4/25/23 Football Articles

[aubiefifty 18,259]

this is the early bird edition. been sick and in bed for about ten hours so i am gonna hit some in cse i do not feel like it tomorrow.

Edited April 25, 2023 by aubiefifty

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Two transfer targets pay visit to Auburn over the weekend

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

Hugh Freeze is working to fill key needs during the second transfer portal window and is on the right track by welcoming two players from his wishlist to campus.

Over the weekend, Cincinnati’s Jaheim Thomas and Tulsa’s Jaden Muskrat each paid a visit to the Plains.

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Muskrat was one of the first players to receive an Auburn offer once the second transfer portal window opened. According to Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover, Muskrat was on campus Saturday and was even spotted at Auburn’s baseball game against Mississippi State at Plainsman Park. Over the last three seasons, Muskrat has played on new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery’s offensive line. Last season, he played right tackle for the Golden Hurricane, opposite transfer Dillon Wade. According to Pro Football Focus, Muskrat allowed just three sacks in 848 snaps in 2022.

On Sunday, Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover reported that Cincinnati linebacker Jaheim Thomas was also on campus Sunday for an official visit. Thomas made 70 stops for the Bearcats last season and recorded nine quarterback hurries according to Pro Football Focus. Thomas is seen as a potential candidate for Auburn’s new Jack linebacker position.

Auburn will continue to search for new additions to its roster over the next week, as the transfer portal window is set to close on Sunday.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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si.com

 

Five names to watch for Auburn football in the in-state 2024 recruiting class

Jack Singley

6–7 minutes

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The most important part of recruiting in college sports is being able to recognize talent, the second is being able to keep your in-state talent in-state.

In the state of Alabama, there is no issue recognizing talent, pretty much every high school football game you can go to across the state will have at least one player go on to play ball at the collegiate level, whether that be JUCO, D2, or D1. This year's class is no different, there are four five-star players in the state according to 247 Sports, and an amazing 17 four-stars. The 2023 class was described by many as the best class the state has ever had, but that class only had two five stars and an equal amount of four stars.

Auburn, under renowned recruiter Hugh Freeze, has made it a priority to be in on these top in-state prospects and to show them why Auburn, though in a dry spell, is capable of being a top program in the country. So far so good for the Tigers as they are in it for a large chunk of these prospects up to this point in their recruitments. The following list contains some of the biggest names that Auburn is pursuing.

The Five Star WR Duo

Cam Coleman WR

The hometown kid out of the bunch, Coleman lives and plays for Central-Phenix City just 45 minutes west of Jordan-Hare stadium. The Red Devils use of Coleman has been varied as he has mostly been an outside receiver but was also the slot receiver on some plays. Coleman totaled 542 yards and six touchdowns on 31 receptions during his Junior season. Coleman is seen as a must-get for Auburn, the visits reflect this as he has been on campus three times this year, all of which took place within a four-week span. Coleman's most recent Auburn visit took place on A-Day, April 8th. The Auburn connection is very real, the proximity of Coleman combined with a former Auburn Tiger in Head Coach Pat Nix is certainly helping in this recruitment.

Perry Thompson WR

The Foley, Alabama product has been one of the best wide receivers in the country let alone the state in his high school career. Thompson has amassed an insane 1,898 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns on 154 receptions. His junior season has by far been his best, he recorded 1,059 yards on 87 receptions with nine touchdowns. This season's performance earned him first-team all-state honors for Alabama 7A. Perry has a great connection with WR Coach Marcus Davis and has visited four times since Davis extended an offer to him on January 11th. Thompson visited for Junior Day and then came twice in a two-week span in March. The most recent visit was on A-Day, a day in which Thompson sat in the rain and watched the game despite many recruits deciding to go under the concourse or go into the facility. Thompson is currently committed to Alabama and has been since late 2022.

The Four-Star Defensive Trio

Demarkus Riddick JACK

Riddick is by far one of the most dynamic and versatile defensive prospects in this class. Riddick totaled 109 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and seven sacks during his Junior season for Chilton County. To add to all of that, he also had three interceptions, four pass deflections, and a forced fumble. Then to cap off all of his football achievements, Riddick also plays varsity baseball and varsity basketball. Riddick has been to Auburn three times this year. Riddick was offered on March 8th of 2022 and didn't visit once in the Harsin era. Demarcus has been committed to Georgia since 2022, but the in-state schools seem to have the upper hand. Auburn has gotten three visits, all of which have happened this year. Riddick came most recently on April 15th, after not being able to make it to A-day for family reasons.

Sterling Dixon JACK

Dixon possibly has one of the most impressive seasonal statistics that I have seen. Sterli, who plays for Mobile Christian was utterly dominant, he had 179 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, and 18 sacks. Following this monster Junior season, he was rightfully named 1st team all-state. Dixon was one of the few 2024 recruits that gave the Harsin staff the time of day, visiting for a letdown of a Big Cat weekend in July. Dixon has been a flip priority for the Tigers as the Alabama commit has been on three visits under the new staff. A-Day was the most recent visit for Dixon.

Bradley Shaw LB

Auburn offered this inside linebacker all the way back in July of 2022, and Josh Aldridge honored the offer when he was brought in as the new LB Coach. Shaw didn't have stats that I was able to find but with the Hoover native being a high-level four-star you can imagine they would be impressive. Shaw visited for the San Jose State game last year and saw the Tigers struggle against the Spartans. He did not visit again until the new year, as he visited in January. Shaw and Aldridge have built a solid relationship and hopefully, this relationship will help fight off the out-of-state Georgia Bulldogs.

The highlight for each of these players is that they have all visited Auburn at least two times, and the trend seems to be that they are visiting more this year. The reason for this is a combination of their commitment day is this December, and that they all have enjoyed this staff more than the previous one, Shaw, Dixon, and Coleman all visited under Harsin and each of them did not return until the Freeze administration was in place. The Freeze warning is in effect across the state of Alabama.

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247sports.com

Auburn offers Colorado WR transfer Montana Lemonious-Craig

Christian Clemente

~3 minutes

Auburn is in search of at least one wide receiver addition through the transfer portal and a new name is on the board after offering former Colorado receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig on Monday.

Lemonious-Craig caught plenty of attention when he entered the transfer portal on Sunday, just a day after catching three passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns during Saturday's spring game in Colorado. Since entering the portal, Lemonious-Craig has picked up offers from Tulane, Southern Utah, UConn, Tennessee State, USF, Liberty, Washington State, Arizona, Colorado State, Cincinnati and now Auburn.

Appearing in 25 games over the course of his three-year career at Colorado, totaling 34 catches for 497 yards and five touchdowns. After redshirting in 2020 and playing in 10 games in 2021, Lemonious-Craig had his strongest season last fall when he caught 23 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

Originally from Inglewood, California, Lemonious-Craig is listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, which fits the bill for the bigger catch radius that Hugh Freeze has been looking for in his receivers out of the transfer portal and in high school recruiting.

In the second portal window, Auburn has lost Tar'Varish Dawson at receiver, who recently committed to Cincinnati. Auburn brought in former Cincinnati receiver Nick Mardner in the first transfer portal window, but is still looking for one or two wide receivers this time around.

Alongside Dawson, linebackers Desmond Tisdol, Kameron Brown and defensive end Jeffrey M'ba have entered the portal from Auburn.

33COMMENTS

Personal bio on Lemonious-Craig from Colorado:

"He was born on July 29, 2002 in Inglewood, Calif. …  He was raised by his mom, Daisy Lemonious, and grandmother, Brenda Lemonious …  He has an older sister … He enjoys working out and resting in his free time … He is interested in going into broadcasting after his football days are over …  He has done community service through his church … Full name is Montana-George Eugene Lemonious-Craig ... He was nicknamed “Mr. Inglewood” by the new coaching staff his senior season for being the heart and soul of the team.  (Last name is pronounced lee-moan-E-us.)"

">247Sports

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courier-journal.com

 

Brown: Current transfer portal rules are creating chaos. Here's why things need to change

 

5–6 minutes

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The NCAA should either do away with one of the transfer portal windows for football or limit the number of times a player can transfer during the same academic year to one.

Because the current set-up is getting ridiculous.

Consider the case of safety Cam'Ron Kelly. The graduate transfer who started every game for North Carolina last season visited U of L over the weekend.

Kelly transferred to Virginia in December and even participated in the Cavaliers’ spring game before he re-entered the portal last week.

This isn’t the first time Kelly has had a change of heart. He originally committed to Virginia Tech's 2019 class the summer before his senior season of high school. By January of 2019, he flipped and enrolled early at Auburn. After the Tigers’ spring drills in April 2019, he decided to transfer to UNC and received an NCAA waiver to play immediately.

No question, Kelly would be a solid addition to U of L’s secondary. He’s played in 37 consecutive games the past three seasons and has 25 starts. At UNC last season, his fourth quarter interception at Wake Forest helped the Heels clinch the ACC’s Coastal Division title.

C.L. Brown:After celebrating Jeff Brohm's return, Louisville football fans must show patience

Restoring ACC hoops:League has been historically bad. Here's how Louisville, others can address issues

This isn’t to pick on Kelly, he’s not alone. His former teammate at UNC — cornerback Storm Duck — transferred to Penn State in January only to re-enter the transfer portal last week.

I believe in player empowerment, but there is a real cost in the NCAA allowing so much movement.

Potential high school recruits who would typically sign during December’s early period or in February are getting frozen out of the picture more and more. College coaches are waiting to see who they can pluck out of the portal and an experienced player beats one that needs development almost every time.

Tampering, which coaches says is running rampant, and the promise of NIL (name, image and likeness) money could be contributing to the turnover. Reducing transfer options would force both player and coach to be a little more deliberate in making decisions. The one caveat that should be allowed is if the head coach a player committed to leaves for any reason, the newly recruited players should be allowed to transfer immediately.

But the start of fall camp should not be the first time a coach knows what the roster will look like.

'Going to improve':Why Kentucky should be better on offense this college football season

Cardinals:In leading Louisville football, Brohm brothers embrace hometown community and expectations

The transfer portal's spring window for football lasts just 15 days, from April 15-30. But no coach is immune to feeling anxious over losing a player of note. National champion Georgia has had five scholarship players enter the portal over the last week including five on defense. The biggest hit was defensive lineman Bear Alexander, who played in 12 games as a true freshman and recorded two sacks in the national title game.

Many coaches, including Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, acknowledge the current process is a mess. And the Wildcats are one of the schools that haven't had any real surprises so far during the spring window. Cornerback Vito Tisdale entered the portal after being dismissed from the team in March and Andre Stewart entered after sitting out last season as a redshirt.

U of L coach Jeff Brohm said his staff will have individual meetings with players this week after wrapping up their spring drills. He knows he could lose some players to the portal. But he also knows he could still be adding some players too.

For subscribers:How Jeff Brohm has helped Louisville football close in-state recruiting gap with Kentucky

The portal was part of Brohm's formula for success at Purdue, where he looked to add up to 10 transfers a year. Of the nine players Brohm got out of the transfer portal last year for the Boilermakers, four of them were added after spring drills.

“It’s not the best setup for all of us, but it’s a part of college football,” Brohm said. “It causes you to analyze your team and to make sure that you keep your eyes and ears open to what’s going on around you as well.”

College football rosters are changing like a series of pickup basketball games, and it doesn’t have to be this way.

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @CLBrownHoops.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

this one comes on at seven am tuesday. sorry but pickings are slim.

 

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

his auburn cap is upside down. wth?  lol

[AUpreacherman22 3,945]

6 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

this is the early bird edition. been sick and in bed for about ten hours so i am gonna hit some in cse i do not feel like it tomorrow.

I appreciate your commitment to post these articles!!!

Praying you feel better asap!🙏🙏🙏

[aubiefifty 18,259]

al.com

SEC considers tougher stance for storming field, including losing future home games, per report

Published: Apr. 24, 2023, 5:22 p.m.

~2 minutes

CHAOS: Tennessee fans rush field, tear down goalpost after beating Alabama

Losing a future home conference game is just one of the proposals on the table for SEC programs if their fans storm the field to celebrate their college football team’s win.

The SEC is in search of stronger deterrents to prevent fans on the field, and six-figure fines just aren’t getting it done.

According to a report by Pat Forde, a working group - which is led by Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, Georgia AD Josh Brooks and Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart - has been hammering away at the issue for several months.

A more drastic proposal would be a forfeiture of the game in which the field storm occurred, but, according to the report, is “unlikely” to gain much traction.

Currently, programs are hit with a $50,000 fine for the first incident, while the second offense calls for a $100,000 fine before each subsequent violation is $250,000.

Last season, Tennessee was fined for storming the field after upsetting Alabama, then LSU did the same after defeating the visiting Crimson Tide.

Per the report, any options for a revamped policy will likely go to the conference’s presidents and chancellors at SEC spring meetings on May 30 in Destin, Fla. Approved changes could be implemented for the 2023–24 athletic year.

Check out the full report.

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

 

i posted an article on this a day or two ago along with toddc. i forgot to go back and read it and i had no idea they are talking forieiting the game. i am not sure that is fair. how do you stop that many fans?

[aubiefifty 18,259]

second pod on receivers but a different channel...............

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by aubiefifty

[toddc 13,197]

Jarquez Hunter among 10 offensive spring practice standouts around college football

Justin Hokanson

Jarquez Hunter (Photo by Auburn Athletics)

AUBURN — Jarquez Hunter earning praise and recognition this spring is nothing new for those that are following Auburn footballclosely.

Both head coach Hugh Freeze and running backs coach Carnell Williams couldn’t speak more highly of Hunter during spring camp if they tried.

Freeze called Hunter “special,” and “the best I’ve coached.”

Williams said similar of Hunter, admiring his “humble approach” and “relentless effort.”

Hunter served as Tank Bigsby‘s backup the past two seasons, but still managed to rush for 1,262 yards and 10 touchdowns, all while averaging over six yards per carry. Hunter’s humble approach and as team-first mentality, as Freeze described, is what running backs coach Carnell Williams loves about Hunter the most.

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Now, with nearly all spring camps finished across the country, On3’s Matt Zenitz included Hunter among 10 offensive spring standouts.

Here’s what Zenitz said of Hunter:

Back in early April, new Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze threw out a big-time compliment for his new running back. “I think Jarquez is special,” Freeze said. “I do, I think he’s probably the best running back I’ve ever coached, truthfully.” That’s how impressive Hunter was during the spring for the Tigers. After contributing as Tank Bigsby’s backup the last two seasons, Hunter now has a chance to show what he can do as Auburn’s No. 1 back. The Tigers’ staff is expecting a big year from him. One Tigers source said Hunter may be the best player on Auburn’s team.

Jarquez Hunter is joined by Damari Alston and transfer Brian Battie in the running back room. Freeze, Williams and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery all spoke highly of the entire position group, as well as Alston and Battie in the spring.

“I feel like us as a whole, we’re so connected,” Alston said. “Ever since, we’ve been going, helping each other out on and off the field. The running back room is at its best right now and will keep getting better.”

[aubiefifty 18,259]

6 hours ago, AUpreacherman22 said:

I appreciate your commitment to post these articles!!!

Praying you feel better asap!🙏🙏🙏

i do feel better. thank you. plus i started this along with bird so i try to do a good job. it means a lot to me for some weird reason.............

Edited April 25, 2023 by aubiefifty

[toddc 13,197]

Keionte Scott among 15 defensive spring practice standouts around college football

Justin Hokanson

Keionte Scott works through drills during spring practice in March of 2023. (Photo by Auburn Athletics)

AUBURN — Keionte Scott continues to earn rave reviews from observers around Auburn football regarding his potential this fall.

With nearly all spring camps finished across the country, On3’s Matt Zenitz included Scott among 15 defensive spring standouts.

Here’s what Zenitz said of Scott:

Scott is on track to build on a 2022 season during which he posted 54 tackles and an interception as Auburn’s nickel back. The Tigers’ staff views him as a future NFL nickel back. “He may be the best player on the defense,” a source said.

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Zac Etheridge and Wesley McGriff, both of which coach Auburn’s defensive backs, praised Scott this spring. Etheridge called Scott a “1A” starter, while McGriff said Scott has “dynamic” abilities.

“I see a dynamic player. I see a guy that can impact the game, a guy who can play at a high level, who loves football,” McGriff said. “When he comes to work every day, he’s prepared. He’s got his notebook, he’s a serious-minded individual. When he gets on the grass, you can see his performance. (Monday) was his best day of practice. Coach (Zac) Etheridge looked at me one time and said, ‘cool him off.’ I said, ‘I don’t have water to cool this dude off.’ He was locking them up. That guy can really impact the game.”

Scott finished last season with 42 tackles, three pass break-ups and one interception, ranking as the third-best returning defender for Auburn according to Pro Football Focus. But it’s more than that with Scott.

Auburn Live recently had the chance to guest co-host the On To Victory collective podcast and who was the football player chosen to participate in the show? Scott. Auburn Live also caught up with Scott during winter workouts for a one-one-one interview, where Scott was transparent and thoughtful talking about last season and his experience at Auburn so far.

Scott is competing with Donovan Kaufmanat the nickel position, with the ability to play corner, if necessary. The corner positions are currently being manned by Nehemiah Pritchett and DJ James.

McGriff loved the leadership he’s seen from the group during the spring.

“Keionte Scott, you can see him coaching those guys up. Nehemiah Pritchett, he’s putting his arm around Kayin Lee and coaching him up. That speaks to the leadership and the bonding. That’s good to see.”

Scott was the No. 1 junior college cornerback in the nation according to On3 Sports Consensus player rankings, ultimately choosing Auburn over Tennessee, Oregon and others.

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by toddc