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247sports.com How Auburns newlook defensive front lines up early in preseason camp Nathan King 5–7 minutes Marcus Harris has trouble keeping track sometimes. His Auburn defensive line, on which he’s now a third-year starter, had eight new faces in the spring. It’s now added four more from summer enrollees. “I didn’t expect those guys to transition this fast,” Harris said Friday. “That’s the good thing about fall camp and the offseason we had, we had time to train and get those young guys prepared for stepping into roles they might have to this season.” The Tigers hope their eclectic personnel along the defensive front — three returning contributors, six transfers when including “jack” pass-rushers, five true freshmen and one JUCO addition — yields a group that could utilize its depth to offset the loss of a trio of now-NFL players: Colby Wooden, Derick Hall and Eku Leota. It might start with Harris, the former Kansas transfer whom position coach Jeremy Garrett called one of the most important players on the entire roster. After 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last season, Harris is hoping for his best Auburn season yet, working as the primary defensive tackle during first-team reps early in the Tigers’ preseason practices. Harris can also kick to defensive end, where Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite is the primary option right now — at least during the media viewing periods. Their combined versatility will make lineups easier on defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, they hope. “He plays end, I'll play tackle; I'll play end, he'll play tackle,” Harris said. “He just brings that versatility that we need at the end, especially when we play, like, heavy-run teams. We need a heavy 5 out there instead of just a skinny jack. For heavy-run teams, you need a heavy 5 to play the end. That's another plus we have.” The team’s top-rated signee in its 2023 class, Keldric Faulk, has now switched full time from outside linebacker to defensive end, now bulked up to 6-foot-6 and 288 pounds. At the moment, he appears to be the first rotational player at the position behind Nasili-Kite. “He learned how to fit into the defense and not just freelance,” Harris said of Faulk’s improvements this offsason. “In high school, a lot of dudes are just told, 'do this.' And, probably, his defense was built around him in high school. Everything was based off of him. So, getting to college, he's recognizing that it's a team sport, and everybody's got their job. Everybody's got to be in their gap at the same time. That's been a very big improvement for him — just understanding his role in the defense.” Purdue transfer Lawrence Johnson was worked into second-team defensive tackle reps in the first couple days of camp, while the anticipated competition at nose tackle saw Jayson Jones with the 1s, and Kentucky transfer Justin Rogers behind him. Auburn’s personnel is all brand-new at outside linebacker, where Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister saw first-team reps last week. He was present in the spring however, while fellow transfers Jalen McLeod (App State) and Stephen Sings V (Liberty) are still finding their footing. They shared reps on the second-team defense, with McLeod serving as a more explosive and twitchy defender for pass-heavy downs, while Sings has a bit more size and physicality at the position. McLeod was one of the most consistently praised newcomers for Auburn all offseason, and Harris is excited to see how he develops within the system. “I feel like he's going to be ready,” Harris said. “He trains better than I've seen from a lot of other people. He trains hard, and he's quick off the ball. He's got a great first step, quick get-off. I'm excited to see what he does this season.” The final addition to the D-line room was JUCO transfer Quientrail Jamison-Travis, who arrived just last week. At 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, Harris said Jamison-Travis is repping at nose tackle as well as defensive tackle. Statistically, Auburn’s defensive front had more than its fair share of struggles last year, when the Tigers finished No. 11 in run defense and allowed more rushing touchdowns (28) than any Auburn team in program history. The new run-defense philosophy under Roberts focuses on slanting the Tigers’ defensive linemen, rather than attacking with a hat on a hat against offensive linemen. That will be a major focus in the early stages of camp. “We’ve got a lot of slanted plays,” Harris said. “That’s the difference from this year from last year. Last year, we were kind of playing on the offensive line, kind of standing on them. This year, we got more freedom to move around and get to the quarterback, so that’s the difference. It’s a lot of run focus, but that’s good because in the SEC, if you can’t stop the run, they’re just gonna run all game. That’s one thing we had to get better at as a defense. Last year, there were a couple games, one in particular — Penn State — we weren't happy with that outcome. “We got to get better as a run defense, and (Roberts) is bringing that hard-nosed mentality to this. I can’t wait for the season to see how that turns out.” After an off day Saturday, Auburn returns to the practice field for Day 3 of camp Sunday morning. *** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more *** *** Get Auburn news straight to your inbox with the Auburn Undercover newsletter ***

si.com Fall Camp Source: 'Jay Fair is the real deal' Zac Blackerby ~2 minutes Auburn slot receiver Jay Fair is having a strong start to fall camp per source. Jay Fair has taken advantage of opportunities this offseason and is off to a strong start during fall camp. The Auburn sophomore slot receiver has been seen with the first group during offensive drills in the media viewing window early in fall camp. He lined up as the starting slot receiver alongside fellow wideouts Camden Brown and Nick Mardner. Per a source, "Jay Fair is the real deal," when I asked about his early success in fall camp. He is seemingly getting reps over Ja'Varrius Johnson and former Ohio State receiver Caleb Burton. Fair, the Rockwall, Texas native, made it a priority to get in off-season work with Michigan State transfer quarterback Payton Thorne and appears to be in great physical shape as the grueling fall practices move on in the intense August heat. Last season, Fair played in 10 games as a true freshman. He bought in a 23-yard catch against Ole Miss and an 11-yard catch against Western Kentucky. Fall camp is still in the early stages before Auburn hosts UMass to open the 2024 season but Fair is off to a strong start in a position group that potentially has the most questions on the entire Auburn roster. Sunday was Auburn's first day in pads. On Monday, the media will hear from offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts after practice. On Tuesday, there is expected to be another media viewing window. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials! Join the Locked on Auburn Discord Follow Auburn Daily on Twitter Like Auburn Daily on Facebook Subscribe to Locked On Auburn on YouTube

auburnwire.usatoday.com Three Tigers named to Preseason All-SEC team by PFF Taylor Jones ~2 minutes The Auburn Tigers are poised to being their journey back to the top of the SEC this season and will rely heavily on several players to get there. Pro Football Focus recently released their Preseason All-SEC team and feels that three players will be instrumental in Auburn’s success this season. PFF has placed transfer defensive lineman Justin Rogers on the second team, with running back Jarquez Hunter and cornerback D.J. James finding places on the third team. Buy Tigers Tickets Rogers, a transfer from Kentucky, joins Auburn after appearing in 13 games last season for the Wildcats. In 450 snaps, he made 35 total tackles and 11 total pressures. His final grade was 70.9, which was 9th highest among Kentucky defenders. Joining Rogers on defense this season is D.J. James. James recorded 37 tackles last season, which was 10th highest among Auburn defenders. He was Auburn’s highest-graded defender at 82.3 and was best at coverage by grading out at 85.7. He allowed opposing receivers to catch 40.7% of passes, and he gave up just two touchdowns. Finally, Hunter is Auburn’s lone representative on offense to make the team. Hunter is projected to be the Tigers leading rusher this season after spending time in Tank Bigsby’s shadows for the last two seasons. He rushed for 668 yards and seven touchdowns last season and graded out at 80.1. Check out the entire 2023 Preseason All-SEC team from Pro Football Focus here. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn-Cal considered to be a 'must see' nonconference game Taylor Jones ~2 minutes Due to the current state of the Pac-12, Cal is more than likely not thinking about their date with the Auburn Tigers in September. However, ESPN is. Buy Tigers Tickets ESPN recently dropped their superlatives ahead of the 2023 season and has included Auburn’s game with Cal on Sept. 9 in Berkeley, California as part of the “Must-see nonconference games” section. The Tigers will experience their first (and most likely last) dose of “Pac-12 after dark” as the game will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. That is one of the few headlines surrounding this game. ESPN has dubbed the game a “clash of cultures” due to the differences in conferences and lifestyle. The culture shock game of the year has to be Auburn traveling to Cal on Sept. 9, the first meeting ever between the teams. At Auburn, they’ve been known to roll trees with toilet paper after big wins. At Cal, they’ve been known to strip naked and climb trees to save them. It’s a 2,438-mile trip for the Tigers and only Auburn’s third regular-season game ever on the West Coast. The Bears are 9-1 at home in nonconference games under Justin Wilcox. The hardwoods will be watching. Auburn has played 13 games against current Pac-12 teams and owns a 10-3 record. The last time Auburn defeated a Pac-12 foe was in 2019, when the Tigers knocked off Oregon at the Cowboys Kickoff Classic, 27-21. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

247sports.com Jason Caldwells Monday morning quarterback column Jason Caldwell 7–9 minutes Talking about the Auburn QB race, recruiting, and the Pac-12. And now it begins After three practices and just one in helmets and shoulder pads, this is the week where we could finally start to get some real news from Hugh Freeze’s first Auburn team. With a huge group of newcomers trying to transition after arriving this summer, the first few days have been spent rotating different groups and trying to get everyone on the same page and ready to roll this week heading into the first scrimmage on Saturday. All eyes will be on the quarterback position and it’s going to be really interesting to see how this thing shakes out. We’ve heard plenty about Payton Thorne and his leadership abilities early in preseason camp. Robby Ashford has thrown the ball well and we know what we can do athletically. That brings us to redshirt freshman Holden Geriner. He lacks experience, but he absolutely checks off the boxes in terms of stretching the field and his ability to make all the throws in the offense. This is a three-man battle for the next week or two, but they’ll quickly narrow things down to just two. That means this Saturday is a huge, huge day for all three quarterbacks if they want to make a run at the starting job for the opener against UMass. What’s interesting is that Freeze talked about continuing to grade the quarterbacks even into the season and didn’t rule out the possibility of a different starter later in the season. That likely means getting more than one guy in the game to let them run the offense and show what they can do. Going to be an interesting next month to see what happens. Stockpiling talent There’s still a lot of work to be done for this staff to continue to get a roster that can consistently challenge the Alabamas and Georgias of college football, but this class is currently fifth in average star rating and now has 15 commitments. That’s a pretty strong group of top-level talent in the 2024 class with guys like DeAndre Carter and TJ Lindsey still very much possibilities to add to the class in the near future. If that happens the Tigers could have a class knocking on the door of the Top 10 before the season even begins. Best year of Pac-12 football ever? With the Pac-12 on its last leg and down to just four schools after this season, it’s wild to think about the 2023 season potentially being one of the best in the history of the conference. There have been some strong USC teams over the years and Washington was a beast in the 1990’s, but it has been almost 20 years since the Trojans won the title. That was the last time the conference had the champion in football. Before that? You’ve got to go all the way back to Washington in 1991 to find the next team to win the championship. The next one? How about USC in 1978. That’s three championships for the league in 45 years. With Caleb Williams at USC, Bo Nix at Oregon, Michael Penix at Washington, Cam Rising at Utah, and Ben Gulbrason back at Oregon State along with Clemson transfer D.J. Uiagalelei, the Pac-12 is loaded at quarterback this season and that could make for a really strong season for teams that all be gone other than Oregon State. As it stands today, only Oregon State, Washington State, Cal and Stanford will be around for 2024 in the Pac-12. That’s not nearly enough to build a power league around in today’s world and there’s not enough programs left to make it that way. I believe we’re seeing the last season of one of the founding fathers of modern college athletics, but it may be one for the ages. Auburn’s Week 2 camp schedule, storylines to watch The Tigers will ramp up practices with pads in the next few days VIDEO: Late Kick: Latest whispers and intel from Auburn's fall camp Auburn’s first full week of camp is here, as the Tigers will ramp up practices with pads in the next few days, followed by the first preseason scrimmage Saturday morning inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. It should be an eventful week of work, so let’s set the table for what to expect from Hugh Freeze’s squad in the team’s last full week of the offseason before classes start at the university next Wednesday. SCHEDULE * Monday, Aug. 7: Practice; media meets with coordinators Philip Montgomery, Ron Roberts (11:30 a.m. CST) * Tuesday, Aug. 9: Practice (media viewing at 9:30 a.m. CST); media meets with players (11:30 a.m. CST) * Wednesday, Aug. 10: Off day * Thursday, Aug. 10: Practice (media viewing at 9:30 a.m. CST); media meets with defensive assistants (11:30 a.m. CST) * Friday, Aug. 11: Practice; media meets with players (11:30 a.m. CST) * Saturday, Aug. 12: Scrimmage (media viewing at 9:20 a.m. CST); media meets with Hugh Freeze 11:30 a.m. CST); Auburn Family Football Preseason Kickoff event (2:15 p.m. CST) WHAT TO WATCH Pads coming on After getting their feet wet in jerseys and shorts in the first few days of practice, Auburn will put on shells early this week before transitioning to full-pads practices leading up to Saturday’s scrimmage. While coaches review terminology and other basics during the opening stanza of camp, there’s always increased energy and intensity when the pads come on — and those in tight position battles across the roster will be expected to raise their game, too. Trimmed QB reps Freeze said on the opening day of preseason camp that he and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery expected to evenly rotate all the quarterbacks — not just the main contenders for the starting job — after approximately five practices. Sunday marked three practices, meaning Thursday could be the first day of camp where reps start to trim down. While it’s assumed Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, who’s received plenty of first-team work thus far, will be comfortably positioned to continue occupying a portion of the starting reps, redshirt freshman Holden Geriner has made things interesting so far with some precise passing in camp, and his ability to potentially push incumbent starter Robby Ashford this week could make the reps in Saturday’s scrimmage highly intriguing. Jarquez Hunter’s status As redundant as it’s become, the availability of Auburn’s starting running back will continue to be under a microscope until he returns to practice. Could that be this week? The last media viewing session Friday did not feature Hunter on the field, though Auburn Undercover reported Saturday that Auburn expects its top tailback to practice. It’s worth noting Hunter has been with the team in camp so far but has been withheld from practice. Litmus test in Jordan-Hare The first scrimmage of camp — this one set for Saturday morning inside Jordan-Hare Stadium — is always a useful litmus test for the coaching staff to observe and dissect how various personnel is progressing in a game-like setting. Of course, the QBs will be a major topic, and it’s usually tough to hide who’s running the offense well, and who isn’t. Coaches will heavily review the scrimmage tape over the weekend, and next week’s practices could reflect the trends from Saturday morning.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn football cracked the top five of this recruiting category over the weekend Taylor Jones 6–7 minutes Auburn football fans have had plenty to cheer about over the last month, as their favorite program has continued to rise in the 2024 recruiting rankings. After securing eight commitments since July 4, the Tigers have climbed into the top 25 in recruiting after spending several weeks in the mid-40s. The biggest jump has taken place over the last three weeks. Since landing four-star cornerback Jayln Crawford on July 15, Auburn has climbed from No. 37 to No. 16. That rise in stock is due mostly to the commitments of two-five star players and the recent pledge from four-star athlete Jalewis Solomon. Buy Tigers Tickets Auburn is No. 16 in 247Sports’ rankings and No. 14 in On3’s, but that does not tell the full story. The industry rankings combine overall talent, plus the number of commits. The Tigers are ranked lower than expected due to only having 15 commitments through August 5, which same number as Kentucky, Texas, South Carolina, and Alabama, However, only Missouri has fewer commitments. When it comes to the “quality over quantity” factor, Auburn has one of the best classes in the nation, as every commitment averages a grade of 90.75. Auburn has seven commits with a grade of 90 or higher, with the remaining eight being on the cusp of earning a 90 grade. How does that compare to the country’s top programs? Here is a look at the current 2024 recruiting rankings based on average commit grade: © Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK Average score: 90.10 Leading the Gamecocks to eight wins and a win over Clemson in 2022 is paying off for Shane Beamer. Beamer, who is heading into year three at South Carolina, currently holds a top-25 class which features a five-star in EDGE Dylan Stewart. South Carolina will always have stiff competition with in-state rival Clemson as well as their SEC East foes, but they are doing a great job of keeping up with the challenge. © Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK Average rating: 90.41 Clemson continues to be the king of recruiting in the ACC by currently holding on to a top-10 class. Wide receiver Bryant Wesco and linebacker Sammy Brown are the top prizes so far, and the Tigers will need to keep up their hard work in order to keep a rising Florida State program at bay. The Seminoles are rising after landing five-star safety KJ Bolden over the weekend. For more Clemson football news, check out Clemson Wire. © Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK Average rating: 90.49 Josh Heupel is doing well by recruiting the state of Tennessee, as he has landed four of the state’s top-10 players (including the top two). His best effort to date is snagging five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews, who is the No. 3 prospect from the talent-rich state of Georgia. For more Tennessee football news, visit Vols Wire. Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports Average score: 90.60 Jimbo Fisher’s top commitment, Cam Coleman, hails from Auburn’s backyard, but he has also managed to snag great talent from his home state as well. Texas A&M has secured three of Texas’ top-25 players and has top-15 players from Alabama, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Mississippi, and Louisiana. For more Texas A&M football news, visit Aggies Wire. Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun Average score: 90.70 Billy Napier has been given the tall task of making Florida competitive with Georgia and Tennessee in the SEC East. While the results may not be on the field yet, he is proving that he is the right man for the job by leading the Gators to a top-3 class in both rankings by On3 and 247Sports. Safety Xavier Filsaime and quarterback DJ Lagway are the Gators’ top prizes so far. For more Florida recruiting news, visit Gators Wire. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Average score: 90.73 Lincoln Riley has done a great job by bringing USC back to relevancy in the recruiting world since taking over prior to the 2022 season. The Trojans have a top-15 class to this point, which includes three of the top players from California. For more USC football news, visit Trojans Wire. Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics Average score: 90.75 Auburn has picked up speed over the last two weeks thanks to the commitments of wide receiver Perry Thompson and linebacker Demarcus Riddick. Auburn has six players with a grade of 90 or higher, with four more knocking on the door with an 89. © Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK Average score: 91.95 Alabama is third in line but has a great NIL average as well. Depending on which service you trust, the top commit for the Tide is either quarterback Julian Sayin or athlete Jaylen Mbakwe. Outside of those two, the Crimson Tide has nine players with a grade of 90 or higher. For more Alabama football news, visit Roll Tide Wire. © Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK Average score: 92.04 Georgia, like Auburn, boosted their score last weekend by adding four-star running back Nate Frazier. Georgia owns the most commits of any program on this list with a whopping 27 so far, and is tied with Ohio State with three five-stars. Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola still claims the top spot on Georgia’s list, with defenders Ellis Robinson and Justin Williams behind him. For more Georgia football news, visit UGA Wire. Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports Average score: 92.26 The Buckeyes are tied with Georgia by reeling in three five-stars to this point but are slightly ahead of the Bulldogs for the top spot. To get to this position, Ohio State has secured the No. 1 player from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. In their home state, the Buckeyes have the top two recruits from the cycle in Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West. For more Ohio State recruiting news, visit Buckeyes Wire.

si.com Auburn Briefing: Three Tigers that I'm excited to see more of this week Zac Blackerby 3–4 minutes Here are three Auburn Tigers that could have a big second week of fall camp. Auburn football's fall camp is already filled with storylines thanks to half the roster being brand new. Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford dominated headlines all summer as well as questions about who could start at wide receiver. We still have a long way to go but some of these questions could be on their way to being answered before AUburn hosts UMass to start the season. This week could be a big week for some Auburn Tigers. Sunday was the first day in pads. Long physical days in the August heat will show the Auburn coaching staff plenty of information on who deserves reps this season. Here are three Auburn Tigers worth following this week. Holden Geriner, QB As I said above, off-season chatter was dominated by the battle between Thorne and Ashford. Geriner has been running with the ones with Thorne during the open media windows and when I asked a source if that trend continued throughout the remainder of practice, they said yes. Geriner came on late during Spring practice and has held onto that momentum. His mustache game is strong as well. Zykeivous Walker, DL Auburn needs movement and rotation on the defensive front. From my sources, Walker has turned in early and turned some heads early in fall camp. The junior looks the part standing at 6-foot-4, 296 pounds. Walker seems like a player that could be gaining a market share of the snaps early in fall camp. Big weekend for his family as his younger brother, Jalewis Solomon committed to Auburn over South Carolina on Saturday. Jeremiah Cobb, RB The freshman running back is passing the eye test early. He may be getting more reps than some expected due to Jarquez Hunter missing at least the first two practices of fall camp and Brian Battie returning from an injury he suffered back in spring. What's happening today The media will hear from offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts after practice at 11:30 CT today. We will have stories with quotes from these press conferences later today at Auburn Daily. Today's podcast You cant watch today's Locked On Auburn. I'm joined by Auburn Daily's Lindsay Crosby as we recap the eventful weekend. Auburn landed Solomon and the two discuss some notes from Sunday's practice. We wrote it Auburn Daily's Lance Dawe wrote about the CBS preseason poll and where Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers fit into it. CBS Sports has released their preseason college football rankings for all 133 FBS teams. According to the rankings, Auburn will have to do some work to get back into the top 25.Hugh Freeze's Tigers rank No. 38 in the preseason rankings. That's good for 10th in the SEC. Read the full thing here. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials! Join the Locked on Auburn Discord Follow Auburn Daily on Twitter Like Auburn Daily on Facebook Subscribe to Locked On Auburn on YouTube

oh please....you guys call me every single thing under the sun. you have as well. this is a political board and trump is running for pres so he IS relevant regardless of what you guys say. as far as biden i have seen nothing he has done to alarm me. he is certainly not trying to get people hurt. it took a special man to come in behind trump but you guys will never give him a fair shake. lightbulbs is a huge example. yall are going crazy over old lightbulbs that were energy hawgs and yet he is shameful for doing away with the old.

the problem is i see trump hurting this country on many levels. you have a worse problem than i do in my humble opinion. you say you will vote for trump if it is him and biden after all the crap trump has done to hurt this country. even on the pol stuff he raised the debt how many trillion? to vote for a man who tried like hell to defraud over half the country of their vote makes you just as suspect in my book. but you keep taking shots about me this or that but i am not going to change. i will let up on trump when he is no longer a threat to this country or when he is dead. he sh**s on everyone dude. nothing is sacred to him. stealing from charities is as low as you can go. treason. rape. a liar. a gas lighter releasing personal addresses to sick deranged people on folks like obama and a judge and his family. and if you vote for him after all that YOU are enabling him which means i got nothing for ya. you guys are not taking up for him but will vote for him again and this is all i need to know. and again when you guys come at me it just makes me dig my heels in and a promise to make you folks miserable with trump news. you can book it..............

i agree on jesus. but at the same time i will not lie. i do not love nor care for trump. he hurts people and he is always suggesting menace and i am so sick of it. he might forgive me or not. but when someone is hurting the country and the people in it and firing up the racists i believe it is our duty to speak out.

yes but it is worse when the right drags them through the news and the hate crimes go up. this is my point. and some of your jesus folks do not care or like gays or trannies. hell you should know that by reading the boards here. you can tell people about jesus but you cannot make them love everyone like he does. even if you claim to be a follower.

he was killed because of hate bro. maybe dancing got his murderers attention but with all the crap about gays and trans it is if they are trying to hold open season.

this post is dedicated to mickey.....................

yahoo.com Auburn is pursuing a fast-rising 2025 offensive lineman Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes Auburn football is making waves in the recruiting world, especially within its home state. So far in the 2024 class, Auburn has snagged 10 recruits from the state of Alabama. Out of those 10, nine are in the top-25. Hugh Freeze and his staff hope to keep that momentum going in 2025, as they are climbing up the ranks for one of the state’s top players for the cycle. Spencer Dowland, a three-star offensive lineman from Athens, paid a visit to the Plains for Big Cat Weekend and came away impressed with what Auburn had to offer. “I really enjoyed it,” Dowland said in an interview with Cole Pinkston of On3. “I didn’t really know what to expect, I had never been to anything like this. They told me it would be similar to a junior day, so I expected something like that. It was really good.” Dowland only has received a ranking from only one outlet, 247Sports, but is receiving interest from several SEC schools such as Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. He has quickly built a bond with offensive line coach Jake Thornton due to their similar backgrounds. “Not really, none of my family really played sports,” Dowland said. “(Thornton) kind of comes from the same background as me. His parents didn’t really play or get into sports. His options were to go to work or try to get a scholarship. Me and him definitely fit that. Coming from the same background we kind of built that connection.” Dowland is a 6-6, 290-pound offensive lineman from the 2025 class. He is the No. 37 OT for the cycle and is the No. 20 prospect from the state of Alabama. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__ Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

yahoo.com Keionte Scott, Auburn football veteran DBs focused on trying to 'bring our freshmen up' Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser 4–6 minutes AUBURN — Heading into preseason practices, the secondary looked like a big strength for Auburn football. It still might be — the position brought back virtually every contributor from a year ago, including potential NFL draft picks DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett at cornerback — but in his first meeting with reporters Thursday, coach Hugh Freeze pointed out a couple flaws in the room he'd like to fix. "I think we've got to improve our mental toughness and our attention to detail in the secondary," the 53-year-old coach said. "I do think we have some talent there, but it's some older talent and then it's some really good young talent. I don't think any have been stressed and strained enough to where we need to be, but I do think we have some talent there." Freeze is correct in his assessment of the position, at least in part. The room is essentially split into two groups: the veterans and the freshmen, with the latter section being made up of seven players. FIRST DAY: Payton Thorne takes first-group reps as Auburn football's Hugh Freeze says rotation begins GETTING STARTED: Why this fall camp is the 'most uncomfortable' for Auburn football's Hugh Freeze One of those seven includes four-star recruit Sylvester Smith, who was rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 233 player in the Class of 2023 and the 18th-best safety in the country. Smith is listed as a safety on Auburn's roster, but at practice Friday, he was shadowing Keionte Scott in the nickel. Scott, a former junior college standout heading into his second year on the Plains, is in the midst of taking on a larger leadership role. He's been hands on with the staff recruiting the Class of 2024 — deemed one of Auburn's "closers" with recruits on visits — and has really been trying to take younger DBs under his wing: "We did a good job in the summer just trying to bring our freshman up and the newcomers." “High motor," Scott said of Smith. "Just a kid that wants to be out there. He loves the game. You can tell he really loves playing football.” Among other veteran-newcomer pairings were Nehemiah Pritchett with Colton Hood and DJ James with Champ Anthony, who spent last season at Tyler Junior College. Kayin Lee, an early enrollee who went through spring practice, was tied to JC Hart. "I take pride in trying to be there for all the freshmen," Scott said. "A lot of our vets have done the same thing. We’re all just a really tight group, so we all just make sure everyone’s OK. We created a group chat: ‘Do you need anything or anything like that?’ I definitely feel like everyone has their one person, but as a DB group, all of our vets are over all of our young guys." Jarquez Hunter still absent After being absent from practice Thursday, or at least during the 30-minute window reporters are allowed to view practice, Hunter was once again not spotted on the field Friday. Sophomore safety Caleb Wooden wasn't seen, either. Also of note was junior receiver Koy Moore. Moore was in attendance, but it appeared he was limited in some way. He wasn't wearing a no-contact jersey, but he was often off to the side while the rest of the WRs went through drills. "I think we're blessed," Freeze said Thursday when asked about injuries; he only mentioned South Florida transfer Brian Battie by name. "There may be a few more that are somewhat limited, but I think everybody will be out there today." Payton Thorne with the 1s again Michigan State transfer quarterback Payton Thorne once again jogged onto the field to participate in drills first. The presumed starting offensive line of (from left to right) Dillon Wade, Tate Johnson, Avery Jones, Kam Stutts and Gunner Britton was in front of him. Freshman running back Jeremiah Cobb flanked Thorne with the first group after sophomore Damari Alston was first up Thursday. Keldric Faulk at defensive end Despite being listed as a jack linebacker, former Highland Home star Keldric Faulk was working at times Friday as a defensive end. Faulk, a freshman who enrolled early and took part in spring practice, has drawn praise from coaches and teammates since he arrived to campus earlier this year. Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football freshmen DBs leaning on vets at preseason practices

yahoo.com Hugh Freeze shares thoughts on the enchancement of receiver room Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes The position group with the most buzz this fall camp is quarterback. However, a quarterback is only as good as his supporting cast. In addition to enhancing the quarterback room by adding Payton Thorne from Michigan State, Hugh Freeze boosted his offensive line and receiving corps. Auburn failed to have a receiver reach 500 yards last season and the last receiver to come close to a 1,000-yard season was Darvin Adams in 2009 when he reeled in 60 catches for 997 yards. As someone who is known for having solid receivers, Freeze knew that he needed to upgrade his receiver room for his team to reach its true potential. “We needed to overhaul that room and improve it for sure,” Freeze said Thursday. “I say that and truthfully I don’t know, the evaluation sample was so small for most of them because this system is totally different than what they’ve played in.” Javarrius Johnson returns as the Tigers’ leading receiver after reeling in 26 catches for 493 yards and three scores last season. Koy Moore is back, as are several tight end options such as Brandon Frazier, tyler fromm, and luke deal. Freeze enhanced the group by adding Shane Hooks and Jyaire Shorter, who were Jackson State and North Texas’ leading receivers last season respectively. He also grabbed a tall target in Nick Mardner, as well as another tight end in Rivaldo Fairweather. The potential is there, but it is time now for them to prove it on the field. “I do think we’ve improved that room in recruiting, and I do think there are guys here that can be better than what they’ve shown,” Freeze said. “We’re excited to see, I think we’ve seen glimpses of that but now we’ve got to go and do it when it’s real and live. But we are excited about the fact that I think we’ve improved that room for sure.” The receivers, as well as the offensive line, will use this two-week period of fall camp to prove that they are worthy of a starting position. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__ Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

am i the only person in the world that watched the whole thing and have not one clue what anyone said because the PA was set up wrong and they did not bother with CC's? you would think these kids would want their moment to be top notch but this happens often on these things.

my pleasure tim.

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the fixation you guys have thinking trump is not guilty tells me YOU and some of your allies need help.

groundless my ass. you keep saying that if it makes you feel better............