1/5/23 Auburn Articles

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Baylor transfer offensive lineman Micah Mazzucca taking visit to Auburn

Lance Dawe

~2 minutes

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Auburn is currently hosting a Power Five starting offensive lineman for a visit. That is a massive win that should not be taken lightly.

Micah Mazzucca, a former three-star offensive lineman and 2022 starter for the Baylor Bears, is currently in Auburn, per his social media.

Mazzucca appeared in 12 games for the Bears this season, totaling 759 snaps (392 running, 367 passing) and finishing with a Pro Football Focus grade of 74.9. That would have been the best PFF grade among Auburn offensive lineman by at least 5.5 points. Mazzucca's 78.5 run block grade was 22nd among interior offensive lineman in 2022.

Auburn needs offensive line depth more than anything right now. Even after signing five offensive lineman following the early signing period and picking up the No. 2 OT in the transfer portal it's still clear that the Tigers have work to do if they want to revamp things in the trenches quickly.

The 6-foot-5, 331-pound Mazzucca would certainly give Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and offensive line coach Jake Thornton another starter to work with.

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Auburn football 2023 projected scholarship chart

Updated: Jan. 04, 2023, 12:56 p.m.|Published: Jan. 04, 2023, 11:19 a.m.

4–5 minutes

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Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford warms up before an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

A new era is being ushered in on the Plains.

Following Bryan Harsin’s disastrous tenure as head coach, which lasted less than two seasons, Hugh Freeze is now at the helm for Auburn, tasked with rebuilding the program to the point it can once again compete for championships. Freeze has quite the undertaking as he attempts to close the gap between Auburn and its top rivals, Alabama and Georgia, and get the Tigers back into national relevancy and the College Football Playoff discussion.

Read more Auburn football: Meet Hugh Freeze’s 2023 Auburn football coaching staff

Hugh Freeze: Auburn has ‘work cut out’ trying to close gap between rivals Alabama, Georgia

Hugh Freeze confident Auburn can ‘get out of the wilderness,’ turn things around ‘fairly fast’

Freeze’s inaugural coaching staff is in place, but that’s only part of the equation. Roster management is a major component of the job ahead for Freeze, as Auburn works to retool its personnel and replenish the talent needed to compete with the nation’s top-tier programs. Between high school and junior college recruiting, the transfer portal and NIL, roster management has changed in recent years and is a much more involved year-round endeavor.

We’ve already seen some of it with the early signing period in December, with Freeze and Co. signing the bulk of the Tigers’ 2023 class, as well as with the fall transfer window. The numbers will continue to evolve when it comes to Auburn’s personnel for the 2023 season, with some key needs yet to be met, but let’s take a look at the the Tigers’ roster situation as it stands today.

Here is a look at Auburn’s 2023 projected scholarship breakdown. AL.com will update this scholarship chart every time the Tigers have a roster move: players graduating, leaving early for the draft, transferring, being dismissed from the team and committing to -- or decommiting from -- the next recruiting class. Below is the up-to-date scholarship chart heading into 2023, broken down by class. Some positions may be fluid -- like cornerback and safety, as well as defensive end and defensive tackle, depending on spring practices, scheme-based personnel decisions and potential position changes.

Seniors: 21

Juniors: 17

Sophomores: 13

Freshmen: 25

Total projected scholarship players for 2023: 76

2024 commits: 2

Incoming transfers: 3

Position	Seniors	Juniors	Sophomores	Freshmen	Commits
QB		T.J. Finley (redshirt)	Robby Ashford (redshirt)	Holden Geriner (redshirt), Hank Brown	Adrian Posse (2024)
RB		Jarquez Hunter	Damari Alston, Sean Jackson (redshirt)		Jeremiah Cobb (2023)
WR	Ja'Varrius Johnson (redshirt), Malcolm Johnson Jr.	Koy Moore (redshirt)	Landen King (redshirt), Camden Brown, Omari Kelly, Jay Fair	Daquayvious Sorey
TE	Luke Deal (redshirt), Tyler Fromm (redshirt), Brandon Frazier	Rivaldo Fairweather		Micah Riley-Ducker (redshirt)
OT		Dillon Wade (redshirt), Izavion Miller (JUCO transfer)	Garner Langlo (redshirt), Colby Smith (redshirt)	E.J. Harris (redshirt), Clay Wedin, Tyler Johnson
OG/C	Jalil Irvin (super senior), Kam Stutts (super senior), Jeremiah Wright, Tate Johnson	Avery Jernigan (redshirt)		Bradyn Joiner, Connor Lew
DE/EDGE	Elijah McAllister (super senior)		Dylan Brooks (redshirt), Tobechi Okoli (redshirt)	Wilky Denaud, Brenton Williams, Darron Reed, Keldric Faulk
DT	Marcus Harris	Jeffrey M'ba, Jayson Jones (redshirt), Zykeivous Walker (redshirt), Quientrail Jamison-Travis (JUCO transfer)		Enyce Sledge (redshirt), Stephen Johnson
LB	Wesley Steiner, Cam Riley, Desmond Tisdol, Eugene Asante, Kameron Brown (redshirt)	Jake Levant		Robert Woodyard (redshirt), Powell Gordon (redshirt)
CB	Nehemiah Pritchett (fifth-year senior), D.J. James, Jaylin Simpson (redshirt)	Keionte Scott	J.D. Rhym	Austin Ausberry (redshirt), JC Hart, Kayin Lee, Colton Hood	A'Mon Lane (2024)
S	Zion Puckett (redshirt)	Donovan Kaufman (redshirt), Marquise Gilbert, Craig McDonald (redshirt), Cayden Bridges	Caleb Wooden	Terrance Love Sylvester Smith
K				Alex McPherson (redshirt)
P	Oscar Chapman

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

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montgomeryadvertiser.com

 

Here's how Auburn football's incoming transfers can help the team in 2023

Richard Silva

4–5 minutes

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AUBURN — Traditional recruiting will always have its place in college football, but in this new era of the sport, grabbing talent from the transfer portal every cycle isn't optional; it's a requirement to compete.

Auburn football is no different than any other program. The Tigers, especially now, coming off a five-win season in which a coaching change was made, must turn to the portal to fill in some of the gaps present on their roster.

Coach Hugh Freeze, who was hired less than 40 days ago, hit the ground running on the Plains, building his staff and coordinating which players he wanted to target during the early signing period last month. Auburn jumped from a recruiting class ranked toward the bottom of the SEC to a group rated in the top 20 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

RECRUITING EDGE:How was Auburn football so successful recruiting in December? A key retention on the staff

TRANSFER PORTAL:A look at quarterback options via the transfer portal for Hugh Freeze, Auburn football

Freeze also grabbed transfer commitments from offensive tackle Dillon Wade (Tulsa), edge Elijah McAllister (Vanderbilt) and tight end Rivaldo Fairweather (Florida International). The Tigers need, and will most certainly get, more athletes from the portal, but for now, here's how the first three newcomers could fit into Auburn next season.

TE Rivaldo Fairweather

Fairweather has the potential to be Auburn's most exciting acquisition. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound tight end isn't known for his inline blocking, but rather couples his build with a level of athleticism that makes him a difficult matchup for opposing defenses in the passing game. His stats at FIU weren't record-setting — he caught 28 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 — but his 15.2 yards per reception are eye-popping. The only tight end ranked higher in that category from last season was Louisiana Tech's Griffin Herbert, who averaged 18.7 yards per catch.

With John Samuel Shenker's career at Auburn coming to an end, the door is open for Fairweather to be the No. 1 tight end for the Tigers next season. For an example of what an athletic tight end looks like under Freeze, look no further than what Evan Engram did in 2016 at Ole Miss: 65 receptions, 926 yards and eight touchdowns on the way to becoming a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

OT Dillon Wade

Issues along the offensive line aren't unique to Auburn. Nearly every program in the country is looking to batten down that unit, which makes getting players from the portal at the position that much harder. Luckily for the Tigers, they had a connection to Wade that made acquiring his talents that much easier.

Freeze hired Philip Montgomery to be his offensive coordinator in December. Montgomery spent the previous eight seasons coaching at Tulsa, including a span from 2020-22 with Wade on the roster. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Wade started 12 games at left tackle for the Golden Hurricane last season, and with a void there on Auburn's roster, he should slide in smoothly and give Montgomery a familiar player to lean on.

Edge Elijah McAllister

With Colby Wooden, Derick Hall and Marquis Burks leaving for the NFL Draft, the Tigers desperately needed to replenish their defensive front. They accomplished that in part during the early signing period with recruits like Keldric Faulk and Daron Reed being brought in, but also added a veteran through the portal in McAllister.

McAllister had been at Vanderbilt for the past five seasons, but did not see action in 2018 or 2020. As a sophomore in 2019 and from 2021-22, though, the 6-foot-6 defender appeared in 36 games for the Commodores totaling 65 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He also served as a team captain in 2016.

His role at Auburn will likely be similar to what it was at Vanderbilt: A consistent presence up front that won't be the star of the show, but a veteran of the SEC that can help a younger unit.

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.

[Gowebb11 9,875]

@aubiefiftyThanks for this thread. It’s nice to have the updated articles in one place. 

[AUGoo 2,703]

Why does TJ Finley continue to be listed ?

[alabastertiger 637]

4 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

Baylor transfer offensive lineman Micah Mazzucca taking visit to Auburn

Lance Dawe

~2 minutes

---

Auburn is currently hosting a Power Five starting offensive lineman for a visit. That is a massive win that should not be taken lightly.

Micah Mazzucca, a former three-star offensive lineman and 2022 starter for the Baylor Bears, is currently in Auburn, per his social media.

Mazzucca appeared in 12 games for the Bears this season, totaling 759 snaps (392 running, 367 passing) and finishing with a Pro Football Focus grade of 74.9. That would have been the best PFF grade among Auburn offensive lineman by at least 5.5 points. Mazzucca's 78.5 run block grade was 22nd among interior offensive lineman in 2022.

Auburn needs offensive line depth more than anything right now. Even after signing five offensive lineman following the early signing period and picking up the No. 2 OT in the transfer portal it's still clear that the Tigers have work to do if they want to revamp things in the trenches quickly.

The 6-foot-5, 331-pound Mazzucca would certainly give Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and offensive line coach Jake Thornton another starter to work with.

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Pretty please!!!!

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MODS: Is there anyway that we can have a dedicated spot for the daily Auburn Articles that aubiefifty puts together. He does a great job of consolidating information for the board and I'm sure some of us would appreciate a folder where they are archived at. Just a thought.