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auburnwire.usatoday.com Jalen McLeod brings 'freaky' skillset with him to the Plains Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes Auburn needed a few players to build up its pass rush depth and found just that within the transfer portal and recruiting. Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister and true freshman Keldric Faulk will see action this fall at the JACK position, but there is one player that is not being talked about enough, Appalachian State transfer Jalen McLeod. Buy Tigers Tickets McLeod graded out at 86.6 last season according to Pro Football Focus, and had an incredible output of 90.7 in pass rushing. He created 37 total quarterback pressures last season at Appalachian State, which breaks down to six sacks, eight QB hits, and 23 hurries. Included in those sacks were two sacks of Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King in the Mountaineers’ 17-14 upset win over the Aggies. McLeod is an incredible defensive player and plays the game in a humble way. “He’s a humble guy; he doesn’t brag about it, but we see it on tape,” Elijah McAllister said Tuesday during SEC Media Days. “I’ve never seen that in my life. I’m like ‘dang, Jalen, you did that?’ What did it feel like? ‘I don’t know, I just blacked out, man.'” Although McAllister, or the rest of his Auburn teammates, have yet to see McLeod on a full scale, he assures Auburn fans that McLeod will prove his worth this season on the field. “J-Mac, man, that dude’s athletic, he’s freaky, he’s twitchy,” McLeod said. “I’m excited to share the field with him, I’m excited to continue to learn from him in terms of pass rush.” McAllister also went on to say that he and McLeod will bring a lot to the table, and will provide a solid “1-2 punch” to the JACK linebacker spot. 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__

yahoo.com Auburn football's run defense was putrid in 2022. Here's how the Tigers worked to address it Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser 4–5 minutes AUBURN — A lot went wrong for Auburn football in 2022. The Tigers, who missed a bowl game for the first time in nearly a decade, had a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio, combined to complete 51.6% of their throws and only one pass-catcher came close to 500 receiving yards, as Ja'Varrius Johnson logged 493 on 26 receptions. LSU transfer Koy Moore was second on the team in receiving yards with 314. And that's just offensively. Auburn had a whole other set of issues on the defensive side, highlighted by its inability to force turnovers and, perhaps more importantly, stop the run. AU allowed opponents to rush for 172.7 yards a game, the worst mark it's recorded in that stat since former coach Gene Chizik's last season in 2012 (197.6). The Tigers allowed 189.2 rushing yards under Chizik in 2011, but before that, they hadn't given up more than 170 yards on the ground since the last season of former coach Doug Barfield's tenure in 1980 (172.7). Dating back to the Pat Dye era, Auburn's performance against the run in 2023 was its third-worst in more than four decades. NEW LOOK: 'Aligned as we could ever be': Auburn football's Hugh Freeze ready for reset KEEPING TABS: Auburn football's Hugh Freeze gives injury updates on Brian Battie, others That resulted in a 5-7 overall record, a 2-6 mark in conference play and a fired coach, as Bryan Harsin was relieved of his duties following an uninspiring loss to Arkansas in October. The Tigers were improved against the run under interim head coach Cadillac Williams — they allowed 91.3 yards a game over the last four contests — but those numbers were skewed, playing pass-heavy offenses like Mississippi State and Western Kentucky down the stretch. In an attempt to address the issue this offseason, new coach Hugh Freeze and his staff went out and added three transfer defensive linemen in Lawrence Johnson (Purdue), Mosiah Nasili-Kite (Maryland) and Justin Rogers (Kentucky). Nasili-Kite is expected to be a key piece of the rotation on the line, and Rogers looks in line to start. Johnson had a 57.0 grade against the run last season, per Pro Football Focus. Nasili-Kite graded out at 64.1 and Rogers led the way at 70.9. For reference, Auburn's starting defensive line in the final game of the 2022 season against Alabama featured Colby Wooden (67.9) at defensive end, Jayson Jones (66.6) at nose tackle and Marcus Harris (67.1) at defensive tackle. Auburn's starting defensive line at A-Day on April 8 was a trio of Jones, Rogers and Harris. The Tigers also added a few off-ball linebackers from the portal in Austin Keys from Ole Miss and Larry Nixon III from North Texas. Keys had a 64.5 grade against the run in 2022, while Nixon was given a 71.2. Auburn's most used linebackers from a season ago were Owen Pappoe (59.5), Cam Riley (53.1) and Wesley Steiner (60.4). The way in which the Tigers deploy their linebackers should help, too. The last staff didn't rotate personnel at the position much, giving Pappoe 806 of the 859 available defensive snaps. Riley had 477, Steiner had 348 and no other linebacker was on the field for a notable amount of time. That'll change with new linebackers coach Josh Aldridge, or so he says. He told reporters in April that he wants a rotation of five or six LBs, with the top two taking about 45 snaps a game, the next duo getting 25-30 and one guy around 10-15, keeping his corps fresh. Looking at the numbers associated with Aldridge's boss — defensive coordinator Ron Roberts — paints a confusing picture, though. In his last 10 seasons as either a head coach or defensive coordinator, Roberts has given up an average of 167.2 rushing yards a game across 125 contests. In five of those seasons, he led a defense that held opposing offenses below that 170-yards-per-game marker. In the other five campaigns, however, opponents broke through, with the worst case coming at Baylor in 2021, as the Bears let up 219.1 yards per game on the ground. The year prior to that? Baylor only allowed 90.3. 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: Why the run defense must improve under DC Ron Roberts

maybe i am too hardline. folks will keep letting kids and folks get shotdown if it means they can keep their assault weapons............i go between mad and sad. time to go play some elder scrolls. sorry to disturb you.

think about this didba. iam is worried enough about kids might wanting to cross dress when he could care less about kids getting murdered in school while trying to get an education. that little girl with her face blow off still haunts me. i was accused of making it political when i wanted folks to see the havoc their choices make. i do speak out for that little girl. no more barbie. no sweet sixteen birthday. no senior prom. all because grown ups want to play with weapons that were banned in this country once..........

do you not remember all the blacks they sent to jail or prison on false charges? i might have the city wrong but i believe i am right. it was a huge deal. trump only knows how to break the law. take all the digs you want because i am not quitting on trump. ever..................

that is because you are in fact not funny......................

i saw some older friends take on vicks inhalers and break them open and shoot them in their veins for a rush. i was invited and told them hell no. i think it is odd they are treating folks with mental issues with schrooms now and they say they have great results.

if you were here i would give ya a big ol auburn bear hug! our war eagle is going to rise up from the ashes and lead us to the promised land...............

david go to your room! right now buster! no suppa for youse................we raised you better...............i am sending 9377 an evil eye to ward off all that evil you are slinging around her. we are supposed to be the handsome,smart, and wildly popular guys on here.............

david you "crack ME UP".................lol

i was speaking in general about folks like iam thinking and wanting it to be hunter. but yes you and i have seen what the feds can do so i doubt they do not know who it is. i understand the left does not want to hear it but i am all about the truth.

see? you do not have a clue buddy. nypd was busted several times for racist crap including profiling. it is out there if you want to look before you run that mouth...............

247sports.com Auburn hopes to 'constantly recreate' feeling from Cadillac Williams' run as interim coach Nathan King 5–6 minutes "Coach Lac, he's an incredible man, incredible ambassador for the school, has been for a long time. People with orange and blue in their blood, they want to see him around forever." NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Eight months later, there’s still some energy left over from that night in Jordan-Hare Stadium, wafting above the new practice facility. It’s most concentrated above Cadillac Williams’ office. The Tigers have completely turned the page from the 2022 season, sure, with fall camp two weeks away, and well inside two months until the start of the Hugh Freeze era. But at this year’s SEC Media Days in Nashville, Auburn’s 13-10 victory over Texas A&M may have been the most inconsequential game — relative to the rest of the conference in terms of its result — that was brought up several days over the course of the Tigers’ time in the spotlight Tuesday. That is, of course, because it was so emblematic of how Williams, in an interim role, began to steer Auburn back in the right direction weeks before the program hired a new head coach to replace Bryan Harsin. “People may not understand how pivotal that was for us,” fifth-year senior tight end Luke Deal said Tuesday. “I would argue that this football program, this team, this university, this town has still built off of that moment, off of those games, off of that energy. That's what we're going to take into next season. That kind of energy, that kind of unity is something that you build on hopefully for years to come. So it's been huge.” Williams went 2-2 as Auburn’s interim head coach, including a loss at Mississippi State where the Tigers came back from down 21 points and forced overtime, and a home victory over Texas A&M in one of the loudest, most electric nights in Jordan-Hare Stadium in recent memory — for a game between a pair of 3-6 teams. But entirely separate from any on-the-field results, the mood around the program and in the building had been raised by Williams’ humble and simple manta: serve, discipline and believe. A sunken Auburn squad lost four straight games earlier in the season and could have packed it in after their head coach was fired — but instead responded to Williams’ leadership with reinvigorated passion and intensity that, according to one of their senior leaders, still permeates within the walls of the football complex in mid July. “Whenever you saw he had the spotlight on him as a coach, you saw that positive energy,” Deal said of Williams. “You saw that positive light, that positive outlook on everything in life. That was something that energized us. It motivated us. That's something that he brings every single day.” (Kyle Okita, 247Sports) Both Williams and athletic director John Cohen confirmed Williams interviewed for the head coaching job, and in November, Williams joked that Cohen and university president Christopher Roberts looked more disappointed than him when they delivered the news that he didn’t get the position. But Freeze’s first priority after being hired, he said at his introductory press conference, was to retain Williams on his staff: “I’ve got to have Cadillac at my side.” Williams was promoted to associate head coach, where, in his words, he has a “seat at the table” for major team decisions, and can also serve as a constant line of counsel for Freeze in their attempt to revive Auburn back into a championship-contending program. Keeping the former All-SEC running back on staff and repeatedly praising his impact on the program were the first wins of Freeze’s Auburn tenure — and he would have been dealing with a disgruntled fanbase right off the bat if he hadn’t done so. “People are going to be pretty upset if you get rid of Cadillac Williams” Deal said. “I know I would be. Coach Lac, he's an incredible man, incredible ambassador for the school, has been for a long time. People with orange and blue in their blood, they want to see him around forever. That was definitely important for our success.” At SEC Media Days, Freeze retold the story of watching Auburn beat Texas A&M under Williams, and how the fanbase responded to one of their program’s icons at the helm. To Freeze, Williams not only represented what he believes Auburn stands for, but reminded the rest of the college football world, too. “You started hearing and seeing what was going on at Auburn (under Harsin), and hearing that this isn’t Auburn,” Freeze said. “And I remember vividly Cadillac taking over and watching the Texas A&M game. And that atmosphere in that stadium that night — I remember looking at Jill and saying, ‘It’s still Auburn.’ I hope the passion they played with down the stretch, I hope that’s a staple of something we can constantly recreate every Saturday.” *** 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 ***

wholehogsports.com Freeze back in the saddle in the SEC 8–11 minutes Fourth in a series previewing SEC football teams NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Auburn keeps hiring former Arkansas State football coaches. Hugh Freeze is the third consecutive Tigers coach who previously was at ASU along with Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin. After Freeze led the Red Wolves to a 10-2 record in 2011 in his only season at ASU, he left for Ole Miss and Malzahn replaced him. Malzahn led ASU to a 9-3 record in 2012, then left to become the coach at Auburn, where he previously was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator. Harsin went 7-5 with the Red Wolves in 2013, then left for Boise State, his alma mater where he coached from 2014-21 and had 69-19 record. Auburn’s hiring of Harsin seemed an odd fit considering he had no previous SEC experience, and he was fired after 21 games with a 9-12 record with assistant Carnell “Cadillac” Williams filling in as interim coach. Now Freeze, 53, again is an SEC coach and looking to engineer the same kind of turnaround at Auburn as he did at Ole Miss. “It’s good to be back,” Freeze said earlier this week in his first appearance at SEC football media days since 2017. The Rebels were 6-18 under Houston Nutt — the former University of Arkansas coach and player — in 2010-11 prior to Freeze’s hiring. Freeze had a 39-25 record in five seasons at Ole Miss, including 9-4 in 2014 and 10-3 in 2015 with appearances in the Peach Bowl and Sugar Bowl. More from WholeHogSports: RB Johnson cleared for training camp But off-the-field issues resulted in Freeze’s forced resignation at Ole Miss shortly before the start of the 2017 season. After the 2015 season, the NCAA charged Ole Miss with numerous recruiting violations that ultimately led to sanctions that included a two-year postseason ban. Then before the 2017 season, it was discovered Freeze had used a university-issued cell phone to make calls to an escort service. Freeze didn’t dodge the question when he was asked at media days if he expected to get a second chance in the SEC after the way things ended for him at Ole Miss. “When the ending at Ole Miss occurred, it was hard to truthfully process, ‘Would you ever get that opportunity again?’ ” Freeze said. “So I would have to say at that point, no.” Freeze’s outlook changed when he got the job at Liberty University in 2019 and went 34-15 in four seasons, including victories over Syracuse and Virginia Tech in 2020 and over BYU and Arkansas last season. “Did the thought start creeping into your mind that certain opportunities might present themselves again?” Freeze said. “Yes, at that point. But not prior to that point did they enter my mind.” Auburn now has a coach who has proven he can win in the SEC, including a 2-3 record against Alabama when he was at Ole Miss. “I think experience in the SEC is always a positive,” Auburn senior tight end Luke Deal said. “We were sitting there trying to figure out, ‘OK, who’s going to be our coach?’ “We’re much more assured now knowing who we have here, knowing what Coach Freeze is about. He’s been in the SEC and he’s beaten teams that we need to beat. He’s beaten Alabama, and that’s a big deal. “I’ve bought into what he’s saying. Our team’s bought into what he’s saying.” Freeze and his staff added 42 newcomers, including senior linebacker Elijah McAllister, a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt. “Coach Freeze is an amazing man,” McAllister said. “You know his track record with winning. He’s going to make us a force to be reckoned with.” Freeze said he’s excited and thankful about coaching in the SEC again, but he’s not sure what to expect in his first season at Auburn. More from WholeHogSports: Pittman excited by pieces on defense “We’ve got a lot of questions about exactly how we’re going to be, and truthfully I don’t know all the answers to that yet,” Freeze said. “This is a strange feeling. … I’ve never experienced going into fall camp and having so many unknowns in my mind.” Alabama and Georgia — Auburn’s two biggest rivals — have combined to win eight of the past 15 national championships, with the Crimson Tide claiming six between 2008 and 2020 and the Bulldogs the past two. Asked how close Auburn might be to closing the gap on Alabama and Georgia, Freeze said he wanted to choose his words carefully. “I love our team,” Freeze said. “They’re my team. They’re Auburn’s team. We’re going to coach the heck out of them. “Does our roster from top to bottom look like Alabama’s, Georgia’s, LSU’s, Florida’s, Texas A&M’s, Ole Miss’? I don’t know yet. “Do I think we’ve improved Auburn with the additions that we’ve had since I’ve been there? Yes. Does that mean we’ve close the gap at all? I have no clue. “I do know we improved Auburn, and I hope that means that we somehow close the gap enough to [where] if we have a good game plan, to be in some of those games in the fourth quarter and have maybe a shot to pull an upset.” Freeze’s Rebels twice upset Alabama, beating the No. 3 Crimson Tide 23-17 at home in 2014 and winning a shootout 43-37 over the No. 2 Tide on the road in 2015. “I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Hugh Freeze,” Alabama Coach Nick Saban said. “He’s good friend. “I thought he did a great job at Ole Miss. He obviously did a really good job at Liberty, and I’m sure he’ll do a very good job at Auburn. “I think his history as a coach sort of speaks for itself. He’s a good recruiter. They had really good players at Ole Miss when he was there, and I’m sure they will do the same thing in his current position.” Among the newcomers Freeze recruited to Auburn is junior quarterback Payton Thorne, a transfer from Michigan State, where he was 16-10 as a starter and passed for 49 touchdowns and 6,499 yards. Thorne will compete for the starting job with sophomore Robby Ashford, who started eight games for Auburn last season and passed for 1,613 yards and rushed for 709. “Quarterback-wise, that’s going to be a challenge for us … but I’m very truthfully a lot more optimistic than most people are,” Freeze said. “I think we’ve got a good room. More from WholeHogSports: Texas Tech transfer pitcher commits to Arkansas baseball “But I’m an optimist. We’ve been able to do things with quarterbacks everywhere we’ve been and produce good enough results to win. I thought spring practice we got better there. Obviously we want to create competition in that room. That’s why we brought in Payton, who’s had great experiences. I think what he adds to that room right now is incredible leadership.” Thorne transferred in May after spring practice. “Really good person, really good leader,” Deal said. “I think a lot of the guys trust him, and that’s the main thing whenever you come in and you’re a new guy on a team. “He’s such a savvy guy. He’s a veteran quarterback, and you can tell. He’s got the swagger to him.” Auburn won the 2010 national championship led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton and got back to the title game in 2013 in Malzahn’s first season when the Tigers lost to Florida State. “Auburn traditionally wins a lot of games and can get high-level recruits, and I think Coach Freeze is in the perfect position to be successful here,” McAllister said. “It’s going to start with the foundation here in Year One. “I think he can definitely do it as he’s done it before in the past.” Freeze is turning over the play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery — Tulsa’s coach the previous eight seasons — so he can focus on the total program, including the need to unite the fan base. “I did sense coming in that the faith in the whole family of Auburn football was fractured somewhat,” Freeze said. “I think that’s where I had to start, in trying to repair that.” Freeze said he sees Auburn as being in the upper echelon of the SEC on a consistent basis. “We have the facilities. We have the support,” Freeze said. “You’re in an area that football is important, and you’re in an area that you can recruit to. “I do think that the ’24 and ’25 recruiting cycle will tell a large portion of the story of my tenure here. Maybe ’26 we might get three cycles, but we’ve got to start closing the gap on the elite programs in this conference.” There was no transfer portal when Freeze coached at Ole Miss. “Obviously the transfer portal world adds another dynamic to it,” Freeze said. “How good you are at holding on to the ones you do have in your room and then attracting ones that can go in and fill some holes for you. “Hopefully we can be very good at that, at creating a culture where our kids want to be at Auburn and want to stay at Auburn. “Look, if you’re in the upper half of this conference, you get a break here or there, you’re in the playoffs. Then you’ve got a real chance. That’s where I see Auburn.”

al.com Cedric Johnson: Auburn ‘getting a great player’ in Keys Updated: Jul. 20, 2023, 11:09 a.m.|Published: Jul. 20, 2023, 11:01 a.m. ~2 minutes Former Ole Miss linebacker Austin Keys (11) is now at Auburn and is expected to compete for a starting job in 2023. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)AP By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com One of the more intriguing intra-SEC transfers this year is linebacker Austin Keys, who left Ole Miss and is now at Auburn. Keys, a third-year junior with two seasons of eligibility remaining, started five games the last two seasons with the Rebels. He totaled 51 tackles in 23 games overall, along with 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. During his appearance at SEC Media Days Thursday in Nashville, Ole Miss defensive end Cedric Johnson was asked about what kind of impact Keys might have at Auburn. He gave glowing reviews. “They’re getting a great player, a really great player,” Johnson said. “I really like Austin a lot. He’s a good friend, we came in together (as freshmen). … He moves well, he’s fast. They’re going to have a good time with him.” The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Keys is expected to compete for a starting job at middle linebacker for the Tigers this season. Auburn linebackers coach Josh Aldridge said during spring practice “Austin Keys has been everything I thought he’d be.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

247sports.com Transfer Jalen McLeod brings freaky skill set to Auburn pass rush Nathan King 4–6 minutes McLeod was an All-Sun Belt performer last season at App State NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Auburn has a new position on the roster in its “jack” linebacker spot under first-year defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, and the room is composed entirely of new players, too. A highlight addition to the pass-rusher group was Jalen McLeod, one of the Tigers’ post-spring transfer pickups who will look to make his presence felt on the edge of the defensive front when preseason camp kicks off in a couple weeks. One of Auburn’s SEC Media Days representatives and one of McLeod’s position mates, Elijah McAllister, was asked Tuesday what he’s seen thus far from the App State transfer. Of course, Auburn has yet to begin full-scale practices on the field, but McAllister denied that caveat, and has seen plenty already from player-led practice sessions and summer workouts. “No, no, we’ve seen it,” McAllister said while shaking his head. “J-Mac, man, that’s dude’s athletic, he’s freaky, he’s twitchy. I’m excited to share the field with him, I’m excited to continue to learn from him in terms of pass rush.” McLeod was an All-Sun Belt contributor for the Mountaineers last season, finishing second on the team in both tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (six). The Washington, D.C., native also recorded two strip sacks and a fumble recovery. McLeod brings 30 games of experience from the Group of Five level, including the past two seasons as a primary contributor for App State’s defense, and transferred to Auburn in early May. Some of his best performances last season came on the biggest stages, too. In App State’s historic upset at No. 6 Texas A&M in September, McLeod not only sacked Aggies QB Haynes King twice, but he forced two fumbles on the same play — first stripping King, then swiping the ball from the offensive lineman who picked it up, as App State ultimately scooped it up for a turnover. McAllister remembers the first time he saw that sequence on film. “He’s a humble guy; he doesn’t brag about it, but we see it on tape,” McAllister said. “I’ve never seen that in my life. I’m like dang, Jalen, you did that? What did it feel like? ‘I don’t know, I just blacked out, man.’” McLeod is the No. 6 highest-rated returning edge defender in college football this season, per Pro Football Focus’ numbers, and only running back Brian Battie (USF) had a higher overall PFF grade last year among Auburn’s incoming transfers. At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, McLeod fits the bill of an outside linebacker who thrives as a pass-rusher but can also slide back if need be. He played 31.3 percent of his snaps last season off the line of scrimmage as a box linebacker, as he and McAllister present varied skill sets at the same position. McAllister is also capable of kicking to a true defensive end spot, while McLeod doesn’t have the frame to do so. “Firstly, our size: I’m 6-6, 275; he’s 6-2, 230, 235,” McAllister said. “In terms of skill set, I have a ton of length, I have a ton of experience, know how to stop the run at a high level, and also I’m a player who’s played in this conference a ton. He’s a guy who’s unique: athletic, super twitchy, plays at a high level and rushes the passer at a high level. So I think we’re going to marry up and have a nice one-two punch in the jack room.” Auburn has zero returning production at its pass-rusher spot from last year’s team, with Derick Hall and Eku Leota off to the NFL, and former top-100 recruit Dylan Brooks having entered the transfer portal. In addition to its trio of transfer additions at jack linebacker — Liberty's Stephen Sings V also comes over — Auburn signed local standout Brenton Williams from nearby Opelika High School, and top-75 overall recruit Keldric Faulk, who flipped from Florida State on signing day. “All the jacks we have in our position room are different types of players, different bodies, different movement skills,” McAllister said. “But you see (McLeod’s) success on the field, and pass rush is a lot about effort, a lot about hands, athleticism and twitch. He has every single attribute you can think of. It’s amazing to see that, and it works. I haven’t seen him in practice yet, but I’ve seen him in drills and game film, so I’m excited to see it.” *** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

auburnwire.usatoday.com Dan Mullen discusses Hugh Freeze's offensive success Daniel Locke ~3 minutes Auburn is hoping Hugh Freeze is the guy who can help restore its football program to prominence. In order to do so, offensive success is vital. Former Mississippi State and Florida head coach Dan Mullen discussed how Freeze finds success on the offensive side of the ball while appearing on The Matt Barrie Show. An article from On3 includes the statements Mullen made. Buy Tigers Tickets “I think the understanding he has of the offense,” Mullen said. ““I think they do some unique things. They’re up-tempo, they’re going to spread the field, use different motions and formations. They’re going to change up maybe not plays as much, with this crazy schematic plays, but how they do it.” The Tigers have struggled to move the ball over the past few years, last year particularly due to quarterback play. Freeze brought in former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne through the transfer portal in an attempt to remedy the problem. “One of the things is you talk about, ‘Hey, we’re going to get in the same formation and run the same play. But one time we’re going to do it on super tempo, one time we’re going to do it slow looking to the sidelines, the next time we’re going to move and jump and quick-motion people to do it,’” Mullen explained. “So I think that’s stuff that causes problems.” Mullen believes that Freeze knows the trick to get an offense moving. “There’s one thing to have the playbook to be able to do that. I think Hugh has a great understanding of that offense and how to scratch where it itches,” Mullen said. “As soon as he sees your weakness, which is OK, when we run this formation and this play series out of super fast tempo, you struggle getting aligned. We’re only going to do that at a super fast tempo. Or hey, when we do super fast tempo these ways it’s not a problem for you, but when we put motion that becomes a problem. “So I think he sees it and really knows the ins and outs of his offense that allows him to continue to apply pressure not just within the scheme but within the game.” Time will tell if Freeze was able to rebuild the offense in just one offseason or if he will need more time to accomplish that. 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 Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

si.com Georgia beat writer says if Bulldogs don't play Auburn annually, 'that's not even college football' Lance Dawe 4–5 minutes The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry may become a bi-annual matchup with a new SEC schedule format in 2025. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey took the podium on day one of SEC Media Days. Among other topics, Sankey discussed the future of the SEC's schedule with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma to the league in 2024 changing the conference schedule format. The SEC has already released the 2024 conference slate but is expected to change the schedule again in 2025. Commissioner Sankey was asked about the internal discussion around the discussion to eliminate divisions and how they came to the conclusion. "That discussion in football goes back to 2018, 2019, so the discussion of is our current divisional approach in football the most competitively equitable," Sankey said. "So the words "fair and balanced" came up a lot. You had to define what do you mean by fair and what do you mean by balanced in the schedule [...] Balance was rotating teams through with greater frequency, so I think plenty of people have written about a team may not see a team certainly for six years or may not go someplace for 12 years if they're in another division. So that was balanced." There's a possibility that with another changing of the scheduling format, we could see the league go to a 1-7 or even 1-8 model, meaning every team gets one permanent conference opponent while the rest of the conference slate rotates through various teams around the SEC. Could that mean Auburn loses Georgia - The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry - as an annual game? Benjamin Wolk, formerly a member of the Auburn beat and current Georgia beat writer for 247Sports, sat down with Zac Blackerby of Auburn Daily to discuss Auburn's trajectory, recruiting vs the Tigers, and how Bulldogs fans may view the potential changes coming to the SEC conference schedule format in 2025. "Well, I think the Georgia side of it is if you're only allowed to have one annual common opponent, like everyone's going to want Florida as that matchup," Wolk said, "And I think likewise, Auburn would want Alabama as that matchup. So would The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry be what gets lost in that. I'm of the belief that there will eventually be a nine game conference schedule because everybody wants to see more competitive games. Greg Sankey mentioned it yesterday [...] I am going to keep an optimistic approach and just assume that there will be a nine game schedule sooner rather than later. And as a result, Georgia vs Auburn will survive. But I'll say that will be a weird year. It's already going to be weird next year, Georgia not playing South Carolina. I find that one a weird one. But if Georgia doesn't play Auburn, I mean, that's not even college football to me." SEC Media Days is being hosted this year in Nashville, Tennessee for the very first time. Auburn Daily is here covering Media Days all week long. You can catch updates, quotes, predictions and more here on auburndaily.com. More from SEC Media Days Hugh Freeze: Tigers' roster was 'far from what I believe an Auburn roster should look like' Auburn football announces start time for 2023 fall camp Daily Wire's Jake Crain predicts Auburn to finish third in SEC West Jayden Daniels shared his thoughts on playing in Jordan-Hare Stadium Jake Crain believes Auburn football can be 'sneaky' under Hugh Freeze SEC commissioner Greg Sankey discusses the elimination of divisions in future conference scheduling College football expert 'doesn't see' eight wins on Auburn football's 2023 schedule Hugh Freeze provides updates for Auburn players injured in the spring Auburn's Hugh Freeze says new QB Payton Thorne has impressed with his 'attention to detail' Hugh Freeze: 'Robby Ashford helps us win football games' Hugh Freeze provides timeline for Auburn football quarterback battle The Tigers kick off the 2023 season on September 2nd at home vs UMass at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN. Here's a look at the entire 2023 schedule: Sept. 2nd vs UMass Sept. 9th at California Sept. 16th vs Samford Sept. 23rd at Texas A&M Sept. 30th vs Georgia Oct. 14th at LSU Oct. 21st vs Ole Miss Oct. 28th vs Mississippi State Nov. 4th at Vanderbilt Nov. 11th at Arkansas Nov. 18th vs New Mexico State Nov. 25th vs Alabama 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