The Rev. Chette L. Williams, who had served as Auburn football’s team chaplain since 1999, died Sunday after he fell into an Alabama lake, officials said.

Williams, 61, fell from his pontoon boat on Lake Martin in Elmore County on Sunday evening and his body was found 90 minutes later, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. The incident occurred near a dock.

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"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Auburn football player and longtime team chaplain Rev. Chette Williams," the program said in a post on X. "He made a profound impact on countless people during his 26 years with our program. Brother Chette will be greatly missed."

Williams was a linebacker for the Tigers from 1982 to 1984 before he became the team chaplain. He was also the school’s campus director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the state director for Urban Ministries for FCA.

He served as the president of Impact Ministries in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from 1995 to 1999. He was also the pastor at New Covenant Baptist Church in New Orleans from 1993 to 1995 and at New Song Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, from 1991 to 1993.

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who was a head coach at Auburn from 1999 to 2008, mourned the loss of Williams.

"His leadership has been a steady part of Auburn athletics for more than two decades," Tuberville said. "But more than sports, Brother Chette helped athletes understand that their purpose was much greater than anything they could ever accomplish on the field."

Williams became a licensed minister in 1987 and was ordained in 1988 after earning a bachelor’s degree in adult education from the school in 1985, according to a news release. In 1993, he received a master of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

The school added that he’s survived by his two daughters. His late son, Chette Jr., died in 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Auburn Tigers men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is not one to shy away from some of the hot-button political topics raging in the United States, and he dipped his toe in the water again on Tuesday.

Pearl applauded New York City Mayor Eric Adams after Adams dismissed criticism from the left regarding his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan.

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"Thank you Mayor Adams!" Pearl wrote in a post on X.

Adams was asked at a press conference about whether he would meet with Homan, who was picked by President-elect Trump to lead the mass deportation operation he intends to launch after he is sworn into office.

He stressed the city’s openness to immigrants and emphasized the work being done to help migrants apply for Temporary Protected Status and work authorization, as well as services including case management for migrants. He said it has now seen a 21-week decrease in migrant arrivals.

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Adams said he was the one who reached out to Homan and wanted to speak with him and vowed he had no plans to be "warring" with the next administration.

As far as those on the left criticizing him, Adams pointed to past remarks by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, who he said had called for the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants and brushed off what he said was "cancel culture."

"Well, cancel me, because I'm going to protect the people of this city, and if you come into this country, in this city, and think you're going to harm innocent New Yorkers and innocent migrants and asylum seekers, this is not the mayor you want to be in a city under," he said.

Pearl has been outspoken about important geopolitical topics over the last year. Specifically, he has cast his support for Israel in the days, weeks and months after Hamas’ terrorist attack in the country last year.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

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After lots of upsets throughout college football on Saturday, Texas A&M, ranked 15th in the country, had a chance to sneak into the next College Football Playoff bracket projection.

But they fell to unranked Auburn, 43-41, in an instant classic that took four overtimes to complete.

Auburn had taken a 43-35 lead to begin the fourth overtime, as Payton Thorne hit KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a two-point play.

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With the teams both getting one play to score from the 3, Texas A&M turned to trickery on its attempt to send it to a fifth OT. Receiver Terry Bussey took the direct snap and handed off to quarterback Marcel Reed. Reed's pass to Amari Daniels was dropped in the end zone.

The Aggies (8-3, 5-2), who had rallied from a 21-0 first-half deficit, suffered the fate of two other SEC playoff hopefuls. Florida had already upended No. 9 Mississippi’s playoff and SEC title hopes with a 24-17 upset, and No. 7 Alabama fell 24-3 at Oklahoma.

The Tigers (5-6, 2-5 SEC) became the day’s latest unranked league team to play spoiler. Fans who have endured a disappointing season stormed the field and filled it from end zone to end zone but did leave the goalposts alone.

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"This one's certainly going to hurt, and we're obviously extremely disappointed," Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. "We had ourselves in a really good position. Obviously with who we play and what we're playing for, there's still going to be a lot of energy going into that stadium next week."

Thorne passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns to Cam Coleman. Jarquez Hunter ran 28 times for 130 yards and three scores. Coleman had seven catches for 128 yards, and Lambert-Smith had two for 104.

With five top-15 teams losing on Saturday, three of them being SEC teams, there could be a major shakeup in the rankings this week - the new bracket projection will come out on Tuesday.

The Aggies can still make the SEC title game – but they do face No. 3 Texas next week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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During his 17 seasons patrolling the Alabama football sideline, Nick Saban became familiar with competing against Auburn, the Crimson Tide's in-state rival.

The retired Saban works as an analyst for ESPN's "College GameDay." The popular television program was in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday for the matchup between Ohio State and Indiana. 

The Buckeyes entered the Week 13 contest No. 2 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, while Indiana was slotted fifth. Ohio State handed Indiana its first loss of the season.

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During a discussion about Saturday's Southeastern Conference showdown between Auburn and the visiting Texas A&M Aggies, Saban issued a warning about playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium, suggesting the football stadium was "haunted."

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"Well, I would be alerting Texas A&M, because, in my opinion, 17 years going to Auburn and playing at Jordan-Hare [Stadium], that place is haunted," Saban said. "I guarantee it.

"The way we lost games and the way we won games there, it's unbelievable. Kick Six, and then the 'gravedigger' last year. I mean, I'm telling you, the place is haunted."

The Iron Bowl, the name for the Alabama-Auburn rivalry, has resulted in surprising and memorable finishes on several occasions.

The "Kick Six" play was a reference to a game-winning 109-yard return on a missed field goal as time expired during the 2013 edition of the game.

Saban coached the Crimson Tide to victory more times than not in the Iron Bowl, going 12-5 during his career. But Alabama had a 5-4 record in games played at Auburn's home stadium.

Texas A&M will look to keep its playoff hopes alive Saturday night during its visit to Auburn. The next edition of the Iron Bowl is scheduled for Nov. 30. This year's game will be played on Alabama's campus at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The rivalry moves back to Jordan-Hare in 2025.

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