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Big Game Boomer believes Auburn will have one of the quietest stadiums in college football this weekend Andrew Stefaniak 2 minutes As all Auburn fans know, the Plains is a special place full of some of the best traditions in college football. Whether it be the eagle flying through Jordan-Hare Stadium or rolling the trees at Toomer's Corner after a huge Auburn win. The football program is not in a great place right now, and the team has not been playing well, but there is one thing you can always count on, the fans are going to be there to support our players. Big Game Boomer released their list of the top 15 loudest and quietest stadiums for week nine, and Jordan-Hare was on the list to be one of the quietest stadiums. This just won't be the case. Jordan-Hare will be one of the loudest stadiums in college football this weekend, just like it is every weekend. Auburn fans are not fair-weather fans. They love their players, teams, and school, no matter how good or bad the team is in any given year. Auburn plays about seven home games every year. These are the most highly anticipated weekends of the year on the Plains. Everyone gets to tailgate, visit with friends and family, and watch college football as they prepare to cheer the Tigers to victory. It will take a lot more than a rough year on the gridiron and some coaching troubles to get Auburn fans not to show up loud and proud for their team.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Where are they now?: The curious case of Auburn's 2021 signing class Taylor Jones 5-6 minutes Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin was dealt a great hand to open his tenure on the Plains. Just one week before the official announcement of the Harsin hire, Auburn signed the nation’s No. 18 recruiting class according to 247Sports, a class that consisted of 18 high school players, six of whom were rated as four-star prospects. Buy Tigers Tickets However, just two years after faxing their National Letter of Intent to the university, half of those signees that were expected to be the future of the program now appear on another program’s roster. The number grew from seven to nine players on Tuesday night following the announcement of Landen King’s intention to transfer away from the program, and the news that A.D. Diamond is no longer part of the roster. Why is that? No one can for sure say at this time, but it is definitely a concern. Not only are the departures concerning, but the lack of production from this class is worrisome. The headliner from this class is running back Jarquez Hunter, who has been given an opportunity to complement Tank Bigsby in the running game. Outside of Hunter, defensive players such as Dylan Brooks, Cayden Bridges, marquis robinson, and Joko Willis have combined to play just 236 of Auburn’s 513 defensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus. Between those four players, Bridges is receiving the bulk of those snaps with 173. The offensive side of the football does not fair any better, as Tar'varish Dawson is the only other player outside of Hunter and King to receive snaps this season, and he only has 42 snaps in four games of action. With the recent news of King and Diamond’s departure, Auburn Wire is here to break down Auburn’s 2021 signing class, and who is still a part of it. Who is still here? Who has gone on to play for another program? All of that information is below: Those that remain AP Photo/Stew Milne Rating: 4-star Position: EDGE Hometown: Roanoke, Ala. State ranking: No. 4 Position ranking: No. 6 Pensacola News Journal Rating: 4-star Position: DL Hometown: Milton, Fla. State ranking: No. 51 Position ranking: No. 42 Fort Myers News-Press Rating: 4-star Position: Athlete Hometown: Lehigh Acres, Fla. State ranking: No. 57 Position ranking: No. 22 Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics Rating: 3-star Position: DL Hometown: Kansas City, Mo. State rank: No. 7 Position rank: No. 67 Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics Rating: 3-star Position: OT Hometown: Reidsville, N.C. State ranking: No. 34 Position ranking: No. 50 Tallahassee Democrat Rating: 3-star Position: OT Hometown: Ocala, Fla. State ranking: No. 86 Position ranking: No. 43 AP Photo/Butch Dill Rating: 3-star Position: RB Hometown: Philadelphia, Miss. State ranking: No. 12 Position ranking: No. 44 Jake Crandall via Imagn Content Services, LLC Rating: 3-star Position: LB Hometown: LaGrange, Ga. State ranking: No. 5 Position ranking: No. 4 AP Photo/Butch Dill Rating: 3-star Position: S Hometown: Magee, Miss. State ranking: No. 32 Position ranking: No 151 Those that have departed Alex Menendez/Getty Images Current program: UCF Rating: 4-star Position: DL Hometown: Eight Mile, Ala. State rank: No. 5 Position rank: No. 12 Tallahassee Democrat Current program: Georgia Tech Rating: 4-star Hometown: Tallahassee, Fla. State rank: No. 30 Position rank: No. 14 The Montgomery Advertiser Current program: Alabama State Rating: 4-star Position: QB Hometown: Houston, Texas State rank: No. 35 Position rank: No. 24 Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Current program: Baylor Rating: 3-star Position: WR Hometown: Arlington, Texas State rank: No. 55 Position rank: No. 63 The Montgomery Advertiser Current program: Missouri Rating: 3-star Position: DL Hometown: Columbus, Ga. State rank: No. 57 Position rank: No. 82 AP Photo/Matthew Hinton Current program: Arizona State Rating: 3-star Position: CB Hometown: Bessemer, Ala. State rank: No. 8 Position rank: No. 4 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Current program: Tennessee Rating: 3-star Position: CB Hometown: River Rouge, Mich. State ranking: No. 10 Position ranking: No. 5 AP Photo/Vasha Hunt Current status: Plans to enter transfer portal Rating: 3-star Position: WR Hometown: Humble, Texas State ranking: No. 88 Position ranking: No. 29 Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics Current status: No longer on Auburn’s roster according to reports Rating: 3-star Position: CB Hometown: Eight Mile, Ala. State ranking: No. 57 Position ranking: No. 116

Auburn cornerback A.D. Diamond leaves team; half of 2021 class gone ByNathan King 7 hours ago 45 Bryan Harsin has officially lost half of his first recruiting class at Auburn. Cornerback A.D. Diamond is the latest Tiger to leave the program, Harsin confirmed Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference. Diamond's name was removed from the official roster earlier this week. "He's no longer on the team," was Harsin's full answer Wednesday. A former three-star prospect from Mobile, Alabama, Diamond did not appear in a game over the past two seasons. He becomes the third Auburn player to be publicly revealed this week to have left the team. Former top-100 recruit Zykeivous Walker announced his intentions to transfer Monday, and sophomore receiver Landen King — who said earlier this month he would be sitting on the rest of the year in order to redshirt — also shared he will be transferring. 45COMMENTS With Diamond's and King's decisions, that makes nine of Auburn's 18 signees in the 2021 class gone, including five of the top 10 prospects in that haul. Diamond and King join defensive tackle Lee Hunter, safety Ahmari Harvey, quarterback Dematrius Davis, receiver Hal Presley, defensive lineman Ian Mathews, and former JUCO cornerbacks Kamal Hadden and Ro Torrence as departures from last year's freshman class. Harsin has now seen 31 scholarship players transfer out of the program since he took over as head coach 21 months ago. Comments (45)

on reddit most are siding with harsin.coach went to the kid and asked him would he play for him if they needed him this year. he said no he would rather keep save his one year. hars told him he agree's to play if needed or he is off the team unless he is hurt. so if that is true i am not sure who is wrong. but the folks that commented on the thread were like 2 to 1 pro harsin on this particular situation. it is weird because they said they do not like him but he is right.

yes i watched the clip. i am however for anyone that brings out in todays world just how special bo is. i also think since bo played for auburn it gives auburn a shot in the arm so to speak from all the bad press we seem to generate. like with this mess going on right now. i did buy bo's book when it came out back in the day. i bet bo gets new offers to do some things that pay so i still think bo comes out ahead if he chooses to. and bo is my hero and i want to know more than i do about bo. is bo planning to write another book about himself?

come see me i will share a bowl or a couple ov vape hits with you.

harsin with those ears when he wears a ballcap for some reason reminds me of some kind of breed of dog.

" That is my blankety blank trophy". lol i love me some bo.

i never expected him to win to be honest. i think he stole his election.....................lol

kanye lost one and a half billion dollars according to yahoo news so karma got him. pay back can be a bitch.

i ordered it this morning. will get here tomorrow. they are running a prime special.

auinsy do you even love auburn? you have negged the hell out of most folks on here making sense which makes no sense.

Auburn football: Former second-round NFL pick alum calls program a s***show Andrew Hughes 2-3 minutes Auburn football alum and 2018 NFL second-round pick Kerryon Johnson condemned the current state of the Tigers under head coach Bryan Harsin (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) Auburn football is in yet another state of panic in 2022 following the transfers of tight end/receiver Landen King and defensive lineman Zykeivous Walker on consecutive days October 24 and 25. The loss of King is made worse by the fact that a replacement head coach for Bryan Harsin would be able to bring him back. One isolated transfer reflects on a player, but multiple indicates something is up behind the scenes. To be fair to Harsin, there are caveats. King’s case reportedly had to do with a refusal to play, an insistence on a redshirt because of it, and an unwillingness to play if the team needed him to per On3’s Justin Hokanson. It also is worth mentioning that neither player was recruited by Harsin, but instead predecessor Gus Malzahn. Still, since this is now another wave of transfers means something isn’t clicking in the locker-room, likely directly effecting the results on the field this season and last. 2018 NFL Draft pick and Malzahn’s top running back recruit Kerryon Johnson chimed in on the situation, and wouldn’t you know it, his opinion was negative: Former Auburn football stars don’t care for Bryan Harsin Many transfers from the 2021 Auburn football team had harsh words for Bryan Harsin — with Kobe Hudson’s declaration that he’d be back on the Plains if Harsin was on a one-way plane to Boise and Gus Malzahn was reinstalled as head coach — but other former players that didn’t play for the program are chiming in. In addition to Kerryon Johnson, Anthony Schwartz asked for grace for Malzahn and Bo Nix during the Ole Miss loss. It can’t be good news for Harsin that former players are receiving these sort of negative reviews from current players and people within the program. Then again, almost no news is good news when it comes to Auburn football these days — only the landing of recruits, but even they may be scared away by this dysfunction should it continue.

Does Auburn have the answer at quarterback? Updated: Oct. 25, 2022, 2:54 p.m.|Published: Oct. 25, 2022, 1:55 p.m. 4-5 minutes Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford (9) celebrates his first half touchdown run against Mississippi during their NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)AP By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com Robby Ashford showed poise and promise at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium during Auburn’s 48-34 loss on October 15 against then No.9 Ole Miss. Harsin appreciated how Ashford led the Tigers down the field after trailing 21-0 and sitting out a series. Ashford finished the game with two rushing touchdowns and 140 yards passing on 8-17 throwing attempts. His effort was a catalyst toward the Tigers being a few plays away from beating a ranked opponent for the first time since last season’s win on Halloween weekend against the Rebels. Auburn downed Arkansas 38-23 in Fayetteville the week before beating the Rebels at Jordan-Hare. Now, the game against the Razorbacks comes with Harsin’s record sitting at 9-11 as the Tigers coach. His squad is on a three-game losing streak, and at 3-4, 1-3, SEC is an underdog against the 4-3 Razorbacks at home. Read More Auburn Football: Auburn reflects on recovery during open date What Bryan Harsin said to preview Arkansas Auburn announces names for Woltosz Football Performance Center, Creel Family Development Lab Harsin recognizes the chance to salvage a winning season, and going to a bowl game requires elevated play from the most critical position on the field. “I think improving, still not where we need to be,” Harsin said when asked about the quarterback situation. “The expectations in that room are really, really high. I think those guys are working at it. I think they’re taking the coaching as far as what they need to do to improve. I think they’re taking it upon themselves to be better students of the game and really understand how to prepare yourself week in and week out to be ready to go out there and play against whatever opponent we’re playing.” Ashford’s 47.9% completion rate and five interceptions to four-touchdowns ratio leave lots to be desired from the quarterback position. He’s an excellent runner and can extend plays with his legs. His completion rate also factors in several throwaways because of pass protection breakdowns and no open receivers. However, there have also been times in which Ashford has over-thrown open pass-catchers. “I think we’re executing, for the most part, their assignments and what they need to do at that position: checking, all those things, operating the offense, making plays. Robby’s able to do that, and that’s one thing Robby can do—he can extend plays; he can make plays. He’s doing a better job keeping his eyes down the field. He’s also a threat in the run game, so he’s that dual-threat guy that can do a lot of different things, and I think that room understands what we have to do at that position to be successful.” Ashford’s completion percentage is low, but when he does connect they’re usually big plays. He has two 60-yard touchdown passes to running back Jarquez Hunter. His 15.13 yards per completed pass ranks second in the conference and fourth in the nation. Auburn’s season and perhaps Harsin’s employment status will revolve around consistent quarterback play. Ashford showed potential, but can he put it together for four quarters? “You want to see growth and you want to see things that we may not see it right away, as fast as we all want to see it, but we’re seeing growth in that room, and we’re seeing guys getting better because practices improved,” Harsin said. “The effort, the attitude—all the things that you need at that position to be better are showing up out at practice. Ultimately, that need to show up at the game and show up consistently for four quarters for us to do what we need to do.” Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.

Auburn has ‘a lot of potential to get better,’ but time is running out Published: Oct. 26, 2022, 7:30 a.m. 5-6 minutes To say this season has not gone to plan for Auburn would be putting it gently. The Tigers have been mired in a downward spiral—a seeming continuation of last season’s plummet—that has been difficult to overcome. They’re 3-4 on the year, 1-3 in SEC play and on a three-game losing streak as they come out of the bye week and prepare to take on the final stretch of the regular season. For second-year coach Bryan Harsin, at least, there is a silver lining—a kernel of hope that his program can rebound over these final five regular-season games, beginning Saturday at 11 a.m. against Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Read more Auburn football: Auburn wide receiver plans to enter transfer portal Auburn’s shaky run defense faces tall order against Arkansas, Raheim Sanders Statistically speaking: Where Auburn stands coming off the bye week “We have a lot of potential to get better, and that’s the great thing,” Harsin said. “That’s the motivating thing.” Auburn’s issues this season have not been singular; there are areas to address in each phase of the game. The run defense has been abysmal, particularly against Power 5 competition. The offense has struggled with turnovers, endured inconsistent play at quarterback and — until the last game against Ole Miss — a stonewalled rushing attack, factors that have contributed to Auburn’s poor third-down conversion rate as the team has often found itself behind the chains offensively. On special teams, kickoff coverage has been an issue of late, while Anders Carlson experienced some struggles on longer field goal attempts earlier in the season. “Early in the year we were making the same mistakes over and over again, and that was really just why we weren’t having success,” tight end and team captain John Samuel Shenker said. “…We’re repeat offenders on certain mistakes that cost us football games, especially in the SEC. You’ve got to play good, clean football and that’s what Coach Harsin’s been preaching. You’re hard to beat when you’re playing clean football.” That has been difficult to attain for Auburn this season. The Tigers have been besieged by untimely penalties and the nation’s worst turnover margin (minus-11 on the year). Those mistakes aren’t easy to overcome, but Harsin has been encouraged by the effort and fight he has seen from his team despite those struggles. Case in point, the trip to Ole Miss prior to the bye week. Auburn fell behind 21-0 early in the second quarter but battled back to within four in the third quarter before ultimately losing 48-34. “When you don’t have great effort and when guys quit or give up, that’s a problem,” Harsin said. “Because that’s bigger than a scheme. That’s bigger than a coaching point. That’s bigger than a drill you can do and all that. You don’t see that. You see guys digging in.” Auburn has been far from perfect this season, but Harsin views many of the team’s issues as correctible. It’s just a matter of doing it and actualizing the potential he sees in his program. As he halfheartedly joked Monday when asked about his team’s prospective to improve down the stretch: “I think we’d better.” The first opportunity comes Saturday against the Razorbacks (4-3, 1-3 SEC), a team the Tigers have won six consecutive games against — including last season in Fayetteville, Ark., when Arkansas was ranked 17th in the country. While both teams are coming off an open date, it’s worth noting that historically, Harsin’s teams have performed well after bye weeks, holding a 9-1 record during his head coaching career. That includes last season, when Auburn defeated a top-10 Ole Miss team, 31-20, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. That win made the Tigers bowl eligible in Harsin’s first season, but it also marked the final victory of Year 1 for the head coach, as his team ended the season on a five-game losing streak. Auburn still has lots of work to get to bowl eligibility this season, needing three wins in its final five games against Arkansas, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Western Kentucky and Alabama. In essence, time is running out for Auburn to turn things around. The team needs more than just resiliency; it needs to show improvement from top to bottom and produce results — and coming off an extra week of recovery and preparation, against an opponent that Auburn has dominated for much of the last decade, is the most opportune time. “We have a long way to go,” Harsin said, “and we have a lot of potential to get there.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Bye-week boost: Tigers 'refreshed and ready to go' Nathan King 4-5 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — It’s cliched, and there’s usually not a time when a bye week would be a negative for a program. But Auburn sorely needed its week off — because a lot of its players are just that: sore. It isn’t just that the Tigers’ bye week came after the Tigers’ third straight loss that dropped them to 3-4 on the year. Several players exited the Ole Miss game two Saturdays ago with injuries — though none are expected to be severe. “I thought guys took advantage of the bye week, got healthy — and that showed up on Sunday (at practice),” Harsin said Monday. Auburn’s team captains all echoed Monday that time away from the grind of practice, workouts and SEC competition was most beneficial for their bodies after seven straight games to open the season, including five against Power Five opponents. “Recovery was huge,” edge rusher Derick Hall said. “We think Coach Harsin did a great job making sure this team recovers and gets back healthy, and that's going to be beneficial for us.” Offensive lineman Kameron Stutts, defensive tackles Colby Wooden and Marcus Harris, Hall, nickelback Keionte Scott, safety Zion Puckett and cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett all exited the Ole Miss loss. Some returned, while others were injured late in the second half and remained on the sideline for the rest of the game. The Tigers were already without starting right tackle Austin Troxell, Alec Jackson, who had started the previous two games at right guard before being injured against Georgia, edge rusher Eku Leota and center Tate Johnson. Defensive tackle Jeffrey M'ba also did not play. “It really impacts practice,” Bryan Harsin said. “If the guy has to take the 2 reps, he doesn't have anybody to back him up and he's getting double reps and pretty soon he fatigues and that's going to cause injury down the road. So getting these guys back and really utilizing that bye week. I think it came at a really good time for us, because we had some guys that were banged up. So to get these guys back and get them in the mix this week, that'll help us.” Theoretically, the Arkansas game represents a strong opportunity for the Tigers to get back in the win column — at least relative to the other games left on their schedule. Auburn’s longest current SEC winning streak is over the Razorbacks — at six games, dating back to 2016 — and Harsin is 9-1 as a head coach following bye weeks. Since 2013, Auburn is also 9-1 after bye weeks. But Arkansas is still a road favorite (-3.5, per VegasInsider.com), and Auburn will need to play a more consistent style of football on both sides of the ball; limiting turnovers and stopping the run would be good starts. The Tigers had been reeling in those two categories before the off period — but they're confident the brief time away will positively influence their preparation this week, and for the rest of the season. “Everybody here is refreshed and ready to go now," linebacker Owen Pappoe said. “... Just a good time for us to get healthy and do a lot of self-reflection. Just looking in the mirror, viewing things that we did wrong from the beginning of the season and knowing what we need to attack last week in practice. I feel like we had a really good week, those few practices that we had, and we’re going full speed into this week.” 8COMMENTS

For Auburn, retention of top recruiting talent is ongoing struggle Nathan King 6-7 minutes Zykeivous Walker’s decision was the latest in what’s been a harrowing trend for Auburn’s retention — or lack thereof — of top recruiting talent. After dealing with two different injuries since last season, and being away from the team for a couple weeks due to what Bryan Harsin called “some family things,” Walker left the team two weeks ago and announced Monday he’ll be entering the transfer portal. Sophomore receiver Landen King announced Tuesday evening he’ll transfer, too, but we’ll get to that later. “He's a great guy,” edge rusher Derick Hall said of Walker. “I feel like he'll find a good home wherever he goes.” Walker now joins a growing list of top-end recruits to depart the program in the past couple years. The No. 79 overall recruit in the 2020 class, Walker was Auburn’s fourth highest-rated prospect on its roster entering the season, behind only Owen Pappoe, Tank Bigsby and Wesley Steiner. And although he never settled into a consistent role along the defensive line in two-plus seasons, his imminent transfer still adds to a troubling percentage of former top prospects Harsin has been unable to keep on his team. The issue of talent retention extends beyond Harsin’s tenure, but it has been a massive issue for the second-year head coach. Of the top 50 recruits Auburn has signed over the current four-year recruiting cycle (2019-22), 22 have transferred. That includes six of Auburn’s top 10 signees — some of the best prospects in America during that span — and eight of the top 20. Here’s that list of players. Those who left the program are bolded. -- 2019: LB Owen Pappoe (.9879, 5-star) 2019: QB Bo Nix (.9857, 5-star) 2020: RB Tank Bigsby (.9814, 4-star) 2019: DL Charles Moore (.9681, 4-star) 2021: EDGE Dylan Brooks (.9659, 4-star) 2020: DL Zykeivous Walker (.9649, 4-star) 2021: DT Lee Hunter (.9633, 4-star) 2019: RB Mark-Antony Richards (.9589, 4-star) 2019: EDGE Jaren Handy (.9560, 4-star) 2020: LB Wesley Steiner (.9558, 4-star) 2020: DT Jay Hardy (.9549, 4-star) 2020: WR Kobe Hudson (.9509, 4-star) 2022: LB Robert Woodyard (.9425, 4-star) 2019: DB Zion Puckett (.9420, 4-star) 2020: WR Ze’Vian Capers (.9389, 4-star) 2019: OG Keiondre Jones (.9385, 4-star) 2019: EDGE Derick Hall (.9378, 4-star) 2022: CB J.D. Rhym (.9286, 4-star) 2020: WR J.J. Evans (.9285, 4-star) 2020: DB Ladarius Tennison (.9284, 4-star) 2022: CB Austin Ausberry (.9275, 4-star) 2020: CB Eric Reed Jr. (.9232, 4-star) 2020: DB Chris Thompson Jr. (.9215, 4-star) 2020: WR Malcolm Johnson Jr. (.9189, 4-star) 2021: DB Ahmari Harvey (.9174, 4-star) 2020: DT J.J. Pegues (.9162, 4-star) 2021: QB Dematrius Davis (.9148, 4-star) 2019: DB Cam’Ron Kelly (.9145, 4-star) 2020: LB Desmond Tisdol (.9104, 4-star) 2019: DB Jashawn Sheffield (.9086, 4-star) 2022: QB Holden Geriner (.9060, 4-star) 2022: DT Jeffrey M’ba (.9056, 4-star) 2020: DT Dre Butler (.9045, 4-star) 2022: OG E.J. Harris (.9008, 4-star) 2022: DB Keionte Scott (.9000, 4-star) 2022: RB Damari Alston (.8995, 4-star) 2022: WR Omari Kelly (.8967, 4-star) 2020: LB Cam Riley (.8976, 4-star) 2019: RB D.J. Williams (.8975, 4-star) 2019: CB Jaylin Simpson (.8958, 4-star) 2021: DT Marquis Robinson (.8958, 4-star) 2019: DT Colby Wooden (.8937, 4-star) 2020: TE Brandon Frazier (.8934, 4-star) 2020: CB Marco Domio (.8925, 4-star) 2022: TE Micah-Riley Ducker (.8922, 4-star) 2021: WR Tar’Varish Dawson (.8918, 4-star) 2019: WR Ja’Varrius Johnson (.8918, 4-star) 2022: WR Camden Brown (.8889, 4-star) 2020: EDGE Romello Height (.8884, 3-star) 2021: WR Hal Presley (.8884, 3-star) The only members of this group that transferred before Harsin’s tenure began are Richards, Sheffield, Moore and Cam’Ron Kelly. So, of Auburn’s top 50 signees over the past four cycles, 18 of them (36%) have left the program in the 22 months since Harsin became head coach. Coaching changes always breed attrition, though, and of the 18 outgoing transfers from the top 50, only four have been from Harsin’s 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes (Presley, Davis, Harvey and Hunter). But Harsin has also been unable to keep many of his own recruits. After King’s decision, Auburn’s 2021 class is almost halfway gone. Eight of those 18 signees have left — and if cornerback A.D. Diamond, who has been removed from Auburn’s official roster, is also out the door, half of Harsin’s first recruiting class at Auburn will have transferred out, less than a year after they signed. The issue hasn’t just been with overall number of transfers; Auburn isn’t overly abnormal in terms of transfer volume. It’s about losing the top talent. With King’s departure Tuesday, at least five of Auburn’s top 10 signees from 2019-21 have transferred (the current class of true freshman has, unsurprisingly, not had any departures). 2019: 6 of top 10 signees left program 2020: 7 of top 10 2021: 5 of top 10 2022: 0 of top 10 Auburn was still among the nation’s best in this offseason’s Blue-Chip Ratio, meaning it has recruited more four- and five-star talent than not over a four-year cycle. But that metric doesn’t account for roster turnover, where the Tigers have been bleeding talent for the better part of two years. Blended with Auburn's current recruiting standing under Harsin — No. 49 in the 2023 247Sports Composite rankings — and the sheer number of possible NFL draft entrants and graduating seniors after this season, the program's talent outlook for the near future is murky, to say the very least.

SOURCE: Bryan Harsin is telling players that want to redshirt that they must enter the transfer portal or quit the team Lindsay Crosby 3 minutes With Zykevious Walker and Landen King both announcing their intention to transfer from Auburn, a source tells Auburn Daily that Auburn football Head Coach Bryan Harsin is telling players that have asked for redshirts that their only options are to quit the football program or enter the transfer portal. The NCAA Board of Governors has adopted rule changes that prohibit players from entering the transfer portal outside of defined "windows" - a 45-day period that begins the day after "championship selections" are made is the first window, with a 2nd window coming May 1st through May 15th. There is also a provision that allows a 30-day portal entry period for student-athletes who "experience head coach changes or have athletics aid reduced, canceled or not renewed", seemingly taking away momentum to fire a head coach during the season. Converted TE Landen King only has one catch for 24 yards on the season - he was reportedly asked to lose weight to transition to wide receiver in the offseason, but has received only limited snaps so far on the season and requested a redshirt to preserve eligibility. Attempts to verify King's stats on Auburn's roster were met with a "404" message, indicating his online profile had already been wiped from the roster as of Tuesday night, just hours after the social media message was posted by King. Of Auburn's 18 signees in the 2021 recruiting class, nine have already left the program, including five of the top ten. Some transferred in the 2021 offseason, with Dematrius Davis (Alabama State), Hal Presley (Baylor), Lee Hunter (UCF), Ian Matthews (Missouri), Ro Torrence (Arizona State), and Kamal Hadden (Tennessee) all finding new homes for the 2022 season. Defensive lineman Marquis Robinson entered the transfer portal in January of 2022, only to withdraw in April and remain with the Tigers. Cornerback AD Diamond, a freshman from Mobile, has not officially made an announcement but is not currently listed on Auburn's online roster as of Tuesday night. According to the source close to the Auburn football program, Harsin was refusing to allow players to request a redshirt without a medical reason for not playing. It was being referred to as "you play or you go", forcing players to prematurely give up on their 2022 season in order to not lose a season of eligibility. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials! Join the Discord

Auburn football: Bryan Harsin coaching change buzz has 'cooled considerably,' per report Robbie Weinstein 3-4 minutes Auburn coach Bryan Harsin continues to hang on to his job despite the consistent reports of a potential standing going back to last winter, and the Tigers are moving forward with him coming out of their bye week. The university continues to search for a new athletic director, and Matt Fortuna of The Athletic indicated Tuesday that Harsin might be safe for now, reporting that "Auburn's rush to immediately fire him has cooled considerably." That information squares with what Pete Thamel reported recently when he cited "less urgency" within Auburn regarding the potential to make a midseason coaching change. Auburn sits at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in SEC play heading into a home game against Arkansas this weekend. "The latest I've heard on Bryan Harsin has been a little bit of change of tenor at Auburn," Thamel said recently on SEC Network. "They’re, obviously, amid an AD search — they talked to AD candidates this week. The thought now is that the new AD will come in place and then make a decision on Bryan Harsin and his future. There is less urgency right now to make a move on Harsin than there maybe was a few weeks ago at Auburn. There's some optics that they're concerned about at Auburn and they don't want to look like Auburn being Auburn." If Auburn fires Harsin without cause, the school owes 70% of his remaining salary through the contract term. That totals $15.3 million, with 50% of that total due within 60 days. Auburn fired Gus Malzahn in December 2020, and paid more than $21 million in buyout funds. Auburn paid out half of that to Malzahn within a month. Harsin has been mentioned as a candidate for multiple open jobs, most notably Arizona State and Colorado in the Pac-12. Auburn still has five games remaining on its schedule and will remain alive for a bowl berth regardless of the outcome of Saturday's game against Arkansas. Matchups against Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Conference USA power Western Kentucky and Alabama make for a difficult remaining schedule. The Tigers have lost three straight games after starting 3-1. One name that has generated buzz as Harsin's potential replacement if Auburn were to make a move? Jackson State coach and NFL legend Deion Sanders, who said recently on CBS News' "60 Minutes" that he would give at least some consideration if major powers came calling. Subscribe to 247Sports YouTube for the latest college football, basketball and recruiting news including live college commitments. "I’m going to have to entertain it," Sanders told CBS News when asked about Power Five interest. "Yes, I’m going to have to entertain it, straight up. I’d be a fool not to." Brad Crawford contributed to this report. ">247Sports

by jeff pearlman. it is on amazon right now and folks are saying it is one of the most epic sports stories ever told. 500 pages worth. here is an excerpt........... Beer, confused fans and a very angry mom: When Bo Jackson took Japan Jeff Pearlman Tue, October 25, 2022 at 3:00 AM Photograph: Tsugufumi Matsumoto/AP On New Year’s Day 1986, Bo Jackson’s Auburn football run concluded in the most humdrum of ways. The Tigers traveled to Dallas, where they suffered their fourth loss of the season, a 36–16 beatdown at the hands of Texas A&M. When the Cotton Bowl PA announcer notified the crowd that Jackson (who ran for 129 yards in defeat) was voted game MVP, the news was greeted with indifferent silence. This was hardly the way to cap a career. Fortunately for Jackson, it wasn’t quite done. Although he had nothing to prove to NFL scouts, and although the injury risk screamed don’t friggin’ do this!, on 5 January Jackson headed to Tokyo to play in something called the Ricoh Japan Bowl. - ADVERTISEMENT - In the heyday of postseason college football all-star games, this was the weirdest of the bunch. The event debuted in 1976, when its sponsor, Sports Nippon Newspapers, aspired to commemorate the United States’ bicentennial celebration with – according to the official press release – “something truly American.” Thus began the odd tradition of importing dozens of football stars to participate in a meaningless game in a half-empty stadium before fans who had no clue as to what they were witnessing. U-S-A! U-S-A! Jackson flew from Atlanta to Los Angeles, where he met up with the other participants to catch Japan Airlines flight 065 to Tokyo. Because he was the marquee attraction, certain allowances were made. All players were assigned a roommate. Not Jackson. All players had events they had to attend. Not Jackson. All players had to pay for a companion. Not Jackson. “Being able to have a person come as your guest meant you were VIP,” said Derek Taylor, a Baylor defensive lineman. “I was allowed no one.” Jackson actually brought two people along – Florence, his mother. And Linda Garrett-Robinson, his pregnant other girlfriend whom he introduced to teammates as “my fiancée.” Which could have been awkward, only – according to Allison Hines, his other fiancée – shortly after the Heisman presentation she and Jackson had a heated argument that resulted in (what she believed to be) a temporary breakup. Plus, Hines never knew Linda accompanied Jackson to Tokyo. The flight lasted 11 hours. Coaches, sponsors and administrators sat in the front of the plane, the 68 players –as well as six cheerleaders from the University of Illinois and six from the University of Washington – sat in the back. As soon as the Boeing 747 lifted off, flight attendants walked the aisles, handing out a near-bottomless supply of alcohol. “The first eight hours of that flight, all we did was drink,” said Todd Moules, a Penn State offensive lineman. “First it was American beer. Then it was American liquor. Then Japanese beer. And at the end we were drinking sake.” By the time the plane landed in Tokyo, the flight attendants were out of booze and the players were in various states of disrepair. Many were hungover. A few were still drunk. The cabin smelled of vomit and sweat. A bus took them to the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa, where they were assigned rooms and presented keys to the 24-hour hospitality suite – featuring an unlimited supply of soda, Gatorade, fruit and beer. “It was crazy,” said Ron Hadley, a Washington linebacker. “The coolers were loaded with Kirin beer. But the major sponsor was Sapporo. One of the days we’re all in there, drinking our Kirins, and the head of Sapporo enters. He asked, ‘Why are you all drinking Kirin?’ We told him we liked it. He said, ‘No! No! No!’ When we came back a few hours later, all the Kirin was gone and the coolers were packed with Sapporo.” Did it matter? “Beer,” laughed Hadley, “was beer.” Bo Jackson and his fellow players were welcomed warmly by their hosts although it’s questionable if they knew who they were. Photograph: Tsugufumi Matsumoto/AP The participants had five full days in Japan before Sunday’s game, and they used it in myriad weird and quizzical ways. Though approximately three Japanese citizens had heard of any of the players, there were department store autograph signings where one could wait on a mere 45-minute line to snag the signatures of such iconic figures as Bill Hipple (Iowa wide receiver) and Andy Hearn (Georgia Tech lineman). There was an optional guided tour of Nikko, a parade through the streets of Motomachi featuring Illinois’s cheerleaders and a night out at – according to the daily schedule – “The Disco.” Jackson and Minnesota linebacker Peter Najarian accepted an invitation to lunch with Shunichi Suzuki, Tokyo’s governor. That was nice. But the lead-up to Sunday was primarily a blizzard of photo opps and gag poses with sumo wrestlers. Jackson was quiet and a wee bit shy on the trip, in part because he was traveling with his mother and pregnant girlfriend, in part because he was never overly comfortable around strangers. The majority of players recognized one another. Jackson seemed to know no one. He referred to peers by their schools – Hassan Jones was “Florida State,” Chris Castelli was “Navy.” He called Plymouth State halfback Joe Dudek “Joe Dudek,” because the two had recently appeared together on Good Morning America. Wherever the players went, they were presented with gifts. A scarf. A camera. As everyone boarded the bus after one appearance, they were handed enormous red apples. “Most of the guys were like, ‘An apple?’” recalled Roy Dunn, an SMU offensive lineman. “‘What am I supposed to do with an apple?’” Upon reaching the hotel, the party members exited the vehicle. Jackson had been sitting a few rows behind his mother, and when they met on the sidewalk she said, sternly, “Vincent Edward, where is your apple?” “I don’t know, Mama,” he said. “I left it on the bus.” Florence Bond frowned. “Vincent Edward,” she said, “they didn’t give you that ******* apple for you to leave it on the ******* bus. Go get it!” She then turned to Linda Garrett – also apple-less. “You too, young lady.” The couple slogged back onto the bus to retrieve their fruit. Florence spun and faced Dunn – a human she had never before met. “Young man,” she said, “where is your apple?” Dunn shrugged, then said to his teammates, “Hey, guys, let’s all get those apples!” One by one, everyone followed. “I can’t speak for anyone else,” Dunn said, “but I didn’t want to face the wrath of Bo Jackson’s mother.” As advertised, there was football to be played. Mike White of Illinois coached the East team, Fred Akers of Texas coached the West. The men agreed the trip needed to be a reward, not a punishment. So each squad held three half-hour practices and operated offenses with six base plays. Roughly 15 minutes into the first East practice, Bo Jackson looked at White and said, softly, “Coach, I’m done. Bo don’t wanna practice no more.” White was powerless. Plus, the hospitality suite had beer. “OK!” he yelled. “You all heard Bo! Practice is over!” The game was played inside Yokohama Stadium, with an 11.30am kickoff and an impossible-to-replicate quaintness. The uniforms – hideous green and yellow for the East, less-hideous red, white and blue for the West – were pieced together in Japan by people who had never watched the sport. Said Castelli, the Navy lineman: “We all had to cut the bottoms of the legs off because they were sewn too long.” Cheerleaders were distributed two pairs of gloves – one East green, one West white –to better help fans know which team had done something well. When footballs were thrown through the air, everyone cheered no matter the result. If a player sliced through the defense for a nifty 25-yard run, there would be nary a peep. The stadium held 34,046 seats, and roughly half were filled. “Here’s what I kept thinking to myself,” said Scott Gieselman, a Boston College tight end. “‘This was a long way to fly to play in front of a few thousand people.’” The one thing everyone could agree on: Bo Jackson. “Just so awesome,” said Dudek. “Different level than every guy on that field.” “Allen Pinkett was my college teammate, and he was great,” said Tony Furjanic, the Notre Dame linebacker. “But Bo was so fast, so powerful. He was a man. We were boys.” “They ran an isolation play that came my way,” said Hadley. “Bo comes up, I hit him – and it’s like hitting a brick wall. I made the play, but I suffered an incredible stinger in my shoulder. There was an acupuncturist on the sideline, and he was putting a needle in me. All because of Bo.” One participant who didn’t appreciate Jackson’s output was Illinois’s Jack Trudeau. According to the East starting quarterback, Jackson was so anti-practice that even when he did attend, he didn’t pay attention. On one early play in the Japan Bowl, Trudeau called for a simple play-action pass. “Well, Bo had no clue what we were doing and he ran into me,” said Trudeau. “I stick my left arm out and Bo slams into it. I wind up breaking my left wrist.” A few plays later, even with the damaged body part, Trudeau faked a handoff to Dudek and sprinted into the end zone. While sliding, his left knee caught on the turf and popped. “I blew it out,” Trudeau said. “I had surgery and was on crutches for eight weeks. I couldn’t go to the combine or the Senior Bowl or work out for anyone.” Projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, Trudeau fell to Indianapolis with the 47th pick in the second round. “The Japan Bowl,” he said, “cost me millions.” Bo Jackson was just as hard to stop in Japan as he was at home. Photograph: Tsugufumi Matsumoto/AP The same could not be said for Jackson. One of his closer teammates on the trip was David Williams, the Illinois wide receiver. Seven months earlier, the two had been in Miami for the Playboy Pre-Season All-American photo shoot. On a deep-sea fishing trip in the Atlantic, Williams spent 25 unsuccessful minutes trying to reel in an amberjack. Observing from a nearby perch, Jackson removed his shirt, grabbed the pole and yanked the overmatched, 185lbs sea creature onto the boat. “I still have no idea how Bo did that,” Williams recalled. Now, in the fourth quarter of the Japan Bowl, Williams was strutting his stuff. With the East far ahead, he sprinted down the field and caught a magnificent 58-yard bomb from LSU quarterback Jeff Wickersham for a touchdown. He was up to 176 receiving yards, and knew the MVP award would be traveling back to Champaign, Illinois. Williams sat next to Jackson on the bench and said, “Hey, Bo – the trophy is mine.” “Boy,” Jackson said, “it ain’t over yet.” The next time the East had the ball, Jackson took a pitch from Wickersham, followed a couple of blocks to the outside and zipped 57 yards down the field and into the end zone. “I had an angle on Bo,” said Arizona defensive back Allen Durden. “He looked at me, grunted, sped up and – goodbye, Allen.” It was his third score of the day, coupled with 171 rushing yards. Back on the bench, Jackson plopped down alongside Williams. They smiled toward a nearby TV camera, and the Heisman Trophy winner’s lips were not hard to read. “That mother****ing trophy,” he said, “is mine.” He was correct. Excerpted from the book The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson by Jeff Pearlman. Copyright © 2022 by Jeff Pearlman. From Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission. mods i hope we can leave this up here to gain some traction. my sincere apologies i just thought more auburn folks would see it on the football site.