7.7.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

 

Most Valuable Tigers No 13

Nathan King

6–7 minutes

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We're still in the heart of the college football offseason: three months removed from spring practice, media day later this month, 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.

Next up is No. 13: Kentucky defensive tackle transfer Justin Rogers.

AS A RECRUIT

Hometown: Oak Park, Michigan

Class: 2020

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 7 DT, No. 52 overall

247Sports high school scouting report: “Thickly-built prospect. Not as tall as some elite-level linemen, but has longer arms and a low center of gravity. Has been a dominant player at the high school level. Explosive, strong, and blocks to the whistle. Great finisher. Also shows his athleticism on defense where he can play in space at his size and has done a good job as a pass-rusher in camps. As an offensive lineman, he has a great base and strong punch in pass protection. Also has the athleticism to mirror. Does not show glaring weaknesses. Future success will come down to continuing to polish all parts of his game and developing from a strength and conditioning standpoint. Can compete very early in college and has high-impact potential. Might be able to play tackle even though he does not have the classic build for that spot. Long-term potential is highest as a guard.”

AS A PLAYER

(Kentucky Athletics)

Kentucky's top-rated signee in 2020 and the No. 7 defensive tackle in the country, Rogers played sparingly his first two years before starting every game at nose tackle for the Wildcats in 2022, with 35 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Rogers played 73.4 percent of his snaps last season at nose, according to Pro Football Focus. He was second on Kentucky's defensive line with 11 quarterback pressures, and he usually stuffed a run when he was able to get his hands on the ball-carrier, finishing with the team's third-lowest missed tackle rate (6.3 percent).

His blend of strength and mobility with a 6-foot-3, 332-pound frame made Rogers a highly sought-after transfer after he hit the portal Jan. 3. He visited LSU and Auburn in the same week and was set to visit Alabama before committing to the Tigers.

A fringe 5-star prospect back in 2020, Rogers is the highest-rated former recruit Auburn picked up in its transfer class for 2023, giving the Tigers two SEC starting nose tackles on its roster.

2023 OUTLOOK

Rogers was the third transfer pickup along the defensive line for first-year position coach Jeremy Garrett, but as opposed to Mosiah Nasili-Kite (Maryland) and Lawrence Johnson (Purdue), Rogers fills in as a true nose tackle, where he competed in spring practice with incumbent starter and former Oregon transfer Jayson Jones.

The two shared first-team snaps throughout the spring, but the feeling exiting the 15 practices was that Rogers provides a higher ceiling at the position and is a more explosive player to anchor the interior of the defensive line.

“Justin is a good player, an explosive player,” Garrett said. “The next step we’re getting with him is I want him to be able to play multiple positions. You know, I think the better off — we create even more depth when a guy can play nose and a guy can play tackle. … He’s a fundamental guy. He’s very coachable. He’s explosive, and he’s one of those leaders in the room, also, who will call me at any time: ‘Coach, can we watch this? Can we look at this film? I’m going to come in at this time.’ He’s been great to have. Great addition to the team.”

As Garrett alluded to, Auburn’s new defensive staff craves versatility from its D-linemen, so Rogers won’t be restricted to solely a nose tackle role. Still, that’s the job Auburn sought him out for: a disruptive, space-eating presence at the line of scrimmage, the likes of which the program has missed for the past couple seasons, with inconsistent play from Jones last year, and UAB transfer Tony Fair before him.

WHAT THEY SAID

“Justin Rogers is a football player. He's a handful. He's gonna be somebody that, lord willing, stays healthy and we depend upon to be a factor in the middle. He requires a double-team. I think he will. Been really pleased with how he works. He loves the game. He loves to practice. He's got a joy about him that's fun to be around. So I've been really, really pleased with him.” — Freeze

WHAT SAY YOU?

What do you think of Rogers’ 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.

MOST VALUABLE TIGERS

No. 25: LB Cam Riley

No. 24: DL Mosiah Nasili-Kite

No. 23: LB Larry Nixon III

No. 22: S Zion Puckett

No. 21: K Alex McPherson

No. 20: LB Austin Keys

No. 19: WR Camden Brown

No. 18: WR Shane Hooks

No. 17: P Oscar Chapman

No. 16: OLB Jalen McLeod

No. 15: WR Ja’Varrius Johnson

No. 14: RT Gunner Britton

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si.com

Auburn vs Ole Miss tabbed as most important 2023 SEC game for Tigers

Lance Dawe

2–3 minutes

Hugh Freeze's biggest conference game in year one with Auburn may be against his former team.

Ah, the Hugh Freeze Bowl.

Or is it the Lane Kiffin Bowl?

The 2023 Freeze-Kiffin Bowl takes place in Jordan-Hare Stadium this fall as Auburn battles it out against Ole Miss, who snapped the Tigers' six-game winning streak in the rivalry last season.

According to Jesse Simonton of On3, Auburn's game vs Ole Miss will be the most important SEC game on the Tigers' schedule in 2023.

Here's what Simonton had to say about the game in a recent article detailing every SEC team's biggest 2023 conference game:

"Hugh Freeze vs. Lane Kiffin, Round 1. A late October matchup between Auburn and Ole Miss will feature two head coaches who went head-to-head for the Tigers’ opening this offseason, with Kiffin leveraging the Rebels for a big raise and Freeze returning to the SEC. Both programs have hit the transfer portal aggressively to rebuild their rosters, but with Auburn likely big underdogs against LSU, Georgia and Alabama, this stands to be Freeze’s best opportunity for a statement win in Year 1."

Auburn kicks off the 2023 season at home against UMass. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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247sports.com

 

Most Valuable Tigers No 14

Nathan King

5–6 minutes

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We're still in the heart of the college football offseason: three months removed from spring practice, media day later this month, 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.

Next up is No. 14: Western Kentucky offensive tackle transfer Gunner Britton.

AS A RECRUIT

Hometown: Conway, South Carolina

Class: 2018

247Sports ranking: No. 212 OT, No. 2,649 nationally

AS A PLAYER

(James Black, Getty)

Britton boasts plenty of experience — and versatility — from the Group of Five level. The South Carolina native started all 14 games for WKU this past season — the first six games at right tackle, then the remaining schedule at left tackle. In three seasons playing for the Hilltoppers, 2022 was Britton's only as a full-time starter, but he started 19 games and appeared in 45 games overall.

Britton was one of the top pass protectors in not just the Group of Five but college football overall. Pro Football Focus named him as the No. 3 offensive tackle transfer and highlighted his elite pass-blocking numbers in 2022.

"Britton recorded an 87.0 pass-blocking grade this season, ranking fifth among all offensive tackles in college football," wrote PFF's Max Chadwick. "The redshirt junior allowed a pressure on only 1.7% of his pass-blocking snaps, the fifth-lowest rate among FBS tackles. He was the eighth-most-valuable tackle in the nation this year, according to PFF’s wins above average metric."

Britton was part of an early focus for Auburn’s staff on securing its offensive tackles in the portal, as he committed from Western Kentucky as the Tigers’ fourth transfer pickup of the cycle, following left tackle Dillon Wade from Tulsa.

Britton and Wade are ranked as the No. 5 and No. 1 transfer offensive tackles by 247Sports, respectively.

2023 OUTLOOK

A monster athlete at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds, it didn’t take long in spring ball for Britton to settle in as the Tigers’ starting right tackle. Seeing as redshirt sophomore Colby Smith, who transferred after the spring anyway, was the only returning player on Auburn’s roster who had ever taken a snap at tackle, Auburn’s staff was hoping its transfers would make an immediate impact.

In Britton’s case, he brought a veteran presence and a consistency to a position that’s certainly lacked the latter in recent seasons. In line with his most successful traits from Western Kentucky, Britton has been a tough solve for Auburn’s pass-rushers.

“He learns from his mistakes,” now-former Auburn defensive end Marcus Bragg said. “Once he sees why he lost, he goes back and corrects it. The next rep, he comes back and you can’t do it again.”

On Auburn’s depth chart, the likely projection is that Britton will be backed up by JUCO transfer Izavion Miller. The team’s best-case scenario is that Britton and Wade will continue to develop and flourish in their jump to the Power Five level, and Miller can serve as a break-glass backup for both tackle spots.

That’s not to say Britton is easily replaceable, though. Freeze and new position coach Jake Thornton did about as quality a job recruiting transfer offensive linemen as possible, and Britton is one of a trio of probable transfer starters this season who could help elevate the group and shed the aura of instability that’s plagued it in recent years.

WHAT THEY SAID

“You could tell that Gunner has played a ton of football at multiple positions. The way he practices, the way he carries himself, he kind of has that demeanor out there that I think a lot of people naturally, they flock to him in practice situations because he's got so much experience.” — Thornton

WHAT SAY YOU?

What do you think of Brittons’ 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.

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This starts at 7AM...................

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yahoo.com

 

Phil Steele expects Auburn to be an improved program in 2023

Taylor Jones

~3 minutes

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The 2022 football season was shaping up to be one of the most disappointing at Auburn in recent memory. However, interim head coach Cadillac Williams led the Tigers to a 2-2 final record, which put Auburn within one game of bowl eligibility despite the low points.

Hugh Freeze has taken over the program and has brought momentum into the program by bringing in talented high school talent, as well as useful products from the transfer portal to fill positional needs. Based on fresh faces alone, how many wins will that translate to? One college football expert weighs in.

Phil Steele, the publisher of the annual Phil Steele College Football Preview magazine, was a guest on the Josh and Swain Show on 99.1 The Sports Animal in Knoxville on Monday. Steele discussed many topics, including his take on the Auburn Tigers ahead of the 2023 season.

Steele says that he is impressed with the talent that Freeze has brought in, but is not ready to say that Auburn will be an SEC West contender right away.

“He’s got 17 starters returning and he’s brought in some good transfers as well. So I think the talent’s there at Auburn, but I don’t think the talent’s there for them to get back to being an SEC West contender this year. I think they can get back to a bowl game and definitely improve upon the 5-7 record last year. Probably get to like 7, perhaps 8 as a top end for them. A better season at Auburn, but not quite up to the fact of playing with your Alabamas and LSUs and, as I mentioned, Texas A&M.”

Auburn won just two games against SEC foes last season and will face a schedule this season that is favorable for bowl eligibility. The Tigers will face the usual suspects such as Alabama, LSU, and Georgia, but will also have several games against “swing opponents” like Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss.

This season’s Power Five nonconference opponent is Cal, which is a more favorable draw from the home-and-home series with Penn State over the last two seasons, which gives Auburn a great shot to finish 4-0 against the nonconference schedule.

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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