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Trio of transfers has ‘absolutely improved’ Auburn’s O-line this spring Published: Mar. 31, 2023, 7:10 a.m. 6–7 minutes One of the biggest questions surrounding Auburn this offseason has yielded some promising answers as the team rolls toward its annual A-Day spring game. The Tigers’ retooled offensive line, featuring a trio of Group of Five transfers, has taken shape during spring practices — leaving Hugh Freeze and his offensive staff feeling much better about the position group than they did when Freeze was hired at the end of November. “Offensive line, I think, has been a real positive surprise throughout the spring,” offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery said this week. “I think the guys that we’ve been able to add to that room have made an impact.” Read more Auburn football: “He’s a monster”: Auburn trying to temper expectations for freshman edge rusher Keldric Faulk Why Auburn’s linebackers have been a pleasant surprise this spring Auburn’s wide receivers look to “change the narrative” this season Auburn’s offensive line play has left plenty to be desired in recent years. It has been a combination of misses on the recruiting trail — both in terms of prospects the previous coaching staffs were unable to land and number of overall additions to the room — and underdevelopment of the players on the roster. The result was oftentimes underwhelming play from the offensive line, whether in pass protection or run blocking, and an uneven scholarship distribution that left the group with several holes to fill this offseason following the departures of six seniors and the transfer of a junior with starting experience. When Freeze and Co. took over the program, Auburn had just eight scholarship offensive linemen on the roster. Getting those numbers back up was a priority, and one that was promptly addressed through the transfer portal and the 2023 class. Auburn added eight offensive linemen for the upcoming season (the most in a single cycle since Gene Chizik signed seven in 2012), landing four high school signees (the most prep linemen signed by the program since 2015), a top-rated junior college prospect in Izavion Miller and a trio of plug-and-play transfers: offensive tackles Dillon Wade (Tulsa) and Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky) and center Avery Jones (Eastern Carolina). It’s the three experienced transfers who have provided the biggest boost this spring, as Jones has assumed the first-team job at center in a group that also includes Wade at left tackle and Britton at right tackle. They have typically been joined by Jeremiah Wright (left guard) and Tate Johnson (right guard) in the first rotation as Auburn sorts out its depth chart along the line for this fall. “Those guys are really starting to mesh as a unit,” Montgomery said. “I think coach (Jake) Thornton’s done a great job with them. Right now, those guys to me are still our strength and that’s where you want it to be, in my opinion, as you start building an offense or a team it all starts in the trenches. Those guys jelling and coming together, getting on the same page is going to be a positive move for us.” The transition for Wade, Britton and Jones has been seemingly seamless — and a welcome development, considering each player’s level of experience. Wade’s move to the SEC has probably been the easiest considering he played under Montgomery at Tulsa and is already familiar with his system, even as Montgomery works to meld his philosophy with Freeze’s. He started 16 games for Tulsa the last two years, including every outing at left tackle last fall before opting to transfer as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the portal. Britton spent five seasons at WKU and started 18 games, including all 14 for the Hilltoppers last season. He entered the portal as the sixth-rated tackle on the market before signing with Auburn in January. Then there’s Jones, a former four-star recruit who started his career at UNC but spent the last three seasons at ECU, where he started 32 games for the Pirates before hitting the portal this offseason as the top-rated center on the market. RELATED: Hugh Freeze explains value, balancing act of honestly assessing Auburn’s quarterbacks publicly “He’s taken a lot of snaps,” Montgomery said. “He’s not being surprised by a lot of the different looks that we’re getting from our defense right now, which has been great. A guy that can handle those duties, can make a lot of calls. As a quarterback getting good snaps and knowing where those things are going to be, especially in the game that we want to play in the RPO system. You know, you start spraying snaps all over the place and then that’s going to affect the way you run your offense. “I think his veteran presence in there has been really significant and will continue to be that way.” All three of those additions — along with the signing of Miller and freshmen early enrollees Connor Lew, Clay Wedin and Bradyn Joiner — have not only helped replenish some of the numbers in the trenches for Auburn but infused the unit with a fresh wave of talent and experience. As Montgomery pointed out, the Tigers are more athletic up front than they were just a few months ago. The group’s approach throughout the spring has also impressed Montgomery, who wants to see that continue through the final handful of practices and A-Day as he, Thornton and Freeze try to put more on their plates heading into the offseason. Simply put, Auburn’s coaches want to see them “continue to keep raising the bar” this offseason and see what results that will yield come fall. At this point, at least, one thing is certain to Freeze. “They have absolutely improved us,” Freeze said. “We won’t know until the fall if — did we close the gap far enough to be able to compete with the elite in this league? We won’t know that until the fall. But there’s no question in my mind that they improved us, and I’m pleased with how they’re going about their business.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Auburn trying to temper expectations for 'monster' freshman Keldric Faulk Published: Mar. 30, 2023, 12:55 p.m. 7–8 minutes During the frenzied three-week period after Hugh Freeze accepted the head coaching job at Auburn, there was one recruit he allocated a preponderance of his time to — Keldric Faulk. Freeze made the one permitted in-home visit to Faulk less than two weeks after taking over on the Plains, but he made sure the 6-foot-6, 275-pound edge rusher felt like a priority to Auburn every day leading up to December’s early signing period. That meant phone calls every morning and every night, and “a ton” of FaceTime conversations between the Tigers’ new coach and the talented four-star in-state prospect. Read more Auburn football: Why Auburn’s linebackers have been a pleasant surprise this spring Auburn’s wide receivers look to “change the narrative” this season Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts’ magic number for contributors this season is 25. Here’s where that stands this spring As Auburn’s first spring under Freeze winds down, with just a few more practices remaining before next weekend’s A-Day game, it’s easy to see why Freeze and his staff made such an overwhelming push to land Faulk, the top-75 prospect in their initial signing class. “I’m telling you, Keldric Faulk, he’s going to be it,” defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett said. “He’s going to be it. Really excited about the way he rushes and the way he’s progressed since he got here. He’s going to be good.” Faulk has been among the standouts for Auburn this spring, and not just as a true freshman early enrollee. The Highland Home product has been the talk of teammates and coaches alike for his development — as well as his size — at a position of serious need for the Tigers. Freeze didn’t hide the fact that Auburn is “deficient in true pass-rushers” this spring following the departures of Derick Hall and Eku Leota, and while the staff still wants to add more depth in that area, Faulk is a newcomer who they believe can make an immediate impact at the Jack linebacker position in Ron Roberts’ defense. “Keldric Faulk, man, he’s a monster,” linebacker Cam Riley said. “He stands up at a good size. He’s a good, complete edge, I would say. He’s a very physical guy. He sets the edge, for a freshman, that’s pretty outstanding.” It shouldn’t come as a complete surprise that Faulk’s stock has quickly risen at Auburn. He was, after all, the prized signee in Freeze’s first recruiting class on the Plains. A longtime Florida State commit, Faulk flipped to Auburn at the start of the early signing period and wound up being the Tigers’ highest-rated signee in a transitional class that finished 18th in the 247Sports Composite team rankings. Rated as the No. 74 overall recruit in the country, Faulk was regarded as a top-10 defensive line prospect in the class and one of the best players in Alabama. As a senior at Highland Home, Faulk earned first-team All-State honors and earned an invite to the All-American Bowl thanks to his ability off the edge. It’s a skillset that has, so far, translated well to Auburn, where he looks to provide some immediate relief as a pass-rusher. After losing Hall, who led the team in sacks each of the last two seasons, as well as Leota (second in sacks in 2021, third in 2022 despite missing much of the year due to injury), Auburn has a need to fill off the edge. The Tigers added Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister, and Faulk, as well as Opelika product Brenton Williams to a room that returned just one scholarship piece: Dylan Brooks. With an opportunity in front of him as an early enrollee, Faulk has capitalized this spring. “He’s special,” defensive end Jeffrey M’ba said. “He’s special. I watch him. The way he plays, he plays hard. He gives everything he’s got every single time. I don’t even think he’s lost one 1-on-1…. That tells you how good he is. He’s not afraid to line up against anybody. All he thinks about is being great. Being around a kid like this is cool.” The hype-train for Faulk is gaining steam this spring, but it’s important to remember he’s still a true freshman and is still adjusting to the college game. Though Faulk certainly looks the part — at 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, he’s Auburn’s most physically imposing Jack linebacker — Roberts said it took him about six practices to really get a feel for the system and start to come into his own. “There’s so much hesitation — what do I do, what am I doing, how do I play this, how do I play that? — which is normal,” Roberts said. “That’s kind of expected going into things…. I think he’s done an outstanding job, and he’s shown an ability to be a heck of a football player for us.” Over the last two weeks of practices, though, things have started to slow down more for Faulk. His grasp of the position and its role within the defense is getting stronger, he’s adjusting to the speed of the game, and it’s showing out on the field and in the meeting room — even as Roberts said Faulk and his fellow freshman, Williams, are still in a growing phase this early on. That Faulk has caught on so quickly is a promising sign for Auburn on the pass-rushing front, but the Tigers are trying not to hoist him onto a pedestal heading into Year 1. They’re confident he can play a key role off the edge, with Roberts certain he’ll make the most progress in the offseason months and through fall camp, which should have him SEC-ready come September. However, they also want to temper expectations for a true freshman coming in, especially at that position. Though Auburn is deficient in returning pass-rush production (Marcus Harris, with two, is the only returning player who had more than one sack last season), the program hasn’t had a true freshman lead the team in sacks since it became an officially recognized stat in 2000. Three redshirt freshmen have led the team in sacks in that span (DeMarco McNeil with five in 2000, Quentin Groves with 11 in 2004, and Colby Wooden with four in 2019), but in the last decade, Auburn has had only one true freshman finish with more than two sacks in his first season: Carl Lawson, who had four in 2013. The only other true freshmen since then who had multiple sacks in their debut seasons were Big Kat Bryant in 2017, Richard Jibunor in 2018 and Owen Pappoe in 2019. Each of those three finished with two sacks apiece. “I don’t think he realizes how good he can actually be,” Garrett said. “He’s just coming in to work. He’s not listening to anybody telling him how good he is or anything like that. He’s coming in, he’s studying. He’s working hard. He’s trying to learn. He’s out there early walking through techniques. “I just think the kid’s going to be special, has a bright future as he keeps progressing.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Second-year Auburn linebacker ‘a whole new guy’ this spring Nathan King 4–5 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — For one of the best-rated recruits on Auburn’s roster, the combination of a healthy offseason and a reset button in the coaching staff is hoped to be a formula for success in 2023. As the Tigers’ linebackers continue to earn high marks from the coaches for their consistent play during spring practices, redshirt freshman Robert Woodyard appears to be making strides with the goal of working his way into a role on the defense this year. "He looks like a whole new guy from a couple months ago during the season at practice,” senior linebacker Cam Riley said Wednesday. The top-rated recruit in Auburn's 2022 class, Woodyard got his feet wet on special teams as a true freshman but still maintained a redshirt. It’s also worth noting the former Alabama commit spent a good portion of his first offseason with the program recovering from the season-ending knee injury he suffered as a senior at Williamson High School in Mobile — but he was still able to earn scout team player of the year honors by last year’s coaching staff. Now healthy this spring, Woodyard has been a fixture in the main linebacker rotation this spring, along with Austin Keys, Wesley Steiner and Riley. Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said his linebacking corps probably has five players at the moment that appear ready for significant playing time, and Woodyard is among those. “(Woodyard) is a physical guy, he's always around the ball,” Riley said. “He has a knack for the ball, like he wants to make every play. He takes the time to actually learn the defense. He's a new guy, man. I can't believe it." A signing-day flip from Alabama, Woodyard is a former top-150 overall prospect, rated as the No. 13 linebacker recruit in the country last year. He appeared in only four games in 2022, mostly on kickoff coverage, while preserving a redshirt and nursing his knee injury. Woodyard played one series at linebacker, though, in the home loss to Arkansas. “He's definitely made a lot more growth than I had, than I did my freshman year, as far as trying to understand and learn the playbook and how to understand the concepts that we're doing,” Steiner said last season. “I think he's grasped it well for the most part.” Auburn addressed its depth needs in the linebacking corps via the transfer portal, adding Keys, a starter at Ole Miss last season, and LSU youngster Demario Tolan. But a healthy Woodyard certainly has the talent and size — at 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds — to develop into a contributor at middle linebacker. After all, the group is under new management with position coach Josh Aldridge, and it doesn’t necessarily have much star power returning from last season, after four-year starter Owen Pappoe departed for the NFL draft. “He can strike, he can make tackles, he's athletic,” Roberts said this week of Woodyard. “For him, it's just being young, and you want to be able to see him be more vocal on the field with communication and getting everybody in the right spots, being able to help people out on the field. That's some of the things we kind of expect from that position, so we kinda need him to take those growth steps forward.” Auburn returned to practice Wednesday and will scrimmage for the third time this spring Friday evening.

247sports.com Could Gordon get a look as a pass rusher? Jason Caldwell 3–4 minutes AUBURN, Alabama—If there’s a position on the current Auburn roster that needs the most immediate help it’s at the jack linebacker spot where the Tigers are still searching for a true speed pass rusher after the losses of Derick Hall and Eku Leota from last season. While true freshmen like Keldric Faulk and Brenton Williams have come in and provided some immediate help this spring, the guy that can fly off the edge to get after the quarterback is still missing from this roster. Or is he? Getting a chance to step up and rush the passer in last week’s scrimmage, redshirt freshman Powell Gordon showed some of the skill set that made him a feared pass rusher at Auburn High School during his time with the Tigers. It’s something that made veteran linebacker Cam Riley sit up and take notice when he flashed it on the field. “I actually saw him play during the scrimmage last week, he had -- I can't describe it -- it was some move that he did that I've never seen before,” Riley said. “But once I saw that, I was trying to tell the coach, 'We need Powell on the edge. He'll make every play.' After the play I saw him make, I was like, 'Yeah, we need him down there.'" And it may be something that happens soon, according to Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. Saying they’ve had discussions about Gordon getting a look coming off the edge, the first-year assistant for the Tigers said that has shown up some on the field already as he’s continued to try to transition to being a true inside linebacker. “He’s athletic,” Roberts said. “He probably looks his best when he’s on the edge; I think he’s a little comfortable with it, where he was at in high school. He’s a young guy. He’s probably behind a little veteran group of linebackers.” Finishing with 20 total sacks in his last two seasons at Auburn High while playing in a tough 7A region, Gordon showed the ability to rush the passer night after night. That also showed up against powerhouse IMG Academy when he beat current Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker repeatedly in their matchup. After the game Booker told Auburnundercover that Auburn was getting a great one in Gordon. “Powell is a dog,” Booker said following the game. “He gave me a run for my money today. I appreciate him for it. It’s probably the most I have been challenged all year. Auburn is getting a great one out of him.” 21COMMENTS With a big need at that spot for Auburn’s defense and with Gordon showing the skill set to potentially help out, Riley said he’s all for seeing the redshirt freshman come off the edge in this defense at times. "I'd like to actually see him down there, though, because I feel like he'd do a pretty good job at edge,” Riley said. “I feel like if he can get a little bit more weight on him, he can possibly be one of the ingredients for us." ">247Sports

al.com Why Auburn’s linebackers have been a pleasant surprise this spring Published: Mar. 30, 2023, 7:05 a.m. 5–7 minutes Hugh Freeze hasn’t hesitated to earnestly critique his team or point out its deficiencies in his first spring on the Plains. That has been particularly true when it comes to Auburn’s quarterbacks and wide receivers. There’s one position, however, that has warranted a few more plaudits from the Tigers’ first-year head coach — linebacker. “That’s actually one group that I think that we’ve improved ourselves from practice one,” Freeze said last week. “…I don’t feel as good about some others as I do that one.” Read more Auburn football: Auburn’s wide receivers look to “change the narrative” this season Hugh Freeze on Nick Saban: “I want to beat the crap out of him during the Iron Bowl” Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts’ magic number for contributors this season is 25. Here’s where that stands this spring That assessment from Freeze came at the start of the third week of Auburn’s spring practices, just before the team took the field for its seventh practice under Freeze and his new staff. It’s a feeling Freeze hopes to still have coming out of the A-Day spring game on April 8. So far, though, he has been impressed with Auburn’s linebacker corps, even as the team must replace last year’s leading tackler and four-year starting linebacker Owen Pappoe. What Auburn returns to the group, as well as what it was able to add during the first transfer portal window, has Freeze feeling comfortable this spring. The Tigers welcome back two of their top-their top rotation linebackers from a year ago in upperclassmen Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner, as well as top 2022 signee Robert Woodyard Jr. and former North Carolina transfer Eugene Asante. The team also added a pair of SEC transfers in the offseason, with former Ole Miss linebacker Austin Keys and former LSU linebacker DeMario Tolan entering the fray. “I feel like, you know, at this point we got a lot of older guys in the room so it kind of helps out,” Riley said. “(There are) about four veterans we have now, so with three or four of us having SEC experience already, it kind of helps out going into the season and the spring as well, just stacking reps on top of reps with everybody.” Riley stepped into his largest role to date last season, when he finished second on the team with 66 total tackles while making seven starts alongside Pappoe at inside linebacker. Steiner, meanwhile, saw a similar uptick in playing time while making five starts and tallying 46 tackles — though his production and snaps tailed off during the final month of the season. Keys appeared in 23 games and made five starts across three seasons at Ole Miss, where he totaled 51 tackles and a pair of sacks during that span. Tolan was a four-star prospect in the 2022 class when he signed with LSU and proceeded to play in 12 games as a true freshman last season. That’s a solid amount of SEC experience in the room, even with Pappoe’s departure, and it has yielded some positive returns on the practice field this spring as defensive coordinator Ron Roberts implements his system. Roberts would like to rotate six linebackers for the two inside positions, and through the first 10 practices of the spring, he already feels comfortable with at least five of the Tigers’ linebackers. The veteran defensive coordinator is by no means ready to name starters this far in advance of the season, but Keys and Steiner have been receiving much of the first-team work at linebacker this spring. Riley and Woodyard have been the second tandem on the field, while Tolan and Asante have been in the mix rounding out that six-deep group. “I think we have a talented room of linebackers,” Roberts said. “…We throw a lot at our linebackers on a mental standpoint, and I think they’ve done a great job of doing that. They can all run. They can tackle. Tremendous attitude. That’s a heck of a head start with them.” As Roberts mentioned, his system asks a lot of the linebackers. They drop back in coverage and play against the run, but he has also been known to blitz with them more often than Auburn did with the prior staff. That’s something that appeals to Riley, who yearns for the opportunity to create some havoc in the opposing backfield after not recording a sack last season. When it comes to coverage responsibilities, a lot of it is based off formation, so Roberts will often provide the linebackers with multiple calls pre-snap and adjusting depending on what the offense shows. “That’s new for a lot of them to have to do that, but it’s kind of the nature of college football nowadays,” Roberts said. “If you don’t do it, you’re going to be — they (the offense) are getting the pencil last, and they’re going to whip you.” But Auburn’s new-look group of linebackers have caught on quickly to Roberts’ system this spring while working with position coach Josh Aldridge. It has been a welcome development for the Tigers defensively, as the position group appears to be further along than the others on that side of the ball — at least from an overall comfort of the scheme and sheer game-ready depth — as spring winds down. “I think Josh has done a nice job with those guys,” Freeze said. “The additions we’ve made there helped. I think we’re a little deeper and better there than I originally felt. I hope I feel that way after 15 practices.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

247sports.com Damari Alston impressed Auburn's coaches 'from Day 1' this spring Nathan King 5–6 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — Damari Alston’s first college football touches came earlier than he expected — in the first game of the season against Mercer as a true freshman. The butterflies were plentiful then, before his first carry in Jordan-Hare Stadium. But his first real taste of high-level college football action came two weeks later. The running back worked on Auburn’s kick-return unit all season, and in the Tigers’ Week 3 loss to Penn State, Alston said he ran full speed into a Nittany Lion, attempting to block for return man Jarquez Hunter, and was blasted back in his first contact with an opposing Power Five player. “I was walking off the field just seeing stars,” Alston said Wednesday. I was like, that was my welcome to college moment, for sure.” That freshman sensation has worn off for the former 4-star recruit, though, who’s making a larger impact in his first full offseason with the program. Working with a couple veterans in the backfield in Hunter and USF transfer Brian Battie, Alston has hung right there in terms of reps in spring practice. He and Battie have split work on the second team, as Alston looks to solidify a role in the Tigers’ new-look offense in his sophomore campaign. “”I’ve thought from the start of spring camp, he’s the guy that’s probably surprised me a little bit more out of the running back room than anybody,” offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery said this week of Alston. “From Day 1, I thought he had a pretty good feel with what we were trying to do in the run game, with seeing it, setting up blocks and still had that physicality about him. But the speed that he brings — man, he’s got gears in there.” The nation’s No. 28 running back recruit from Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Alston carried 14 times his freshman year for 85 yards. He was third in the rotation behind Tank Bigsby, who’s now off to the NFL, and Hunter, who looks to take over as the Tigers’ lead back with 6.5 yards per carry across two seasons. “Even though Tank and Jarquez were in front of me, I still came in competing like I was coming for the starting job,” Alston said. “I feel like that's how I am this year, as well.” Alston prided himself, as both a recruit and a freshman, as a young leader for the program during a shaky time at Auburn, as the Bryan Harsin era slowly but surely crumbled. His positive mindset is one of his most important attributes, he said, and he still attempts to carry that over onto the practice field now. But at the end of the day, the sophomore called Auburn’s tumultuous 2022 season “a blessing in disguise.” “Things happen and it is what it is,” Alston said. “But I feel like with Coach Freeze, a lot of the culture just changed. … I feel a change in the relationship that I have with Coach Freeze than I had with the previous staff. I feel like I can talk to Coach Freeze anytime that I want to.” For Alston, of course, having his own position coach retained was a massive sigh of relief, when Hugh Freeze kept Cadillac Williams on staff and promoted him to associate head coach. Unsurprisingly, Alston said Williams’ time leading the team as the interim head coach didn’t go to his head. “Cadillac is just going to be Cadillac,” Alston said. “Ever since I came in, he’s always coached us the same. He’s always just been a real standup guy. He’s always kept it real on and off the field.” With Auburn’s focus on tempo within its new offense, Montgomery said he envisions a true, three-man running back rotation between Hunter, Battie and Alston. Auburn hasn’t had more than two running backs carry the ball at least 50 times apiece in a season since 2019. “I think we’ve got guys in there that all kind of feed off each other,” Montgomery said. “... It’s probably going to be some version of a rotation that’s going to happen in the backfield. I think being able to keep a guy healthy throughout the season is important for us. We know what Jarquez is going to bring and how tough he is and the physicality that he brings and being able to catch the ball out of the backfield and do those things. But I think all of those guys are bringing the same thing to the table and I’ve been really impressed with that room.” With Auburn’s passing game still very much a work in progress — with a wide-open quarterback competition and a receivers room looking to “change the narrative” about its production in recent seasons — it’s no surprise Freeze and Montgomery want to lean on their ground game, where they believe there’s plenty of potential in a trio of exciting ball-carriers. “I feel like us as a whole, we're so connected,” Alston said. “We brought (Battie) in with warm arms, open arms and ever since then we've all just been going at it, competing, helping each other on the field and off the field. I feel like our running back room is at its best right now and it'll keep getting better.” 5COMMENTS

rollingstone.com Trump Indicted by New York Grand Jury Over Hush Money Tim Dickinson 7–9 minutes Skip to main content Trump Indicted A Manhattan grand jury has made Trump the first former president in American history to face criminal charges Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2019. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on charges related to the former president’s hush-money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, Rolling Stone has confirmed. The New York Times was the first to report the news. The historic indictment, was highly anticipated, as details of District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s probe into the former president became public in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Bragg’s office gave Trump the option to testify before the grand jury, signaling an indictment was forthcoming. Trump declined the invitation. Fox News reported that Manhattan prosecutors had requested a meeting with law enforcement to discuss logistics surrounding the possible indictment, and Trump posted to Truth Social the following morning that he would be getting arrested in the coming days. The indictment is unprecedented. Trump is the first former president to face criminal prosecution in the history of the United States. (Though culpability was not in doubt, Richard Nixon was pardoned for his Watergate crimes before he could face the justice system.) The vote is a gut-check for the American legal system, testing the bedrock principle that “no one is above the law.” The indictment stem from a 2016 payment to Daniels, with whom Trump allegedly had an affair in 2006 and 2007. The pair had met at a celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe during the height of Trump’s celebrity as the star of the reality show The Apprentice. In October of 2016, shortly before the general election, Trump’s then-attorney and fixer Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to sign a non-disclosure-agreement, to stop her from dishing details of the alleged tryst to the press. The motive was to prevent a new sexual scandal from rocking the late stages of a campaign that was still cleaning up from the fallout of the Access Hollywood tape. Despite the explicit aim of helping Trump’s 2016 presidential bid, the payment was not disclosed as a campaign contribution. Cohen made the hush money payment from his own finances — securing a home equity line of credit to come up with the cash — and funneled the payoff through a shell corporation. Trump then allegedly directed that Cohen be reimbursed for the payment, and also rewarded the fixer handsomely for the hassle. But Trump didn’t cut Cohen a check. The funds, totaling more than $400,000, were paid out from the coffers of his business, the Trump Organization, which put Cohen on a $35,000 monthly retainer throughout 2017, ostensibly for legal services, according to Cohen’s guilty plea for violating campaign finance laws. Trump has denied the affair and has insisted that he never instructed Cohen to do anything illegal. He has pointed to Cohen as his attorney and suggested he was acting on the advice of counsel. Cohen has testified that the initial payment and the covert reimbursement scheme were both executed at Trump’s direction. Some observers have argued that the criminal case against Trump lack gravitas and that the salacious nature of the Stormy Daniels scandal makes it a poor test-case for the serious and unprecedented business of seeking a criminal conviction of a former president. Trump and his allies have decried the prosecution as corrupt and partisan, pointing to Bragg having won office thanks in part to financial support provided by the liberal financier George Soros. But it’s equally true that the indictment in New York could open the floodgates, emboldening other criminal prosecutors to follow suit with charges relating to more serious crimes. Trump remains under investigation in Georgia for allegations of 2020 election interference, and the federal Justice Department has appointed a special prosecutor to probe his mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, as well as his campaign to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election, which resulted in a criminal referral by the House committee that investigated Jan. 6.

oh bullsh*t. YOU guys have been enacting gun laws that have us here right now. funny you would blame the left.

the bottom line is many of you are putting weapons grade assault rifles ahead of the lives of children. you can come up with all the bluster you want.how many scholl shooters do you see just bringing a six shot revolver to kill a bunch of people with? there is a reason the assault rifles are so popular. they even put legitimate fear in cops that have to go stop these people.

GOP Tax Cuts Are Driving US Debt Ratio Higher: Analysis Lucy Nicholson 2.4k Michael Rainey Tue, March 28, 2023 at 11:04 AM CDT Although they are struggling to come up with a budget proposal of their own, Republicans are unified behind the idea that the federal deficit is the product of excess spending and therefore a problem to be solved by slashing government programs. Democrats, on the other hand, lay much of the blame for persistent budget shortfalls on the tax cuts that Republicans tend to push through every time they gain control in Washington. On Monday the liberal think tank Center for American Progress released an analysis laying out the case that GOP tax cuts are the driving force behind the country’s worsening fiscal outlook. The argument in a nutshell: “Tax cuts initially enacted during Republican trifectas in the past 25 years slashed taxes disproportionately for the wealthy and profitable corporations, severely reducing federal revenues. In fact, relative to earlier projections, spending is down, not up. But revenues are down significantly more. If not for the Bush tax cuts and their extensions — as well as the Trump tax cuts — revenues would be on track to keep pace with spending indefinitely, and the debt ratio (debt as a percentage of the economy) would be declining. Instead, these tax cuts have added $10 trillion to the debt since their enactment and are responsible for 57 percent of the increase in the debt ratio since 2001, and more than 90 percent of the increase in the debt ratio if the one-time costs of bills responding to COVID-19 and the Great Recession are excluded. Eventually, the tax cuts are projected to grow to more than 100 percent of the increase.” - ADVERTISEMENT - Specifically, CAP says that the tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush will cost more than $8 trillion through the end of 2023, while the Trump tax cuts will cost $1.7 trillion. Republican plans to extend the Trump tax cuts would add $2.6 trillion to the total, while the effort to rescind IRS funding would add billions more. “A series of massive, permanent tax cuts have created large federal budget primary shortfalls and continue to exert upward pressure on the debt ratio,” the CAP analysis concludes. “If Congress wants to decrease deficits, it should look first toward reversing tax cuts that largely benefited the wealthy, which were responsible for the United States’ current fiscal outlook.” Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter.

yahoo.com What's holding back the Auburn football wide receiver group under first-year coach Hugh Freeze? Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser 4–5 minutes AUBURN — Auburn football held its second spring scrimmage Friday, and coach Hugh Freeze tried something new. Instead of having coaches and assistants on the field with the players to give them tips and make sure they're performing properly, Freeze pulled aside all his staff. It gave him an opportunity to see how his players, specifically his wide receivers, reacted without guidance. "I think it’s a great test for us there," Freeze said Monday. "And we’ve still got some improving to do on alignment and assignment. And technique, of course." SPRING PRACTICE:Holden Geriner with Auburn football's first group, other observations HOLDEN GERINER:Why Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze said QB 'really, really stood out' AUBURN FOOTBALL RECRUITING:Hugh Freeze lands commitment from 4-star RB J'Marion Burnette Freeze said March 20 that two positions stuck out in his mind as needing the most work: Receivers and quarterbacks. Just over a week later, the QBs have seemed to turn a corner; Freeze sang the praises of redshirt freshman Holden Geriner on Monday, one week after he wished the position group was "further along." And at practice that day, Geriner was among the first group during the offense's pace drill. TJ Finley was behind him and Robby Ashford, who came out with the first unit March 20, was with the third group. But for all the progression from the quarterbacks, the receivers have lagged. Freeze attributes it to new requirements from his coaching staff. Whether its being able to read the defense and decide which RPO should be run or how to counter a certain technique from a defensive back, Freeze explained it's all new. “Not as much as I would like," Freeze said Monday when asked if the receivers were progressing well, also citing injuries that were holding players back. Auburn football wide receivers coach Marcus Davis during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center on March 22, 2023. The receiving corps at spring practice is simultaneously a veteran, yet inexperienced, group. Cincinnati transfer Nick Mardner is the only player at the position that wasn't on the roster last season, but among sophomores like Camden Brown, Jay Fair and Omari Kelly, there's plenty of ability left untapped. Brown, Fair and Kelly collectively caught 14 passes for a combined 213 yards and two touchdowns in 2022. And others like Landen King, who originally came to the Plains in 2021 as a 6-foot-5 tight end before transitioning to receiver, posted low numbers last season. Freeze recently talked about how much he prioritizes having tall, lanky receivers with large catch radiuses. In addition to King, Brown is 6-3 and Florida International transfer tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, who is a threat in the passing game, is listed at 6-4. "They’ve got to play without us on the field," Freeze said. "It wasn’t as far a step forward as I would have liked for us to have seen with (the coaches) off, but I’m confident we can help them get better this week." Asked if he'd be interested in adding a receiver or two via the transfer portal when it opens after spring practice wraps up, Freeze didn't mince words. "We are open to the portal business for anyone that fits our culture at Auburn and can help us improve our team quickly," he said. 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: Receivers must improve through injuries, inexperience

no sir i have not but i will check it out.

DC Ron Roberts: Auburn defense needs 'growth' to get to 25 reliable contributors Updated: Mar. 29, 2023, 9:46 a.m.|Published: Mar. 29, 2023, 9:29 a.m. 5–6 minutes Ron Roberts doesn’t have to worry about having Auburn’s defense ready to play for another five months. That’s good, because for as “outstanding” as he said his first spring as the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator has been, the unit still has work to be done to get to a spot where Roberts is comfortable, at least from a numbers standpoint. As Auburn winds down spring practice, with the A-Day game just 10 days away, Roberts said he has about 16 or 17 players he believes can be relied on to contribute for the defense. The number he wants by the end of fall camp is closer to 25. “What I really want to see for the remainder of spring is having more guys get in the can-do category,” Roberts said. “…We’ve got to get more guys to the boat that can be functional when we get on the field, to execute the scheme and know what we’re trying to get done and be able to do that.” Read more Auburn football: Tate Johnson’s surprise return from injury a “bolt in the arm” for Auburn’s offensive line Hugh Freeze explains value, balancing act of honestly assessing Auburn’s quarterbacks publicly Holden Geriner’s stock on the rise as Auburn’s quarterback play sees overall improvement To get to that 25-player threshold, Roberts wants Auburn to be able to go three-deep along its three-man defensive line (nine players) and at inside linebacker (six players), plus at least a couple reliable Jack linebackers while rounding out that number with defensive backs. Through 10 spring practices, Roberts is feeling pretty good about the inside linebacker group, believing the Tigers currently have five they can count on to contribute this fall. Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys has been running with the first team alongside senior Wesley Steiner, while Cam Riley and Robert Woodyard Jr. have been the second pairing. LSU transfer Demario Tolan and former North Carolina transfer Eugene Asante appear to be the next two vying for spots in the rotation. Along the defensive line, Roberts believes Auburn has six or seven players who are ready to go at this point. The first grouping during Monday’s practice included Marcus Harris at end, Jayson Jones at nose tackle and Kentucky transfer Justin Rogers at defensive tackle. The second unit saw Jeffrey M’ba at end, Purdue transfer Lawrence Johnson at nose and Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite at tackle. The first two Jack linebackers in the rotation were Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister and freshman standout Keldric Faulk. The secondary is where Roberts expressed more concern about numbers, even as that unit is largely viewed as the strength of the Tigers’ defense heading into this season. “Really, I’m going to be honest with you, we don’t have a lot of depth in the secondary,” Roberts said. “That’s probably the biggest one right now.” Auburn returns several key pieces to its secondary from last season, including its top-two corners in Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James, safeties Zion Puckett and Jaylin Simpson, and star/nickels Keionte Scott and Donovan Kaufman. For all that returning experience, though, Auburn doesn’t quite have a functional two-deep on the back end of its defense yet, according to Roberts. That’s in part because of injuries. Sophomore J.D. Rhym, for instance, is out for the remainder of spring with an injury, leaving Auburn with just three available scholarship corners at this point: Pritchett, James and freshman standout Kayin Lee. That trio will be part of the equation come fall, when Auburn will also add reinforcements, both from a health standpoint and a group of incoming freshmen. Auburn also has “some youth” at safety behind the top-two of Puckett and Simpson, and Roberts wants to see more progress there to feel comfortable with the depth heading into the season. Getting to that solid 25-man rotation on defense is a process, as Roberts and his staff evaluate and grade each position daily based on alignment, assignment, technique and ability to get the job done. That process takes time, and it will not only include the final five practices of spring, but it will also continue into summer workouts and the duration of fall camp. Fortunately for Roberts and the rest of the defensive staff, time is on their side — for now — as they try to identify the remaining nine or so players who can develop into contributors, whether it’s as core rotation pieces, players who can give them 10 snaps a game at a position or someone who can step up in the even of an injury “without taking a major drop-off.” “That’s the biggest thing,” Roberts said. “We talk about getting in that category: There’s a certain level of play of alignment, assignment, technique and production that you show up with that you have to meet in order to step on a football field. So, I think there’s still some guys that — we call them, they’re in the gray category, which is a question mark — and we’ve still got some growth to go with them.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

si.com California vs Auburn listed as one of college football's best matchups of 2023 season Lance Dawe 3–4 minutes Could Auburn's road trip to Cal be one of the best matchups this upcoming season? Auburn's 2023 football schedule will feature a pair of opponents the Tigers have never faced before. Coupled with the usual daunting SEC slate - now subject to change in 2024 with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the league - Hugh Freeze's first year on the Plains should be an interesting one. The Tigers' four games in September are particularly interesting, as it includes two road games: a trip to College Station on September 23rd, and a non-conference game at California, a team Auburn has never faced. Considering where both of these teams finished last season (5-7 and 4-8), this game smells of potential chaos - especially when looking at Auburn's last four matchups with Pac 12 schools (all one possession victories). Grant Hughes of 247 Sports recently released his 23 best matchups of the 2023 college football season, with Auburn's matchup with the Golden Bears being one of them. Here's what Hughes had to say about Auburn vs Cal: "Cal's home opener presents one of the most intriguing culture shocks of the season as Auburn makes the long trip out west for its first-ever matchup with the Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium," Hughes wrote. "As it stands, Auburn has three players vying to be Hugh Freeze's first starting quarterback at Auburn. Starter Robby Ashford returns after an up-and-down 2022 season, along with junior T.J. Finley and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner. Whoever wins the starting job will look to keep Cal from claiming its first win against an SEC opponent since its 28-20 win over Ole Miss in 2019." California is coming off a 4-8 campaign in head coach Justin Wilcox's sixth season with the Golden Bears. Cal hasn't had a winning record since 2019, a winning record in Pac 12 play since 2009, and a 10-win season since 2008. They have the 10th best all-time win percentage out of all current Pac 12 schools. The Bears are 48th nationally in returning production, with 78% of their defensive production (from a unit that was 111th nationally in total defense) coming back.

247sports.com Riley eager to do more as a senior linebacker Mark Murphy 5–6 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–A returning starter and one of the more experienced defenders on the Auburn football team for the 2023 season, Cam Riley said on Wednesday that he would like to be even more productive as a senior. He is expected to get that opportunity. “I feel like going into my fourth year, I have a big role that I have to take upon myself,” said Riley, who finished the 2022 season with 66 tackles, second to the 91 from Owen Pappoe, who is moving on to pro football. “With me being a veteran, since I have been here four years and I am an upcoming senior, I feel like the problem I had when I first got here is I really didn't talk as much, but I feel like now, it is time for me to actually start talking and be more of a vocal leader.” Last season Riley, who stands six-foot-five and weighs 230 pounds, was credited with 39 solo stops and 3 1/2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Those numbers are solid, but with his combination of size, speed and experience the potential is there to do more. Asked what he can do to improve his production the former Hillcrest High star from Evergreen said, “My biggest thing is, with me standing so high at 6-5, that is kind of rare as an inside linebacker, but I would say it is probably a plus to me with length and stuff like that. “I would say my biggest thing is me working on my pad level and staying low because I have a tendency of standing high at times, which can cause problems because sometimes it may cause me to crossover. But, with me staying lower, I feel like it will help me out with me being able to move side to side quicker.” Riley, who is celebrating his birthday on Wednesday, noted, “Spring is going pretty good, you know, just adjusting to the new defense. I am able to take roles inside and outside so that pretty much complements my playing style, being able to help across the field.” Most of his spring training time has been spent at linebacker, but he has worked at the jack spot as an outside pass rusher, something he was very good at in high school. “Adjusting to the new coaches has been a change,” he pointed out. “I had like three to four new coaches each year so I feel like it’s been very beneficial to me because it will help me out for future purposes. In the league (NFL) you have to learn new defenses, new coaches each day. I feel like with that happening, it kind of helped me out for future purposes.” The new leader of the defense is Ron Roberts. The coordinator has good things to say about how Riley has performed this spring and noted that Riley and fellow senior Wesley Steiner are among the players making progress. Asked about Steiner, Riley said, “I feel like he has taken a tremendous leadership role. He is trying to make sure everybody’s on point and doing the right thing. He knows the defense in and out. “He just always puts other people before himself,” Riley added about his teammate. “That’s how he has always been since he first got here, but he has most definitely took a big leadership role as well and became a huge vocal leader.” Two newcomers who are expected to immediately contribute at linebacker are DeMario Tolan, a transfer from LSU, and Austin Keys, a transfer from Ole Miss. “I feel like they most definitely add a lot of extra talent to the room,” Riley said. “With DeMario, he is a young guy, but he is coming along. He can move very good. He’s probably...I wouldn’t say he is the most athletic linebacker in the room—of course, I am going to say myself—but DeMario, he is very athletic. He is a good addition to the room. “Keys as well, with him having a lot of SEC experience, he will just add a lot more to the room as well.” Among the changes this year for the defense is a new linebacker coach, Josh Aldridge. Asked about his position coach, Riley said, “He takes time with us learning the defense in and out. He is a family person so he always checks up on us each day. He just cares a lot about his players and stuff like that. Great to have him here.” The senior linebacker pointed out that the Tigers are upbeat this spring with Coach Hugh Freeze in charge of the program. 7COMMENTS “This year I would say the biggest change was everyone came together,” Riley said. “I know you hear that a lot, but I actually kind of feel like everyone actually came together this year. I feel like there was a lot of things going on last year within the team that brought a lot of diversity and things like that, which caused a lot of division, but I felt like everyone actually came together and wants to play as one. “We preach every day about Auburn and getting back to what it used to be with winning games and things like that,” he added. “I believe everyone actually believes that is what it is going to be this year. I feel like we have got a pretty good chance of getting back to what we were.” ">247Sports

si.com Hugh Freeze is revitalizing Auburn football recruiting Jack Singley 3–4 minutes The Freeze warning has been in affect and looks to keep going into the summer. The typical Auburn fan has become used to something, that something would be a subpar on-field performance. Auburn has not had a winning season since the 2020 season, and yet despite this winning season, long-time Head Coach Gus Malzhan was fired. Malzhans successor, Bryan Harsin, tried to create an image of hard work and perseverance. The team might have worked hard but the onfield product led to consecutive losing seasons and ultimately the firing of Harsin and the hiring of Freeze. The key to a winning program is recruiting high-level players, who can make an impact on the team. In a case such as this, Auburn needs an immediate resurgence in recruiting to get back to a contending spot in the SEC. Hugh Freeze knows this most of all as he helped to make Ole Miss, a school that had won a total of six wins in two years before Freeze took the helm, a national name and led them to three top-five finishes in the National Recruiting rankings according to 247 Sports. Freeze's knowledge and proven capability are needed as during the past five years Auburn has only finished in the top 10 of these rankings once, which was the 2020 class that included future NFL pick, Tank Bigsby. The 2024 class currently ranks as the 22nd class so far according to 247. The class has four members, all of which are four stars. Walker White, the Arkansas QB who is ranked as the ninth quarterback of the 2024 class, J'Marion "Phat" Burnette, the Andalusia RB who is the tenth-best back in the nation and a top ten in-state prospect, and a pair of in-state DBs in A'mon Lane and Jayden Lewis. As of March 29th, this class is higher than every class since 2020 when Kobe Hudson, Avery Jernigan, Jay Hardy, and JJ Evans were all members of the class by March. The worst part of this is that every player besides Jernigan has transferred to a different team. The average of those players mentioned was 92.85 making them middle-tier level four-star recruits. That class ended up with an average of 90.92 which was good for the fifth-best class in the SEC for that recruiting period. The current class average is 92.04, which would put us on pace for the highest class average since the mid-2000s. Freeze has the experience and the knowledge of recruiting in an SEC landscape to take Auburn to heights that have not been seen since the years of Tuberville, Chizik, and the early years of Malzahn. Hugh hopes to be able to take them to where only a generational quarterback in Cam Newton was able to take them, the National Championship.

i will look this up. freeze is very charismatic to me.

al.com Brian Battie brings speed and skill to Auburn’s running back unit Published: Mar. 29, 2023, 5:57 p.m. ~3 minutes By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com Auburn offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery learned how quickly Brian Battie can change the dynamic of an offense last season as Tulsa’s head coach against Battie at the University of South Florida. Battie rushed for 169 yards on 19 carries in a 48-42 Tulsa win. Montgomery’s defense game-planned intensely to slow down Battie. Tulsa won a wild game, but Battie was a shining star. “He was the guy we needed to stop, for sure,” Montgomery said. Because he’s electric with the ball in his hands. And if you notice, he doesn’t take many straight-on hard hits if you go back and truly watch his tapes. He’s a guy that understands how to maneuver himself and find ways to stay positive and finish forward.” Battie had over 1,000 rushing yards last season and, in 2021, was a consensus All-American player on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner. He’s catching the attention of his teammates during spring football. “He definitely adds some speed and quickness. He’s a really quick guy. He can obviously take kicks back as well. I just feel like he adds the speed and quickness we need in the room.” In a sign of the times for the ever-changing world of college football, the path to Auburn for Battie inadvertently started on Nov 19 at Tulsa’s stadium. Montgomery told Auburn running back coach Cadillac Williams to check out Battie’s film. “The first guy is never going to bring him down or tackle him. He always—also, he’s a smaller guy, but he’s a natural runner between the tackles,” Williams told AL.com in February. “He’s a running back. He’s a football player. He’s a guy that understands leverage and angles, a guy that’s going to break tackles, and he’s strong, and he’s very competitive, and he wants to be one of the best. We are getting a complete back that I think can do it all.” Battie continues to impress as spring practice heads into its final week before the Apr 8 spring game. “The thing about Brian and he’s got really good speed,” Montgomery said. “But the thing that you notice when you’re around him or even as as person that played against him, he is very, very difficult to tackle. Right? And he does a great job of setting up blocks, being patient.” Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.