7.29.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

 

Auburn Fan Day set for August 12

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

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Auburn's Fan Day is returning and is scheduled for August 12 at the old indoor facility.

AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn Football invites the Auburn Family to a preseason kickoff fan fest event on Saturday, August 12 in the indoor complex located behind the Athletics Complex.

 The Auburn Family Football Preseason Kickoff, presented by Golden Flake and carried out in partnership with On To Victory, will feature an autograph session and family fun zone from 2:15-3:30 p.m. CT, allowing fans to meet their 2023 Auburn Tigers, led by first-year head coach Hugh Freeze, prior to the home opener on September 2. Doors for fan fest will open at 2:15 p.m. Admission to the event is FREE.

 On To Victory will host a private event and autograph session, exclusively for its members, prior to fan fest beginning at 1:30 p.m. Doors for that event will open at 1:15 p.m. More information about their private event, including how to register, may be found at OnToVictory.com. Fans attending fan fest may learn more about On To Victory by visiting their tables near the entrance to the indoor facility.

 To help ensure everyone in attendance has a chance to meet all the student-athletes and Coach Freeze, student-athletes may only sign provided posters while Coach Freeze will autograph one item of choice per person. Posters and schedule cards for football will be available for free to fans upon entry.

 The event will also feature a pep rally and appearances by the Auburn cheerleaders, Tiger Paws, and Aubie, as well as an opportunity to get autographs from members of Auburn volleyball and more.

Parking will be available in the Neville Arena, Campus Safety and Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum lots.

 Auburn football will open the 2023 season with Kickoff on The Plains on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. against UMass in Jordan-Hare Stadium. While season tickets, Four-Packs, and select games are already sold out, single-game tickets for the home opener are available for only $25 and may be purchased by visiting AubTix.com while supplies last.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Auburn has a chance to sign its best linebacker class in a decade

JD McCarthy

3–4 minutes

On Wednesday Auburn landed its highest-rated commit since 2019 when they successfully flipped five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick from the Georgia Bulldogs.

Riddick is the headliner of Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class and is further proof that Hugh Freeze and Co. can now win recruiting battles with Alabama and Georgia, something you have to do if you want to compete in the SEC.

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A ton of credit also goes to linebackers coach Josh Aldridge, who has landed several top targets but his pursuit of Riddick is the most impressive. He had a ton of ground to make up as the previous staff had not yet offered Riddick when he committed to the Bulldogs.

Aldridge quickly extended an offer and after a full-court press, the Tigers pulled off the flip.

He is the second linebacker that Auburn has beaten Georgia for this cycle, just last month they landed four-star linebacker Joseph Phillips, beating out the Bulldogs for the talented but raw linebacker.

The duo of Riddick and Phillips has made linebacker one of the strengths of Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class and the addition of three-star D'Angelo Barber makes it one of Auburn’s best hauls at linebacker in years.

While there is still plenty of time left before any of them can sign, the Tigers haven’t signed three or more high-school linebackers in the same cycle since 2020 when they landed four-star prospects Wesley Steiner, Cam Riley and Desmond Tisdol and three-star Romello Height.

What separates the 2024 class from that group is that both Riddick (No. 26) and Phillips (No. 132) are top 150 prospects while only Steiner (No. 98) was from the 2020 haul.

The 2019 class, consisting of five-star Pappoe, four-star Derick Hall and three-stars Octavious Brothers and Kameron Brown, also has a case as the best in recent history.

As it currently stands, these two classes are extremely similar. Both are headlined by a five-star with a second top prospect who projects more as a pass-rusher but is capable of playing linebacker. With the 2019 class having one more member, it has more depth and is slightly better.

With Auburn not signing any linebackers last year they are in need of a large class, making it likely they will add at least one or two more players and Aldrige has the Tigers in a great spot with two more targets, four-star Bradley Shaw and three-star Wyatt Simmons.

If they add Shaw it will give them three blue-chip linebackers, something they have only twice in the past 10 cycles, the 2020 class and in 2015 when they landed Richard McBryde, Jeff Holland and Darrell Williams. While that class also included three-star Robert Muschamp, it lacked a five-star prospect to compare with Riddick. 

Due to the top-end talent of Riddick and Phillips and the depth of Barber, Auburn’s 2024 class is on the verge of being the best the Tigers have signed in the past 10 cycles, if they can add one or both of Shaw and Simmons then it will jump past the 2019 and 2015 classes and undoubtedly be the best linebacker class in the past decade.

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.

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auburntigers.com

 

On The Plains with Avery Jones: ‘Living a dream'

Auburn University Athletics

7–8 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. – After two years as a starter at center for the East Carolina Pirates and a veteran of play in both Conference USA and the ACC, graduate transfer Avery Jones has come to Auburn to see what life along the offensive line is like in the SEC. The affable student-athlete, who will be a key component of the new-look offensive line for Auburn this season, is excited because he already loves Auburn and has always loved football.

“Where I’m from – Havelock, North Carolina – it’s a football small town,” Jones proudly proclaimed of his hometown Havelock Rams, who won the Coastal 3A conference championship and were state runners-up during his career. “Before I got to the high school, they had won three state championships in a row. We’ve got a lot of tradition in football.

“My mom Sandra and her side of the family (the Fraziers) are big football fans, so I have a lot of uncles and cousins who played football.

“And I was always a big kid so everybody was like, “He’s playing football!” So, that’s what I did. And I’ve enjoyed it.”

The football family tradition will continue for another generation.

“I have an older sister, Brianna, and a nephew, Braylon – he and I are buddies – and he’s going to be a big kid, so he’ll play football,” Jones said.

“My family will definitely be coming to some games; my mom is my Aunt Cathy’s caregiver since she had a stroke in 2020, but I have plenty of family who will be here.”

Why did Jones choose Auburn as his home for the next leg of his journey?

“I wanted to be at a place where football really matters, and Auburn is that spot,” he said. “The fans, the environment, the stadium and to get to play against teams like Georgia and Alabama – that’s living a dream for me.

“When I decided to hit the portal, I was originally committed to Illinois, but Hugh Freeze called me and I took a visit. I loved the facilities and what the coaches were telling me about the development of the offensive line and what I could do for the program.

“And, of course, they emphasized the SEC, what playing in the SEC really means. It was a hard opportunity to turn down. And I don’t like the cold,” he laughed. 

“I came to Auburn in January and I settled in pretty well right away. All the coaches were real inviting to me, so it didn’t seem too hard to get to know people,” explained Jones, who transferred from North Carolina to East Carolina after two seasons. “In a transition, getting to know people is what I think is most important when you go to a new spot. I’m not the only new guy; I had a few classes with Mosiah (Nasili-Kite) and Nick Mardner so I got to know them. And I’m around the o-line every day, so I know them well. Everyone here has made it very easy to get comfortable and acclimated in my new environment.

“I’m a global studies major and I’m taking classes for a second undergrad degree here at Auburn. At North Carolina, I was a sports administration major, but when I got to East Carolina, I didn’t have enough credits that would transfer, so I got my degree in communications. I like sports and want to stay involved in some fashion, maybe as a coach, a strength coach or a personal trainer after I finish playing.

“After I graduated from ECU, I wanted to go for a new challenge,” said Jones, who received his bachelor’s degree from East Carolina last December, adding that many players take advantage of the NCAA transfer portal for positive reasons that aren’t always portrayed that way to the fans. “People just hold a strong love for their particular school, and they can’t fathom that the players would look for something else.

“It can be that you graduated, like I did, and want a new challenge – even though I will always support ECU. Or sometimes, you don’t land at the spot that you thought it was during recruiting. If it’s not working out, you shouldn’t have to stay there for the rest of your career. And sometimes, the school or the coaches change. At my first school, North Carolina, we had a coaching change and we just didn’t gel, so it was good to start fresh.”

Jones’ goals factored into his decision to become an Auburn Tiger.

“I want to be all-conference and I want to win the SEC, be a team in the playoffs,” he said. “I think Auburn can do that. I don’t think we have to wait.

“Then I want to get drafted and go to the NFL. I have all those goals and that’s one of the main reasons I left ECU. I felt like I needed to challenge myself on the biggest stage and prove myself against the best of the best.”

And things have been working out for the best for Jones so far.

“I’ve been really happy with my choice of coming to Auburn,” he said of his experience since January. “I love the South and am glad to stay in the South, so it wasn’t a huge transition from North Carolina to Alabama.

“Auburn is a nice relaxing area – it’s got a lot of little food spots, so I bring my girlfriend Ayanna out to eat a lot. She graduated from North Carolina and lives here with me. She just took her MCATs and is applying to med schools. Otherwise, I like playing video games and I like watching barbeque shows. I like to say I can cook a little bit and I like barbeque.”

The Jones household also includes a pampered pet. “I’ve got a little black pomapoo that weighs 10 pounds named Ash. He’s about 2 years old. People often laugh at me when I walk around with him, and he does have a little Auburn jersey he will wear on gamedays.”

Gamedays – and all the work that leads up to them – are Jones’ focus as the Tigers prepare to open preseason practices on Aug. 3, getting ready for Kickoff on The Plains against UMass.

“I’m definitely excited for the first game, walking into the stadium and hearing all the fans shout War Eagle,” he said. “I’m just excited to get going.”

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si.com

Auburn football gains prediction to land four-star ATH Malcolm Simmons

Lance Dawe

~2 minutes

The Tigers are on a roll in recruiting.

The Tigers are looking to have a massive week in recruiting.

Demarcus Riddick, a five-star linebacker in the 2024 class, flipped from Georgia to Auburn on Wednesday afternoon. It's the Tigers' first five-star commitment since the 2019 cycle.

Now, with Big Cat weekend in just a couple of days, Auburn is looking to capitalize on their momentum.

Auburn recruiting insider Jeffery Lee of Auburn Live has logged an expert prediction for the Tigers to land 4-star athlete Malcolm Simmons, per On3 Recruits.

The 6-foot, 165-pound athlete is the No. 365 overall player in the 247Sports composite rankings.

The Tigers kick off the 2023 season on September 2nd at home vs UMass at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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