6.22.23 Football Articles

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 8 Nick Mardner

JD McCarthy

5–7 minutes

---

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Hugh Freeze in his first season on the Plains.

Buy Tigers Tickets

Up next is transfer wide receiver Nick Mardner. He was the first of four receivers that Auburn landed out of the transfer portal and should feature heavily in the rotation at wide receiver.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Oakville, Ontario

Height: 6-6

Weight: 206

Previous School: Cincinnatti (2022), Hawaii (2018-21)

Class in 2023: Senior

247Sports Composite Ranking

Two-Star / No. 2 in Ontario / No. 372 WR

Career Stats

Year	G	Receptions	Yards	YPC	YPG	TDs
2018 (Hawaii)	1	0	0	0	0	0
2019 (Hawaii)	12	5	169	33.8	14.1	2
2020 (Hawaii)	8	11	188	17.1	23.5	1
2021 (Hawaii)	13	46	913	19.8	70.2	5
2022 (Cincinnati)	12	19	218	11.5	18.2	3

PFF Grades

Year	Offense	Receiving	Drops	Run Blocking
2018	58.5	59.6	–	60.0
2019	51.1	49.8	21.7	79.2
2020	60.7	62.1	49.8	51.6
2021	75.6	76.1	68.1	64.5
2022	64.3	66.6	62.5	54.7

Depth Chart Overview

Mardner is on his third team after starting his career at Hawaii and spending last season at Cincinnati. He and new Auburn wide receivers coach Marcus Davis were both at Hawaii in 2021, and this familiarity should enable him to be someone Auburn can lean on.

Auburn also added Shane Hooks at the X-Wide receiver spot and Hooks figures to be the starter due to his past production. However, Mardner should be able to carve out a role for himself, especially in the red-zone threat due to his great size. Expect Mardner to see plenty of action as the coaching staff rotates him, Hooks and Camden brown heavily.

Nick Mardner’s Photo Gallery

AUBURN, AL - 2023.03.29 - Spring Practice

AUBURN, AL - March 29, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice…

AUBURN, AL - March 29, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin Perryman

AUBURN, AL - 2023.03.01 - Spring Practice

AUBURN, AL - March 01, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice…

AUBURN, AL - March 01, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Declan Greene

AUBURN, AL - 2023.03.15 - Spring Practice

AUBURN, AL - March 15, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice…

AUBURN, AL - March 15, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin Perryman

AUBURN, AL - 2023.02.27 - Spring Practice

AUBURN, AL - February 27, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice…

AUBURN, AL - February 27, 2023 - Auburn Wide Receiver Nick Mardner (#8) during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin Perryman

NCAA Football: Kennesaw State at Cincinnati

Sep 10, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Nick Mardner (84) runs with the…

Sep 10, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Nick Mardner (84) runs with the ball against Kennesaw State Owls linebacker Juandarion Silas (49) and linebacker Jalen Barnum (14) in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Cincinnati Football

Cincinnati wide receiver Nick Mardner sets prior to a play at the line of scrimmage during…

Cincinnati wide receiver Nick Mardner sets prior to a play at the line of scrimmage during an NCAA college football game against Indiana, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won 45-24. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

Cincinnati Arkansas Football

Cincinnati receiver Nick Mardner (84) makes a touchdown catch in front of Arkansas defensive back LaDarrius…

Cincinnati receiver Nick Mardner (84) makes a touchdown catch in front of Arkansas defensive back LaDarrius Bishop (11) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Syndication: The Enquirer

Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Nick Mardner (84) is unable to reach a pass in the end…

Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Nick Mardner (84) is unable to reach a pass in the end zone as Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald (31) defends in the second quarter of a college football game, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Ncaaf Indiana Hoosiers At Cincinnati Bearcats Sept 24 0233

Syndication: The Enquirer

Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Nick Mardner (84) drops a pass at the goal line in the…

Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Nick Mardner (84) drops a pass at the goal line in the fourth quarter of the American Athletic Conference game at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Cincinnati Bearcats defeated Southern Methodist Mustangs 29-27. Cincinnati Bearcats At Southern Methodist Mustangs 725

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

si.com

 

Five Auburn football players receive new numbers for 2023 season

Lance Dawe

~2 minutes

---

A few transfers and a senior Tiger are receiving new numbers for this season.

Some Tigers are getting new numbers this offseason.

Sources have confirmed to Auburn Daily that four transfers alongside senior defensive back Nehemiah Pritchett are getting new jersey numbers for this upcoming season.

The numbers are as follows:

CB Nehemiah Pritchett - No. 1 (previously No. 18)

WR Shane Hooks (JSU) - No. 11 (previously No. 5)

WR Jyaire Shorter (UNT) - No. 17 (previously No. 16)

OLB Jalen McLeod (ASU) - No. 35 (previously No. 35)

LB Larry Nixon III (UNT) - No. 30 (previously No. 43, 30, 3)

---

The Tigers kick off the 2023 season underneath the guidance of new head coach Hugh Freeze on September 2nd at home vs UMass at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Here's a look at the entire 2023 schedule:

Sept. 2nd vs UMass

Sept. 9th at California

Sept. 16th vs Samford

Sept. 23rd at Texas A&M

Sept. 30th vs Georgia

Oct. 14th at LSU

Oct. 21st vs Ole Miss

Oct. 28th vs Mississippi State

Nov. 4th at Vanderbilt

Nov. 11th at Arkansas

Nov. 18th vs New Mexico State

Nov. 25th vs Alabama

---

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

247sports.com

 

Most Valuable Tigers No 25

Nathan King

6–7 minutes

---

We're still in the heart of the college football offseason, more than two weeks removed from spring practice, media days still a month away, and more than two months until the start of the 2023 season, Auburn’s first under Hugh Freeze.

So what better time to crank up the rankings? As we do annually this time of year, Auburn Undercover is counting down the top 25 most valuable players for the Tigers' 2023 season.

A few notes to set the table: These rankings are based on a player's previous contributions to the team, as well as his assumed impact in 2023 — how important he is expected to be to Auburn's success in both production and the win-loss column.

It is not simply Auburn's best players in descending order. If a freshman is included on the list, his positioning is obviously a projection of his talent and significance to his respective position group.

Cracking our top 25 — which will run daily with a new installment at Auburn Undercover and will finish a few days before SEC Media Days — is senior linebacker Cam Riley.

AS A RECRUIT

Hometown: Evergreen, Alabama

Class: 2020

247Sports ranking: No. 14 OLB, No. 229 overall (4-star)

247Sports high school scouting report: “Tall, long, wiry prospect with plenty of room to fill out. Bouncy athlete with natural instincts as a second-level defender. Pass rushing potential with length and elite first step. Can bend on the edge or work with power despite thin build. Can man traditional linebacker spots and play in space with efficiency if needed. Good football awareness in running and passing situations, with upside as an underneath defender. Runs well with long stride. Some pop upon contact with ball carrier. Can play low and with leverage despite height. Productive over several varsity seasons, including breakout state championship game as a sophomore. Best football well ahead at priority position. Development with moves in tight quarters will be paramount. With added mass and strength should blossom into productive pass rusher at the Power Five level.”

(Greg McWilliams, 247Sports)

AS A PLAYER

Of Auburn’s trio of linebacker signees from the 2020 class, no one played more as a true freshman than Riley, who appeared in eight games, learning behind the likes of K.J. Britt, Zakoby McClain and Owen Pappoe.

Amassing 23 tackles over his first two seasons as a rotational piece, Riley earned a starting role last season, finishing as the team’s second-leading tackler (64) behind only Pappoe. After 26 tackles in Auburn’s first three games, though, Riley cooled off and left some production to be desired in SEC competition, averaging only three tackles per game across six SEC contests (Riley missed the LSU game due to injury). That was until Riley had a big showing in the Iron Bowl, notching a team-best 12 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.

Although Riley started 10 games, consistency wasn’t always present. His 53.1 run defense grade by Pro Football Focus was the lowest among Auburn’s starters on defense, and Riley’s overall defensive grade was the third-lowest.

Of course, the Tigers’ defense often found itself playing from behind and on the receiving end of successful running games, leading to its worst finish in yards per rush (4.64) since — you guessed it — the 2012 season. Riley was far from the only Auburn defender who struggled to consistently make stops at the line of scrimmage.

2023 OUTLOOK

A rangy athlete at 6-foot-5, Riley has continued to put on weight and develop his body, and Auburn now lists him at 242 pounds.

That sort of size has led to questions of whether he could see some time as an edge rusher on Auburn’s defensive line, and first-year position coach Josh Aldridge seemed open to the idea in spring practice.

As a standard role, though, Riley seems poised to once again contend for a major role in the defense as Auburn’s weakside linebacker. He held down most of those first-team reps in spring ball — with Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys and senior Wesley Steiner at middle linebacker — though the Tigers have since brought in even more experienced depth and competition via the transfer portal.

The addition of North Texas transfer Larry Nixon III, who had 106 tackles last season, should generate a quality position battle between him and Riley — and regardless of who’s labeled the “starter,” Auburn will have a pair of seniors in the two-deep for Aldridge and the linebacking corps this fall. That’s not to mention former 4-star recruit DeMario Tolan, a sophomore transfer from LSU who will look to be in the mix for playing time, as well.

Auburn’s linebackers were praised by Freeze and the coaches as one of the more impressive groups in spring practice, and Riley’s leadership was a big part of that. The senior said he’s looking to gain some stability — now playing for his third position coach and coordinator in as many years — which he hopes will elevate his game to a more consistent level in 2023.

WHAT THEY SAID

“I've been really impressed with him. Cam has probably got the most position flexibility in our room. He can line up on the edge. He's long. He can play Will, he can run. He can play Mike, he's big. I've been impressed with Cam being able to handle all that mentally.” — Aldridge

WHAT SAY YOU?

What do you think of Riley’s spot in our Most Valuable Tigers rankings? Too high? Too low? Just right? Share your thoughts on the Bodda Getta message board, on Twitter or on Facebook.

--

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

sorry fella's the devil and golf made me do it...............

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

sports.yahoo.com

 

Anonymous SEC assistant forecasts ‘weird’ season for Auburn

Taylor Jones

2–3 minutes

---

Hugh Freeze has brought much-needed excitement to the Auburn fan base since he was introduced as head coach last November. However, there is one assistant coach from the SEC that is not buying the hype.

In Athlon Sports’ College Football preview magazine, one SEC assistant coach (who remains anonymous) says that Auburn will definitely improve in several aspects, but feels that the current talent pool is not worthy of an SEC title hunt.

“It’s gonna be another weird year. They’re getting a boost from [Hugh] Freeze coming back in the league and just not being Bryan Harsin. For all of Freeze’s problems, he can manage an SEC culture a thousand times better than Hars. … They’re starting over, but it’s Auburn, so they have good running backs. After that, they’re pretty mediocre.

This assistant also provided a rather harsh criticism of Freeze and Auburn football as a whole.

“Freeze didn’t really bring in the all-star staff he promised. It’s weird, there’s a lot of his Liberty dudes, and then you have Ron Roberts and the old Tulsa head coach [Philip Montgomery]. He’s going to use the entire season as a recruiting platform like he did those first two years at Ole Miss because the offensive line and the receivers are bad and don’t know the system, but Auburn is going to expect him to operate on a faster timeline. They’re so far behind Bama and Georgia; it’s maybe the biggest gap in decades.”

Athlon Sports is also not ready to say that Auburn will improve drastically under Freeze in year one. According to its SEC outlook, Auburn is projected to finish dead last in the western division with a 6-6 record and is forecasted to go 2-6 in SEC play.

More Football!

CBS Sports projects Auburn football's 2023 record

247Sports predicts Auburn to return to bowl season in Freeze's debut season

247Sports predicts Malik Blocton will commit to Auburn

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__

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

sports.yahoo.com

 

Anonymous SEC assistant forecasts ‘weird’ season for Auburn

Taylor Jones

2–3 minutes

---

Hugh Freeze has brought much-needed excitement to the Auburn fan base since he was introduced as head coach last November. However, there is one assistant coach from the SEC that is not buying the hype.

In Athlon Sports’ College Football preview magazine, one SEC assistant coach (who remains anonymous) says that Auburn will definitely improve in several aspects, but feels that the current talent pool is not worthy of an SEC title hunt.

“It’s gonna be another weird year. They’re getting a boost from [Hugh] Freeze coming back in the league and just not being Bryan Harsin. For all of Freeze’s problems, he can manage an SEC culture a thousand times better than Hars. … They’re starting over, but it’s Auburn, so they have good running backs. After that, they’re pretty mediocre.

This assistant also provided a rather harsh criticism of Freeze and Auburn football as a whole.

“Freeze didn’t really bring in the all-star staff he promised. It’s weird, there’s a lot of his Liberty dudes, and then you have Ron Roberts and the old Tulsa head coach [Philip Montgomery]. He’s going to use the entire season as a recruiting platform like he did those first two years at Ole Miss because the offensive line and the receivers are bad and don’t know the system, but Auburn is going to expect him to operate on a faster timeline. They’re so far behind Bama and Georgia; it’s maybe the biggest gap in decades.”

Athlon Sports is also not ready to say that Auburn will improve drastically under Freeze in year one. According to its SEC outlook, Auburn is projected to finish dead last in the western division with a 6-6 record and is forecasted to go 2-6 in SEC play.

 

wed you will really like this one...........

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

oanow.com

 

LEE: Salute to an annual rivalry that a generation was raised with

JUSTIN LEE jlee@oanow.com

4–5 minutes

---

The phrase “the heat of battle” never fit so well on a football field.

The scorching September air smothered the stadium. It was hot, heavy and humid, the reflection of the beating sun bouncing off those shimmering white helmets and brilliant yellow ones, back up to the packed upper deck.

And it was fierce football — hard hitting, three yards at best and the veritable cloud of dust, a field goal on one side and the game-winner was a quarterback sneak at the goal line; bodies pushing and powering the pile just one way to the end zone, right under the students and their roar.

And I remember leaving the Auburn-LSU game in 2006 and there was an Auburn fan walking down the ramps behind us taking in the sweet victory with his friend, and he said “Ohio State and Texas ain’t got nothing on this.” That was the other top-10 game that Saturday, later on that night between No. 1 and No. 2 in the polls, which ESPN had been hyping up ad nauseam as the game of the millennium (and this was back when we all cared what ESPN had to say).

 

People are also reading…

 

It was a point of pride not just that Auburn had won, but how Auburn had won, 7-3, in a defensive battle that fans in the South and teams in the SEC were proud to be known for. And that guy was right: What an instant classic. What a battle.

And two years earlier, there was another one on the same field, the same time of day, blistering hot, 10-9. And between those games there was overtime in Baton Rouge, and before that there was cigar smoking, and barn burning, and pick-sixing. There was Bret Eddins, there was Courtney Taylor, there was Kenny Irons and that dang Demetrius Byrd.

Since 1992 there’s been a game every year for 31 years, and that guy on the ramp was right because in these three decades, Auburn-LSU has been an incredible annual rivalry. Auburn and LSU will play one more time in Baton Rouge this season, then they’re off each other’s schedule in 2024 for the first time since 1991.

The SEC schedule is changing with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference, and soon Auburn-LSU will be put off to every other year, or maybe two-on, two-off. But it’s worth saluting this stretch, that an entire generation was raised on. Both schools have put out 10 years worth of graduating classes now of kids born after 1991, who have only ever known Auburn and LSU to play every single year.

And more often than not, it was a big one, all the way up to recent years when the 2013 game spurred Auburn’s turnaround, to when Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson gave Joe Burrow his best test all season, up to when Bo Nix scrambled away from poor playcalls and won the game with his improvisation — snapping a skid in Tiger Stadium that had lasted his entire life, but no longer.

The games have been great, and the lasting stories about them just as good, so this fall for Game 32 of this annual era, it’s worth a salute to all the players and teams that have made magic together in the rivalry. It’s worth remembering, too, that it was great series with Florida and Tennessee ending for Auburn that gave way to this one.

One era ends, and another era begins — but keep that point of pride.

0 Comments

[AUpreacherman22 3,945]

The “anonymous assistant” article will get some traction.  
Those articles come out every year, and the biggest takeaway is that these anonymous sources are as big of an idiot as we are!  

The coaching staff CHF hired is somewhat out of the box, BUT the huge difference is Roberts and Montgomery have had a lot of success in the past, so they’re not as much of a wild card as some others in the past.   Secondly, how well the staff works together is HUGE!!!  An all star cast that aren’t on the same page is much worse than a B level group that is singular in their focus.   (Not that our staff is B level)

Also, a tremendous misstep by almost every forecaster…..When half of your roster and 2/3 to 3/4 of your starters are new, LAST YEAR’s PERFORMANCE HAS ZERO RELEVANCE TO WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!   There are plenty of question marks, and we’re not sure how it will all fit together, but we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future as well!!!!

[aucanucktiger 1,892]

Wish I had a dollar for every preseason we've been "way behind" Bama only to put them into a fetal position, embarass or beat them come Ironbowl time. 

[toddc 13,197]

1 hour ago, aucanucktiger said:

Wish I had a dollar for every preseason we've been "way behind" Bama only to put them into a fetal position, embarass or beat them come Ironbowl time. 

You’d be pretty broke I’m afraid, but hopefully that’s about to change.

[W.E.D 11,071]

4 minutes ago, toddc said:

You’d be pretty broke I’m afraid, but hopefully that’s about to change.

Yeah, was about to say.  Us beating bama has been pretty rare....I don't know the last time we've "put them into a fetal position"  Maybe the Sack Brody game was the last time we truly dominated them?

Hell, in our 6 win streak under tubs our largest victory was 10pts (2x) and the rest single digit

Edited June 22, 2023 by W.E.D

[aubiefifty 18,259]

yahoo.com

A nine win season for Auburn is ‘within reach’ says one expert

Taylor Jones

2–3 minutes

Hugh Freeze has revamped the culture of Auburn football in just a short time, which is why many Tiger fans feel that their team will experience a serious upswing this season.

In a recent episode of The Hard Count, On3’s JD PicKell forecasted a 6-6 record for the Tigers in year one under Freeze but lays out a plan for Auburn to completely blow past the prediction.

One way that Auburn can exceed expectations is to find new ways to stop the run on defense.

“The talent level is there, but my concern is that talent level being improved is great, but you still have a defense that allowed over 180 yards rushing game last year,” PicKell said. “You can’t do that in the SEC and expect to be successful; you just can’t do it.”

PicKell also mentions quarterback play when discussing the possibilities of Auburn clawing its way to nine wins. How quickly can Payton Thorne adjust to Hugh Freeze’s scheme? Will he have plenty of talented targets to choose from?

“Now, if Payton Thorne does ball out, the other thing that’s probably true about Auburn this coming season is you have a big dog at wide receiver step up,” PicKell said. “Whether it is Camden Brown, (or) Nick Mardner. Like whoever it is, that would have to be true. I think it goes hand in hand with Payton Thorne excelling and excelling quickly in this offense.”

Check out PicKell’s breakdown of Auburn’s schedule here: 

More Football!

In-state safety Rydarrius Morgan puts Auburn in top 6

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 9 Eugene Asante

Where Auburn lands in Athlon Sports preseason SEC QB rankings

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__

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire