5.20.23 Football Articles

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Former Auburn AD Jay Jacobs retires at Florida

Published: May. 18, 2023, 2:19 p.m.

3–4 minutes

Auburn Tigers Sports

Former Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs retires after 6 years at Florida

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2015, file photo, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs talks to reporters in Auburn, Ala. Longtime Auburn administrator Jay Jacobs is retiring after nearly four decades in college athletics. Jacobs is stepping down at the end of June after spending the last five years as Florida's associate AD for external affairs. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP)AP

By

Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com

Former Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs has announced his retirement from college athletics after nearly four decades.

Jacobs, 62, has been executive associate athletics director for external affairs at Florida since 2018. He was Auburn’s AD from 2004 until his resignation in late 2017.

“It’s bittersweet,” Jacobs told The Associated Press. “Made some great relationships over the years. It’s tough to leave, but it’ll be fun what I’m about to do regardless of where I’m at geographically.”

Jacobs’ Auburn tenure had some major successes — including the 2010 national championship in football. He also hired Gus Malzahn as football coach in 2013, Bruce Pearl as basketball coach in 2014 and Butch Thompson as baseball coach in 2015.

However, there was also controversy, including a wrongful termination lawsuit by former baseball coach Sunny Golloway that was eventually settled out of court. The FBI investigation into college basketball corruption that ensnared former assistant coach Chuck Person happened on Jacobs’ watch, as did a Title IX investigation into allegations of abuse and sexual harassment of softball players.

“I believe in Auburn and will fight for Auburn,” Jacobs said upon his resignation from Auburn. “But as I consider the future and what is best for Auburn, I have prayerfully decided the time has come for me to step aside. Sometimes a new direction and new leadership are helpful in moving beyond current problems.”

Jacobs, who grew up in the east Alabama town of Lafayette, played football at Auburn in the early 1980s. After a short stint in high school coaching, he was hired as a graduate assistant coach on the football team and also worked in strength & conditioning before going into administration in 1991.

Jacobs eventually rose to head of Tigers Unlimited, Auburn’s primary athletic fundraising operation. He took over as AD in December 2004.

At Florida, Jacobs oversaw communications, marketing, ticketing, licensing and boosters. He said served as administrator over the Gators’ football program.

But he’s now ready to hang it up for good. Though he said he plans to possibly serve as a consultant for college athletics in the future, he won’t be working full time for the first time since he first took a job mowing lawns at age 12 in 1972.

“Winning championships, those always are fun, but when I think about my career, I think about the people and the relationships and how people have enriched my life,” Jacobs said. “Just good people everywhere.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Auburn football HC Hugh Freeze confident that Tigers improved roster

Mary Kate Hughes

4–5 minutes

Auburn football Mandatory Credit; The Montgomery Advertiser

Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze knew there was a lot to be done to elevate the program when he took the job, but the priority objective for the coaching staff was improving the roster. The staff began with solidifying the 2023 class before moving on to search for transfers and laying the foundations for the important classes of 2024 and 2025.

When it comes to adding transfers, Freeze has consistently maintained that the staff is open to any transfers that will fit the culture on the Plains and improve the roster, and that he knew they would be leaning heavily on the portal in his first year. With 18 transfers incoming, have they accomplished that goal?

According to Freeze, it’s too early to tell if the Tigers are going to start winning games like crazy and close the gap between Auburn football, Alabama, and Georgia in year one, but he does believe that the roster has been improved, per Auburn Live:

“I know there’s a lot of excitement right now with what we’ve done recruiting and I’m thrilled for that. I’m excited, but it’s too early to tell how much have we closed the gap on the ones we have to close the gap on? How much? I don’t think we’ll know until we play some games. The one thing I’m confident on is we’ve improved our roster.”

Freeze has also made it clear that players coming to Auburn football should expect to compete, especially when it comes to the quarterback position. The head coach said that it should be expected that there will be no fewer than 4 QBs on the roster competing to be QB1, and the same mentality is applied to the rest of the position groups, as well.

Whether or not the Tigers make the leap this season is still up for debate, but Freeze and the staff are clearly laying strong foundations for the future.

Auburn football Oct 9, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Tyler Badie (1) runs the ball and is tackled by North Texas Mean Green linebacker Larry Nixon III (30) during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Hugh Freeze: Recent Auburn transfer could be immediate starter

The Auburn football coaching staff has been working hard to bring extra talent and depth to the roster by way of the NCAA transfer portal. They started off strong during the winter portal window, adding 12 impact transfers, and have already gotten six transfers from the spring window.

While the headliner of the group is certainly former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and the big story is the amount of wide receivers joining the team, head coach Hugh Freeze believes there is one defensive transfer that could come in strong and make an instant impact for the Tigers.

Former North Texas linebacker Larry Nixon III is the most recent transfer to commit to Auburn football, and is bringing five years of experience with him from his time with the Mean Green. In 2022, Nixon III totaled 105 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.

After losing Owen Pappoe to the NFL, Auburn football had big shoes to fill in the linebacker room and brought in three LB transfers in the offseason—Austin Keys, DeMario Tolan, and now Nixon III. As he’s joining a position group that is somewhat unproven ahead of 2023, Freeze believes that Nixon III could be in the starting rotation this fall, per Auburn Undercover:

“Just his passion — the way he ran to the football and the way he’s a solid tackler,” Freeze said of what he and the staff saw in Nixon as a transfer prospect. “You just can’t have enough of those guys. And I think he’s going to come in and compete for a starting position, I really do.”

Auburn Undercover also reports that Nixon III will likely play alongside Cam Riley at the weak side linebacker position while Austin Keys and Wesley Steiner will play the middle LB position after the rebuild of the position group with added transfers.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Auburn is 'high on the list' for in-state safety Red Morgan

JD McCarthy

~2 minutes

Auburn hosted a talented group of local prospects Thursday in safety Red Morgan, five-star wide receiver Cam Coleman, offensive lineman Mal Waldrep and wide receiver Daylyn Upshaw. All four play for nearby Central-Phienix City and have Auburn offers.

The group was hosted by Auburn wide receivers coach Marcus Davis and while he plays on the opposite side of the ball, Morgan enjoyed his time with Davis.

Buy Tigers Tickets

“It feels like home,” he told Auburn Live’s Jeffrey Lee of the campus. “It does. The coaches, how they treat us, they feel like father figures. Coach Davis, he’s not even my position coach, but the relationship we have … I mess with Coach Davis.”

It was Morgan’s second visit under the new staff and it made quite the impression on the 6-foot, 175-pounder.

“They’re high on the list,” he added.

Morgan is the No. 499 overall player and No. 49 safety in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 27 player in Alabama.

Morgan is planning to return to Auburn for an official visit sometime in June before announcing his commitment either during the summer or early in the fall. He already has official visits scheduled with Michigan State (June 2), Cincinnati (June 9) and Miami (June 30).

The Tigers have already landed four-star cornerbacks A'mon Lane and Jayden Lewis in the 2024 recruiting cycle but are still looking for their first commit at safety.

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 JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

[aujohnson 339]

3 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

Former Auburn AD Jay Jacobs retires at Florida

Published: May. 18, 2023, 2:19 p.m.

3–4 minutes

Auburn Tigers Sports

Former Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs retires after 6 years at Florida

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2015, file photo, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs talks to reporters in Auburn, Ala. Longtime Auburn administrator Jay Jacobs is retiring after nearly four decades in college athletics. Jacobs is stepping down at the end of June after spending the last five years as Florida's associate AD for external affairs. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP)AP

By

Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com

Former Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs has announced his retirement from college athletics after nearly four decades.

Jacobs, 62, has been executive associate athletics director for external affairs at Florida since 2018. He was Auburn’s AD from 2004 until his resignation in late 2017.

“It’s bittersweet,” Jacobs told The Associated Press. “Made some great relationships over the years. It’s tough to leave, but it’ll be fun what I’m about to do regardless of where I’m at geographically.”

Jacobs’ Auburn tenure had some major successes — including the 2010 national championship in football. He also hired Gus Malzahn as football coach in 2013, Bruce Pearl as basketball coach in 2014 and Butch Thompson as baseball coach in 2015.

However, there was also controversy, including a wrongful termination lawsuit by former baseball coach Sunny Golloway that was eventually settled out of court. The FBI investigation into college basketball corruption that ensnared former assistant coach Chuck Person happened on Jacobs’ watch, as did a Title IX investigation into allegations of abuse and sexual harassment of softball players.

“I believe in Auburn and will fight for Auburn,” Jacobs said upon his resignation from Auburn. “But as I consider the future and what is best for Auburn, I have prayerfully decided the time has come for me to step aside. Sometimes a new direction and new leadership are helpful in moving beyond current problems.”

Jacobs, who grew up in the east Alabama town of Lafayette, played football at Auburn in the early 1980s. After a short stint in high school coaching, he was hired as a graduate assistant coach on the football team and also worked in strength & conditioning before going into administration in 1991.

Jacobs eventually rose to head of Tigers Unlimited, Auburn’s primary athletic fundraising operation. He took over as AD in December 2004.

At Florida, Jacobs oversaw communications, marketing, ticketing, licensing and boosters. He said served as administrator over the Gators’ football program.

But he’s now ready to hang it up for good. Though he said he plans to possibly serve as a consultant for college athletics in the future, he won’t be working full time for the first time since he first took a job mowing lawns at age 12 in 1972.

“Winning championships, those always are fun, but when I think about my career, I think about the people and the relationships and how people have enriched my life,” Jacobs said. “Just good people everywhere.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

 

Wonder if he will join up with OTV. Wasn’t he a pretty good fund raiser?

 

 

 

 

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

53 minutes ago, aujohnson said:

 

 

Wonder if he will join up with OTV. Wasn’t he a pretty good fund raiser?

 

 

 

 

 

i believe he was considered a great fund raising guy but after he left it appears auburn did not want to hire him back and i have no idea why. there are plenty on the board that could tell you if they cared to.