Latest news with #Culpepper
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Three Florida football legends land on 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Three Florida football legends land on 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot Three former Florida football greats are among the nominees for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation announced on Monday that defensive linemen Alex Brown and Brad Culpepper, along with wide receiver Percy Harvin, are part of a star-studded ballot that includes 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, along with 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks. Ballots are distributed to more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers. Voting closes July 1, with the 2026 class to be officially announced early next year. Brown, a dominant pass rusher from 1998 to 2001, was a consensus All-American and two-time first-team All-SEC selection. He ranks second all-time in career sacks for Florida and played a critical role in the Gators' 2000 SEC Championship run. Brown later enjoyed a successful NFL career with the Chicago Bears. Culpepper anchored the Gators' defensive line in the early 1990s and earned consensus All-America honors in 1991. Known for his strength and intelligence, Culpepper was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy and the recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. He played nine seasons in the NFL and remains involved in advocacy for athletes post-retirement. Harvin, one of the most electrifying players in college football during his time, was a key figure in Florida's national championships in 2006 and 2008. The versatile receiver and return man scored 32 total touchdowns in just three seasons, earning All-American honors before being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. With this trio under consideration, Florida continues to assert its historic legacy within the sport. The Gators boast multiple inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame, including Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith and Tim Tebow. Urban Meyer was the latest Gator to be inducted as part of the 2025 class. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Florida football: Three former Gators named to CFB Hall of Fame ballot
Three former Florida football standouts ― Alex Brown, Brad Culpepper and Percy Harvin ― were named on June 2 to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the 2026 class. Harvin helped lead the Florida Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008 as a two-way rushing and receiving threat in head coach Urban Meyer's spread offense. In three seasons at UF, Harvin had 33 catches for 1,929 yards and 13 TDs, while rushing 194 times for 1,852 yards on 19 TDs. He went on to a seven-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. Advertisement Brown played at UF from 1998-2001 under Steve Spurrier, earning consensus All-American honors his final season at UF. A Japser native and former Hamilton High standout, Brown finished his four-year Florida career with 161 tackles, 47 tackles for loss and 33 sacks. He went on to an eight-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears (2002-09) and New Orleans Saints (2010). Culpepper played at UF from 1988-91, finishing his career with 47.5 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries and 4 pass breakups. In 1991, Culpepper captained the Gators to their first SEC Championship and led the defense with 50 tackles. Culpepper went on to a seven-year NFL career from 1993-2000 with the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears. Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@ Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators' national championship basketball season in 'CHOMP-IONS!' — a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Sun. Details at This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: CFB Hall of Fame ballot includes three former Florida football standouts
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Add to playlist: Kashus Culpepper's ‘southern sounds' and the week's best new tracks
From AlabamaRecommended if you like Luke Combs, Tony Joe White, Charles BradleyUp next Supporting Leon Bridges in the US Kashus Culpepper's story has something of the Hollywood movie about it. A former firefighter who went on to enlist in the US Navy, he only picked up a guitar five years ago to entertain his fellow troops when they were locked down in barracks during the pandemic. On his return to the US, he began working for a cement company while posting clips of covers and his own songs to social media: one attracted the attention of Samuel L Jackson, who reposted it to his 9 million followers. Within a few months, Culpepper had both a record deal and a co-sign from another navy veteran, country star Zach Bryan. By the end of last year, Culpepper was performing at Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry. It's obvious why his career has been fast-tracked. The handful of songs he's released so far take a smart, often witty route through the classic Nashville topics of romantic despair, boozing and the struggles of everyday life, performed in a style he classifies as 'southern sounds', based on 'the music in the cars on the freeway, in the restaurants and in the churches' in his home town of Alexander City, Alabama. More traditional and rootsy than the current wave of country-pop, it flits between country, blues, soul, folk and southern rock, occasionally over the course of a single song, as on 2024's Out of My Mind. Most importantly, Culpepper has an incredible voice: raw, vulnerable, the product of an upbringing in a Baptist church. He's referred to his approach to performance as 'singing like it's my last day on Earth', but his future looks assured. Alexis Petridis SL – Paranoia The balaclava'd south London MC has such endearingly musical inflections to his raps – quizzical then crestfallen – even when slowly rolling through a brooding, smoke-filled track like this. Durand Jones & the Indications – Flower Moon The classic soul revivalists' drummer Aaron Frazer takes the lead vocal here, with doo-wop levels of harmonised romance over a funk backing as crisp yet soft as a hearthside rug. Zara Larsson – Pretty Ugly Reminiscent of glorious high-street-nightclub trash such as Hollaback Girl, Like a G6 and Christina Aguilera's Dirty, the Swede's return has the dizzy buzz of a Wednesday-evening round of shots. Full of Hell – Knight's Oath Relatively clean and accessible business here from the returning grindcore band – which is to say that despite the big, bright riffing, it's still got its fair share of hellacious screaming. Kara-Lis Coverdale – Freedom Trumpet lines wobble in heat haze and French horns sound hopeful notes through an almost tropically lush wall of strings and synthesised sound: another imaginative work by the Montreal composer. Quadeca – Monday Once a YouTuber and video-game commentator, then a rapper and now a singer-songwriter, Quadeca tries to get through a rocky relationship patch over Sufjan-leaning cellos, flutes and more. Annea Lockwood – On Fractured Ground The octogenarian NZ composer visited the peace walls that divided zones in Belfast, 'playing' them with hands, leaves and stones: history shivers through this nape-prickling work. Ben Beaumont-Thomas and Rachel Keenan Subscribe to the Guardian's rolling Add to Playlist selections on Spotify.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jackson County School District approves phase three of Grand Ridge project
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Friday morning's special workshop afforded the contractor, designers, and architects an opportunity to update the community on the Grand Ridge construction project. Jackson County school board members approved the contract for phase three of the project Thursday night. 'I think Culpepper and DAG, as well as the board, just want everybody on the same page. And I thought it was a real successful meeting this morning, and who knows? In the future, we might have another one just on this topic to keep the community aware of all of the great things that are going on out there,' Superintendent Hunter Nolen said. St. Patrick's Day events happening in Bay County Nolen says a new board member requested a project update. With Nolen being recently elected himself, he thought the workshop would be beneficial. Several board members seemed to be a bit confused about the topic of contingency. 'I think there were a couple of changes that were made, and the board just wanted to know kind of where they were going and what they were doing and had a great explanation this morning,' Nolen added. Culpepper Construction representatives assured board members that their confusion was a result of their transparency. 'But then you're increasing it, maybe that's not what's really going on, but maybe it's just an internal accounting and moving it between?' a board member asked. 'That's exactly what it is, it's an internal accounting. All we're doing is showing you how that internal accounting is occurring. That's all that is, we're saying, ok, you know, we're moving dollars within the GMP to reflect the actual commitments that were occurring,' responded a Culpepper Construction representative. Inaugural Grayton Beach Spring Art Fest postponed Superintendent Nolen says they're making on-site visits once every three weeks 'So we invite one board member, a different one every time, as well as director of facilities, our finance director. We meet with with Culpepper and Kyle and DAG and just, where we at, where we headed, any hiccups?' Nolen said. Nolen says the project is ahead of schedule right now. He's hoping to have a ribbon cutting ceremony in August 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
