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Payton Thorne says Coach Freeze made his decision to come to Auburn easy Payton Thorne and Coach Freeze are building a great connection. Andrew Stefaniak 19 hours ago In this story: Auburn Tigers Coach Freeze and company have been looking for a quarterback in the portal for months and finally found one in Payton Thorne. He is an excellent addition to this football team who put up outstanding numbers these past few seasons for Michigan State. Thorne recently joined the MAX Roundtable, where host Doug Amos asked him what drew him to Auburn. Throne responded, " You know when I was down for my visit, I was there for a day. Just an unofficial visit, but you know it was a great time. I obviously got to meet Coach Freeze and Coach Montgomery and listen to them talk football and watching what they do on offense, along with many other things, getting to see the facilities getting to see the town. Then just everything that I've heard about Auburn and Auburn football has been nothing but great things. I was very excited when I was down there with my dad; we talked for a while about it, and Coach Freeze made it an easy decision for me." Thorne makes it sound pretty clear that he has a great connection with Coach Freeze and the staff. The former Michigan State quarterback is going to be a massive boost for this Auburn offense and should be exactly what the Tigers need to win eight-plus games. Thorne and his teammates will start the Hugh Freeze era with a bang in 2023.

Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze rebuilding Tigers - ESPN Heather Dinich 14–17 minutes Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior WriterMay 12, 2023, 08:00 AM ET Close College football reporter Joined ESPN.com in 2007 Graduate of Indiana University AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn coach Hugh Freeze spoke from the front of the team meeting room before a practice this spring -- his hands tucked in the pockets of his orange mesh shorts, pacing back and forth, his voice rising as he became more animated. "There are five schools that have played for two national championships in the past 12 years," he told the entire team and staff seated in the stuffy auditorium. "Five. FIVE in the country." He held up his left hand to show his fingers. "FIVE," he repeated, almost yelling now. "FIVE. And you sit in a team meeting room of one of those five schools. So some have come before you that had vision. Coaches have gone before me that have vision. Coaches and players have proven that this program can have a vision and accomplish something special. And it can be done again, but it's going to take a culture change from what it's been. I'm not pointing blame at anyone. I don't know. But I still see signs of it. I can't handle that. We must own it." Freeze, who was one of the most controversial hires of the offseason because of his own troubled past, is already knee-deep in trying to pull Auburn out of its own muck. Former coach Bryan Harsin didn't last two seasons, earning him the dubious distinction of becoming the program's shortest-tenured head coach in the past 93 years. Auburn -- a program that has won five national titles but none since 2010 -- was losing on the field and off it, as Harsin went 9-12 and was the focus of a weeklong university investigation into his treatment of players and staff. Auburn and new athletic director John Cohen took a public relations gamble by hiring Freeze, whose rapid success at Ole Miss -- which included beating Alabama and Nick Saban twice -- was overshadowed by NCAA recruiting violations and phone calls to an escort service, which ultimately led to Freeze resigning in 2017. While coaching at Liberty in 2022, Freeze was again mired in controversy when he used Twitter to send direct messages to a sexual assault survivor who sued the university for mishandling her case and won. Freeze said he tried for two years to fight the public backlash that accompanied the Ole Miss violations, but realized "it just made it worse." "You can't fight it because I created it," he said. "Yeah, I did," he said, raising his right hand to concede guilt. "I did, but that's not who I am. I think you can ask anybody who truly knows me and has been around me and they would say that." There's no sugarcoating what a polarizing man Freeze has become in the sport. Some are aghast that he has returned to the highest level of collegiate coaching -- in the same SEC West division he left in disgrace -- while others have embraced his return and accepted his mistakes, eager to see whether he has changed, and whether he can change Auburn. The 53-year-old coach will be judged at Auburn not only by how much he wins but also by how he does it. Freeze has had a blueprint for winning everywhere he's been, but he has never coached at a place like this at a time like this. Even on a good day, Auburn is one of the most difficult coaching jobs in the country -- a pressure-packed position highly scrutinized by its overzealous fan base and meddling boosters. The challenge is further exacerbated by sheer geography, which has the Alabama dynasty to the north and back-to-back national title winner Georgia to the east. Those at Auburn candidly warn the rebuild will take time after the school's first back-to-back losing seasons since 1998 and 1999. This is where Freeze's story begins this spring, in the team meeting room, with everyone trying to follow the theme on the screen at the front of the room, "Flip the Script," including the coach himself. "WHAT IN YOUR life are you experiencing today because of the vision of someone else?" Freeze asked the roomful of players and coaches staring back at him in the meeting room. Silence. "Because of what someone else did for you?" Silence. "C'mon, somebody." Silence. "We're gonna be late to practice," he said. "But we're going to learn as a program to communicate." It's one of the first steps, but that's where Auburn is right now -- starting from scratch while simultaneously burdened by the weight of its own history. Auburn has a new university president in Chris Roberts, who was hired in February 2022. A new athletic director in John Cohen, who was hired in November. A new $92 million facility that covers 12 acres. And Freeze, who is being paid $6.5 million to resurrect a program that for years couldn't get out of its own way. Two years ago, Auburn opted to pay a $21.7 million buyout to fire coach Gus Malzahn, who went 68-34 in eight seasons. It cost the school a total of $15.5 million in buyout money to fire Harsin, who was a peculiar choice to begin with, having spent nearly his entire playing and coaching career in Idaho. According to an ESPN investigative report, Auburn paid out $31.2 million in dead money between Jan. 1, 2010, and Jan. 31, 2021 -- more than any other school -- and that didn't include Harsin's payment. The persuasive power and deep pockets of the program's boosters have influenced the trajectory of the program -- "absolutely something" that Freeze was aware of and that weighed on his mind when he was offered the job. "When you take a job like this, you have to get in who really matters," Freeze said, "and the boosters do matter, but I can't be swayed or distracted by their opinions or their expectations. I have to stay within the walls of this building." Throughout the 233,428-square-foot Woltosz Football Performance Center, which formally opened in January, are trophies and jerseys from the program's NFL draft picks, constant reminders of what the Tigers are playing for. Auburn has won three SEC West titles and two SEC championships and has played for the national title twice over the past 12 seasons. There is no Cam Newton on this year's roster, though. Evaluating, developing and retaining talent has fallen far below the program's standards. During a recruiting cycle that was disrupted by uncertainty surrounding Harsin's future, Auburn signed only five ESPN 300 recruits in its 2022 class. By comparison, Alabama brought in 19 in the same class, Georgia added 16, and Texas A&M topped them all with 24. From Jan. 4, 2021, to now, a whopping 67 Auburn players entered the transfer portal. Forty-one left Georgia during that same span. Freeze said the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes will be critical to the program's ability to close the gap with Alabama and Georgia. "If we're not in that top-10 range, they'll probably be firing me in Year 4 or Year 5," he said with a half-laugh, "but you know that coming in. ... The administration, John Cohen has been awesome, President Roberts, I think everybody knows they've gotta give us a chance to get a couple top classes in here. If we don't do that, and are able to still win it, it would be a miracle." Cohen said he understands it will take some time. Patience hasn't been a part of Auburn's recent history, though, as the previous administration was quick to move on from Harsin after a 9-12 record in just under two seasons. "I absolutely understand the fact that our improvement is going to come in increments," Cohen said, "and I believe we're going to get there, but I think Hugh totally agrees with the fact that's our goal -- incremental improvement every day, every month, and if we do that, we know it's going to show up on the football field." Freeze said he's getting the right players on campus, and there's evidence, as he has flipped several ESPN 300 prospects to commit in the No. 20 incoming freshman class according to ESPN. He also has brought in the No. 7 incoming transfer class according to ESPN. It has to be even better, though, to beat Alabama and Georgia. "How anybody really closes it on those two, the challenge is tall," Freeze said. Freeze has been at Auburn for about six months. As new as it is, it's also somewhat familiar, as Freeze has been hired to reconstruct programs before, dating back to 2008-09 at "little ol' Lambuth," where he won 20 games in two years and elevated the program to unprecedented heights. Then he took over at Arkansas State, which had never had a winning season since entering the FBS. Freeze won 10 games and the Sun Belt there. When he was hired at Ole Miss, the Rebels hadn't won an SEC game in two years. In his first season, Ole Miss won seven games and went to a bowl game. At Liberty, which transitioned from FCS to FBS, Freeze directed the Flames to at least eight wins and a bowl game every season. Freeze said that it's hard to pinpoint one thing beyond recruiting that correlated to his success at each stop (among those he signed at Ole Miss was future Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf) but that it began with "a culture that breeds confidence" and extracting the most out of the players they have. Schematically, his tempo run-pass option offense "has been a big part of" his past 10-win seasons, which at times has overshadowed strong defenses. When Freeze was first hired at Ole Miss, the RPO concepts he had implemented were fairly new, but he conceded that "people have kind of caught up with that now some." "I've done them all the exact same way," he said, "and to this point -- to this point -- this has worked for me. Will it here? Which is a taller task than, you would argue, the other four? It's the only way I know to do it. So we're gonna find out." play 2:32 Doering says Auburn QB battle has long way to go After attending the Tigers' spring game, SEC Network analyst Chris Doering joins "The Paul Finebaum Show" and says new coach Hugh Freeze is not set on a starting QB. AFTER THE TEAM meeting this spring, the Auburn Tigers filed out to practice, where improvements and inconsistencies played out in real time. One of the tight ends was hit in the numbers and dropped the ball near the sideline. Another receiver dropped a ball. Two quarterbacks who are relatively unknown nationally -- sophomore Robby Ashford (nine starts) and junior T.J. Finley (three starts and has since entered the transfer portal) -- were competing for the starting job, along with redshirt freshman Holden Geriner. Freeze said the competition is wide open, and he probably won't name a starter until the summer, when Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne will join the competition. Auburn's passing game struggled mightily last year, ranking No. 119 in the country with 172.7 yards per game. Auburn was also No. 101 in first downs per game and No. 98 in third-down conversion percentage. Freeze isn't going to change his high-tempo, RPO-driven offense, but he's surrendering control of it to coordinator Philip Montgomery, who spent the past eight seasons as Tulsa's head coach. "Both of us want to be on the same page, and open and honest about how we're approaching it," Montgomery said. "The point that we got to was, he was bringing me here to be the playcaller, but also he's always got an influence and a trump card and if there's something he wants to run, that's what we're going to do. Understanding this is the first time he's relinquished some of those duties, and that's hard." Before taking over at Tulsa, Montgomery had Baylor's offense flying as its offensive coordinator. During his three seasons (2012-14) in Waco, the Bears averaged almost 600 yards and 50 points per game. Defensively, Auburn has been average or subpar in most categories, a far cry from the elite level needed to win the SEC. Ron Roberts, who was the defensive coordinator at Baylor the past three seasons, took the same position at Auburn in mid-December. The 2021 Bears defense led the conference in interceptions (19), turnovers gained (27) and defensive touchdowns (three). Baylor also finished second in the Big 12 in run defense (118.4 yards per game) and scoring defense (18.3 points per game). Auburn needed an upgrade in every one of those categories. "If we can get in that top 10 coming out of the gate, great, but the expectation is we're at Auburn, and we need to be top 20 in the country in defense every year, and if we're not, then we're underachieving," Roberts said, "so I gotta find a way to get that done." Freeze has experience returning to his roster. According to ESPN's Bill Connelly, the Tigers return the third-most production in the SEC, including the top three players in receiving yards (Ja'Varrius Johnson, Koy Moore and Jarquez Hunter) and two of the three 500-yard rushers (Ashford and Hunter). Auburn also returns two players with at least 50 tackles in Cam Riley (65) and Keionte Scott (53). Tight end Luke Deal sees a solution for a team that finished 2-6 in the SEC last season but became more competitive in the final third of the year. "It's just consistency," Deal said. "If you watched last year, if you watch that team, toward the end of the season, completely different ballclub, and we bring that same energy earlier in the season, who knows?" MUCH LIKE THE program he has taken over, Freeze can't escape his past. Although he desperately wants to move forward, he also uses his past transgressions as open lessons with his team. Freeze said that he's "so sick of rehashing it" but also that it's "the facts." "It's made me better," he said. "It's made my wife and I better. It's made, you know, everybody around me better. I think it made me a better coach because I share the real-life examples with our players and let me tell you when Coach got it wrong. Let me tell you when he got it right. Let me tell you why." In the span of seven years, Freeze ascended from a high school coach in Tennessee to a successful SEC West coach, where he took the Rebels to their first Sugar Bowl in 45 years. He said he "was obviously not mature enough to handle everything that came at me." Now he gets another shot at the big time. In some ways -- from meddling boosters to the specter of the Alabama and Georgia dynasties -- it will be his most difficult job yet. But with that comes a huge opportunity. "We just always felt like this is a place that you can win big, yet they haven't done it," Freeze said. "I've got a few years left in me before I say I've had enough, truthfully. I don't want to do this until I'm 75 like my buddy Nick [Saban]. ... I just think for the years I have left, I want the challenge of it."

Auburn among top teams destined to rebound in 2023 Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes Auburn went through a rough patch last season by sustaining a 5-7 season. The losing season sparked a coaching change as Bryan Harsin was relieved of his duties on Oct. 31. Things are trending upward for the Tigers, as Hugh Freeze has brought a new sense of confidence to the Auburn fanbase by recruiting and utilizing the transfer portal to find the best players for positions of need. Buy Tigers Tickets Because of the noticeable difference in overall morale, Athlon Sports feels that Auburn will be one of five teams that will rebound in 2023. Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan recently shared five teams that he sees improving from their 2022 campaign. Auburn joins a list of programs such as Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Miami that are poised to get back to normal this season. When discussing Auburn, Lassan shared that the Tigers’ lack of creating points, plus their struggles with stopping the run, led to a disappointing season. However, recent upgrades should get Auburn back on track. The arrival of Hugh Freeze and a solid staff is the biggest reason Auburn should improve in ’23. Freeze and coordinator Philip Montgomery should jumpstart the offense, and the transfer portal additions of quarterback Payton Thorne (Michigan State) and four potential starters on a thin offensive line are another reason for optimism. Also, running back Jarquez Hunter should have a breakout year. The Tigers are solid in the secondary, and similar to the offense, a couple of transfer portal additions are slated to boost the line of scrimmage. Several positions that received boosts this offseason include running back, offensive line, and quarterback. The new-look Tigers will begin their run to a bowl game on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Jordan-Hare Stadium against UMass. 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__

Auburn's Rivaldo Fairweather listed as top 30 TE in college football Lance Dawe ~2 minutes Fairweather should be in for a special season under Hugh Freeze. Auburn has a plethora of new weapons in their passing attack this season. According to Big Game Boomer, a social media influencer and big time name in the college football media sphere, the Tigers have one of the top 30 tight ends in the nation. Boomer recently released his list of the top 50 tight ends in all of college football, with Auburn's Rivaldo Fairweather coming in at No. 28 overall. Other SEC tight ends over Fairweather include LSU's Mason Taylor, Alabama's CJ Dippre, Arkansas' Var'Keyes Gumms, South Carolina's Trey Knox, Ole Miss' Caden Prieskorn, and Georgia's Brock Bowers. The Tigers picked up Fairweather from the transfer portal (Florida International) to give Auburn's passing attack a veteran safety valve. Hugh Freeze had a very solid track record with tight ends at Ole Miss, and there's reason to believe Fairweather could be in store for a record-setting season with the Tigers.

but not just any moron can go buy one. i doubt it is perfect but i bet it slows it way down on violence.

and for you guys with selective reading skillz this is trumps guy this article is about.TRUMPS GUY.

quit being a richard and sit down dude. you are wasting my time.

thats right and i am not sure of they still do that any more.

i have already stated that. hell YOU guys with all the radical right wingers are the ones mostly killing people other than gang banger stuff. big trump supporter with death squad patches. you get your crazies to disarm first and i will gladly follow ...........

then i applaud you. i just go further. if we had to give up our guns i would if it saved lives. but making excuses instead of searching for answers is not helping.

yahoo.com Former Trump prosecutor slams GOP ‘political theater,’ takes the Fifth at deposition Mychael Schnell 7–9 minutes Former Trump prosecutor Mark Pomerantz invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during his deposition before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, slamming the GOP-led panel’s investigation as “political theater” in his opening statement. Pomerantz, who investigated Trump at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, said he was appearing before the committee “as required” because “I respect the rule of law,” before issuing a sharp rebuke of the panel’s probe and disclosing his intent to plead the Fifth. “What I do not respect is the use of the Committee’s subpoena power to compel me to participate in an act of political theater,” Pomerantz’s statement reads. “This deposition is for show. I do not believe for a moment that I am here to assist a genuine effort to enact legislation or conduct legislative ‘oversight.’” “Fortunately, I do not have to cooperate with the cynical histrionics that this deposition represents,” it later adds. “Although the rule of law compels me to be here, it does not require that I play a substantive role in your theatrical production. Under the law, I can decline to answer your questions for several reasons.” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, told reporters during Friday’s deposition that Pomerantz answered no questions up to that point, calling him an “obstructing witness.” “I’ve never had a more obstructive and less cooperative witness in my over 20 years in Congress,” he said. “The witness has not cooperated in any way, shape or form, as simply appeared and, I would characterize as taking the Fifth on every single question,” he added, later saying “he has answered no substantive questions whatsoever, and clearly appears unwilling to answer any questions even about previous statements he’s made.” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), however, said Pomerantz shouldn’t have had to appear at all. “Today’s deposition simply underscored that House Republicans’ investigation into Donald Trump’s criminal prosecution by a local district attorney’s office has no nexus to Congress’s jurisdiction and is simply an effort to abuse the official authority of Congress to undermine the rule of law, interfere in an ongoing prosecution of a private citizen, and harass and badger a public official carrying out his official duties,” he said in a statement. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subpoenaed Pomerantz last month for testimony pertaining to his work on the probe into hush money payments from former President Trump made in the leadup to the 2016 presidential election. He said he was “surprised” at some of Pomerantz’s answers, “but committee rules don’t allow us to get into details. A grand jury empaneled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) indicted Trump in March on 34 criminal charges related to those payments. Trump pleaded not guilty. Pomerantz resigned from the Trump investigation in February 2022 because he disagreed with Bragg’s reluctance to try to indict Trump. In his resignation letter, which was published by The New York Times, Pomerantz said he thought Trump was “guilty of numerous felony violations,” and called the disinclination to charge the former president “misguided and completely contrary to the public interest.” A trio of House GOP chairman — including Jordan — launched an investigation into Bragg in March, before the historic charges were announced but after Trump predicted that he would be arrested. Republicans have argued that the charges against Trump are politically motivated. Bragg sued Jordan in April in an attempt to block Pomerantz from having to comply with his subpoena and testify. The lawsuit slammed Jordan’s investigation has a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack” the district attorney’s work. A judge later ruled that Pomerantz would have to appear. In his opening statement, Pomerantz wrote “We are gathered here because Donald Trump’s supporters would like to use these proceedings to attempt to obstruct and undermine the criminal case pending against him, and to harass, intimidate, and discredit anyone who investigates or charges him.” Pomerantz told lawmakers in his opening statement that he was instructed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office that he would maintain their “claims of privilege and confidentiality in order to protect the integrity of the pending prosecution and continuing investigation of Donald Trump.” “I intend to honor the District Attorney’s request, and I will not answer questions to which the District Attorney objects,” he added. Even though he has written and spoken about the investigation in the past, Pomerantz said, “the circumstances have changed” because Trump has been charged. “With formal charges now pending, the rule of law is best served if the merits of the case against Mr. Trump are litigated because the court that is hearing the case,” he said. “This is neither the time nor the place for me to answer questions about the investigation or the pending indictment over the objection of the prosecutors.” “The charges against Mr. Trump should be heard and decided by a judge and a jury before politicians second-guess their merits or the decision to bring them,” he continued. “That’s how our system works. Those who claim that they respect the rule of law should wait for the courts to do their work.” Pomerantz also outlined to lawmakers why he was invoking his Fifth Amendment rights: before his book was published, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said he could face criminal liability if he disclosed grand jury material or violated confidentiality regulations. He was later told by a lawyer with the office that his book “exposed me to criminal liability,” he told lawmakers. “While I am certain I broke no laws, I am not required to answer questions if my answers might be used against me in a criminal prosecution,” he said. Pomerantz also wrote that “the rule of law permits me to refuse to answer questions that are not pertinent to a legitimate legislative function, or that seek information that is protected by the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech.” “For all these reasons, I will not be answering questions that relate to my work in the DA’s office, my book, or public statements I have made in the past,” his opening statement reads. “It gives me no joy to invoke my legal rights, but I am glad that the law allows me not to cooperate with this performance of political theater.” “As an American, I am privileged to have the legal rights that I answer today, and I am hopeful that I live in a country that will continue to respect them,” he added. Issa told reporters Friday “we respect someone’s Fifth Amendment rights, but it’s very clear that this witness came with a clear intention of obstructing us.” “When his opening statement becomes public, I think we’ll make it clear that he has disdain for this body and has no intention of answering any of our questions,” he added. “We are gathered here because Donald Trump’s supporters would like to use these proceedings to attempt to obstruct and undermine the criminal case pending against him, and to harass, intimidate, and discredit anyone who investigates or charges him,” he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

see you are a jackass all the time and yet you call others out when you feel frosty. you are a hypo dude. i understand why homie blocked you. you are an idiot that does not know to admit when you are wrong or even apologize when you are. so save us the lectures ..

that is not true dude. i have a close friend had a thompson submachine gun in the late seventies. he had to jump through hoops to include a photo ID among other things. they checked him out very well. i believe the license cost him 500 bucks but he paid it. i know because he let me go with him and shoot it.

you guys are not saying crap. youare not trying to find a middle ground. let me say this. i would give up my guns if the government asked and i knew it would save lives. all i know is the more we delay the more people die.

the left wants people to be safe when they go to school,church,movies, or shopping. THAT is what the left wants. you can change it around all you want. look how much violence went down when ronnie outlawed assault weapons. then go look up how much violence went up after they were made legal again. it is simple math.

you keep ignoring my question. do you own a bump stock?

ok. what is your side doing then wde? nothing. you guys do not understand the nra and other groups have poured tons of money into pro gun pols and nothing is getting done. nothing. and kids are dying while reading dick and jane. see dick. see dick run. see dick screaming in terror as his friend gets her face blown off. see jane. jane is not running. jane is dead because we are giving guns to any fookin idiot that wants one. jane never hurt a soul in her life.

a man is not going to wipe out a whole school of kids with a snubnose. the point is they want to give folks a chance to live through an attack. maybe there are other ways but the right keeps stonewalling on it and people are dying in record numbers.

biden has already said he was just after the assault rifles. if said anything different i have not seen it. what if your kids school is the next target? you would wish you had changed your mind if that happens. and trust me i am not being mean. not one thinks about stuff until it slaps them in the fac4e too often. this is why i lose it over rape and sexual assault. i know the damage it does. shame made my sister live with that crap for around forty years. and she was not lying i can tell you that. and people on here stoo low enough to make fun of rape and me when i mentioned my sister and apparently that is ok on here. i would not wish what my sister went through on my worst enemy. maybe it is subjective to who has dealt with what in life but it is shameful. not one word was said. not one. and i just broke a posting law and will probably get time out but they say contact us and no one ever replies. but i have reds email addy in case it is not fair.

they do not want everyone's guns just the military grade weapons. it is my understanding the bullets are special made to tumble and do more damage? are you for keeping bump stocks legal? i have asked on the bump stocks and unless i missed it no one wants to answer.

weak sauce bro.

do you own a bump stock with that ar?

this is so sad. the more i learn about california the less i like them.

not when he is spewing hate and bull****. no i do not, the man is unhinged and has gotten people hurt. plus he is a fookin bama fan.