5/4/23 Football Articles

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news.yahoo.com

 

How Auburn football's Hugh Freeze has done in building relationships with in-state coaches

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

5–7 minutes

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AUBURN — Vestavia Hills coach Robert Evans' phone rang one morning.

On the other end was newly-hired Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze. The conversation wasn't extensive, but Freeze let Evans know the line of communication between the two of them was open.

"Hey, anything you need, we’re here for you," Evans recalled as Freeze's main point.

TRANSFER PORTAL: Appalachian State pass rusher Jalen McLeod commits to Auburn football

JOHN COHEN: Why Auburn AD hasn't made up his mind on SEC football schedule decision

NFL DRAFT: How experts graded every Auburn football player selected

The phone call was one piece of what was a welcome change for Evans, who has been coaching the Rebels since January 2022. Within the first couple months of Freeze arriving to the Plains and building his staff, three Auburn assistants − running backs coach Cadillac Williams, defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts − had each stopped by Evans' office to interact and "talk a little ball."

Conversely, Evans said he didn't have a single conversation with anybody on former coach Bryan Harsin's staff during the 10 months their jobs overlapped: "Not one interaction is a bit strange to me, outside looking in," Evans added.

"I think that was a priority from Day 1," Freeze said April 27 when asked about building relationships within the state. "And I hope that the high school coaches and players have sensed our willingness to do whatever it takes to get back in the game. We've got to win some battles in this state. I think they've sensed that."

Freeze hasn't been at Auburn long enough to show too much proof of concept, but one of the biggest − if not the biggest − win he has had in terms of in-state recruiting was flipping Highland Home's Keldric Faulk away from Florida State and to the Plains in December.

 

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze looks on during Auburn Tigers football practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center at in Auburn, Ala., on Monday, April 3, 2023.

 

Faulk, the top-rated recruit in Auburn's 2023 recruiting class who garnered praise throughout spring practice as an early enrollee, is primed to make an impact in Year 1.

Something that surely played a role in his recruitment was Freeze's involvement. The 53-year-old coach has said multiple times over the last six months that he hired assistants he's confident in to formulate schemes and game plans, which allows him to focus more on being a recruiter. That was evident during spring practice, when Freeze would often spend a chunk of the sessions off to the side speaking to a prospect and his family.

"I think the game of college football has changed so much over the past decade, as far as the head coach’s involvement in recruiting and social media," Pike Road coach Granger Shook said. "I think coach Freeze was really ahead of the game when he was at Ole Miss, really because he had to be. He had to find ways to find his niche, hang his hat on relationships and social media and rubbing elbows and being the head coach that is in the ballroom talking ball and at the clinics, being the face of the program. ...

"That’s something back in the day that head coaches didn’t really do, but now you see even coach (Nick) Saban at Alabama is doing that now. Even coach Kirby Smart (at Georgia) does that. But I think a lot of it started with coach Freeze and his success at recruiting at Ole Miss. ... I think that has kind of helped set a trend as far as other successful SEC coaches.”

UDFAs: Tracking Auburn football’s undrafted free agents after 2023 NFL Draft

LOOKING AHEAD: Auburn football's 5 best 2024 NFL Draft prospects, and 5 more who can play their way in

BY THE NUMBERS: Hugh Freeze contract released: How much will Auburn football coach make?

Enterprise coach Ben Blackmon, Opelika's Erik Speakman and Elmore Country's Kyle Caldwell all echoed similar sentiments: Freeze and his staff have been much more hands-on, making themselves easily accessible: "You’ve got some places in the state of Alabama that currently don’t have the caliber of kids to play at Auburn or Alabama," Blackmon said. "But when those coaches stop by anyway, what they’re telling you is they care about you as a coach."

And, as Evans put it, Auburn's staff isn't conceding any battles. He used his four-star edge Jordan Ross as an example. Evans isn't sure Ross will ultimately end up with the Tigers, "but it’s not because they haven’t tried."

"I think sometimes the previous staff almost conceded defeat on the front end of things with some of the top prospects," Evans said. "... I just don’t think that’ll be the case with coach Freeze. That doesn’t mean they’re going to win a ton of those battles, but they’re in the fight for them and they’re not giving in.

"That’s where you’ve got to start if you’re Auburn. You’ve got to go after the upper echelon kid across the country and try to win some of those battles that they haven’t even been willing to fight the last two years. That’s all you can ask, I think, from a fanbase (perspective)."

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.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Hugh Freeze: What HS coaches think about new Auburn football staff

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si.com

 

PFF graded Auburn running back Brian Battie extremely high in 2022

Andrew Stefaniak

~2 minutes

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Brian Battie is going to help Auburn a ton this season.

Auburn fans often overlook Brian Battie because of the excitement around Jarquez Hunter's junior year, but make no mistake about it, Battie will play a significant role in 2023. 

Battie had an 87.5 PFF grade last season with USF, which gives him the tenth-best grade among returning running backs in college football. 

Not only is Battie an outstanding running back, but he is a former All-American return man. 

Battie will help out the offense and will bring the punt/kickoff return game to a new level. 

It will be interesting to see how the running back rotation plays out with Hunter, Battie, Damari Alston, and Jeremiah Cobb all a part of this deep and talented backfield. 

Coach Freeze loves a backfield rotation, so we will likely see all of these guys get carries at some point.

Liberty last season had two running backs over 120 carries and another over 40 carries, so Coach Freeze will find ways to get these talented running backs involved. 

The new coaching staff brought Battie here for a reason, and I believe he will get a lot more carries than many expect this season. 

Battie is going to make a name for himself, running the rock in the SEC. 

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Auburn Football Schedule 2023: Analysis, Breakdown, 3 Things To Know

CollegeFootballNews.com

2–3 minutes

Sept 2 UMass
Sept 9 at Cal
Sept 16 Samford
Sept 23 at Texas A&&M
Sept 30 Georgia
Oct 7 OPEN DATE
Oct 14 at LSU
Oct 21 Ole Miss
Oct 28 Mississippi State
Nov 4 at Vanderbilt
Nov 11 at Arkansas
Nov 18 New Mexico State
Nov 25 Alabama

Auburn Football Schedule What To Know: Who do the Tigers miss from the SEC slate?

They don’t miss Georgia, but that’s the norm to keep the long-running rivalry alive. That’s the biggest problem with the slate, but for just a wee bit of a positive in that, at least it’s at home - Ole Miss has to go to Athens. There’s another way to look at that, though. The Georgia game is a likely loss no matter what - at least, it would probably take a big upset to pull it off - but it’s offset by also getting Vanderbilt from the SEC East.

Missing Tennessee and Florida is great, not playing Kentucky, Missouri, and South Carolina isn’t bad, either. As long as the Tigers can focus against the Commodores, this isn’t all that bad, and …

Auburn Football Schedule What Really Matters

Alabama has to come to Jordan-Hare. So yes, there are two brutal games against two of the likely three best teams in college football, but they’re both at home. On the downside, they have go to LSU, Texas A&M, and Arkansas, and they’re not likely to be favored in any of those three.

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The team only leaves Alabama twice from mid-October on, but the dates with Vanderbilt and Arkansas are in back-to-back weeks in November. That comes after back-to-back home games against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Auburn has to win three of those four because …

Auburn Football Schedule What To Know: What does it all really mean?

It’s going to be a reloading year under Hugh Freeze, but UMass, Samford, and New Mexico State give the team three wins to work off of. Going to Cal early on will likely be the make-or-break moment early on for dreams of getting to at least six wins with ease.

The Tigers will get there - they’ll be much, much better this season - but there might be some work to do in mid-November to earn a bowl spot.

- 2023 SEC College Football Schedules

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Four star WR Nick Marsh sets date for Auburn official visit

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

A top-20 wide receiver for the 2024 recruiting class has been high on Auburn’s radar during his recruitment, and will now take an official visit this summer.

Nick Marsh, a four-star wide receiver from River Rouge, Michigan, has announced that he will take three official visits this summer, and Auburn has been included in the mix.

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Marsh tells Allen Trieu of 247Sports that he will visit Auburn officially during the weekend of June 16-18. He will also visit Penn State and Michigan State during the month of June. He plans to announce his commitment on Friday, July 7.

Marsh has already visited once this calendar year, doing so on March 24. After de-committing from Michigan State on March 7, Marsh received an offer from Auburn and wide receivers coach Marcus Davis one day later.

Marsh is the No. 3 player from the state of Michigan for the 2024 cycle and is the No. 19 overall receiver according to 247Sports. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Michigan State has a 42% chance to snag Marsh, while Michigan, Penn State, and Auburn are not too far behind.

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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College football rankings: 10 toughest schedules in 2023 ranked by ESPN FPI

ByBrad Crawford 21 hours ago

Schedule favorability carries extreme weight in college football. Per ESPN's Football Power Index preseason rankings, teams within the SEC and Big Ten face the nation's toughest schedules ahead of the 2023 season and have an uphill climb to the top.

The Big Ten produced two playoff teams last fall and the SEC won the national championship four-consecutive seasons, including back-to-back titles from Georgia.

ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) is a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily."

Get offseason and recruiting intel on your favorite college team for $1 for first month.

Per ESPN's FPI, here are the nation's 10 toughest schedules this fall and our thoughts on each team navigating through treacherous slates.

10. Indiana Hoosiers

There's a chance Indiana plays four top-10 opponents this season and may lose by multiple touchdowns to each of them. The most important stretch is November, however, where there are three winnable contests to close out the season. It's unlikely, but the Hoosiers are able to get hot and topple Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue, they'll go bowling and start shifting this thing under Tom Allen in a positive direction.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

If you're a Rutgers fan, turn your head and make sure you avoid looking at the November stretch. No team in college football has a more difficult four-game slate than the Scarlet Knights coming out of their open week. And that comes without mentioning prior road games against Michigan and Wisconsin. At least the non-conference is somewhat favorable. Wins elsewhere will be few and far between for Greg Schiano's group. Big Ten scheduling looks a lot like their SEC brethren — impossible to conquer for the have nots in the conference.

8. Tennessee Volunteers

The Volunteers leave the state of Tennessee only once prior to their Week 6 bye. One non-conference tilt of note comes against coach Jeff Traylor and UTSA. That's a program on the rise in Texas and the Road Runners come to Neyland Stadium with an upset on their mind. Tennessee will likely be a favorite in two of its four road games, depending on where Kentucky is in the post-Will Levis era. We're projecting here more than a year out, so it's hard to say. Tennessee draws Alabama (permanent) and Texas A&M from the West. Brutal.

7. Michigan State Spartans

Mel Tucker's team gets to bowl eligibility, but that's about it for the Spartans in terms of success this fall against one of the nation's most brutal slates. Call the three biggest games of the year in getting over this win total Washington, Minnesota and Iowa. Michigan State's not as talented as the Big Three (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State) and that aforementioned trio is going to be a doozy. A couple transfer portal losses over the weekend weren't expected and didn't come at an opportune time exiting spring practice.

6. Arkansas Razorbacks

With trips to LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida, the Razorbacks' road schedule is daunting. The non-conference slate should provide four wins, but BYU could be a tough out and Kent State, which has not been afraid of scheduling big, played Georgia tough last season (albeit prior to coach Sean Lewis leaving for Colorado's OC position). The Golden Flashes have played Washington and Oklahoma this season and travel to Georgia this weekend. Arkansas opens SEC play in September at LSU and has to go to Alabama and Florida later. This isn't the Razorbacks' toughest schedule under Sam Pittman, but it remains arduous.

5. Auburn Tigers

Welcome (back) to the SEC, Hugh Freeze. Auburn has a strong change to be 3-0 when SEC play begins in College Station, but there's the double-whammy of Georgia and LSU after that. That could be a quick three-game losing streak for the Tigers against a trio of opponents who are each expected to field more talented rosters in 2023. How quickly can Freeze implement his offense on the Plains and does he currently have the quarterback to facilitate with precision? Those are questions Auburn is trying to answer.

4. Maryland Terrapins

As usual with Maryland's schedule, there's a handful of toss-up games that could go either way, including the trip to East Lansing in September and Nebraska a couple months later. If the Terrapins triumph over those two, Maryland could finish with nine victories during Taulia Tagovailoa's final quarterback campaign. This offense is going to be one to watch, but there's no path to a Big Ten Championship Game berth with three top 10s to play in their own division.

3. Florida Gators

Billy Napier's second season will be determined by what happens pre-Halloween onward, beginning with the Georgia game following by Arkansas in Gainesville and a trip to LSU in consecutive. You're talking about the Gators playing three of the SEC's most physical teams at the line of scrimmage down the stretch with no breathing room. Prior to that stretch, Florida takes on three teams who will likely be ranked in Utah, Tennessee and Kentucky. It's a brutal schedule. And by the way, the Gators are heading into this with a thin quarterback room and depth questions at other positions, too.

2. Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Big Ten West is a three-team race. Minnesota is one of those programs with a shot to win it. However, among those candidates vying for supremacy at the top, the Golden Gophers also have the toughest road to get there with a campaign culminating with showdowns against Ohio State and Wisconsin. And according to ESPN's FPI, have the second-toughest schedule overall in the nation. If they're able to win both of those against the Buckeyes and Badgers, chances are high P.J. Fleck gets to Indianapolis unless there's an unforeseen slip-up elsewhere.

1. Ole Miss Rebels

 

The only SEC school to play road games against Alabama and Georgia next season, Lane Kiffin might be in for a step back in 2023 with the Rebels. The first three games should be wins unless Tulane shreds this Ole Miss defense with returning quarterback Michael Pratt and coach Willie Fritz in Week 2. The Green Wave did end the 2022 campaign as the Group of Five's best team and could do so again. Ole Miss opens SEC play at Alabama and no team wants that when the bullets start flying in league play. It's hard to see a path to a SEC West crown for the Rebels with this slate.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Auburn has a top 10 running back room according to On3

JD McCarthy

~2 minutes

There are plenty of questions about Auburn’s roster entering Hugh Freeze’s first season on the Plains but the running back room is one of the best in the country.

The Tigers return Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston and are adding USF transfer Brian Battie as well as true freshman Jeremiah Cobb, the No. 6 running back in last year’s class.

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This depth and top-end talent caused On3’s Jesse Simonton to rank Auburn’s room as the 10th best in the country.

Hugh Freeze isn’t sure who Auburn’s QB will be this fall, but the Tigers, which will have a much improved OL this season, has three tailbacks who all averaged over 6.0 yards per carry in 2022 in Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston and South Florida transfer Brian Battie, who very quietly had close to 1,200 yards last season.

Hunter is entering his first season as Auburn’s lead back but has already proven what he can do. He ran for 675 yards and seven touchdowns on an impressive 6.5 yards per carry last season.

Battie was the No. 1 running back at USF before entering the portal, he rushed for 1,186 yards and eight touchdowns of his own. A dynamic returner, he adds some big play potential and should be a factor in the return game as well.

Alston appeared in 12 games as a true freshman and showcased his ability in a limited role. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry on 14 touches.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion

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247Sports shares two bold predictions for Auburn football's 2023 season

The Tigers picked up a pair of bold predictions from 247Sports.

Lance Dawe

10 hours ago

In this story:

Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers are set to rebound from disappointing 2022 season.

Some projections that have already been set on Hugh Freeze's squad are much loftier than others, but most outlets expect the Tigers to get back to bowl eligibility/have a winning record for the first time since 2020.

247Sports' Brad Crawford recently released an article detailing his 50 bold predictions for the SEC in 2023. Auburn claimed two of the 50 bold predictions.

According to Crawford, Auburn’s rebuilt offensive line will lead to bowl eligibility. "Too much is made about the perceived lack of quarterback talent ahead of Hugh Freeze’s first season," Crawford wrote. "He made magic before at the position and deserves the benefit of the doubt there in terms of development. When you consider Auburn’s new offensive line — anchored by three transfers — the Tigers should be able to move the opposition off the ball. More on Auburn’s quarterback situation in a bit."

The Tigers have cleaned house across the roster, but no position group may look more different than the o-line in 2023. Auburn added transfer offensive tackles Dillon Wade (Tulsa) and Gunner Britton (WKU) along with center Avery Jones (East Carolina). They also signed linemen Connor Lew, Izavion Miller (JUCO) and Bradyn Joiner.

Crawford also believes that Jarquez Hunter is Auburn’s not-so-secret weapon, and Hugh Freeze knows it. "This dude (Hunter) figured things out late in the year last fall, surpassing 100 yards in November against Texas A&M, WKU and Alabama," Crawford wrote. "He averaged nearly 9 yards per touch as an all-purpose maven. And given Auburn’s expected depth in the backfield, Hunter should be fresh and not have to handle the load all by himself."

Hunter is clearly one of the Tigers' most valuable pieces across the entire roster heading into 2022.

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Who's out, who's in: A look at Auburn's post-spring transfers and pickups so far

Published: May. 04, 2023, 10:44 a.m.

9–12 minutes

The post-spring transfer portal window has opened and closed, come and gone.

It lasted from April 15-30, and as Hugh Freeze explained last week, the activity during that period was “quite a bit slower” than anticipated — though, truth be told, no one exactly knew what to expect from this new feature in the calendar. That two-plus week stretch wasn’t as exhaustive as the winter window, when Auburn was one of the most active and fortuitous teams in the country (the Tigers brought in a dozen new transfers for one of the top hauls in the nation, according to the 247Sports rankings), but the post-spring window wasn’t without its transactions.

Read more Auburn football: What T.J. Finley’s decision to transfer means for Auburn at quarterback

Auburn’s recruiting under Hugh Freeze is “100 to 1″ change from previous coaching staff

Auburn still in search of “no-brainer” transfer target at quarterback

Of course, there’s movement still to be made; players who hit the portal can still find landing spots, and graduate transfers can still enter the free market this summer. With the post-spring portal deadline behind us, though, let’s take a look at what Auburn lost and what the Tigers have added (so far):

DEPARTURES

T.J. Finley, quarterback

Finley is the most recent departure for Auburn, and news of his plan to transfer for a second time came down Tuesday, two days after the post-spring window closed. Finley announced on social media that he’ll be transferring after graduating from Auburn next month. He previously transferred from LSU in the summer of 2021 and spent two seasons on the Plains, where he started five games, appeared in 13 games total and completed 56.9 percent of his passes for 1,258 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Finley won the starting job in fall camp a year ago but lost it after an early-season shoulder injury and ultimately redshirted. He competed with Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner throughout the spring and was frequently the second quarterback in the rotation. With Freeze actively seeking another transfer quarterback to add to the mix, Finley opted to hit the market as a grad transfer — a move that was not unexpected, given his comments on and since A-Day. Finley should have multiple years of eligibility remaining.

Jeffrey M’ba, defensive end

The former No. 1 junior college recruit in the country for the 2022 class, M’ba was the first post-spring departure for Auburn after A-Day. The 6-foot-6, 307-pounder’s decision to hit the portal came as somewhat of a surprise after a spring in which he settled in at defensive end—after moving around at multiple spots along the line last season—and was in line for a bigger role than last fall, when he appeared in 10 games and had seven tackles in limited action. Though he wasn’t expected to start, M’ba worked behind returning starter Marcus Harris and was still expected to be a key part of the rotation up front. He has since landed at Purdue.

Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., wide receiver

When the post-spring window opened April 15, Dawson was the first Auburn player to officially hit the market. The 5-foot-10, 159-pounder is a former four-star recruit who earned the starting spot as Auburn’s slot receiver last season, though he eventually ceded that role to Ja’Varrius Johnson before falling out of the rotation at receiver altogether. He entered the portal in late October, shortly before Bryan Harsin was fired, and withdrew from it in December after the Tigers introduced Freeze as the new head coach. This spring, he was competing for playing time in the slot, and he was responsible for Auburn’s longest play from scrimmage on A-Day: a 39-yard reception up the seam on a pass from Ashford. Dawson committed to Cincinnati less than a week after he hit the portal but has since flipped to Colorado as part of Deion Sanders’ roster overhaul in Boulder.

Landen King, wide receiver

Another receiver who previously spent time in the portal last fall, King reentered on Sunday, the final day of the post-spring window. A former tight end who made the move to wide receiver with Auburn, King’s 6-foot-5 frame and skillset makes him an intriguing option on the transfer market. He has heard from a number of schools since hitting the portal, including Colorado, Pitt, Louisville, Utah and Cal. He caught just six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in six appearances across his two seasons at Auburn.

Dylan Brooks, Jack linebacker/edge rusher

Brooks is a former top-100 recruit in the 2021 recruiting class and was one of the top in-state players that cycle. He hit the portal April 29 after finishing spring as the third option off the edge for Auburn, working behind Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister and four-star freshman Keldric Faulk. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder out of Roanoke redshirted during his first season on the Plains but saw his role increase last season after an injury to Eku Leota left Auburn thin at the edge position. He appeared in nine games and finished with six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Craig McDonald, safety

Another player who transferred to Auburn and is now looking for opportunity elsewhere, McDonald arrived on the Plains a year ago after leaving Iowa State but reentered the portal after the end of spring practices. After playing in all 13 games for the Cyclones in 2021 and posting 41 tackles and a pair of interceptions, McDonald appeared in just two games and did not record a stat for the Tigers last season. This spring, he was fighting for playing time at safety behind a group that included Zion Puckett, Jaylin Simpson, Cayden Bridges, Marquise Gilbert and Caleb Wooden.

Tobechi Okoli, defensive end

A third-year sophomore who signed with Auburn as part of its transitional class in 2021, Okoli hit the portal last Thursday with three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder appeared in just one game across his two seasons with the Tigers, seeing limited action against Alabama State during his freshman year but otherwise failing to see the field. He finished spring working with the third-team defense and appeared to have, at least, an outside shot of cracking the rotation at defensive end.

Colby Smith, offensive lineman

Another 2021 signee, Smith hit the portal on the final day of the post-spring window. A 6-foot-8, 340-pound former three-star recruit, Smith spent his first two seasons at Auburn as an offensive tackle but shifted inside to guard this spring and worked with the third-team offensive line. He didn’t see the field as a true freshman and only appeared in one game last season, against Western Kentucky in Auburn’s home finale.

Kameron Brown, linebacker

Brown was the first player to depart the program this spring, opting to transfer in the middle of fall camp. The former three-star prospect announced March 22 his intent to leave the program and enter the portal as a graduate transfer. Brown is a fifth-year junior who has since transferred to UT-Chattanooga and should have two years of eligibility remaining. During his time at Auburn, Brown appeared in just two games during his four seasons on the Plains and did not record a stat in an Auburn uniform.

Desmond Tisdol, linebacker

Shortly after Brown announced his plans to transfer, Tisdol followed suit. Another reserve linebacker who did not appear to be in line for playing time in the Tigers’ new-look rotation at the position—after adding a pair of SEC transfers in Austin Keys and DeMario Tolan to the fold—Tisdol appeared in 24 games over the last three seasons. That included all 12 last fall, while working behind the team’s core rotation of Owen Pappoe, Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner. He had 14 tackles last year and 18 for his career. He is transferring to Florida Atlantic, where he will play for former Auburn assistant Roc Bellantoni, who is now the Owls’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Powell Gordon, linebacker

An Auburn native who graduated from Auburn High and signed with the Tigers as part of their 2022 class, Gordon hit the transfer portal April 19. Gordon was the third of a trio of linebackers to depart the program since the start of spring. The 6-foot-2, 222-pounder did not see the field as a true freshman last season and was down the depth chart at linebacker this spring. A pass-rusher in high school, Gordon showed some ability in that role for Auburn but was viewed as more of a developmental player at linebacker. He has since received interest from some smaller Group of Five programs like Southern Miss and Ohio.

ADDITIONS

Jalen McLeod, Jack linebacker/edge rusher

After adding a dozen transfer pieces in the initial portal period, Auburn has only picked up one new player since the end of spring practices. Former Appalachian State outside linebacker/edge rusher Jalen McLeod committed to and signed with Auburn on Tuesday, providing the team with some much-needed depth and experience off the edge. Freeze said in the spring that Auburn was “deficient” in true pass rushers, and after Brooks’ departure, the Tigers were even thinner at the Jack linebacker position. McLeod certainly addresses that need, as the former All-Sun Belt selection was one of the more efficient pass rushers in the country last season. Though he’s just 6-foot- and 230 pounds—a bit smaller than both McAllister and Faulk at that position—McLeod has produced as a pass rusher for App State, finishing last season with 41 total tackles, including 8.5 for a loss and six sacks. He was second on the team in tackles for loss and sacks, and he also had nine quarterback hurries and a pair of forced fumbles.

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

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JUCO lineman Markel Bell sets official visit with Auburn

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

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Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is making a mammoth JUCO offensive lineman a top priority as the calendar turns to the summer months.

Holmes Community College offensive tackle Markel Bell tells Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live that he will officially visit Auburn’s campus during the weekend of May 12-14.

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The forthcoming visit is important because it could lead to a quick commitment, as Freeze hopes to sign Bell and move him in by the end of the month.

“I might do it,” Bell tells Lee. “It’s definitely a possibility. I’m finishing up my last semester (at Holmes Community College), and I’m a qualifier so I can come out this summer. I was going to decide in July, but Auburn is talking about me coming in (May).”

According to Bell, Auburn is at the top of his list. So, if the visit goes well, expect Bell to commit to the Tigers next weekend.

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about this hot prospect ahead of his visit.

Hometown: Cleveland, Mississippi

Current program: Holmes Community College

Position: Offensive Tackle

Height: 6-8

Weight: 340

• Auburn
• Mississippi State
• Louisiana Tech
• Texas State
• Southern Miss
• Old Dominion

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Payton Thorne says goodbye to Michigan State with a Twitter post

Andrew Stefaniak

2–3 minutes

Auburn quarterback target Payton Thorne said goodbye to the Spartan faithful with a heartfelt message on Twitter.

Auburn quarterback target Payton Thorne posted a goodbye message to Michigan State fans, thanking them for their support. 

The message read," Spartan fans, I want to thank you for the support you've given me over the past four years. Playing as a Spartan has been a blessing since day one. The relationships I've developed over these past years will be some that last a lifetime. I've made countless memories at Michigan State that will never be forgotten. I will always be thankful for the opportunity that Coach Dantonio gave me to play here at this University. I would like to thank Coach Tucker for these past few years as well. With that being said, life can change quick, and my days at Michigan State have come to a close. I leave this place knowing that I have given it everything I've got. I will forever be a Spartan. Go Green."

Many around the Auburn football program and on social media believe Thorne will quarterback the Tigers in 2023. 

He brings experience at the power five level that can help Auburn win football games this season. 

Hopefully, news will break soon that Thorne has chosen Auburn, and a whirlwind of excitement will surround the fan base. 

This would be a massive pickup for Coach Freeze and this staff heading into their first season on the Plains. 

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Auburn QB commit Walker White gives full 'most wanted recruits' list

Cole Pinkston

5–7 minutes

In the world of NIL, just having name recognition with a fan base can work wonders for an individual player. Even Auburn fans who don’t follow recruiting as closely as others are beginning to know who Walker White is.

The Tigers’ 4-star quarterback pledge rattled off several names during his commitment ceremony in February. He has since revamped that list and given more names in which he is recruiting to join him at Auburn.

It was White’s 18th birthday, so he gave 18 players that were on his wishlist to follow him to Auburn.

Here are White’s most wanted recruits (revamped).

Offensive line

White started with the offensive line naming six different recruits.

— 4-star OL, Casey Poe, Lindale (Tex.): Poe, a 6-foot-4 285 pound offensive lineman, is On3’s No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the country. His top contenders include Auburn, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas Tech, Georgia, and Clemson.

— 3-star OL, Jameson Riggs, Hiram (Ga.): Riggs, a 6-foot-4 300 pound offensive lineman, is the No. 32 offensive lineman in the On3 Industry Ranking. His top contenders include Auburn, Clemson, LSU, and Georgia Tech.

— 4-star OT, Daniel Calhoun, Roswell (Ga.) Walton: Calhoun, a 6-foot-6 360 pound offensive lineman, is the No. 7 ranked offensive tackle in the On3 Industry Rankings. His top contenders include Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas among others.

— 4-star OL, Preston Taumua, Aiea (Haw.): Taumua, a 6-foot-3 300 pound offensive lineman, is the No. 14 interior offensive lineman in the On3 Industry Ranking. His top contenders are Auburn, Alabama, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and USC among others.

— 4-star OL, Jac’Qawn McRoy, Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville: McRoy, a 6-foot-8 340 pound offensive tackle, is the No. 1 offensive lineman in the state of Alabama. His top contenders include Oregon, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Kentucky

— 4-star OT, Fletcher Westphal, Leesburg (Virg.) Tuscarora: Westphal, a 6-foot-7 295 pound offensive tackle, is the No. 17 offensive tackle in the On3 Industry Rankings. He has a top five of Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and Clemson.

Wide receivers

He then named four receivers.

— 4-star WR, Perry Thompson, Foley (Ala.): Thompson, a 6-foot-3 205 pound Alabama receiver commit, is the No. 29 overall player in the country according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He says he will decide between Alabama and Auburn.

— 5-star WR, Cam Coleman, Phenix City (Ala.) Central: Coleman, a 6-foot-3 185 pound receiver, is the No. 6 player in the country according to On3. His top contenders include Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, and Clemson

— 4-star WR, TJ Moore, Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Catholic: Moore, a 6-foot-2 180 pound receiver, is the No. 20 player in the state of Florida. His top contenders include Florida, UCF, Florida State, and Miami.

— 4-star WR, Braylon Staley, Aiken (SC): Staley, a 6-foot-1 180 pound receiver, is the No. 21 best receiver according to On3. His top contenders are Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and many more.

Tight ends

White named some of the same tight ends he named the day he committed to Auburn.

— 4-star TE, Carter Nelson, Ainsworth (Neb.): Nelson, a 6-foot-4 215 tight end, is the No. 1 player in the state of Nebraska according to the On3 Industry Rankings. His top contenders include Nebraska, Auburn, Alabama, Penn State, and many more

— 4-star TE, Caleb Odom, Carrollton (Ga.): Odom, a 6-foot-6 215 pound tight end, is the No. 3 best tight end according to On3. His top contenders are Ole Miss, Tennessee, Penn State, Georgia, Florida, and others.

— 4-star TE, Amir Jackson, Portal (Ga.): Jackson, a 6-foot-5 210 pound tight end, is the No. 8 tight end according to On3. His top contenders are Auburn, Florida, Miami, Georgia, and Alabama.

Running backs

White then named some stud running backs.

— 4-star RB, Kevin Riley, Northport (Ala.) Tuscaloosa County: Riley, a 6-0 192 pound running back, is the No. 1 running back in the state of Alabama in the On3 Industry Rankings. His top contenders are Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Miami

— 4-star RB, Daniel Hill, Meridian (Miss.): Hill, a 6-foot-2 220 pound running back, is the No. 6 athlete according to On3. His top contenders include Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Auburn.

— 4-star RB, Nathaniel Frazier, Santa Ana (Cal.) Mater Dei: Frazier, a 5-foot-10 205 pound running back, is the No. 1 running back according to On3. His top contenders include USC, Oregon, Washington, and Nebraska.

Linebackers

White gave his first look at who he wants on defense.

— 4-star LB, Sterling Dixon, Mobile (Ala.) Mobile Christian: Dixon, a 6-foot-2 205 pound linebacker committed to Alabama, is the No. 8 linebacker according to On3. His top contenders include Auburn, Alabama, and LSU.

— 4-star LB, Demarcus Riddick, Clanton (Ala.) Chilton County: Riddick, a 6-foot-2 210 pound linebacker committed to Georgia, is the No. 2 linebacker according to On3. His top contenders are Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn.

— 3-star LB, DJ Barber, Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville: Barber, a 6-0 221 pound linebacker, is the No. 44 linebacker according to On3. His top contenders include Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama.

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auburn.rivals.com

AuburnSports - Freeze: 'We have a great game'

Brian Stultz AuburnSports Freeze: 'We have a great game' 6h ago

2–3 minutes

There will inevitably be changes to college football through the years when considering player safety and the fan experience, among other things. And while Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze understands that, he still knows that the product on the field in college football is about as good as it comes.

"I think we have a great game, but we're always looking for ways to make sure that the product is good for the people that are buying the tickets," the coach said.

Freeze was speaking on the proposed rule change with the play clock not stopping after first downs, a long-held part of college football. Even if that rule is installed in the future, the coach is confident it will not affect his up-tempo offense.

"I mean, whether the clock starts or doesn't on a first down, we're still going to go fast if we want to go fast," Freeze said. "It doesn't change the rules of the game, so I don't see a change in our strategy at all."

Ironically, coaches have very little say in what rules are adjusted or implanted year-to-year, with Freeze stating, "Things like that are out of our control." Still, they do speak their minds when given the opportunity, but ultimately the decision comes down to the rules committee.

John Cohen is more skeptical of the play clock running after first downs but understands that there are factors in play that even he might not know about.

"Personally, this is a feel thing not a data-driven thing, but my goodness, you only play seven home football games," the athletic director said. "I don't think the length of games are necessarily out of control. It's a pageantry. It's a homecoming almost every time you play a home football game. But I also understand there's a lot of data that we don't have the ability to look at."

And both Freeze and Cohen agree that what matters the most is that fans enjoy the games.

"If it makes the experience for the people that are paying for the tickets and the suites and the ones that we need to support our program to help us build it, then I'm fine with it," Freeze said.

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auburn.rivals.com

AuburnSports - McGriff: ‘I see a dynamic player’

Brian Stultz AuburnSports Freeze: 'We have a great game' 6h ago

2–3 minutes

AUBURN | It didn’t take long for Wesley McGriff to realize what he had in Keionte Scott.

It was just a couple of days into spring practice.

“Coach (Zac) Etheridge looked at me one time and said ‘cool him off.’ I said ‘I don’t have the water to cool this dude off,’” said McGriff. “He was locking them up and it was fun to see.

“The best thing from that is you see his teammates high-fiving and head-slapping him. That guy can really impact the game.”

Scott, 6-foot and 186 pounds, signed with Auburn out of junior college in the 2022 class and enrolled last summer. He quickly earned the starting position at nickel and finished last season with 53 tackles, 4.0 tackles-for-loss, one sack, one interception and one pass breakup.

“I feel like I was able to learn a lot getting that experience early and getting my feet wet a little bit,” said Scott. “This year I kind of know what I’m getting myself into. Last year I kind of got into it and didn’t know what to look for.

“I definitely know what to look for and I’m using all that I acquired last year and being able to add it to my game this year, I’m excited to get into year two.”

Scott is expected to be the starting nickel again this season although he can also play cornerback and returned punts last season.

McGriff just wants to make sure the junior is put in position to make plays.

“I see a dynamic player,” said McGriff. “I see a guy that can impact the game. I see a guy that has the tools to play at a high level. I see a guy that loves football. When he comes to work, and I call it work because it’s what they do, when he comes to work everyday he’s prepared.

“He’s got his notebook and something to write with. He’s a serious-minded individual. When he gets on the field you can see his performance.”

Auburn opens the season Sept. 2 against UMass at Jordan-Hare Stadium.