Auburn Football Notebook

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Auburn Football Notebook: How Jarquez Hunter wowed teammates

ByPhillip Marshall

7-8 minutes

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Before he ran 94 yards for a touchdown and broke an Auburn record, before he became a fan favorite, freshman Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter got the attention of his teammates. It happened over the summer in the weight room, far from the bright lights of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It was there that Hunter squatted 600 pounds, almost three times his body weight. Senior linebacker Chandler Wooten remembers it like this:

“I saw it in the summer before we even got to camp,” Wooten said Tuesday. “Man's a freak. I saw him with my own two eyes squat 600 pounds. He made it look like it was 225 or something. Yeah, man's got a bright future. Obviously, you see his skillset on the field, but just his mindset. He comes to work every day and is the same guy every day -- consistent. So, you know he's going to continue to do great things.”

Jarquez Hunter's 600-pound squat wowed his teammates. (Photo: Adam Sparks, 247Sports)

Hunter, a 3-star signee from Philadelphia, Miss., is listed at 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds. He has rushed for 257 yards on 17 carries. That’s 15.12 yards per run.

Hunter didn’t only impress his teammates. His work ethic was head-turning.

“Whenever we were running stadiums, he would finish his stadiums — we had 17 of them one time or whatever — and he kept going,” center Nick Brahms said. “He got like 23 or 24 in the summertime. We're all done, kind of sitting down and looking him like, 'Dang. Jarquez hasn't finished yet? What's he doing?' We thought he was lagging behind. But, in reality, he was getting extra reps, and Coach made sure to tell us that after stadium reps that Jarquez was out there getting extra reps.

“It's really just his mindset as a freshman. It's really uncommon for freshmen to think like he does. His work ethic is outstanding. You don't see that a lot with freshmen. He's one of a kind. He's going to have a lot of success.”

PAPPOE ON PENN STATE’S CUT BLOCKING

Junior Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe noticed it the first time he watched Penn State’s offense on video. The Nittany Lions like to do the one thing defensive players dislike to the point of believing it ought not to be part of the game. It’s cut-blocking, usually a staple of option offenses.

“Football is football everywhere,” Pappoe said. “I’d say the only thing that sticks out to me is they do a lot more cut blocking. I don’t respect cut blocking at all. You are 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds and you’re running at me full-speed and you’re going to dive at my legs. I hate that about football. I wish it were illegal. But no, they play their brand of football out there.”

AUBURN PLAYERS SUPPORT TE LUKE DEAL’S FATHER

Brahms and his Auburn teammates have rallied in support of Chris Deal, father of tight end Luke Deal. Chris Deal has been diagnosed with ALS. They started a GoFundMe page that had raised more than $35,000 as of Tuesday evening.

“It's been amazing, man,” Brahms said Tuesday. “I really had no clue going into it how much money we would raise for them. I just knew we needed to raise money for them. His mom was talking to my mom about them having to renovate their house and get a new van, that kind of thing, just to make it wheelchair-accessible. I know his dad, his bathroom wasn't renovated, so he had to go shower somewhere else just to get ready for the day, just because it wasn't wheelchair-accessible. The cost of that thing, maybe some people don't think about it when it comes to ALS and losing that motor function in your limbs.

“I think it's big that the Auburn family has provided for them. … It's really been an awesome thing to see. Luke means a lot to this football team. His family means a lot to this football team. They have done a lot for us. We just wanted to give back to them and try to create something good for them, because they're going through hard times right now. But they keep a smile on their face. They always have positive energy every game.”

Here is the link to the GoFundMe page: CHRIS DEAL GO FUNDME PAGE

BURKS HITS HIS STRIDE AT DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Defensive tackle Marquis Burks, who joined the Auburn program last season as a junior college transfer, has been a force in the first two games. Pappoe said it didn’t happen by accident.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth since he first got here,” Pappoe said. “Fresh out of JUCO to now, he’s shown a lot of growth, studies a lot more in the film room a lot with me and Coach and it’s shown on the field. He’s gotten in shape. He’s a bigger dude so he’s going good now at the workouts that we do, sprints and all that, making our times and stuff.

“He’s put the work in and it’s paying off now, man. He had two sacks a couple of games ago and had a really good game last week, too, so I’m expecting big things from him this weekend.”

TANK BIGSBY ON BO NIX

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby said quarterback Bo Nix seems more comfortable in the new offense, but Nix, he said, has “always been a great player.”

“He is just doing things he always does. Bo has always been like that. He’s always been a great player. He’s always been able to throw the ball, always been able to run the ball. That’s always been him. I feel like he will continue to do this and play calm in this offense. He’s more comfortable in this offense.”

WOOTEN: ‘I FEEL THE BEST I HAVE EVER FELT’

With his first child coming, senior linebacker Chandler Wooten opted out of last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s back now, and he’s a team captain.

“Yeah, it's been tremendous to get back in the swing of things of actually having a game week,” Wooten said. “That process looks different than spring and summer and all that stuff. So, just getting that time-management thing down, prioritizing the right things during the week to go and prepare for a team, it's been fun. Having a little bit of at-home stuff, it's been a cool dynamic; I'm actually really enjoying it. I'm having fun right now, and this is the best I have ever felt. I'm just having fun.”

TROXELL’S HARD WORK PAYS OFF

After three major knee surgeries, senior left tackle is feeling good and playing at the highest level of his Auburn career. He’s been a leader for all his time at Auburn, and he’s finally a fulltime starter.

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“He had a great two first games,” Brahms said. “It really started in summer. He has been through a lot with his injuries and stuff, and so for him to come in the spring and summertime and really work his butt off and get back, he's been working for two years at least just playing football and getting back in that shape that he had before his ACL tears and stuff.

“What he means to the O-line room, I mean, he's a leader in there. He really plays his butt off, and he shows great effort on every play. He really wants to finish blocks. He's a leader, and guys look up to him."

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