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Lior Berman returning to Auburn basketball for fifth season Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser 2–3 minutes AUBURN — Auburn basketball walk-on Lior Berman is returning for a fifth season with the Tigers, he announced via Instagram on Wednesday. Berman, who first joined the team in 2019, broke into the rotation in his third year on the Plains and once again saw meaningful action as a senior last season, averaging 9.4 minutes in 25 games. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and shot 35.5% from beyond the 3-point arc. "See y'all next year in The Jungle," Berman wrote in his announcement. NEW ASSISTANT: One big reason Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl hired Corey Williams? His Texas ties LOOKING AHEAD: What Auburn basketball's roster could look like next season, where Tigers can still improve Berman, who dropped a career-high eight points on three occasions last season, set Neville Arena into a frenzy during the regular-season finale against Tennessee in March after he skied for a fast-break dunk about midway through the second half, extending Auburn's lead to six on the way to a crucial nine-point victory over the Vols. Coach Bruce Pearl said before that if he had 13 scholarships to hand out last season − the Tigers were limited to 12, a punishment stemming from former assistant Chuck Person's involvement in a bribery scandal − he would have likely given one to Berman. Speaking at an AMBUSH event in Atlanta on April 25, Pearl said he may look to give a scholarship to a walk-on this season now that he's back up to 13. A native of Birmingham, Berman played at Mountain Brook High School and helped lead the Spartans to a No. 5 ranking by both USA TODAY and MaxPreps during his senior season. 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: Lior Berman returning to Auburn basketball for fifth season

i have no idea who is right and who is wrong but i have never liked taking the four best team because it always appears to be a popularity contest at least twelve teams gets the tops ten and two more. if it was me i would wish they would do it like smaller schools or the ncaa tourney in winner take all. that way there is never an excuse. why is it the smaller football schools have the playoffs and we do not? i have never understood why it is so hard to do when schools with less money appear to doit with no problem. what am i missing guys?

yahoo.com How Bidenomics Has Finally Defeated Reaganomics David Rothkopf 11–14 minutes Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty The last thing many of us expected when Joe Biden became president was that he would be a revolutionary. But just over two years into Biden’s presidency, there is no doubt that he has done more to dramatically transform U.S. policy and thinking in more areas than any of his predecessors since Franklin Roosevelt. America had failed to adequately invest in its infrastructure for over six decades when Biden made it a priority once again. Biden’s prioritized investment in combating climate change to a degree that no past administration ever did. On foreign policy, he executed the pivot away from a Middle East and terrorism focus to a long-term commitment to placing the Indo-Pacific region and our rivalry with China atop our list of priorities. America Must Fight to Save Its Superpower Status Remarkably, he did this while simultaneously handling the threats associated with Europe’s largest land war since World War II and reinvigorating America’s most important alliance, NATO, in a way few thought possible just years ago. He stopped the impetus toward isolation and inaction internationally of the presidencies that immediately preceded his. What is more, none of the transformations cited above are actually the biggest the Biden administration has overseen. From day one, Biden has profoundly transformed U.S. economic policy—and related social and international policies. Biden is the man who finally slew Reaganomics and the huckster’s brew of “trickle-down” and “the markets know best” policies at its core. He is the one who at last put an end to the “Washington consensus” that has served the rich worldwide and left the poor to struggle with too little support. He, at last, ended the slavish deference of Washington neoliberals to Wall Street, and the consequent grotesque growth in inequality and injustice it has fueled. Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty Importantly, Biden not just talked the talk of the revolutionary, he has walked the walk. He has systematically taken steps to prioritize economic approaches that benefited America’s middle class and those who were left behind, approaches that sought fairness in our tax codes and their enforcement, approaches that strengthened the U.S. from within in an effort to better compete and succeed internationally. Some of the steps he has taken were major but received too little attention, such as the effort (led by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen) to create a minimum tax to be paid by corporations worldwide. Some of the bold changes were revealed in policy choices that made headlines—like his decision to place the concerns of the people working in the real economy ahead of the preferences of Wall Street in his American Rescue Plan, his initiative to invest in our infrastructure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, and his steps to invest in our green economy and combat rising costs for average Americans in the Inflation Reduction Act. When I was a senior economic official in the Clinton administration, had I mentioned “industrial policy” in a meeting I would have immediately been shown the door. But Biden, through the CHIPS and Science Act illustrated that it was now not only okay to discuss such ideas, but that he would go further and implement them—because they would help create jobs and because they would strengthen U.S. national security. Last week, in Washington, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan delivered a speech at the Brookings Institution that helped tie together many of the core principles underlying Biden’s views and actions. It was certainly the most significant economic speech ever given by a U.S. national security adviser. But then again, it was clear even before he arrived in office that Sullivan would become the most economically savvy and active national security adviser in U.S. history. Work he had been actively involved in, like the Carnegie Endowment’s initiative on Making U.S. Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class was quickly seen to translate into action. Sullivan also wrote on related subjects, including on the fact that foreign policy and economic policy were more deeply intertwined than often acknowledged (by foreign policy experts who were less economically astute) as in an article he wrote for Foreign Policy in 2020 with Jennifer Harris called, “America Needs a New Economic Philosophy. Foreign Policy Experts Can Help.” Sullivan’s speech began with the assertion that because many of the economic policies of the past were not serving most Americans or our interests, that “this moment demands that we forge a new consensus”—something he described as “a modern industrial and innovation strategy.” He enumerated its goals to be a strategy that “invests in the sources of our own economic and technological strength, that promotes diversified and resilient global supply chains, that sets high standards for everything from labor and the environment to trusted technology and good governance, that deploys capital to deliver on public goods like climate and health.” Sullivan’s speech went on to explain that from the outset, Biden and his team saw the country as facing “four fundamental challenges.” These included the hollowing out of the U.S. industrial base. Here he took a clear shot at Reaganomics when he noted that “the vision of public investment that energized the American project… had faded,” giving way to “a set of ideas that championed tax-cutting and deregulation, privatization over public action and trade liberalization as an end in itself.” Going further, he argued that a core mistake of these recent past policies was that they were based on the deeply flawed idea “that markets always allocate capital productively and efficiently.” Recent experience with markets shifting much of our critical productive capacity, jobs, and many supply chains overseas—made clear during the COVID-19 pandemic—illustrated this. If Bibi’s Attacks on Democracy Continue, Biden Should Consider Withholding Aid to Israel A second challenge he cited was “adapting to a new environment defined by geopolitical and security competition.” Here, his point was that (in the past) economic integration was hoped to “make nations more responsible and open and that the global order would be more peaceful and cooperative” and that “it didn’t turn out that way.” Here, he cites China as exhibit A. The climate crisis was the third of the four challenges and, critically, at the core of the core of Biden’s ideas, I believe, was “inequality and its damage to democracy.” Again, in this instance, he specifically cites the core elements of Reaganomics (and the Reaganomics-lite embraced by recent Democratic administrations), such as “trickle-down economic policies—policies like regressive tax cuts, deep cuts to public investment, unchecked corporate concentration and active measures to undermine” unions. Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty Sullivan’s speech then went on to describe Biden’s “foreign policy for the middle class.” He identified a key element as recognizing that we need a national industrial strategy to compete and protect ourselves in a world in which all of our competitors have such an approach. Specifically, he cited the focus the administration has had on revitalizing our semi-conductor and clean-energy production sectors. The second component of the strategy he identified is “working with our partners to ensure they are building capacity, resilience and inclusiveness too.” Here, as evidence of progress he cited the close coordination between the administration and our closest allies on these issues. America’s Tragedy Is Its Culture of Fear—Armed With Millions of Guns The third step—especially welcome to me as a former trade official—is “moving beyond traditional trade deals to innovative new international economic partnerships focused on the core challenges of our time.” This point addresses a criticism of the administration by some that it does not have an active trade policy. Sullivan’s central point was that primarily seeking to reduce tariffs without addressing climate, enforcement, or security concerns is inadequate. Fourth, Sullivan described the administration’s objective of “mobilizing trillions in investment into emerging economies—with solutions that those countries are fashioning on their own but with capital enabled by a different brand of U.S. diplomacy.” A key element of this approach has been “a major effort to evolve the multilateral development banks so they are up to the big challenges of today.” The final point of the plan is the administration’s effort to protect “our foundational technologies with a small yard and a high fence.” This approach, perhaps the one of Sullivan’s points about which I am most skeptical (because I am not sure it is truly feasible in a global economy such as the one we have today) is designed around the worthy goal of helping to ensure that “next generation technologies work for, not against, our democracies and our security.” Again, the subtext here is China—and keeping that country from gaining advantages in key technologies that could put us at risk. I’ve spoken with experts about this and they do not think any steps we take will slow down China from acquiring such technologies for more than just a few years. But, certainly the goal is consistent with the other changes described in Sullivan’s speech, and is more forward-looking and strategically framed than many of America’s recent past economic policies. Sullivan concluded by describing success. “The world,” he said, “needs an international economic system that works for our wage-earners, works for our industries, works for our climate, works for our national security, and works for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries.” Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty The response to the speech and to the policies of the administration indicates how significant the shifts it describes are. In just one illustration of this, Carlos Roa wrote in The National Interest that the National Security Adviser’s “remarks mark a profound shift in American strategic and economic thinking; a confession that much of what the United States has been doing and saying for decades has been wrong, and a recognition that painful and urgent reform is necessary.” Joe Biden Is Old. Get Over It. Some old school economists who have been peddling the failed or damaging policies the administration has sought to undo decried the fact that the new approaches represented too much meddling with markets by government officials. But of course, that is just the point. Biden, Sullivan, Yellen, and their team have finally acknowledged that growth for its own sake—or good performance by markets—are not the only metrics we should have as we make economic policy decisions. Markets don’t have consciences, neither do they take into consideration the security interests of nations. Companies are by law required to place their bottom line interests ahead of the interests of the rest of society. Therefore, government has an obligation to step in and take steps to ensure that critical social goods are advanced. Finally, after many decades of deferring to the financial and corporate interests who also happen to be big political donors, a president and his team have come along to say, “enough.” It is time to make economic decisions that serve all the people and address the damage done by the policies of the past.

I am not sure how we missed this one.......... Auburn all-time assists leader Gerald White passes away Nathan King 2–3 minutes Former Auburn point guard Gerald White has passed away, Auburn mayor Ron Anders shared on social media Thursday afternoon. The Auburn basketball program confirmed the news Friday. The program's all-time assists leader, White's four-year Auburn career (1983-84 to 1986-87) under coach Sonny Smith featured three 20-win seasons, four NCAA Tournament appearances, and the program's first Sweet Sixteen berth (1985) and first Elite Eight (1986). “Gerald White was the leading scorer in the state of Georgia and attended the same high school as Pat Dye,” Smith said in a release. “We recruited him to Auburn to become a point guard, instead of a shooting guard, and he ended up starting all four years. He didn’t have a selfish bone in his body and made everyone around him better. During that time, we went to the NCAA Tournament every year including the Elite Eight. He was a very good student and knew all along he would be a coach. “He was recruited to Auburn by my former assistant coach, Mack McCarthy, and later joined Mack on his staff at Chattanooga and VCU. Gerald never met a stranger. He was totally committed to coaching and giving back to kids in his hometown of Augusta. He was a successful recruiter and recruited kids that were like him. My condolences to his family and everyone he impacted throughout his life.” The Augusta, Georgia, native amassed 624 assists across 122 games as Tiger. White is also No. 8 all-time in steals (164). 22COMMENTS After playing alongside names like Charles Barkley and Chuck Person at Auburn, White was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1987. White went on to coach as an assistant at Augusta State, Chattanooga, Georgia State and VCU. White is a member of Auburn's illustrious Tiger Trail. ">247Sports

si.com Auburn has offered former BYU receiver Kody Epps Andrew Stefaniak 2–3 minutes Former BYU Cougars wideout Kody Epps has received an Auburn offer. Auburn has offered former BYU receiver, Kody Epps. The five-foot-eleven 185-pound wide receiver from Los Angeles, California, had 459 receiving yards last season on 39 receptions. Epps also reeled in six touchdowns during his 2022 campaign for the Cougars. The talented receiver will have multiple years of eligibility left, as he didn't play in 2021 and will get the 2020 season back due to the pandemic. So this would not be a one-year rental if the Tigers landed Epps. He would be on the Plains for at least a few seasons. With the Tigers already having lost two receivers at a position that we weren't sure about before them leaving, adding a sure-handed wideout like Epps would help this team in 2023. Epps has received a ton of interest since hitting the portal, so it won't be an easy task for the Tigers to land him. The next step will be to get Epps on campus for a visit in the hopes of making this speedy wideout an Auburn Tiger. The Tigers have had nine players depart from the program within the last few weeks, including three backup linebackers: Wide receiver Tar'Varish Dawson Wide receiver Landen King Offensive lineman Colby Smith Defensive lineman Jeffrey M'ba Defensive lineman Tobechi Okoli Defensive end Dylan Brooks Linebacker Kameron Brown Linebacker Desmond Tisdol Linebacker Powell Gordon Auburn has pulled in an impressive haul thus far during Hugh Freeze's first season on the Plains, currently sitting at No. 3 nationally in 247Sports' transfer portal class rankings. You can check out our transfer portal tracker here. Stay up to date on all of the Tigers' commitments, departures, and prospects for key positions at auburndaily.com. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials!

247sports.com How much production has Auburn lost in the transfer portal? Nathan King 4–5 minutes The spring transfer window has officially closed, and Auburn has managed to avoid any significant blows to its roster. The portal closed its doors Sunday for any non-graduate players to transfer and retain their eligibility for the 2023 season. In the 22 days since the conclusion of Auburn’s first spring practices under Hugh Freeze, the Tigers saw eight players enter the portal, in addition to the two who opted to transfer during spring practice. The 10 outgoing transfers didn’t include any heavy-hitters for Auburn. Players like Landen King and Tar'Varish Dawson in the receiving corps were hoped to become fixtures of the passing game moving forward, but neither had made substantial impacts on the Plains yet. Former No. 1 JUCO defensive lineman Jeffrey M'ba is likely the biggest loss on the defensive side of the ball, though there was no guarantee he was set to develop into a starter in 2023. In all, the Tigers seem to be in a healthy position in the transfer ranks as the coaching staff now turns up the heat and attempts to land a handful of commitments to round out the roster. Five transfer visitors were on campus over the past couple days: quarterback Casey Thompson (Nebraska), receivers Caleb Burton (Ohio State) and Montana Lemonious-Craig (Colorado), and outside linebackers Jalen McLeod (App State) and Isaac Ukwu (James Madison). Let’s take a look at the total career production that’s heading out the door from Auburn’s 10 transfer departures in the spring portal window. • WR Landen King: 6 rec, 83 yards, TD • WR Tar'Varish Dawson: 2 rec, 30 yards • OL Colby Smith: N/A • DL Jeffrey M'ba: 6 tkls, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble • DL Tobechi Okoli: N/A • EDGE Dylan Brooks: 7 tkls, 1 sack • LB Desmond Tisdol: 17 tkls • LB Kameron Brown: N/A • LB Powell Gordon: N/A • S Craig McDonald: N/A LOST PRODUCTION (SPRING WINDOW) Offense: 8 receptions, 113 yards, TD Defense: 30 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble Looking back at Auburn’s transfer pickups prior to the start of spring practice, the Tigers are currently at a net loss of seven scholarship players in the portal — having added 12 and lost 19 in total. Here’s a quick refresher of the career production Auburn lost in the first transfer window (note: only production in an Auburn uniform is listed). • QB Zach Calzada: N/A • WR Ze'Vian Capers: 14 rec, 147 yards, TD • WR Dazalin Worsham: 4 rec, 25 yards • WR J.J. Evans: N/A • RB Jordon Ingram: 2 car, 8 yards • OG Keiondre Jones: 19 starts • DT Marquis Robinson: 3 tkls • LB Joko Willis: 4 tkls, 1 TFL • DB A.D. Diamond: N/A LOST PRODUCTION (WINTER WINDOW) Offense: 18 receptions, 172 yards, TD; 2 carries, 8 rushing yards; 19 offensive line starts Defense: 7 tkls, 1 TFL While Auburn’s overall roster numbers have seen a depletion in the transfer portal, the production has been far and away a net gain for Freeze and his coaching staff. A big reason is that eight of the Tigers’ 19 transfer losses didn’t record a stat with the program. A player like Avery Jones, who came over from East Carolina and should be the Tigers’ starting center this season, heavily outweighs Auburn’s offensive line losses all by himself, with 32 career starts to his name. FIU transfer tight end Rivaldo Fairweather and Cincinnati receiver Nick Mardner have several years of combined receiving production as starters, and USF running back Brian Battie was a 1,000-yard rusher just last season. All that is not to mention the trio of starting-caliber defensive linemen Auburn added: Mosiah Nasili-Kite (Maryland), Lawrence Johnson (Purdue) and Justin Rogers (Kentucky). In all, Auburn is currently at a massive net positive in all areas of production in the transfer portal — and that’s with a handful of newcomers likely still on the way in the coming weeks. NET TRANSFER PRODUCTION GAINED (2023 CYCLE) Offense: 134 receptions, 2,227 yards, 14 TD; 278 carries, 1,834 yards, 10 TD; 43 offensive line starts Defense: 318 tackles, 29 TFLs, 17 sacks, 3 forced fumbles --

cbssports.com Auburn QB TJ Finley enters transfer portal: Robby Ashford the frontrunner to win job as ex-starter departs Barrett Sallee 9–12 minutes Spring football has come and gone, and fans have to wait four months before seeing their teams on the field again. At the very least, there are two-and-a-half months until SEC Media Days for hot takes to fly across sports radio, TV and the internet. Some teams are set up to not only run the table and win the national title, but also The Masters, the World Series and the Stanley Cup. However, others are looking at not only a winless season, but relegation to JV football in the local single-A region. That's how things go in the offseason, right? But seriously, what are those "realistic" hot takes? Let's break them down. A reminder, these are not real predictions. They are extreme takes that probably won't happen ... unless they do. Alabama The lack of a star QB will lead to fewer than 10 wins: Coach Nick Saban went out and lured former Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner out of the transfer portal shortly after spring practice. That spring practice session was headlined by the battle between Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Buchner completed just 55.4% of his passes, threw more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (three) when Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees was still employed by the Fighting Irish. Buchner is destined for a roller-coaster season but will be better than the other two contenders. Essentially, he'll be the best of some bad options. Arkansas The Razorbacks will lead the nation in total offense: The Hogs finished 15th in the nation last year with 471.4 yards per game, so maybe this isn't that much of a stretch. However, the architect of that offense, Kendal Briles, moved on to TCU. Dan Enos is back and has a full cupboard of stars. Quarterback KJ Jefferson is the "Cam Newton" of this group. He can get the tough rushing yards between the tackles and has the arm to stretch the field. Raheim Sanders is one of the most dynamic running backs in the country and has the big-play ability of a potential Heisman candidate. Isaiah Sategna had a monster spring game with three catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. In reality, this offense really should be one of the best in the SEC, and anything less could be considered a disappointment. Auburn Hugh Freeze will develop a QB who contends for the Heisman Trophy: Freeze turned Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly into stars, so why not Robby Ashford or whoever takes the snaps? Ashford rushed for 709 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and production on the ground is a hallmark of the Freeze offense. All Freeze needs to do is find a few things that Ashford can do through the air, and the sky is the limit. If Freeze goes out and gets another signal-caller, it's somebody who he knows can be even better and contend for college football's biggest prize. In reality, it shouldn't take a massive step forward for the quarterback for Auburn to be dangerous in the SEC West. Florida Billy Napier shows that he isn't the answer: Florida lost Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft, despite Richardson's remarkably average season in 2022. What's more, five other Gators heard their names called in the draft. How can this possibly happen? Napier, who made Louisiana a perennial contender in the Sun Belt, was hired to bring the Gators back to glory after the failed Dan Mullen era. In reality, it is concerning that Napier didn't develop Richardson and is banking on either Graham Mertz or Jack Miller III to jump-start the offense. After all, offense seemed to be a major issue in the spring game. Carson Beck was effective in Georgia's spring game. Getty Images Georgia The Bulldogs' dynasty will be put on pause: With Stetson Bennett IV, a two-year starter under center, and former offensive coordinator Todd Monken both headed to the NFL, Georgia's offense will have a new look this season. Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff or Gunner Stockton -- whoever wins the starting job -- won't be able to produce the same kind of results under new play-caller Mike Bobo. As a result, the Bulldogs will miss the SEC Championship Game and won't make the College Football Playoff as the budding dynasty will come to a screeching halt -- for now. Kentucky Devin Leary will prove that he's a top 10 pick: Former quarterback Will Levis was touted as a potential top 10 pick but fell to the second round of last week's NFL Draft. Maybe scouts were thinking of this year's Kentucky QB rather than the one who took the snaps for the Wildcats last season. Leary transferred from NC State and has the luxury of working with coordinator Liam Coen -- who was the architect of the offense Levis thrived in during the 2021 season. Leary threw for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns in four seasons with the Wolfpack, and will make scouts fall in love with him when he throws for 4,000 yards in 2023. LSU The Tigers will win the national title: LSU shocked the college football world in coach Brian Kelly's first season as Tigers coach when they made a run to the SEC West championship. Was that an aberration? Of course not. The combination of Kelly's coaching prowess, a Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback in Jayden Daniels and a defense that is loaded with talent will transform the Tigers from a cute little story into a budding dynasty that will begin in 2023 when they win the College Football Playoff National Championship in nearby Houston. Mississippi State Defense will be the identity of the Bulldogs: The late Mike Leach was a trailblazer in college football's offensive renaissance. Zach Arnett -- former defensive coordinator under Leach -- was elevated to the head coaching role and will transform the Bulldogs' identity into a defensive-minded team. The front seven terrorized the offensive line in the spring game, and holes for the running backs were virtually non-existent. Yes, quarterback Will Rogers and the offense will still have its success. However, the defense will be the driving force of the new era of Bulldogs football. Missouri WR Luther Burden III will win the Biletnikoff Award: The former five-star prospect and No. 14 overall player in the country was overshadowed by Dominic Lovett last year, but Lovett moved on to Georgia in the offseason. That, coupled with Burden playing in the slot more often than last year will be the catalyst for Burden to live up to the recruiting hype. He had 375 yards and six touchdowns -- four of which came in November. That success down the stretch will carry over in a big way and Burden will win the award for the nation's top wide receiver. Ole Miss Uncertainty at quarterback will tear the Rebels apart: Coach Lane Kiffin brought in quarterback Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State and Walker Howard from LSU to compete with starter Jaxson Dart for the top spot on the 2023 depth chart. None of the three entered the transfer portal after the spring game, which means that the trio will battle it out in fall camp. Other players on the roster will undoubtedly take sides prior to the start of the season, Kiffin will struggle to determine who should play and a promising season will collapse by the end of September. South Carolina Spencer Rattler will win the Heisman Trophy: The former hotshot recruit and starting quarterback at Oklahoma showed he can be a star with the Gamecocks late last season when he threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns in an upset win over Tennessee to eliminate the Volunteers from College Football Playoff contention. He followed that up with a 360-yard performance in an upset win over Clemson and set the tone for what will be a stellar season. The combination of Rattler and a new offense under Dowell Loggains will allow Rattler to top the 4,500-yard mark and hoist college football's most prestigious award in December. Tennessee Nico Iamaleava will win the battle for starting QB and become a star: The hotshot quarterback who enrolled early looked like a star in the spring game. He went 8 of 16 for 112 yards and dropped several dimes that looked more like NFL throws than those of a freshman. That completion percentage should have been much higher due to several drops. Fellow contender Joe Milton III won't be consistent during fall camp and coach Josh Heupel will insert his prize prospect into the top spot on the depth chart in the opener vs. Virginia, and Iamaleava won't look back. Texas A&M Bobby Petrino will be let go during the season: Fisher hired Petrino to fix the Aggies' offense, and it will be a total disaster. As a result, Fisher will jettison Petrino by the end of the season. The personality clash between the two will send the offense into a tailspin, and Fisher will feel legitimate pressure to keep his job for the first time since he got the gig after the 2017 season. The two allowed quarterbacks Conner Weigman and Max Johnson to air it out during the spring game, and both of the contenders had their moments. We often hear that success in spring will lead to success in the fall, but that never seems to materialize. A rift between Fisher and Petrino will be the same result. Vanderbilt The Commodores defense will finish in the top half of the SEC: The Commodores were atrocious defensively last season, but will make a massive jump in 2023. We saw glimpses of that in the spring game last month, when they topped the offense in the modified scoring scrimmage. Coach Clark Lea is a defensive coach by trade, and some experience up front is a foundation that he can build off of. That defense won't make Vanderbilt a contender in the SEC East, but it will make the Commodores a tough out against teams in the bottom half of the SEC.

si.com Auburn pushing for commitment for JUCO Offensive Tackle Jack Singley 2–3 minutes Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers have offered JUCO OT Markel Bell. Auburn has two glaring positions of need along the trenches going into the 2023 season, the offensive line and JACK linebacker. They have signed five offensive linemen from the high school and JUCO ranks in the 2023 class and brought in three during the winter portal period. The latest move regarding the trenches is that Auburn has set its sights on JUCO OT Markel Bell. The Cleveland, Mississippi native went to Holmes CC out of high school and showed out during his freshman season, earning an honorable mention on the All-MACCC list in 2022. Bell has been receiving several offers over the past few months, most notably from Auburn, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss. He also has received offers from Jackson State, Old Dominion, and Texas State. Bell is listed at 6-foot-9, 350 pounds according to the Holmes CC official roster. That frame combined with an aggressive play style is what has attracted former Auburn OL Coach Will Friend who is currently at Mississippi State, and current Auburn OL Coach Jake Thornton. The sky could be the limit for the Mississippi native. Auburn offered on April, 28th and has put the pressure on Bell, according to On3's Auburn Live, and wants Bell to make a decision and if that were to be Auburn to have him on campus by the end of the month. Bell would be not only on the roster for fall camp if he were to enroll in May, but would also be ready to go for summer workouts which could help Bell who hasn't touched a D1 weight room or conditioning program. The potential addition of Bell would make it nine offensive linemen that Hugh Freeze and staff have signed since November. The Tigers have only lost two linemen since then as well, Keiondre Jones and Colby Smith, meaning the attrition at the position is negligible to the total OL depth chart as they have added so many. Besides Bell, Jaden Muskrat could be another name the Tigers could add along the offensive line. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials!

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn offers elite cornerback transfer Trey Amos JD McCarthy 1–2 minutes The Auburn Tigers are looking to add an experienced transfer to their defensive back room and on Monday they extended an offer to one of the best available cornerbacks. Trey Amos, who spent the past three seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, announced the Tigers had offered him on Twitter. Since entering the portal Monday afternoon he has already received offers from Miami, Oregon, LSU, Alabama, and Florida. Buy Tigers Tickets The 6-foot-1, 189-pounder appeared in 34 games for the Ragin Cajuns, recording 59 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one interception, 14 defended passes, and one forced fumble. RELATED: Live updates of Auburn Tigers in the portal The New Iberia, Louisiana product has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and one school to watch is Florida, the Gator’s head coach Billy Nappier signed Amos at ULL before heading to Gainesville. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion

247sports.com Auburn depth chart impact: OLB Jalen McLeod Nathan King 4–5 minutes Auburn’s first post-spring transfer pickup comes at a position of tremendous need. App State’s Jalen McLeod has committed to Auburn following a visit over the weekend, presenting an influx of experience at a heavily depleted spot on the roster. A former 3-star recruit, 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. The Tigers have been thin at their pass-rusher spot for the better part of the past two seasons, and are again searching for depth this offseason. Starters Derick Hall and Eku Leota departed for the NFL, and former top-100 recruit Dylan Brooks entered the transfer portal last week. That left only Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister, along with true freshmen Keldric Faulk — the top-rated signee in Auburn’s 2023 class — and Brenton Williams. McLeod’s recent production is a welcome addition for new coordinator Ron Roberts’ “jack” linebacker spot, considering McAllister was the only player in the room with any college experience — and his last sack came in 2019. Let’s take a look at Auburn’s current personnel at jack linebacker, where the coaching staff may not be done seeking transfer additions. Seniors: Elijah McAllister, Jalen McLeod Juniors: N/A Sophomores: N/A Freshmen: Keldric Faulk, Brenton Williams -- Early depth chart projection 1: Jalen McLeod 2: Elijah McAllister OR Keldric Faulk McLeod brings 30 games of experience at the Group of Five level, including the past two seasons as a primary contributor for App State’s defense. Some of his best performances last season came on the biggest stages, too. In App State’s historic upset at No. 5 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. McLeod also had 1.5 sacks in the Mountaineers’ narrow loss at Coastal Carolina in November. 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. By games played, McAllister is still the most experienced player in the room, though McLeod was far more productive at his previous program. Neither present the kind of raw talent that Faulk has — a former top-75 overall recruit who had a standout spring as an early enrollee with the team. But Auburn’s coaches reiterated in the spring that they weren’t going to put too much pressure on Faulk to produce too quickly. The addition of McLeod is a nice solution right way, though down the line, he still has two years of eligibility remaining. Hugh Freeze and his staff hit the portal hard in the first window, picking up 12 players before the start of spring practice. The second transfer period has been much quieter, with McLeod serving as the first addition, though Auburn is expected to continue to ramp things up over the next couple weeks.

yahoo.com The 12-team College Football Playoff schedule is here, and it's fantastic Dan Wetzel·ColumnistTue, May 2, 2023 at 1:43 PM CDT 5–6 minutes January 2025 and 2026 has something special in store for you … at least if you enjoy watching football on television. And based on the soaring ratings for both the NFL and NCAA, you do. The College Football Playoff is expanding for the 2024 season (which will carry into early 2025). There will be 12 teams with four rounds of competition. Due to preexisting scheduling challenges, the playoff will be spread out, pushing the action deep into January (the title game is on Martin Luther King Day, or the 20th). This has generally been a time on the sports calendar owned solely by the NFL playoffs. The result, combined with the previously expanded NFL playoffs (14 teams, up from 12), is a never-before-experienced football-viewing nirvana. Namely, college football will stage its two semifinals on the Thursday and Friday evenings prior to the NFL’s wild-card weekend, which sees six games played over three days. The result: Thursday Jan. 9: CFP semifinal Friday Jan. 10: CFP semifinal Saturday Jan. 11: two NFL playoff games Sunday Jan. 12: three NFL playoff games Monday Jan. 13: one NFL playoff game That’s five consecutive days/nights of do-or-die playoff action, featuring eight games at two different levels of the sport. That’s not just a lot of football. That’s a whole lot of high-stakes, high-intensity football. It repeats in 2026, except the college semis begin on Thursday, Jan. 8. The five-night football smorgasbord has at least a two-year window. It's all temporary, because college football would prefer to avoid as much of the NFL ratings and attention juggernaut as it can. As such, the NCAA will likely shift its entire football season up a week — starting before Labor Day. That will allow two rounds of playoffs to be staged in December and the semifinals to be played on New Year’s Day (which will once again become a college football holiday). The title game will remain in early January. Until then, however, we have a clunky transitional period. Fans react as the Georgia Bulldogs band performs before the College Football Playoff national championship game against TCU at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 9 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) College football first-round games will be played on campus Friday, Dec. 20 (one game) and Saturday, Dec. 21 (three games). This will clash with regular-season NFL games played that Saturday. It will, no doubt, impact the college ratings, but the NFL will suffer a little too. Either way, for fans, that weekend becomes its own slice of football heaven. Options are always good. The college quarterfinal round will then proceed with one game on New Year’s Eve and three on New Year’s Day. Then come the semifinals on the Thursday and Friday before wild-card weekend. None of this is ideal, but this is the reality for college football. It wasted so many years fighting against the inevitable expansion of the playoff that the NFL gobbled up prime dates. There are negatives. Having the semifinals played on weeknights at neutral sites (the sport just won’t quit the bowl industry) is tough for fan travel and attendance. And a game the magnitude of a semifinal finishing late on a work/school Thursday night is problematic. That said, playing the semifinals before wild-card weekend (rather than head-to-head or on the Monday after) should do wonders for the build up of the games. It’s better to be the run up to the NFL than the direct competition or an afterthought. The three CFP games (two semifinals and the title game) staged last season averaged 20.4 million viewers. The NFL’s wild-card weekend alone did 28.4 million. The final three-game equivalent to the college playoff isn’t close. The AFC and NFC championship games averaged 50.1 million, while Kansas City defeated Philadelphia in a Super Bowl viewed by 115.1 million. College football needs to remain unique. It has its own quirks, traditions and passions. The goal shouldn’t be to become the NFL-Lite. However, if NFL fans geared up for a big football weekend get exposed to college football’s unique blend of passion and action, then some of them are going to be hooked. The sport has incredible growth potential, mainly by tapping into big city fans and viewers who didn’t have the college game instilled in their DNA the way many in the South and Midwest did. We’ll see, but just know that by January of 2025, when the weather is cold, the sun is still setting early and post-holiday doldrums have set in, there is going to be a five-day sprint of football viewing like never before. It’s going to be awesome. And you’re probably going to watch every minute.

i hate the kid did not make it. i hate when someones dream dies. i want all our guys to be successful. i hope he finds what makes him happy.

be careful the boogeyman will get you.

College football: Phil Steele makes his preseason AP top 10 prediction Nick Shepkowski 3–4 minutes There is something about this time of year that excites me. Sure, May generally means the weather is going to soon turn (not the case today if you live anywhere near Chicago), and the days will soon be filled with sunshine. It also means that before long you’ll be able to walk into your local drug store or book store and college football preview magazines will be lining the shelves. I’ve always enjoyed reading them and as odd as it probably sounds, I genuinely think the excitement of getting a college football preview magazine helped lay the groundwork to why I turned into such a fan of the sport at a young age. I digress, though. One of my favorites each summer is the magazine (or more accurately – college football bible) that Phil Steele puts together. It’s loaded with information as he capitalizes on the access he gets to so many coaches and programs. Before his magazine goes to print, Steele also releases a variety of items through his website. One such piece is when he projects the Associated Press preseason top 10. He does it annually and usually does it rather well. He already has that out for this year. A quick glance shows Notre Dame just cracking the top 10 as the Irish welcome the Sam Hartman era (or season) along with a new play-caller, no Michael Mayer, and what should be one of the best offensive lines in football. Below is the top 10 Steele projects the AP Poll to resemble when its released in August. Notre Dame Bob Self/Florida Times-Union Last season: 9-4 overall, won Gator Bowl vs. South Carolina Southern Cal Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Last season: 11-3, lost Cotton Bowl vs. Tulane Visit Trojans Wire for everything regarding USC football Clemson Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports Last season: 11-3, lost Orange Bowl vs. Tennessee For more information on the Tigers be sure to check out Clemson Wire Florida State Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports Last season: 10-3, beat Oklahoma in Cheez-It Bowl LSU Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports Last season: 10-4, beat Purdue in Citrus Bowl For more on Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals, visit LSU Tigers Wire Penn State Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports Last season: 11-2, beat Utah in Rose Bowl For more on Penn State football visit Nittany Lions Wire Michigan USA TODAY SPORTS Last season: 13-1, lost to TCU in College Football Playoff Semi-final (Fiesta Bowl) For all your Michigan needs visit Wolverines Wire Ohio State Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Last season: 11-2, lost to Georgia in College Football Playoff Semi-Final (Peach Bowl) For all of your Ohio State information visit Buckeyes Wire Alabama Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports Last season: Beat Kansas State in Sugar Bowl Georgia Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Last season: 15-0, national champions For all of your Georgia needs visit UGA Wire Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire

auburnwire.usatoday.com Ohio State WR Caleb Burton blown away by his Auburn visit Taylor Jones ~2 minutes One of the positions that Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze hopes to enhance this offseason is wide receiver. He took a step in the right direction last weekend by bringing in two candidates for a visit. Former Colorado playmaker Montana Lemonious-Craig commenced the weekend by visiting campus on Saturday, with former Ohio State receiver Caleb Burton stopping by on Sunday. Buy Tigers Tickets The latter says that he truly came away impressed with his visit. “Personally, I didn’t think it was going to be this nice,” Burton said of Auburn’s Woltosz Football Performance Center. “I’ve never even heard about this facility or ever seen it and it’s really nice.” While on campus, Burton took a tour and had the chance to sit down with wide receivers coach Marcus Davis. He tells Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover that he gelled well with Davis, and was able to learn new things. Burton was a highly-touted recruit out of Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas in the 2022 recruiting class. He was a four-star receiver according to 247Sports, and was the No. 22 overall prospect from the state of Texas for the cycle. However, he has not had the chance to see the field at Ohio State and is looking to make a name for himself at a new place. Burton received an Auburn offer on April 22, 2020, a few months before ultimately committing to Ohio State. 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__