should think twice about who her friends are and that she, Ms. Holliday, had many powerful friends in the pageant organization,' per the incident report. Sapini joined Hudson for Saturday's festivities. 5 Jordon Hudson with close friend Melissa Sapini. jordon/Instagram Hudson shot to immediate fame last June when she and Belichick went public with their relationship. Controversies have followed the couple in the months since, including a CBS interview debacle in April when Hudson punted a question about how she and Belichick met. Recently, the former Miss Maine USA contestant made headlines for cold-calling podcaster Charlotte Wilder, who has discussed her romance with Belichick on 'The Sports Gossip Show' with Madeline Hill, and later gave her take on the matter. 5 Controversies have followed Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson since the couple went public with their romance in 2024. Instagram/@jordon_isabella Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl-winning NFL coach, is gearing up for his first season in the college ranks as UNC's football coach. The Tar Heels host TCU in their season opener on Sept. 1.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Still nursing a back injury, Matthew Stafford doesn't join practice with Rams as originally planned
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Quarterback Matthew Stafford did not practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Monday as originally scheduled. The 37-year-old Stafford has yet to practice in training camp or the preseason this summer while dealing with back soreness. Coach Sean McVay said last weekend that Stafford would participate in individual work Monday morning, but Stafford instead attended the practice in street clothes at the Rams' training complex in Woodland Hills. McVay has repeatedly downplayed the severity of Stafford's latest injury, claiming the quarterback could play in games if the Rams were in the regular season. Stafford went through a lengthy workout last Saturday before the Rams' preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, making roughly 70 throws of all lengths. But the Rams are remaining cautious with their Super Bowl-winning quarterback at the start of his 17th NFL season. Stafford led the Rams to the playoffs in three of his first four seasons on the West Coast. Jimmy Garoppolo is the Rams' backup quarterback. Neither Garoppolo nor Stafford will play in the preseason, leaving the Rams' three exhibition games to Stetson Bennett, who played well in the Rams' 31-21 win over Dallas. ___ AP NFL: The Associated Press


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Cowboys 53-man roster prediction after preseason opener: Last 4 in, First 4 out
The Cowboys performance in their first preseason game left a lot to be desired. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer promised that he was going to keep things extra vanilla throughout the preseason, including Saturday's opener against the Los Angeles Rams, saving his bullets for when the carnage actually mattered. He certainly didn't send his best into the field of battle, resting starters up and down the lineup. The result was predicatable, a less-than-competitive, 31-21 beatdown that required two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make it seem close on the scrolls. An interesting takeaway from the game though is the number of healthy scratches. Presumably, players who were able to play, but were protected from injury during a meaningless game have an extremely strong chance of seeing the initial 53-man roster. With that in mind, it's time for another stroll the the projection game, trying to see who the last four in and first four out are, to borrow from March Madness. Quarterbacks (3 of 3) Dak Prescott, Will Grier, Joe Milton There's no question the Cowboys are going to protect Milton, but Saturday night shows he may have a long way to go before he can be an in-game replacement for Prescott in case of injury. That's the exact scenario Grier found himself in and he entered Saturday's game late and proved capable of leading a scoring drive. If a roster spot is needed to protect a non-vested veteran, Grier is a perfect player to put on the practice squad (not subject to waivers) and elevate for the first three weeks until a spot opens up due to injury. Running Back (4 of 7) Javonte Williams, Phil Mafah, Jaydon Blue, Hunter Luepke Last 4 In / First 4 Out: Mafah over Miles Sanders For now, seeing how they protected Luepke on Saturday, it's a question as to whether or not Mafah has anything special to his game and this projection leans towards the staff liking his upside more than what Sanders. This is admittedly the least confident of the projections, but Sanders making the practice squad and being elevated in Week 1 is the thought process here. Tight End (3 of 10) Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Luke Schoonmaker Last 4 In / First 4 Out: Schoonmaker over Rivaldo Fairweather It still wouldn't shock if the Cowboys try to find a trade partner for Schoonmaker, which would open things up for Fairweather to make the club. With Luepke's versatility, there's an outside shot the Cowboys carry just two natural TE and stock up on practice squadders. Wide Receivers (6 of 16) CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Kavontae Turpin, Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, Ryan Flournoy Last 4 In: Flournoy The test here will be if the Cowboys try to hide Holden over the next exhibition contests. The down roster battles between these two and Jalen Brooks may go down to the wire. Offensive Line (9 of 25) Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele, Nate Thomas, Asim Richards, Brock Hoffman, La'el Collins First 4 Out: Hakeem Adeniji The signing this week of the unretiring L'ael Collins seemingly rounds out the plan. There's not necessarily a swing tackle, and Dallas probably goes deep on the practice squad if they can retain the services. It's hard to project a draft pick not making the 53, but who is Anaji Cornelius replacing here? TJ Bass and Saahdiq Charles also land with those the team would try to keep on the PS. Defensive End / Edge (5 of 30) Micah Parsons, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dante Fowler, Marshawn Kneeland, Sam Williams This rotation assumes that Parsons isn't holding out of the regular season despite his contract issues that currently still exist. The young offensive line could've really used the practice reps against him during camp, but he'll likely hit the ground running when he decides to play. Payton Turner is the fallback option, and may agree to go to the practice squad in such a scenario. Defensive Tackle (5 of 35) Osa Odighizuwa, Perrion Winfrey, Solomon Thomas, Jay Toia, Mazi Smith There's a lot of chatter about just how much of a revalation the UFL import Winfrey has been, with even some comparisons to David Irving. The Cowboys need all the help they can get as this is their weakest position, by far, on the roster. Another drafted rookie to the practice squad in Maryland's Tommy Akingbesote, along with IPP PS-exemption Denzel Daxon. Linebackers (5 of 40) Kenneth Murray, Marist Liufau, Jack Sanborn, Shemar James, Damone Clark This feels light, as the team's best linebacker Demarvion Overshown likely begins the season on PUP with a target of getting back on the field before November hits. Cornerbacks (5 of 45) DaRon Bland, Kaiir Elam, Isreal Mukuamu, Caelen Carson, Zion Childress Last 4 In / First 4 Out: Childress over CJ Goodwin The Cowboys are deep at corner on paper, but not right now. It seems as if neither Trevon Diggs nor Shevon Revel are going to be activated in enough time to get work in before Week 1, so their ramp up might be delayed until October. Josh Butler is also a top-five corner who is still on the shelf from a 2024 injury. Those three, along with Bland and Elam, form a formidable unit, but it's not there now. Childress has impressed in the slot, leaving us to believe Goodwin will be a PS elevation to maintain his ST designation. Safeties (4 of 49) Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell Running it back with the same group as last year; no issues here as Mukuamu can go back and forth between the DB groups. Special Teams (3 of 52) Brandon Aubrey, Trent Sieg, Bryan Anger Remaining Roster Spot (1 of 53) The Cowboys are going to grab either a DT or a CB off the street, perhaps both, but definitely leaving room for an addition over the next two weeks. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!