3/18/23 Auburn Articles

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flywareagle.com

 

Jake Thornton: Auburn football OL will be built around upperclassman

Mary Kate Hughes

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Auburn football Jan 1, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Peyton Ramsey (12) throws a pass as Northwestern Wildcats offensive lineman Ethan Wiederkehr (76) blocks Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Jeremiah Wright (76) during the second half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

 

Every Auburn football fan is hoping to see a revamped offensive line in 2023. With the hiring of head coach Hugh Freeze came a lot of new o-linemen, from high school prospects to transfers and former JUCO players, but there are several key returners on the roster, as well.

Last season, Jeremiah Wright was able to make a name for himself on the offensive side of the ball after injuries took out several players and left holes on the roster that needed to be filled. Wright was initially recruited as an OL but switched over to the defense ahead of his first season on the Plains.

After missing the 2021 season while recovering from surgery, Wright returned to game action in 2022 as an offensive lineman, which is a role he will continue to play in 2023 according to new offensive line coach Jake Thornton.

AL.com reports that defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett was interested in bringing Wright back to the defense, but Thornton had no plans to remove Wright from the OL:

“Oh, I’m not letting him go,” Thornton said last month. “…I said, ‘No, he’s an offensive lineman.’ He’s going to be a huge, huge part of our offense, and he’s going to be somebody we’re going to build this unit around.”

After so much switching around during his first few years on the Plains, Wright is ready to make his mark on the offensive line this season. Even with so many new linemen, Wright is expected to be a starter at left guard this fall and is working hard to maintain a high level of toughness and develop the mentality of an offensive lineman.

With Coach Thornton’s belief that Wright can be one of the best offensive linemen in the league, the junior has every opportunity to become a major impact player for Auburn football this season.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn football assigns jersey numbers to new transfers

Taylor Jones

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Auburn football hauled in an impressive transfer class during the first window. Now, those transfers are on campus and are working to impress coach Hugh Freeze and staff in an effort to take a starting position in the fall.

Auburn acquired 12 players from the transfer portal, and ended the cycle with the No. 4 class, trailing only Florida State, LSU, and Colorado. Several of Auburn’s headlining newcomers include running back Brian Battie from USF, Western Kentucky’s Gunner Britton, and Avery Johnson from ECU. Each of Auburn’s 12 transfer portal players from the 2023 cycle is expected to play a role with their new team.

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Ahead of A-Day on Saturday, April 8, here’s a look at what number each transfer will be wearing this upcoming season.

Jersey number: 0

Position: LB

Previous school: LSU

Jersey number: 8

Position: WR

Previous school: Cincinnati

Jersey number: 11

Position: EDGE

Previous school: Vanderbilt

Jersey number: 12

Position: LB

Previous school: Ole Miss

Jersey number: 13

Position: TE

Previous school: Florida International

Jersey number: 21

Position: RB

Previous school: South Florida

Jersey number: 33

Position: DL

Previous school: Maryland

Jersey number: 52

Position: OT

Previous school: Tulsa

Jersey number: 53

Position: OT

Previous school: Western Kentucky

Jersey number: 66

Position: OL

Previous school: East Carolina

Jersey number: 92

Position: DL

Previous school: Purdue

Jersey number: 97

Position: DL

Previous school: Kentucky

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flywareagle.com

 

Auburn football QB commit Walker White recruiting 5-star safety

Mary Kate Hughes

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Auburn football Recruit K.J. Bolden visits Ohio Stadium during the Ohio State, Michigan game. Kj Bolden

 

The Auburn football program pulled off an amazing recruiting upset when 4-star quarterback Walker White chose Hugh Freeze’s Tigers over Dabo Swinney’s. White was widely expected to commit to Clemson, but a last-minute push from Freeze and Auburn cemented the 2024 QB in the Tigers’ next recruiting class.

As an early commit, White made it clear that he was fully sold on Auburn football and that he intends to become an active recruiter for the Tigers. The QB listed quite a few 2024 recruits by name, even a few that have already given verbal pledges to other programs, as guys he plans on recruiting to the Plains, including Alabama commit Perry Thompson, Daniel Calhoun, and Cameron Coleman.

White also has his eye on a 5-star safety out of the Peach State. KJ Bolden, who is ranked as the #2 overall prospect and the #1 safety in the recruiting class of 2024, was on the Plains this week to check out the Tigers’ first scrimmage of spring ball.

Hotel at Auburn…ran into KJ Bolden…War Eagle KJ! @KhalilBolden2 ! @AuburnFootball pic.twitter.com/wXiANBrHWc

— Walker White (@walker_white5) March 17, 2023

The #1 player out of the state of Georgia, Bolden has 40 offers from top programs around the nation, including the usual suspects Georiga and Alabama along with Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson, and more.

Bolden has made quite a few trips to Georgia’s campus in Athens, but has plenty of visits scheduled to other programs and noted that Auburn definitely has a chance in his recruitment after his Friday visit. He got the chance to meet with the Tigers’ new staff and speak with his would-be coach Zac Etheridge.

Though Bolden does not have an official visit with Auburn football planned at this time, it’s likely that Freeze and the staff could get the highly coveted safety back on campus again before his recruitment is over.

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Some big guys surrounding Auburn QB commitment @walker_white5 today

Edited March 18, 2023 by aubiefifty

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theplainsman.com

 

Tigers learning new system under Freeze ahead of spring game - The Auburn Plainsman

 

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With the annual spring football game right around the corner, the Tigers' spring practices have been ramping up in recent weeks.  

Auburn went 5-7 last season under former head coach Bryan Harsin, which led the university to switch to a new face of the program in Hugh Freeze. The transition has run smoothly for Freeze so far, as he has brought in a top-20 recruiting class along with multiple transfers. 

Now it’s time to see how this group has banded together the past few weeks and what progress they’ve made a few weeks away from the spring game. 

Under a new coaching staff, players are already seeing differences between the old coaching staff and this one.

“I'd definitely say it’s faster,” said defensive back D.J. James. “Freeze got the whole practice moving. We’re moving fast. It’s going to be a little different this year, I feel like.” 

James made a big decision over Christmas break by deciding to come back for one more season, bolstering the defensive backs group for new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts.

“Auburn, Auburn man, Auburn’s a family,” James said. “They treated me like family since I’ve gotten recruited here. I just trust Auburn.” 

A group that was criticized for most of the year was the offensive line group, which has had its own changes in the way they run things. They now must adapt to a new offense under Freeze, one that operates at a much faster pace and is more spread out. 

Offensive guard Jeremiah Wright was plugged into a struggling offensive line middle of last season and is now figuring out a new system under Freeze. 

“It’s something new for me,” Wright said. “It’s like I step up into a starting role, and I’m trying to compete. You’ve got younger guys. They’re trying to come in and compete too, so it’s something new.” 

When asked about the offense, he was not shy about talking about how excited he was for it. 

“I think it will be more explosive,” Wright said. “Pass and run. We did a lot of running last year. So, this year I think it will be evened out. 

Tight end Luke Deal shared the same sentiment as his teammate about the new system. 

“I like the idea of having defenses tired,” Deal said. “Rolling up tempo. Keeping defenses on their toes. That’s what you’ve got to do in this league, and I think we’ll do a good job of it.” 

There are a lot of questions about this new look Auburn team that are looking to be answered. Some of those questions may be answered when Auburn returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium on April 8 for the A-Day game. The annual spring game is scheduled to begin a 1 p.m. CST.

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William Halliday | Sports Writer

William Halliday started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. He is a journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee.

Twitter: @wphalliday3

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247sports.com

 

Auburn making four-star OT Jameson Riggs feel like a priority

Steve Wiltfong

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Hiram (Ga.) High four-star offensive tackle Jameson Riggs was back at Auburn this weekend after visiting The Plains in January.

The 6-foot-4 1/2, 300-pound Riggs is a top target for Hugh Freeze and his staff in the 2024 cycle.

“It was good, really enjoyed watching practice and seeing the guys compete,” Riggs said.

“I definitely like the coaching staff, Coach Thornton is awesome and I think they have a good thing being built over there. Plus it’s close to home and and all that other stuff.”

Auburn is battling the likes of Clemson, Tennessee and Georgia Tech, where Riggs visited in January after attending games at each of those programs during the fall. Ohio State, Duke and North Carolina are a few other contenders for Riggs who is ranked as the nation’s No. 18 offensive tackle by 247Sports.

Auburn is one of the programs recruiting Riggs the hardest.

“They care a lot about people and relationships which is something I value and that not every program focuses on,” Riggs said. “I’m in communication with them more than I am some other teams for sure.”

">247Sports

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Dillon Wade ranked among top underrated SEC transfers

daniellocke

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Offensive lineman Dillon Wade announced his decision to transfer from Tulsa to Auburn on early signing day. Hugh Freeze hiring Phillip Montgomery, the former head coach of the Golden Hurricane, played a role in landing the four-star offensive tackle.

An article from Mike Farrell Sports titled “Top 5 Under-the-Radar Transfer Portal Additions in the SEC” was written by Mark Pszonak and included Wade on the list. The other names were defensive back Duce Chestnut who transferred from Syracuse to LSU, tight end McCallan Castles who transferred from Cal-Davis to Tennessee, wide receiver Tre Harris who transferred from Louisiana Tech to Ole Miss and offensive lineman Marques Cox who transferred from Northern Illinois to Kentucky.

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Upon his arrival, new head coach Hugh Freeze knew that he had to revamp the offensive line. He has done so by adding several interesting pieces through the portal, including Wade, who looks likely to start at tackle this fall. Fellow transfer Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky) may very well start at the other tackle spot, but the current thought is that Wade is the one who will make a more powerful immediate impact.

Wade is the No. 26 ranked player in this year’s transfer class and the No. 4 ranked offensive lineman according to 247Sports. Avery Jones, an offensive lineman transferring from East Carolina to Auburn, is also among the top transfers, ranking No. 12 according to 247Sports.

Improving the offensive line has been perhaps the biggest recruiting focus for the Tigers and Wade will help check that box in 2023.

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