5.27.23 Football Articles

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si.com

Jayson Jones discussed what Auburn has to do in preparation for Cal

Andrew Stefaniak

2–3 minutes

Jayson Jones wants to "treat each game like it's a championship game."

One of Auburn's most crucial games that will set the tone for the 2023 season is their matchup with the Cal Golden Bears. 

This will be an interesting trip for Auburn as they will head to the west coast, which doesn't happen often for SEC teams. 

Auburn defensive lineman Jayson Jones joined the Locked On Auburn Podcast and discussed his mindset for this game. 

Host Zac Blackerby asked Jones about what Auburn needs to do in preparation for this matchup with Cal, and he responded, "I say we need to be prepared, but before then because I'm looking at every game now like it's a championship game. Like you have to prove something. I would say everyone knows that last year wasn't our most ideal year. That wasn't, I know, for fans, that wasn't so fun. I'm just going, to be honest. Yeah. So now I want to give a favor back to you guys, and we want to go 12-0. You should want to go 12-0. You want to win every single game. So, I'm treating every game like it's a championship game. Just go out there, dominate, get out."

This will be a big game for Auburn, and a victory over this PAC-12 foe could be the start to an eight-win season under first-year head coach Hugh Freeze. 

ESPN FPI gives Auburn a 43.7% chance to win this game on the road, so this should be a fun ballgame. 

Hopefully, Auburn will be able to get this massive victory over a power-five team to start the season 2-0. 

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247sports.com

 

Auburn definitely reemerging for top100 recruit Caleb Odom

Nathan King

4–5 minutes

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Auburn 'definitely re-emerging' for top-100 recruit Caleb Odom

Auburn appears to be successfully working its way into the recruitment of one of the best tight ends in the country

After being absent from his trimmed list of recruiting suitors, Auburn is back in the hunt for Caleb Odom.

The 4-star tight end made a return visit to the Plains on Thursday, reconnecting with first-year position coach Ben Aigamaua. This comes after Odom did not include Auburn in his top seven schools, announced last month. That group was Miami, Florida, Penn State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Colorado and Alabama.

So after Odom’s second Auburn visit in the past two months, would he rearrange that list and now slot in Hugh Freeze’s program?

“Yeah, definitely,” Odom said. “I feel like they’re definitely re-emerging now.”

Growing up a big Auburn fan, Odom said Thursday was a “better look” at Auburn than his previous trip in March, when he took in a spring practice session and “didn’t get to experience much of campus.”

“This is my dream school, so it meant a lot,” Odom said. “I just want to reopen my interest in Auburn because I got to see a lot of the stuff around here and it’s beautiful so far.”

Visiting with a host of his teammates from Carrollton High School in Georgia, Odom got to spend more time with Aigamaua. He said the two have developed a good relationship, and he’s also intrigued by Aigamaua’s success with the tight end position from his time at Ole Miss.

“He texts my mom almost every day making sure they’re good,” Odom said of Aigamaua. “That means a lot.”

Odom is booked up in terms of official visits at the moment, with trips to Alabama, Penn State and Miami on the docket for next month.

He’s hoping an opportunity to fit Auburn into the schedule presents itself, though.

“Hopefully, if some things change up, I can definitely get back down for an official,” Odom said.

Rated as the No. 6 tight end in the country in the 247Sports Composite, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Odom’s 247Sports evaluation was updated just last month by director of scouting Andrew Ivins:

“A move tight end prospect that could blossom into a true difference maker on Saturdays given athleticism, natural ball skills and play speed. Saw a high volume of targets as a junior while being deployed primarily as an outside wide receiver. Came up in a big way for Georgia’s AAAAAA runner-up, averaging just over 80 yards receiving per game. Very fluid as a route runner and has excellent spatial awareness, which likely stems from a decorated hoops background. Owns a higher success rate in contested-catch situations as he does a nice job of consistently positioning himself to make a play and then securing the ball away from his body. Lacks the play strength and technique to really hold his own as an in-line blocker, but has shown that he can move defenders out on the perimeter, and is likely only going to add more value to the run game once he adds mass to a promising, yet slender frame that’s believed to be hovering right around 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. Should be viewed as a potential mismatch and one of the top offensive weapons in the class of 2024. Likely going to need some seasoning before he’s ready to go, but skillset suggests that he could thrive in a modern spread attack. NFL upside.”

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saturdaydownsouth.com

SDS Mailbag: Best ACC fit for the SEC, overused songs, Auburn expectations and alternate College World Series locations

Adam Spencer

6–7 minutes

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, y’all! Fire up those grills, get those backyards ready, grab plenty of beer and kick off the summer right!

I hope it’s nice weather for everyone and you’re able to get outside a little bit to enjoy the long weekend. Stay safe, y’all!

Now let’s dive into this week’s Mailbag questions before we get the 3-day weekend started:

Michael:

If the ACC ended up imploding, but the SEC could only add 1 school from the conference, which would it want most?

There are a number of attractive options out there, obviously, from North Carolina to Virginia Tech to Clemson, Florida State and Miami.

But, to me, the clear No. 1 option is Florida State. Proud football tradition, a men’s basketball team that usually is pretty good, etc. The Seminoles have a built-in rival in Florida, also. In terms of generating revenue, I think that FSU is a pretty good bet.

Other schools may offer the opportunity to move into new TV markets, but the SEC is already a popular product from coast to coast, so there’s no real benefit in adding a Virginia, for example, over Florida State for TV purposes.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the ACC over the next few years. At this point, it seems more likely than not that the league will implode before 2036. We’ll see what the future holds, though.

Ron:

What song gets played too much at football games?

This past year, it was definitely “Narco” by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet. Yes, it’s a cool song and yes, it’s really cool when New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz uses it as his warmup song.

But I like when schools have their own signature songs. “Sandstorm” is forever associated with South Carolina. “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty is the coolest new tradition at Florida. “Rocky Top” is synonymous with Tennessee. “Neck” (RIP) was LSU’s thing. Outside of the SEC, “Jump Around” is a big deal at Wisconsin.

I know there are more out there, so don’t get mad at me in the comments section.

I like when a school can make a song its own. Heck, even Mizzou has “Welcome to the Jungle” pretty much to itself when the Tigers run out before games. I want more of that and less generic hits being played just because.

Make me the college football commissioner and I’ll assign one pump-up song to each FBS school that no other schools can use.

Wayne:

What’s a realistic record to expect from Auburn in Year 1 under Hugh Freeze?

Well the good news for the Tigers is they have a pretty easy nonconference schedule this fall. Yes, they have to take a trip out to Berkeley to face Cal, but other than that (and frankly, even with that), things are pretty manageable.

I see them going 4-0 against Cal, UMass, Samford and New Mexico State. So now we just need 2 more wins to become bowl eligible.

They play at Vanderbilt on Nov. 4. Even on the road, that should be a win for Freeze and company. I also think they can beat fellow first-year head coach Zach Arnett and Mississippi State on Oct. 28 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

So there’s 6 wins. That’s a bowl game. I think that’s a realistic goal for Freeze in Year 1. It’s going to take 2-3 years to return Auburn to the 8-9 wins per year or more level. The SEC West is brutal, as always, so going 6-6 or 7-5 should be satisfying for Auburn fans this season.

@Dobbe8:

If the College World Series couldn’t be held in Omaha for some reason, where would you like to see it held instead?

This is a great question, but let me start by saying I think the College World Series is perfect in Omaha. It’s a great ballpark and Omaha goes all-out for the event.

I wouldn’t want it to be held in an MLB ballpark. This is an event that deserves its own space and its own prestige.

That significantly narrows down our options, but I still have 3 places that could work. First, and the one I think I like best, is the new Field of Dreams park in Iowa. I’m not sure if the area has enough going on to host all those ravenous college baseball fans, but if they could find a way to make it work, that is a really nice park and it’d be really fun to see the CWS there.

My other two options are Hoover, which hosts the SEC Tournament and does a great job of it, and the Little League World Series stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The problem with Hoover is that teams from every other conference would cry SEC bias, and in this case, they might actually have a point. Williamsport is actually a solid option, especially since there is a ballpark there with MLB dimensions.

But, once again, Omaha is great. Let’s leave the College World Series alone for now!

Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at Adam.Spencer@XLMedia.com.

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si.com

Auburn football among biggest winners in 2023 transfer portal

Lance Dawe

~4 minutes

Auburn had a field day in the transfer portal.

After signing the most four-stars out of anyone in the country (11), national media are starting to shine some more light on Hugh Freeze and the Tigers.

No longer is Auburn flying under the radar. They've added enough talent on paper to be at the very least a tough out this year.

Ralph D. Russo of USA TODAY recently wrote about his biggest winners from the transfer portal this offseason, which included the Tigers. Auburn was listed as a winner alongside USC, Alabama, Miami, Northwestern, and Louisville.

Russo noted that the Tigers had the worst passing attack in the SEC last season (172.7 yards per game) and that Hugh Freeze went out and got as many pieces as he could to revitalize the air attack.

Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne has entered the fray as the Tigers' projected starter heading into the offseason. Russo pointed out that despite having a down year in 2022, Thorne still threw more than double the amount of passing touchdowns (19) that Auburn's quarterbacks did combined (nine).

Thorne finished an accomplished quarterback at Michigan State, setting single-season records for total yards, total touchdowns and passing touchdowns. He ranks fifth in career total touchdowns, fifth in career total yards, fourth in career passing touchdowns and third in single-season passing yards.

The Tigers also picked up several high-profile pass catchers to add to the arsenal. Nick Mardner (Cincinnati) and Rivaldo Fairweather (FIU) were two of the bigger names Auburn had landed through the portal early on in the cycle. Then Freeze went out and got former Ohio State receiver Caleb Burton, who was heralded for his blazing speed coming out of high school, North Texas' Jyaire Shorter, who led the nation in yards per catch last year, and Jackson State's Shane Hooks, who led Deion Sanders' JSU team in catches, yards and touchdowns in 2022.

Auburn now has five legitimate pass catchers that are 6-foot-2 or taller:

Nick Mardner: 6-foot-6

Rivaldo Fairweather: 6-foot-4

Shane Hooks: 6-foot-5

Jyaire Shorter: 6-foot-2

Camden Brown: 6-foot-3

Offensive line was also a huge position of need that Jake Thornton and the Tigers filled. Four-star tackles Dillon Wade (Tulsa) and Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky) were the first additions, then center Avery Jones (East Carolina) and guard Jaden Muskrat (Tulsa). South Florida running back and All-American kick returner Brian Battie was the lone backfield piece the Tigers got.

Defensive line and linebacker were the final concerns for Auburn. D-linemen Mosiah Nasili-Kite (Maryland), Lawrence Johnson (Purdue), and former five-star Justin Rogers (Kentucky) were added with defensive ends/EDGE players Elijah McAllister (Vanderbilt), Jalen McLeod (Appalachian State), and Stephen Sings (Liberty).

Linebackers DeMario Tolan (LSU), Austin Keys (Ole Miss), and Larry Nixon III (North Texas) were the final touches on what was the nation's No. 2 transfer portal class.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Where Auburn, rest of the SEC rank in ESPN's post-spring SP+ ranking

JD McCarthy

5–6 minutes

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With spring practice and the spring transfer portal closed we now have a good understanding of what each team’s roster is going to look like in the 2023 football season.

This has caused ESPN’s Bill Connely to update his SP+ rankings, the first update since he revealed them back in February.

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His preseason projections take returning production, recent recruiting and recent history into consideration.

The SEC was once again well represented with Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee all ranking inside the top six teams. Texas A&M and Ole Miss also cracked the top 20 but were a step behind the first group.

Here is a look at where every SEC team ranks in the ranking.

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 29.9 (1st)

Offense: 41.9 (9th)

Defense: 11.9 (3rd)

Georgia has lost several key players from last year’s team, but has plenty of returning production and has been recruiting at an elite level, expect them to contend for a third-straight championship.

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 27.9 (4th)

Offense: 44.2 (5th)

Defense: 16.3 (10th)

Alabama will have to replace both Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. but Nick Saban has plenty of talented options to choose from. They need to settle their quarterback race but should have plenty of surrounding players to help.

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 25.2 (5th)

Offense: 41.6 (10th)

Defense: 16.4 (12th)

Brian Kelly won the SEC West in his first season and they are returning quarterback Jaylen Daniels and elite pass-rusher Harold Perkins. They will be looking to knock Georgia off their perch atop the SEC this season.

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 23.9 (6th)

Offense: 45.5 (3rd)

Defense: 21.6 (31st)

Another team coming off a sensational debut season under a new head coach, the Vols are carried by their offense and Josh Heupel is ready to turn the offense over to veteran Joe Milton.

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 18.8 (6th)

Offense: 30.7 (44th)

Defense: 11.9 (2nd)

The Aggies are entering a key season under Jimbo Fisher who has brought in Bobby Petrino to try and fix the offense, it should be another entertaining season in College Station.

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 17.5 (18th)

Offense: 39.0 (14th)

Defense: 21.4 (30th)

Ole Miss brought in two transfer quarterbacks to battle Jaxson Dart for the starting job but whoever wins it will be second-fiddle to star running back Quinshod Judkins.

Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 14.8 (21st)

Offense: 37.4 (23rd)

Defense: 22.6 (38th)

Unlike LSU and Tennessee, the Gators did not enjoy much onfield success in Billy Napier’s first season, going 6-7. They have loaded up on transfers and have a great run game they can lean on.

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 14.5 (22rd)

Offense: 28.1 (59th)

Defense: 13.7 (5th)

The Wildcats had a terrible year on offense last season but have brought back offensive coordinator Liam Cohen to get things humming again.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 14.1 (25th)

Offense: 35.8 (29th)

Defense: 21.7 (32nd)

The Bulldogs are entering Year 1 of the Zach Arnett era after the tragic passing of Mike Leach. They return nearly everyone on offense and Arnett has a track record of good defenses.

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 13.8 (26th)

Offense: 38.6 (17th)

Defense: 24.8 (51st)

The return of quarterback K.J. Jefferson and running back Raheim Sanders has the Razorbacks poised to make some noise in the SEC West.

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 13.7 (27th)

Offense: 33.5 (35th)

Defense: 19.8 (23rd)

Hugh Freeze has done an impressive job overhauling Auburn’s roster ahead of his first season in the Plains. The group is headlined by quarterback Payton Thorne, four wide receivers and four offensive linemen to try and fix last season’s disappointing passing attack.

[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

SP+: 11.6 (33rd)

Offense: 37.9 (20th)

Defense: 26.3 (64th)

The Gamecocks are coming off an 8-5 season and it looks like things are trending upwards under Shane Beamer.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: 11.1 (34th)

Offense: 29.4 (52nd)

Defense: 18.3 (17th)

The Tigers are coming off a 6-7 season and inexplicably gave head coach Eli Drinkowitz a contract extension despite a 17-19 record at Missouri.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

SP+: -3.1 (69th)

Offense: 29.2 (53rd)

Defense: 32.2 (99th)

The Commodores knew they had a long rebuild ahead of them under Clark Lea as they look to try and compete in the SEC. Their wins over Kentucky and Florida last season were great signs.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn football among programs with most incoming transfers

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers will have a brand-new identity in 2023. Not only does the upcoming season feature an improved coaching staff, but the roster is revamped as well.

New head coach Hugh Freeze is looking to put Auburn in the best chance to win games, and he is doing so by utilizing the transfer portal to the best of his ability. He has succeeded by reeling in 21 transfers, all of whom will see significant time on the field.

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The number of transfers is impressive, but how does it stack up with the rest of college football? Chance Linton of 247Sports has listed all of college football’s top transfer hauls, and Auburn’s 21 transfers are the seventh-most in the country. Freeze’s work in the portal ranks the highest in the SEC.

Hugh Freeze has hit the transfer portal hard in his first offseason at Auburn, bringing in 21 transfers to reshape the roster after taking over as head coach. The Tigers have the top-ranked transfer class in the SEC, and it is headlined by a trio of projected starters on the offensive line in No. 2 interior lineman Avery Jones (East Carolina), No. 1 offensive tackle Dillon Wade (Tulsa) and No. 6 offensive tackle Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky).

Auburn and Ole Miss are tied with 21 transfers. Several schools that are ahead of Auburn include Indiana (23), SMU (25), and Colorado (48).

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__