7.16.23 Football Articles

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

si.com

 

Phil Steele lists Auburn football as one of most improved teams in 2023

Lance Dawe

2–3 minutes

---

Could the Tigers be in store for a major bounce back season?

Most media outlets project Auburn to finish somewhere between 6-6 and 9-3 this season.

After a disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2022, the Tigers are projected to improve underneath new head coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze has worked wonders during his first few months on the Plains, knocking it out of the park on the recruiting trail as well as through the transfer portal.

According to college football analyst Phil Steele, Auburn should be one of the 10 most improved teams in 2023.

Steele released his projections for the 16 most improved college football teams this fall with the Tigers landing at No. 10.

Here is what On3 and Steele had to say about the Tigers heading into the fall:

"After a tough 5-7 year that led to the ouster of former head coach Bryan Harsin, Auburn enters a new era for their football program, and Phil Steele expects more winning immediately. With eight starters back on offense and nine returning on defense, the trajectory is looking way up." - Alex Weber, On3

“All nine sets of my power rankings call for a winning season,” wrote Steele of the Tigers. “There is no weekly talk about when a coach will be fired as the team is fully behind both Hugh Freeze and Cadillac Williams and will play to their potential with 17 returning starters and some solid transfers.” - Phil Steele

---

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 19 Sylvester Smith

JD McCarthy

~2 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 true freshman safety Sylvester Smith. Smith was yet another big flip for Freeze and Co. and he is certainly a player to watch moving forward.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Munford, Alabama

Height: 5-11

Weight: 186

Class in 2023: True Freshman

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four-Star / No. 18 in Alabama / No. 18 S

High School Stats

Year	Tackles	TFLs	PDs	INTs	Rushing Yards	TDs
2022	42	4.0	2	5	1,735	24

Depth Chart Overview

Smith was one of Auburn’s highest-rated signees in the 2023 recruiting class and is a player to watch in the secondary. It may take him a little longer to make an impact as Auburn returns proven veterans Jaylin Simpson and Zion Puckett as well as Marquise Gilbert and Cayden Bridges ahead of him at the safety spot.

This season will likely be about his development and adjusting to the college game before he becomes a key contributor in the secondary moving forward.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn sports broadcasts will move to new radio home beginning this fall

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

---

Since 2016, local Auburn fans have listened to Auburn Sports Network broadcasts on the Tiger Communications family of stations.

Beginning this fall, those same fans will have to turn the dial to listen to Auburn football, basketball, and baseball games.

Buy Tigers Tickets

Justin Lee of Opelika-Auburn News reported Friday that local radio company Auburn Network has acquired the rights to Auburn Sports Network broadcasts for the next five years. Because of this, football and men’s basketball games will be broadcasted on Wings 94.3 in Auburn. Women’s basketball and baseball games will now call AU100 home (100.3 on the FM dial).

The change does not affect broadcast assignments, as andy burcham will remain the voice of Auburn football, men’s basketball, and baseball. In fact, Burcham will be a regular guest on Auburn Network’s sports talk station, ESPN 106.7.

This change will affect local softball broadcasts as well. Auburn softball broadcasts will move back to their original home, WEGL 91.1, with Brit Bowen and JJ Jackson remaining the primary play-by-play talent.

The first Auburn Sports Network production will begin in August with the first edition of Tiger Talk, with the first Auburn football broadcast coming on Sept. 2.

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__

[aubiefifty 18,259]

auburnwire.usatoday.com

Twitter reacts to Auburn landing coveted CB Jalyn Crawford

JD McCarthy

~2 minutes

Auburn has landed its 11th commit of the 2024 recruiting class and it is a big one as four-star cornerback Jalyn Crawford picked Auburn over Florida and LSU on Saturday.

Crawford, who is from Lilburn, Georgia, announced the news on Twitter with a graphic and a simple caption saying “Im Home!!”

Buy Tigers Tickets

He is the fourth defensive back that secondary coaches Wesley McGriff and Zac Etheridge have reeled in, joining cornerbacks A'mon Lane and Jayden Lewis and safety Kensley Faustin.

Crawford is the highest rated of the bunch, checking in as the No. 159 overall player and No. 16 cornerback in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 23 player from Georgia.

His addition fired up the Auburn fan base which took to Twitter to celebrate, here are the top reactions.

Zac Etheridge taking top corners from 2 of the main DBU schools? Elite recruiter.

— Kyle (@AllAubarn) July 15, 2023

AUBURN’S 2024 CBs:

4⭐️ A’mon Lane:
#1 CB in AL, #17 CB Nationally

4⭐️ Jayden Lewis:
#2 CB in AL, #23 CB Nationally

4⭐️ Jalyn Crawford:
#1 CB in GA, #15 CB Nationally pic.twitter.com/YeI1ERWyOE

— TorresOnAuburn 🥶 (@TorresOnAuburn) July 15, 2023

4 STAR CB JALYN CRAWFORD HAS COMMITTED TO THE AUBURN TIGERS‼️The #1 CB in Georgia chooses Auburn over Florida and LSU 🥶📈🔥 War Damn 🦅 pic.twitter.com/UrTcIC7h8a

— Babysitter Bari (@BabysitterBari) July 15, 2023

BOOM! 💥

— Justin 🅿️arker🦚🦚🦚 (@justinp37891349) July 15, 2023

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

si.com

 

An updated look at Auburn football's 2024 recruiting class following Jalyn Crawford's commitment

Lance Dawe

5–6 minutes

---

The Tigers just added four-star cornerback Jalyn Crawford to their 2024 recruiting class.

Here's an updated look at the class following his commitment:

On3 Rankings

- 20th nationally

- 11th in the SEC

247Sports Rankings

-37th nationally

- 14th in the SEC

NOTE: Auburn's average player rating is 5th in the SEC behind Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia (per 247Sports).

2024 Commitments:

QB Walker White

Walker White, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound signal-caller in the 2024 recruiting class, included Clemson and Baylor in his final three schools, but eventually chose the Tigers of Auburn over them both.

White unofficially visited Auburn back on January 16th and chose to visit Clemson's junior day over Auburn's on the 28th.

Over the course of his final two seasons at Little Rock Christian Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, White threw for almost four thousand yards and 48 touchdowns. He also added 1,324 yards and 21 touchdowns (16 in his junior season) on the ground.

LB Joseph Phillips

The four-star totaled 82 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles at Booker T Washington. He also has played tight end for the Golden Eagles, totaling 29 receptions, 336 receiving yards, and six touchdowns.

CB Jalyn Crawford

Crawford played well during his junior season, finishing with 25 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions along with six pass deflections. His production paired with a good camp season has made Crawford a popular prospect and went from a borderline four-star to a more established one.

247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins describes Crawford as an "aggressive" corner, one who tends to make quick decisions and is not afraid of a little contact in coverage.

He's the No. 162 overall player in the 2024 class and the No. 16 cornerback according to the 247Sports composite.

RB J'Marion Burnette

Burnette, a four-star running back out of Andalusia, had a stellar junior season for the Bulldogs. He totaled 1,473 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. This follows a video game-like sophomore season in which he had 2,281 rushing yards to go along with 12 touchdowns.

These stats combined with stellar camp workouts have made him a hot commodity in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He has offers from many of the top SEC schools like Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

CB A'Mon Lane

Lane, a 4-star, is listed at 5-foot-11 and 180-pounds. He's currently listed as the 4th best player in the state of Alabama in the 2024 class by 247Sports and the number 16th ranked cornerback in the country.

CB Jayden Lewis

Lewis comes in at 6'0 and a slight 175 pounds and is a rangy defensive back with insane speed. Alongside football, he also ran track during his high school career.

S Kensley Faustin

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound safety recorded 121 career tackles, 10 interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and five forced fumbles during his time at Naples high school.

DL Malik Blocton

Blocton, a four-star defensive lineman in the 2024 cycle, just wrapped up an official visit to Texas, but ended up choosing the Tigers just a couple of days later.

Including Texas, Blocton held 11 offers from SEC schools, including Alabama. Other notable offers include USC, Oregon and Clemson.

Through three seasons at Pike Road, Blocton has collected 109 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 8.0 sacks. In 2022 Blocton recorded 54 tackles and 6.0 sacks.

LB D'Angelo Barber

Barber who plays in the Birmingham area for the Clay-Chalkville Cougars has had a very solid high school career so far racking up 86 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. Barber is a prospect on the rise after showing out during the winter camp circuit and is poised to have a breakout senior season for the Cougars.

Barber, who has been offered by eight SEC schools, has most recently visited Auburn, he came in for a camp session on June 9th.

WR Bryce Cain

Cain possesses all the skills needed to be an elite wide receiver.

He has a 40-yard dash time in the 4.4 range but also is an elite route runner and wins 50/50 balls.

The three-star receiver had some excellent reps at Auburn's camp, catching passes from quarterback commit Walker White.

TE Martavious Collins

Collins, a four-star ATH who primarily plays TE, was committed to Alabama for over six months but in early February decided to decommit.

Martavious has been very solid in his high school career and has shown that his four-star rating is not just a fluke and it is well deserved. He has totaled 597 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The most important part of his game will not show up on a stat sheet as he is one of the better blocking tight ends in the 2024 class.

---

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]