12/10/22 Aubrun Articles

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Portal Prospect: Dont'e Thornton, WR, Oregon

Zac Blackerby

~2 minutes

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Auburn may add a transfer wide receiver this weekend. 

Oregon wide receiver Dont'e Thornton will be on the Plains this weekend to see what Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers have to offer. 

Thornton has some great traits that any coach would want in his wide receivers. His 6-foot-5, 180-pound frame is elite when it comes to size. 

In 2022, Thornton had 17 catches for 366 yards and a touchdown for Oregon. He also averaged 21.5 yards per reception. He played in 11 games and was on offense for 306 snaps on offense. 

Thornton played two seasons with the Ducks and saw significant action in both years. He will be a junior for whoever he plays for next. 

PFF rated Thornton's overall grade at 65.7. They grade his impact in the passing game as a 65.2. 

Thornton wouldn't be the first Oregon Duck to find their way to Auburn in the transfer portal. Auburn landed quarterback Robby Ashford, defensive tackle Jayson Jones and cornerback DJ James from Oregon last year via the transfer portal. 

Auburn has a lot of talent returning at wide receiver but Freeze seems to be looking to find some pass catchers that can add some pop to his offense. 

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Auburn offers 4-star DL Tennessee commit

JD McCarthy

1–2 minutes

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The Early Signing Period is rapidly approaching and Auburn’s coaching staff is looking to add several talented players. The latest target is Tyree Weathersby who the Tigers offered on Thursday.

The four-star defensive lineman is committed to Tennessee and will be a tough flip. The 6-foot-4, 251-pounder has been committed to the Vols since July 1 but Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Grant and Co. are making an attempt to do so.

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Weathersby is ranked as the No. 47 defensive lineman and No. 328 overall player in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Douglasville, Georgia, native is also the No. 30 player from the Peach State.

With several starters moving onto the NFL or out of eligibility and several depth pieces entering the transfer portal, Auburn needs to land several defensive linemen and Weathersby would be a nice addition.

Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Aurbrn.@DLCoachGarrett @NewManchesterF1 @CoachJack19 @asteele1914 pic.twitter.com/sW09lyHoMH

— Tyree Weathersby (@tw29_) December 9, 2022

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Auburn sees 4-star edge defender decommit after coaching change

Andrew Olson

2–3 minutes

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Ashley L. Williams Jr. committed to Auburn back on Aug. 3, but with changes on The Plains, he’s deciding to look at other options.

Williams announced his decommitment from AU on Thursday. He pointed to coaching staff changes.

pic.twitter.com/RHruc7Dfa3

— Ashley L. Williams Jr. (@AshleyLWilliam4) December 8, 2022

Williams, out of Zachary (Louisiana), is listed at 6-5, 225 pounds. On the 247Sports composite rankings, Williams is rated 4-stars, the No. 18 Louisiana product, No. 40 edge defender and No. 409 prospect overall nationally in the 2023 recruiting class.

Williams has picked up scholarship offers from 23 schools, including Missouri and Texas. He was committed to Nebraska at one time but backed off his pledge to the Huskers in July. Williams used one of his official visits to Minnesota in June.

After Williams’ decommitment, Auburn has 10 pledges in the 2023 class.

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A former beat reporter, Andrew Olson is a news manager for Saturday Down South.

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New Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze talks about his history of developing quarterbacks

 

Hugh Freeze was announced as Auburn’s new head coach just over a week ago now. He has hit the ground running with recruiting and organizing his coaching staff. From Malik Willis at Liberty to Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly at Ole Miss, Freeze has earned a reputation for developing high-level quarterbacks at nearly every stop he's made in his college career. In a recent interview, Freeze talked about his "quarterback-friendly offensive system" and what it takes to develop a successful signal-caller. 

“I think it comes from our system," Freeze said. "I think I teach in a way that helps them understand the game and where the game should be played on a given play, post-snap. Which is a little different. Not a lot of coaches feel good about giving up that control. But I’ve gotta believe that I can teach it well enough for our quarterbacks to know, ‘man alright post-snap, this safety is the insert player, this is the field I need to play on.’ And I think it’s quarterback friendly as long as they can be a fundamentally-accurate passer. I need help with that. I think my gift is teaching them the game and making correct decisions and getting the protection set and all of that. I’ve had some great, fundamental quarterback coaches that were really good. That’s a great compliment to me. Ole Miss had Dan Werner, Liberty had Kent Austin who’s brilliant and one of the best to ever do it. I can’t take total credit for the development. I think I’m pretty good at helping them learn the game.”

Auburn went 5-7 overall this season, the worst record the Tigers program has experienced in nearly a decade. Freeze previously coached in the SEC at Ole Miss from 2012-16, spent the previous four seasons turning around the program at Liberty.

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Here’s more of what Freeze had to say about Auburn and his coaching philosophies…

“Zero sleep for me but a lot of joy. A lot of just having the family together knowing that this has kind of been a dream and now you’re living in it and walking in it. It’s pretty surreal also. And then you go back and forth between this is surreal and it's awesome and ‘oh my gosh I have so much to do and I can't get it all done.’ And so I battle that going back and forth but it's been an incredible welcoming from the Auburn family and our family is grateful.”

“Man, he’s extremely thorough and he's extremely patient. He takes the time to gather facts and truth and I appreciate that about him. I enjoyed all of my conversations with him. I thought he was easy to communicate with, easy to talk to. Was fair in seeking, really, ‘man let me get to know you’ and I thought he did that beautifully with Jill and I. So did Rich [McGlynn] and Lee [VanHorn] and the team that he was using. So it was enjoyable. I knew he was somebody I could enjoy working for.”

“As a person, I think you grow more in the times of failure — if you handle them the right way — than you probably do in the successes. The mountain tops are beautiful but usually the fruit is grown in the valleys. And I think that’s kind of where I’ve been and there’s been a lot of growth in me over the last six years from trying to be more committed and disciplined on a daily life– to your faith, your family and your friends. Family also meaning my team and administration and university family. And learning to be a better listener. That’s kind of been my goals. I’m still doing that. And then as a football [coach] it’s been incredible. To take an FCS program that’s transitioning to FBS and win at least eight games every season. Undefeated in bowl games, our power-5 wins and many more great things that we’ve done … all of that happening that fast and that quick, had been remarkable and I think is a testament to the players, the administration and the staff we had there.”

“I hope it doesn’t change. People don’t even realize, originally my first head job in college was Lambuth University. It won two games the year before we got there and we immediately won nine the first year and 12 the second year. Then Arkansas State, had never had a winning season since it had transitioned to FBS — we won 10 games there and a conference championship. And Ole Miss was really in the wilderness with zero SEC wins and we turned that and won seven games in year one, then eight, then nine, then 10. And Liberty was the same way. So I think something’s working and I think it’s the culture. I can set it, but I gotta have a staff that really buys into drive it. I think that’s why these hires are so critical.”

“Daily, chasing the standard of our culture every single day, as well as we can. With faith, attitude, mental toughness, integrity and love — chasing those things. And we gotta define what those mean to everyone, which I did in the press conference and we will again. I did to the team this morning. But living out that, with the decisions we make, the way we’re working, the energy, the passion, the positive energy, accountability. All of it. I’ve gotta have a group of people in the locker room to drive that train. I can be the voice in the team room, Cadillac [Williams] can be the voice in the team room but you gotta get it in the locker room. I gotta identify who those guys are.”

“I think the best way I can put it is invaluable. I really believe that. I just think in this transition time and where we are with Auburn football and with the Auburn family, that he is a catalyst for all this good right now. I just think he’s invaluable to me and I’m glad he’s partnering with me.”

“It's a multiple RPO, tempo-driven offense with NFL passing concepts. That’s really what it is. I don’t go as fast as I did at Ole Miss, typically, I can. But I’ve really kind of matured into this, I want to play complimentary football. At Liberty, probably some of our best wins — I know BYU this year it was a huge win for us — and our defense played 58 plays. You get the talent right in this room and your defense only has to play that many plays, chances are we’re gonna be in pretty good shape.”

“I think players have to come first. At this day and time, you better work at it. There is no more of this ‘hey just do what I say and don’t come see me. Just do what I say and stay out of trouble and get your grades and let’s hope that school board works out.’ That don’t work anymore. And you’ve gotta spend an enormous amount of time building a relationship with them and the trust with them. And then I think some of the results you want will come.”

">247Sports

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Auburn is the new favorite for Colton Hood

Zac Blackerby

~3 minutes

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Auburn is the clear favorite for Michigan State commit Colton Hood. 

Despite being committed to the Spartans since September 5th, many are expecting the McDonough, GA native to sign with the Auburn Tigers on Early Signing Day on December 21st. 

Hood knows a lot about the program. He grew up around it. His uncle Roderick Hood started in 18 games during his time on the Plains. 

"A kid who has played in the state of Georgia, really nice competition throughout his career. We know he's got it in the bloodline," Recruiting Insider John Garcia said on Locked On Auburn. "He's an Auburn legacy three of four times over."

Hood has traits that a lot of schools pay attention to. His 6-foot, 170-pound frame sticks out. He doesn't shy away from contact, He's a multi-sport athlete and has experience playing baseball.

"Mel Tucker at Michigan State, when he brings in (defensive backs), they all have a bit of a common thread that fits a lot of SEC programs," Garcia said. "Bigger, more physical, willing to challenge you at the line of scrimmage but with some ball skills and length mixed into it."

Hood took his official visit to Auburn on October 29th. Since Bryan Harsin has been fired, he is able to take another official visit to the Plains. This could obviously help out Zac Ethridge and the rest of Hugh Freeze's staff. 

"I think he is going to take another official too," Garcia said. "That's where Auburn can get interesting really late in the game for a lot of recruits because when you make that head coaching change, the NCAA allows you to take another official visit even if you've already used it for that school."

With more predictions and crystal balls for Hood pointing to Auburn, Garcia said it nicely. 

"I'd be a little surprised if he ended up signing anywhere other than Auburn"