aubiefifty

say please............grins

i know this is a long shot but is anyone interested in a snarky Football thread like they have in politics? this way people can vent and go at it within whatever parameters the mods and admins are cool with. it would be epic. then if someone wants to get stupid or whatever let them have a forum to vent more. we could call it football smack talk or something along thoselines. i have not said anything to the board PTB and they might not care but if enough people showed interest maybe it might be considered. it would be epic and a source of huge entertainment. i am probably shooting in the dark here bu8t i would love to see it.

al.com Reggie Bush says Nick Saban can’t handle a level playing field: ‘NIL ran him away’ Published: Jan. 12, 2024, 12:15 p.m. 2–3 minutes Reggie Bush believes the reason Nick Saban retired as the Alabama coach this week has nothing to do with his age. Instead, the former USC star posted the 72-year-old coach no longer had control over 5-star athletes because of NIL. “NIL ran him away,” the Fox college football analyst commented on ESPN’s Instagram post. “He has no more control over 5-star recruits. The playing field is level, and he can’t handle that.” Bush’s was commenting on a post, which shared Saban’s explanation on why he decided to retire. On Thursday - in an interview with Rece Davis - Saban explained his reasons for stepping aside. Among them was his age. “I actually thought that hiring coaches, recruiting players, that my age started to become a little bit of an issue,” he said. “People wanted assurances that I was going to be here for three years, five years, whatever. It got harder and harder to be honest with them.” It’s no secret Saban has made comments against NIL. While he has always said he has been in favor or player’s making money, he wants to see some structure. In June, Saban was part of an SEC contingent headed to Washington on to lobby Congress for federal assistance in regulating NIL. “I think that the whole idea is, we want to provide information based on our experience, so that maybe people that are involved in the House and Senate both sort of have an idea of what the issues really are and how it can impact and affect college football in the future,” Saban said at the time. Fox college football analyst Reggie Bush said NIL was the reason Nick Saban retired from Alabama. (Screen grab)Mark Heim Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

al.com Auburn’s Bruce Pearl expressed frustration over two-time transfer rule changes Published: Jan. 11, 2024, 4:05 p.m. 3–4 minutes No. 16 Auburn celebrates 66-55 victory over Texas A&M The ripple effect of a December court decision allowing immediate eligibility to two-time transfers is going to hit Auburn this weekend. Jalen Cook — an LSU guard that Bruce Pearl initially recruited buy was told not to because he was not expected to be eligible as a two-time transfer — will face Auburn on Saturday at Neville Arena. Previously, a player transferring for a second time before graduation was required to sit out a year. But on Dec. 14, a federal judge in West Virginia granted a 14-day temporary restraining order in a court case where seven states had filed lawsuits against the NCAA over the transfer rule. The restraining order allowed immediate eligibility for those two-time transfers. As a result of the order, the NCAA changed its rule to allow two-time transfer who moves schools before the end of the 2023-24 athletic year to be allowed to play in 2024-25. The change has frustrated Pearl. During a press conference Thursday to preview the upcoming matchup against LSU, Pearl discussed his complaint over the new rules. Here’s what he said: “(Cook) would’ve been a two-time transfer, and we were told by our compliance office — who had been told by the NCAA — that two-time transfers would not be eligible,” Pearl said. “And so we’re gonna be playing a number of players in our league that we chose to not recruit because we assumed that the rules would be adhered to and not changed midseason.” “Yeah, I suppose now that you look at the transfer portal and say, well, if there was a one-time transfer rule where you would be eligible after one semester, I guess that doesn’t exist,” Pearl said later in the press conference. “My problem is not in the rule change. My problem is: How do you change the rule in the middle of the season? We’ll be playing against teams with one, two or even three players that were ineligible to play, but because of a rule change in the middle of a semester are now playing. I just don’t understand. “Again, what’s next? What’s next is a student-athlete is going to say, ‘Well, I’m just not going to go to class. I’m not going to worry about being eligible with my 24 hours at a certain grade point average. I’m not going to be concerned about getting 6-% of my degree by my third year. It’s just a rule, and if that rule harms me in some way by preventing me from life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I’ll just go to court and sue over the fact that -- threaten to sue -- that you can’t do this to me.’” Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

al.com Auburn’s coaching carousel: The timeline of the Hugh Freeze and the Tigers’ staff shakeup Updated: Jan. 12, 2024, 12:14 p.m.|Published: Jan. 12, 2024, 8:57 a.m. 5–6 minutes The Auburn coaching carousel was wound up tight. And before Hugh Freeze’s first season with the Tigers could conclude, someone let go of the key and the carousel started spinning. It was back in October that Auburn saw its first staff “change” as Wesley McGriff, the Tigers’ secondary coach, stepped away from his on-the-field role and instead slipped into the shadows in an off-the-field role that centered around in-house recruiting. After that domino fell, there was a long pause before the next toppled over as it was reported that Colorado’s defensive coordinator Charles Kelly would be joining Freeze’s staff on The Plains two hours before the Music City Bowl kicked off on Dec. 30. Since then, the carousel has kept spinning and the dominoes have continued to fall. Here’s a timeline of Auburn’s coaching changes. Oct. 18 — Auburn secondary coach Wesley McGriff steps back Late in the evening of Oct. 18, 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello reported McGriff would be “temporarily stepping away from on-field duties for a ‘personal matter.’” Five days later, Freeze told reporters McGriff was still with the Tigers’ program, but had taken on a role overseeing “in-house recruiting.” Dec. 30 — Auburn to hire Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly Auburn’s players and coaches were warming up on the field of Nashville’s Nissan Stadium as they prepped for their Music City Bowl matchup with the Maryland Terrapins when 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that Auburn was expected to add Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly to its staff. It was never reported what role Kelly might have with Auburn’s defense. Kelly, a former Auburn player, previously held coaching stints at Alabama, Tennessee and Florida State, among others. Dec. 31 — Texas A&M expected to hire Wesley McGriff Less than 24 hours after Auburn’s season officially ended with a loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl, it was reported that Auburn secondary coach Wesley McGriff was on the move. After taking a step back in October, Billy Liucci of TexasAgs.com was the first to report that McGriff was expected to be added to Mike Elko’s assembling staff at Texas A&M. Jan. 3 — Texas A&M officially announces hiring of McGriff Texas A&M officially announced the hiring of McGriff on Jan. 3, introducing the former Auburn secondary coach as the Aggies’ pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Jan. 5 — Auburn fires offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery Auburn was less than a week removed from its 31-13 loss to Maryland when Freeze announced the firing of first-year offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. “I informed Philip today he would not be retained as our offensive coordinator,” Freeze said in a press release. “Philip is a good coach and a good man. Decisions like this are never easy, however, I decided this is best for our program moving forward. I’m appreciative of his efforts this past year and wish him nothing but the best.” Freeze hired Montgomery to call the plays for the Tigers’ offense in early December 2022. Jan. 8 — Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts leaves for Florida, per reports Three days after firing its offensive coordinator, Auburn learned it would also be looking for a defensive coordinator after it was reported that Ron Roberts would be leaving his role with the Tigers to take on a similar one at Florida. Matt Zenitz of 247Sports was the first to report Roberts’ move. Jan. 11 — Auburn running backs coach Cadillac Williams steps down After spending his playing career and the past five seasons at Auburn, Cadillac Williams resigned from his position as the Tigers’ running backs coach and associate head coach late in the evening on Jan. 11. Williams cited the pursuit of other opportunities as reason for his resignation. Jan. 12 — Auburn defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge resigns Less than 12 hours after the resignation of Cadillac Williams, Auburn defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge was the next to follow suit. Etheridge took to X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, to confirm his departure. Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that Etheridge is expected to join Willie Fritz’s staff at Houston. Jan. 12 — Auburn announces hiring of Charles Kelly as co-DC Just shy of two weeks after the initial reports that Auburn was looking to hire Colorado defensive coordinator and former Auburn player Charles Kelly, the Auburn football program finally made it official. Kelly was officially announced as the Auburn’s co-defensive coordinator the afternoon of Jan. 12, filling one of the vacancies on the Tigers’ defense. This is a developing story and will be updated should additional staff changes and hires be announced. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com Auburn officially hires former Colorado DC, Auburn player Charles Kelly as co-DC Updated: Jan. 12, 2024, 11:58 a.m.|Published: Jan. 12, 2024, 11:48 a.m. ~4 minutes Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly speaks at an NCAA college football Pac-12 media day Friday, July 21, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)AP Reports that Auburn might hire former Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly first surfaced Dec. 30, just before Auburn’s Music City Bowl matchup against Maryland. However, official word of Kelly’s hiring didn’t come until Jan. 12, when Hugh Freeze and the Auburn football program publicly announced the addition of Kelly, who is a native of Ozark, Ala. and played for the Tigers from 1986-89. “Charles is an outstanding football mind who is an excellent recruiter and understands the landscape of Auburn and the Southeastern Conference,” Freeze said Friday in a release. “We are excited to have Charles on our staff as we continue building a strong foundation for the future success of Auburn football.” Kelly’s return to his alma mater comes after a season spent in Boulder, Colo., where he served as Colorado’s defensive coordinator under Deion Sanders. “I am very grateful to return to a university and a football program that have meant so much to me growing up in this state and playing for Coach Dye,” Kelly said Friday in a release. “It’s an honor to work with Coach Freeze, whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and I’m appreciative of him for this opportunity.” The hiring of Kelly also follows the departures of a pair of Auburn defensive assistants in secondary coach Wesley McGriff, who jumped ship to Texas A&M, and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, who reunited with Billy Napier at Florida. Prior to joining Sanders’ staff, Kelly was at Alabama, where he served as the Crimson Tide’s associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2019-22. During his four-season tenure under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, Kelly helped Alabama to a 47-6 record, which included winning a national title in 2020. Kelly’s time at Alabama succeeded one season at Tennessee (2018), which came after five seasons at Florida State. Kelly served as the Seminoles’ special teams coordinator and linebackers coach in 2013 and was later promoted to FSU’s defensive coordinator — a role he held from 2014-17. In his five seasons in Tallahassee, Florida State’s defense ranked among the top 25 in his final three seasons. During his time with the Seminoles, Kelly also coached 10 NFL Draft picks, including a pair of first-rounders in Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James, who were taken No. 5 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft and No. 17 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Kelly got his start in the FBS ranks in 2006 as the special teams coordinator at Georgia Tech, where he spent the next seven seasons. The addition of Kelly is also bound to boost Auburn’s red-hot recruiting efforts as Kelly was named last year’s national recruiter of the year by 247 Sports. “I look forward to helping Coach Freeze and this staff bring our program back to the caliber of championship football that Auburn deserves,” Kelly said. “As the Auburn Creed states, ‘I believe in work, hard work.’ I do not take this opportunity lightly and am ready to go to work. War Eagle!” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com Auburn officially hires former Colorado DC, Auburn player Charles Kelly as co-DC Updated: Jan. 12, 2024, 11:58 a.m.|Published: Jan. 12, 2024, 11:48 a.m. ~4 minutes Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly speaks at an NCAA college football Pac-12 media day Friday, July 21, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)AP Reports that Auburn might hire former Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly first surfaced Dec. 30, just before Auburn’s Music City Bowl matchup against Maryland. However, official word of Kelly’s hiring didn’t come until Jan. 12, when Hugh Freeze and the Auburn football program publicly announced the addition of Kelly, who is a native of Ozark, Ala. and played for the Tigers from 1986-89. “Charles is an outstanding football mind who is an excellent recruiter and understands the landscape of Auburn and the Southeastern Conference,” Freeze said Friday in a release. “We are excited to have Charles on our staff as we continue building a strong foundation for the future success of Auburn football.” Kelly’s return to his alma mater comes after a season spent in Boulder, Colo., where he served as Colorado’s defensive coordinator under Deion Sanders. “I am very grateful to return to a university and a football program that have meant so much to me growing up in this state and playing for Coach Dye,” Kelly said Friday in a release. “It’s an honor to work with Coach Freeze, whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and I’m appreciative of him for this opportunity.” The hiring of Kelly also follows the departures of a pair of Auburn defensive assistants in secondary coach Wesley McGriff, who jumped ship to Texas A&M, and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, who reunited with Billy Napier at Florida. Prior to joining Sanders’ staff, Kelly was at Alabama, where he served as the Crimson Tide’s associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2019-22. During his four-season tenure under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, Kelly helped Alabama to a 47-6 record, which included winning a national title in 2020. Kelly’s time at Alabama succeeded one season at Tennessee (2018), which came after five seasons at Florida State. Kelly served as the Seminoles’ special teams coordinator and linebackers coach in 2013 and was later promoted to FSU’s defensive coordinator — a role he held from 2014-17. In his five seasons in Tallahassee, Florida State’s defense ranked among the top 25 in his final three seasons. During his time with the Seminoles, Kelly also coached 10 NFL Draft picks, including a pair of first-rounders in Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James, who were taken No. 5 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft and No. 17 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Kelly got his start in the FBS ranks in 2006 as the special teams coordinator at Georgia Tech, where he spent the next seven seasons. The addition of Kelly is also bound to boost Auburn’s red-hot recruiting efforts as Kelly was named last year’s national recruiter of the year by 247 Sports. “I look forward to helping Coach Freeze and this staff bring our program back to the caliber of championship football that Auburn deserves,” Kelly said. “As the Auburn Creed states, ‘I believe in work, hard work.’ I do not take this opportunity lightly and am ready to go to work. War Eagle!” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

i got a nice wake and bake buzz so i am enjoying this...........great zinger! hall of fame worthy.........

i got no bad feelings with you mr pot. your name is one of my favorite things. i was sucking up to titan and nothing more......grins

i like it...........it gets my blood circulating better...............

what are you trying to say pot?

amen...............

thank you for your hard work zeek! i taught you well...........

i just read where zac brought in perry. that was huge! also i think auburns secondary improvedlast year other than the mix up in the iron bowl.

i was raised in the Gadsden area and let me say everyone loved caddy before he went into coaching. if i remember he had a car wash he ran. even turd fans liked him. i just wanted to let folks caddy is genuine and people make mistakes.

you got any thoughts on Kiffen? the knock on him is his own brother will not hire him now? is it bull like most of the other stuff? thanx for replying.

i read that he was the cat that got perry to sign with us. i hope we have not lost too much in recruiting. i wish him well in all he does.

i wish caddy the absolute best.i will not lower myself to trash him. people are human and life happens. the love caddy has for auburn is enough for me.

be careful out there today folks!

al.com Mississippi State OL Percy Lewis announces transfer, signs to Auburn Published: Jan. 11, 2024, 7:17 p.m. 2–3 minutes After multiple failed attempts to land an offense lineman in the transfer portal, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze finally got a hit as Mississippi State offensive tackle transfer Percy Lewis picked the Tigers. Auburn announced the addition of Lewis Thursday night. He took an official visit to Auburn on Jan. 5. Lewis, a former No. 1 ranked junior college transfer on the offensive line, played in 15 games over two years with Mississippi State including eight starts. Pro Football Focus statistics show Lewis only allowed one sack on 235 pass-blocking snaps. Auburn has multiple spots to fill on its offensive line as it prepares to lose Gunner Britton and Kam Stutts to graduation. Freeze frequently rotated his offensive line, but the group failed to maintain much consistency during the 2023 season. As Auburn opened its pre-Music City Bowl practices, Freeze said he didn’t feel he did a good job in the transfer portal to that point because he didn’t bring some targets in for visits quickly enough. Freeze didn’t explicitly say who he was talking about, but he was likely referring to his recruitment of offensive linemen where Auburn was beaten to the punch, so to speak, by other programs. Lewis joins junior college transfer Seth Wilfred as the only incoming offensive lineman with college experience. Four-star signee out of high school DeAndre Carter is regarded as one of the top interior offensive line recruits in the country. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com Who will replace Cadillac Williams at Auburn? Hugh Freeze may have his man. Updated: Jan. 12, 2024, 6:35 a.m.|Published: Jan. 12, 2024, 6:35 a.m. ~4 minutes Never to Yield: A cinematic look back at Auburn's momentous win over Texas A&M In a late Thursday night press release, Auburn announced Carnell “Cadillac” Williams will resign as the team’s associate head coach and running backs coach. His sudden resignation removes a fan favorite from his alma mater. His five-season tenure as a coach at Auburn included a four-game stint in 2022 as the interim head coach after previous coach Bryan Harsin was fired. But with Williams out, who’s next? Auburn currently has three jobs open on the offensive side of the ball: offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and running backs coach. The pieces of how Auburn will put its puzzle pieces back together are starting to become clear. Last week, it was reported Freeze will return to calling plays after passing off the duty in the 2023 season to former offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. Montgomery was fired on Jan. 5. In addition to being in charge of the offense, Montgomery was also Auburn’s quarterbacks coach. In addition to Freeze returning to playcalling, reports have suggested Kent Austin — Freeze’s former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Liberty who is currently a special assistant to the head coach at Auburn — will take over the quarterbacks coach role. That leaves the running backs position, Williams’ old job. Derrick Nix, the current wide receivers coach and assistant head coach at Ole Miss, has been widely linked to Auburn. Nix has spent the last 16 seasons at Ole Miss. He has spent more than a decade of that time as the running backs coach. He was the Rebels’ running backs coach when Freeze was the head coach from 2012-2016. The two have familiarity already. Nix, a graduate from Southern Miss, was a graduate assistant with his alma mater in 2003 before coaching the running backs there from 2004-2006. He spent the 2007 season as a quality control coach with the Atlanta Falcons and then arrived at Ole Miss as the running backs coach in 2008. He’s been there ever since. Nix switched from coaching running backs to coaching wide receivers beginning in the 2020 season. While Nix may not have the heartstring connections to Auburn that Williams did, he does have more SEC coaching experience and is regarded as a better recruiter. Nix is listed as the primary recruiter on three five-star rated commits. Two of those are on the defensive side of the ball. How Auburn will divide out the offensive coordinator title could be fluid. Freeze has options. With the much larger role he plans to have in the offense, Freeze may as well be effectively the offensive coordinator himself. He could, should he hire both, give a co-offensive coordinator title to both Austin and Nix. Should one person be given the solo title of offensive coordinator? Nix — should he be hired — would appear the most likely candidate as an incentive to leave Oxford. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

247sports.com Rogers declares for NFL Draft Jason Caldwell ~3 minutes After weighing his options, Auburn's Justin Rogers has declared for the NFL Draft. AUBURN, Alabama—After a few weeks of going back and forth on his decision, Auburn defensive tackle Justin Rogers announced on Thursday that he's putting his name into the ring for the 2024 NFL Draft following one season with the Tigers. A transfer from Kentucky and a former 4-star recruit, Rogers was a player that Auburn was hoping would bring a major impact to the defense, but he finished with just 17 tackles, one sack and two tackles for a loss. Now it's on to professional football following his message on Thursday. "I want to thank God for covering and protecting my family and granting me the knowledge and skills necessary to play this game," Rogers tweeted. "I owe a special thanks to my mother, family, and support system for always standing by me and unconditionally supporting and loving me. "Special appreciation to coach Stoops and Stu for allowing me to live out my dream of playing football in the SEC. My teammates/brothers and coaches have been instrumental in motivating me to become the best version of myself. BBN will forever hold a special place in my heart. "A sincere thank you to coach Freeze and the Auburn Family for their warm welcome. The indescribable love and support I've experienced in just one short year here is truly remarkable. Thanks to my teammates and coaches for making this time special. "With that being said, I will be declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. Love you, Dad and Grandma." Even with the hope that Rogers would be returning for the 2024 season, Auburn was already busy in the transfer portal trying to bolster the defensive front under Jeremy Garrett, adding Kansas transfer Gage Keys along with Texas transfer Trill Carter. They join an incoming group of defensive linemen that includes early enrollees Malik Blocton, TJ Lindsey and Amaris Williams. Top recruits share differences between Harsin and Freeze recruiting Hear from some of Auburn's signees on how the Hugh Freeze recruiting was different. The numbers speak for themselves as Auburn's first full recruiting class under Hugh Freeze was No. 7 in the 247Sports rankings while Bryan Harsin's lone full recruiting class in 2022 was ranked No. 21 by 247Sports, but how was the recruiting different? For some of Auburn's top signees, it started with them actually being recruited. To read this full article and more, subscribe now —