8.3.23 Football Articles

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si.com

 

Auburn LB Larry Nixon III excited about Tigers' hype heading into 2023 season

Lance Dawe

3–4 minutes

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Nixon is excited to see Jordan-Hare Stadium full for the first time.

Auburn got an uber-productive linebacker in Larry Nixon III. But they also got a great teammate.

Nixon, a transfer from North Texas, joined the Tigers this offseason and has been participating in player-led practices, hanging out with the team, and getting to soak in the reality of having become an SEC linebacker. Nixon joined Zac Blackerby and Jason Campbell on the On To Victory podcast to talk about his excitement heading into the season.

Campbell asked him how he felt about the recent hype the Tigers have received, with five-stars Demarcus Riddick and Perry Thompson flipping to Auburn.

Safe to say, Hugh Freeze has done everything he can to get folks excited about the Tigers both heading into the season and for the long-term.

“I love seeing that stuff," Nixon said. "I’ve never experienced anything like Auburn. It’s good. It feels good. I’m excited and looking forward to the season, and seeing the fans, and playing in the stadium, it’s going to be crazy.”

The biggest thing Nixon is looking forward to the most at home this fall?

“Ninety-thousand,” Nixon said. “Walking into the stadium, being on the field, looking around and just picturing ninety-thousand people in the stands, I felt that energy right then and there. I’m excited to run out of the tunnel, run out on kickoff, get to the first play of the game… I can picture it in my head.”

With the additions through the transfer portal, Auburn should be a more competitive team in 2023. With players like Nixon buying in alongside the rest of the squad, the Tigers may surprise some people now that they seem to have some chemistry.

The Tigers kick off the 2023 season 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

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247sports.com

 

The Real Deal Episode 2 Camp time for the Auburn Tigers

Jason Caldwell

2–3 minutes

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Auburn tight end Luke Deal previews preseason camp for the Tigers

Auburn tight end Luke Deal is entering his final preseason camp with the Tigers. After playing for both Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin during his career on the Plains, Deal talks about the differences under Hugh Freeze and this staff, his position groups to watch, and much more. 

Check out The Real Deal here:

 

From Tuskegee to the NFL: Willie Whitehead looks to help Joe Phillips follow suit

A former Tuskegee-native and Auburn player is working with a future Auburn player hoping to follow in his footsteps.

VIDEO: Auburn QB commit Walker White discusses Big Cat Weekend

Auburn Undercover's Phillip Dukes contributed to this report. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @DukesTheScoop.

TUSKEGEE, Alabama — There aren't many better examples for Top247 edge rusher Joseph Phillips to follow than Willie Whitehead. 

Originally from Tuskegee, Whitehead walked on at Auburn in 1991 before earning a scholarship and by the time he was a senior, he became a productive pass-rusher for the Tigers and racked up 65 tackles and five sacks in '94. From there, he signed on with the San Fransisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent, also getting some time in the CFL before really establishing himself during a seven-year stint with the New Orleans Saints.

Now, Whitehead works as a trainer in Atlanta and returns home to Tuskegee every Tuesday to help out with the Booker T. Washington squad.

"Oh, very special," Whitehead told Auburn Undercover about his time working with Booker T. "It’s my home and I love it. We’ve been through a lot as a city, Tuskegee especially. Not getting exposure and now we’ve got a great coach — Coach (Lawrence) O’Neal — a great staff. Got to the playoffs last year, I just want to see them get to the state. I want to see more guys get scholarship offers, so it’s not just a one-off here or there, it’s three or four, five, six guys. We have the talent. Why not us?"

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

JUCO safety Laquan Robinson places Auburn in top five

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

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Hugh Freeze and the Auburn coaching staff are beginning to take a look at the junior college ranks in an effort to fill out their 2024 recruiting board.

Like their high school targets, Auburn is going big when it comes to landing the best players from the JUCO level. One of the nation’s top JUCO recruits recently revealed his top five choices and has included Auburn in the mix.

Buy Tigers Tickets

Laquan Robinson, a three-star JUCO safety originally from Greenville, Alabama, dropped his top five on Tuesday. Joining Auburn in the hunt to land him are Florida, Houston, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.

As a high school recruit, Robinson was ranked as a four-star by On3 and 247Sports in the 2022 recruiting class and was the No. 20 player from the state of Alabama for the cycle. He was considered to be one of the top available prospects following early signing day in January 2022 by On3.

Laquan Robinson is another prospect who has very little happen recently in his recruitment. Ole Miss and Auburn were considered the leaders at one point, but it remains to be seen if that is still the case.

While he searches for his next home, he currently resides on the Holmes Community College football roster. According to 247Sports, Robinson is the No. 5 JUCO prospect for the 2024 class and is the No. 1 safety.

HERE we go Top 5!!📣📣 locked in now‼️ pic.twitter.com/IOKl1E4z7T

— Laquan Robinson (@3LaQuanRobinson) August 1, 2023

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auburntigers.com

 

Meet the Coaches: Auburn offensive line coach Jake Thornton

Auburn University Athletics

6–7 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. – Kickoff on The Plains is one month from Wednesday. It will mark the first Tiger Walk of 2023. The first eagle flight. The first football game. For Jake Thornton, it will be the first time he will take the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the Auburn sideline.

Thornton, Auburn’s offensive line coach who was hired in December, has been to Jordan-Hare twice before – once as a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2017 and again as the offensive line coach at Ole Miss in 2021. Alabama came in ranked No. 1 while Ole Miss was ranked No. 9. Auburn won both games.

“Every SEC stadium is big. They’ve got great stuff. But when you play here at Auburn, it’s very intimidating,” Thornton said. “When you pull into the stadium, like in 2017 for the Iron Bowl, the Auburn people are all over you. It’s not that they’re shaking the bus or throwing stuff at the bus. It’s just – they’re everywhere. They’re all wearing their Auburn stuff, and they’re chanting ‘War Eagle.’ It’s very imposing.

“I tell every recruit I talk to. That game in 2021 was the loudest crowd I’ve ever been a part of. It was deafening. Right when we walked out for pre-game, the student section was already filled. That’s the most packed stadium I have ever been in that early. They’re on top of you right away."

Thornton is a football guy. He grew up around the game. At 6 years old, he spent the week in Canton, Ohio when his grandfather, Billy Shaw, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Shaw played 10 years in the NFL as an offensive guard for the Buffalo Bills.

“I can remember just about everything about it,” Thornton said. “At the time, I didn’t understand how special that was. But now looking back on it, it was awesome. He still calls me, talks about football. He’s involved with a lot of different things in my life and my family’s life.”

Thornton, like Shaw, played offensive line. He was a three-year starter at Western Carolina before graduating and getting into coaching. He started out as an assistant offensive line coach at his alma mater and made stops at Alabama (GA), Tennessee Tech, Gardner-Webb and most recently Ole Miss.

That’s when Hugh Freeze called and offered him the job at Auburn.

Immediately, Thornton was intrigued. He’d seen the atmosphere at Auburn first-hand. He knew how special it was. He also knew what Auburn was capable of with the right coach. Growing up in Toccoa, Georgia – right in between Clemson and Georgia – it was Auburn who was the premier program during that time. The Tigers consistently won nine or more games and then won a national championship in 2010.

In the world of college football where there’s so much transition all the time, we wanted to come here and grow as a family and build this o-line up to be the best unit in the country.

Jake Thornton

But the biggest reason Thornton took the Auburn job wasn’t the atmosphere or the tradition. It was Freeze. He had never played or coached under Freeze, but he saw the success Freeze had at Ole Miss on the field and also knew how important family was to Freeze off the field.

“I always knew he had a winning mentality when it came to football,” Thornton said. “And then when I was at Ole Miss, Derrick Nix – Coach Freeze’s running backs coach at Ole Miss – he and I got really close. I look at him like a mentor of mine. He always talked highly of Coach Freeze – how good of a guy he was, how he treated them in the office, and most importantly, how he treated families.

“I’m willing to work, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get our guys ready to go play and win games, I just want my family taken care of. Because when I know they’re taken care of, I feel like I can do my job to my maximum performance.”

Thornton’s family consists of his wife, Alyssa, and their two children, Shaw (3) and Sutton (8 months). The decision to come to Auburn was as much about them as anything.

“We came to Auburn to be at Auburn and to be here,” Thornton said. “In the world of college football where there’s so much transition all the time, we wanted to come here and to grow here and grow as a family and build this o-line up to be the best unit in the country. We’re devoted to doing that. We want to be involved in the community and be a part of Auburn and be Auburn people.”

For any coach, the first year is always a challenging one. But Thornton has had his hands full since he arrived at Auburn with building an offensive line that features so many new faces and meshing those new players with the returning players. The Tigers brought in five transfers, six with the recent addition of Northwestern transfer Dylan Senda, and four freshmen this offseason. 

It is up to Thornton to put the best unit on the field and lay a foundation for the future, but he hasn’t had to do too much to build chemistry. The players have already done a good bit of that on their own. 

“I felt like it took our guys a month, and they acted like they had been together for five years,” Thorton said. “That’s a huge credit to the culture of Auburn, what this community means to these guys and also what Coach Freeze has done with the culture of the team.”

The true test will come in one month when Auburn opens the season with Kickoff on The Plains.

Thornton can’t wait. He'll be on the right sideline this time. 

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al.com

Goodman: With a splash, Hugh Freeze sends a message to the SEC

Updated: Aug. 02, 2023, 8:14 a.m.|Published: Aug. 02, 2023, 7:12 a.m.

5–6 minutes

The message sent by Hugh Freeze was clear. He’s coming for the dynasty.

The goal is to officially end the one in Tuscaloosa. The hope is to maybe start one at Auburn.

Fall camp begins on Thursday for the Tigers and for the Crimson Tide. College football is back, baby, and with it comes a glorious sunrise on The Plains. For the first time in years, Auburn will go into the preseason with more buzz around its program than Alabama.

On Saturday, Freeze received a poolside commitment from five-star receiver Perry Thompson. It was the stunning climax of Auburn’s first Big Cat Weekend under its new coach. Thompson is from Foley, and he was previously committed to Alabama. The Crimson Tide thought it was getting the next great receiver from Lower Alabama. Nope. Freeze flipped a player who Alabama fans were already calling the Crimson Tide’s next Julio Jones.

It was all by design and served as a reminder to anyone who might have forgotten an important lesson about Freeze. Auburn’s new coach is calculated, shrewd and, most importantly, a talented recruiter with the ability to build an SEC powerhouse.

And it all came with a touch of theater.

RELATED: Some late-summer spice added to Iron Bowl scrap

RELATED: Auburn’s three biggest storylines entering fall camp

RELATED: Alabama’s three biggest storylines entering fall camp

GOODMAN: Finding refuge on a soccer field in Birmingham

Freeze had been maintaining a low profile until this past week. With SEC Media Days out of the way, Freeze began making his moves … and they were brilliant. First, Auburn’s coach landed an enormous commitment from five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick of Chilton County. Riddick chose Auburn over Alabama and Georgia. With the lodestone defender of his 2024 recruiting class in place, Freeze was set to make the largest splash possible during one of Auburn’s most important recruiting weekends of the year.

The splash came figuratively and literally, too, because after Thompson committed to Auburn and Freeze, the players attending Big Cat Weekend picked Freeze up like he had just won a national championship and then launched Auburn’s coach into the pool. It was fun. It was entertaining. It was Freeze announcing his return to the SEC.

Freeze came to Auburn with some baggage, but he’s already delivering major victories for the Tigers before the preseason even begins. Season tickets sold out earlier this summer and single-game tickets are already gone for home games against Samford, Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama. Get your tickets fast for anything that remains. Auburn football has a pulse again. The blood is flowing.

The mighty roar of Jordan-Hare Stadium will be deafening for the home opener against UMass on Sept.2.

The dark days seem so long ago now. This time last year, Auburn football entered fall camp at war with itself. It was ugly. It was embarrassing. My fingertips felt dirty just writing about it. Then came Halloween. Trick or treat, Bryan Harsin. After months of ignominy, after having to watch Bo Nix dismantle the Pac-12, after witnessing a corpse walk the sidelines on Pat Dye Field, finally, beautifully, Auburn fired one of the worst football coaches in the history of the SEC.

They asked a beloved Auburn Man to restore dignity on The Plains. It took Cadillac Williams 60 minutes.

That was the beginning of Auburn’s return and don’t anyone ever forget it. It was Cadillac who saved Auburn from the fall. It’s Freeze and Williams together who are restoring balance to The Force.

“Auburn football is A-OK,” Williams said on social media after the commitment from Thompson.

It just takes one.

In the SEC, when it comes to recruiting, it just takes one big splash to begin a title wave. Now comes everything after, and it is how Freeze navigates the ripples of his disruption that will determine Auburn’s future.

With Auburn aligned, the SEC should probably brace for a flood.

What can one recruiting splash do for a program? Auburn was picked to finish sixth in the SEC West this season, but any struggles will now be viewed as building blocks for what’s to come.

What can one commitment bring? Freeze knows his SEC history and so does every college football fan in Alabama.

While Nick Saban was busy chasing Georgia, Alabama’s coach was losing ground, and recruits, to Auburn. It’s a ruthless game, and no one plays it better than Saban. Freeze learned from the best.

Thompson, the receiver from Foley, announced the decision to spurn Alabama with Freeze casually standing by his side. What can one recruiting victory signal? How about a new fight between old friends.

It was Saban who started a flood in 2008 with a receiver from Foley. We all know what happened next, and now we’re all watching Auburn to see how one major splash sends shockwaves through the SEC.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama”, a book about togetherness, hope and rum. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

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yahoo.com

 

Ex-Auburn football player helps bail out wife, her lover who are accused of plotting his murder: report

Rebecca Rosenberg

3–4 minutes

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Former Auburn football player Robert Shiver helped bail out his estranged wife Lindsay Shiver and her alleged accomplices after they were charged with trying to have him killed, according to a local report.

Prosecutors withdrew their objection to the release of Lindsay, 36; her alleged lover, Terrance Bethel, 28; and accused hitman Faron Newbold Jr., 29, after speaking to the target of the alleged plot, the Bahamas Court News reported.

Robert, 38, responded "no comment" when reached by phone.

The trio was arrested July 21 in Abaco, Bahamas, and shipped to Nassau after police uncovered the alleged scheme in WhatsApp messages on the phone of a suspected burglar at Grabbers Bar and Grill on Great Guana Cay, the outlet reported.

EX-AUBURN FOOTBALL PLAYER WAS LOCKED IN NASTY CUSTODY BATTLE BEFORE WIFE'S ALLEGED MURDER PLOT

They've been held at the Fox Hill Prison, the only detention center in the Bahamas, but may soon be free to enjoy the country's crystal blue waters again.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Lindsay is expected to be freed on $100,000 bail, but must wear an ankle monitor and remain in the tourist destination, where she and her husband regularly vacation at their home with their three sons.

COUPLE ALLEGEDLY BURNED MARINE EX-HUSBAND'S BODY IN ‘SOPHISTICATED’ MURDER PLOT

Bethel and Newbold were each granted $20,000 bail and will also have to wear an ankle tracking device. The trio will have to sign in three times a week at the Marsh Harbour Police Station.

The accused will continue to be detained until the court approves their sureties.

The former football player, who spent one season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2009, and his beauty pageant wife were in the midst of a vicious divorce.

 

Lindsay Shiver's husband filed for divorce after finding out about her alleged affair.

 

The pair were squabbling over custody of their children; the $2.5 million mansion in Thomasville, Georgia, they were both living in; and use of their private jet, according to court papers obtained by Fox News Digital.

Robert filed for divorce in April on grounds of "adulterous conduct." Lindsay had allegedly started an affair with Bethel while at their vacation home in the Caribbean, according to the Thomasville Times-Enterprise.

TENNESSEE MAN WHO PLOTTED WITH TEXAS LOVER TO KILL HUSBAND AFTER SHE LIED ABOUT ABUSE SENTENCED TO 62 YEARS

She denied having an illicit liaison while the pair were still together and accused Robert of physical and mental abuse.

The Alabama beauty queen was scheduled to be deposed in their divorce on July 18 shortly before her arrest — but the hearing was pushed back to Oct. 31, court records show.

Lindsay is a stay-at-home mom, while Robert appears to work in business.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS

His father, Allen Shiver, served as CEO of Flowers Foods for four decades before stepping down in 2019 from the bakery company that's reportedly worth more than $5 billion.

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yahoo.com

 

Auburn named a ‘recruiting winner’ for the month of July

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

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There were few teams across the country that had a more enjoyable month in the world of recruiting than the Auburn Tigers had in the month of July.

Hugh Freeze landed six talented pieces from the 2024 cycle to his recruiting class, which was headlined by flips by five-stars Demarcus Riddick and Perry Thompson. Because of the Tigers’ success on the recruiting trail in July, On3 placed them in a group filled with July recruiting “winners.”

Auburn joins several big-name programs such as Ohio State, Georgia, and Tennessee as winners for the month. On3’s Keegan Pope acknowledges that Hugh Freeze is doing what he does best.

Among the biggest reasons for bringing Hugh Freeze to Auburn was his ability to stockpile talent. He has done so through the transfer portal this offseason, but what he’s done on the recruiting trail has been even more impressive. In the span of just a few days, Freeze flipped not one, but two five-stars committed to Georgia and Alabama. He started last week by beating out Nick Saban to flip UGA linebacker commit Demarcus Riddick and beat Saban again a few days later by flipping wideout Perry Thompson.

Outside of Riddick and Thompson, Auburn added wide receiver Malcolm Simmons, linebacker D'Angelo Barber, defensive lineman Malik Blocton, and cornerback Jayln Crawford to his recruiting class during the month of July.

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__

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It’s hotter than a burning bird’s nest. somone please check on bird...........

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i might have started too early thinking it would be super busy with non pay articles and i was wrong. as always i will check back and add stuff if and when it comes out. thanx for stopping by.

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al.com

 

Bo Jackson opening coffee shop and bar in new Auburn hotel

By Bob Carlton | bcarlton@al.com

3–4 minutes

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Turns out, Bo knows coffee, too.

Auburn football legend, two-sport superstar and Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson will open a coffee shop and bar in the new Graduate Auburn hotel that is coming to downtown Auburn in 2024.

The Graduate Auburn is part of the growing Nashville-based Graduate Hotels chain, which began in 2014 and has a collection of 33 college-themed hotels in university-centered cities across the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Auburn location will be at 202 West Magnolia Ave. on the site of the former Anders Bookstore, which closed last year after 56 years in business.

The hotel’s coffee shop and bar, which will be called Bo Jackson’s Beans, “will honor (Jackson’s) contributions to the sports world and decades-spanning career which began at Auburn University in 1982,” according to a media release from Graduate Hotels.

“I have always pushed myself to be the best at everything I do while focusing on initiatives that deliver a positive impact,” Jackson said in the release. “Bo Jackson’s Beans will be an extension of this mission, and I am excited to be partnering with Graduate Hotels to create a unique and welcoming space that helps me give back to the incredible community that gave me so much.”

Each Graduate Hotel location is unique to its city and nearby college, and the rooms and common areas are decorated in school colors with photos and memorabilia of famous alums, memorable games and campus landmarks.

“We’re all about recognizing the people and stories that are the fabric of each Graduate community, and you can’t talk about Auburn without Bo Jackson,” Ben Weprin, Graduate Hotels founder and CEO, said in the media release. “Bo is a real-life superhero who epitomizes hard work, passion, and the dream-chaser attitude that we celebrate so wholeheartedly, and we’re honored to partner with him in the place where his legendary career began.”

RELATED: The story behind Auburn’s new, world-class Rane Culinary Science Center

In addition to Bo Jackson’s Beans, the five-story Graduate Auburn will have 177 rooms, a rooftop deck, a dining area, on-site parking, and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The first Graduate Hotel opened in Athens, Ga., home of the University of Georgia, in 2014.

Other locations around the SEC footprint include Graduate Hotels in Oxford, Miss. (Ole Miss); Columbia, S.C. (South Carolina), Fayetteville, Ark. (Arkansas); Knoxville, Tenn. (Tennessee); and Nashville (Vanderbilt).

In addition to its Auburn hotel, Graduate Hotels has locations in development in Princeton, N.J., and in Austin and Dallas.

For more information about the Graduate Auburn, go here.

click the link for the picture.............

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Edited August 3, 2023 by aubiefifty

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tallahassee.com

 

Hugh Freeze performs a resurrection. Auburn football recruiting back from grave | Toppmeyer

Blake Toppmeyer

5–6 minutes

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Coaching Auburn football is tough if you can’t recruit the state of Alabama, and Bryan Harsin couldn’t.

Don’t take it from me, though.

Here’s how one Alabama high school coach described Harsin’s recruiting during an interview with former Montgomery Advertiser beat writer Bennett Durando before last season:

“Coach (Nick) Saban has come by and spent up to an hour visiting with us. And we’ve never seen Coach Harsin on campus.”

Idaho man Harsin was a ghost in the Yellowhammer State, and Auburn made him disappear last Halloween.

Some say Harsin, who lasted just 21 games, got a raw deal from Auburn. I say it’s a minor miracle Auburn kept him that long.

Hugh Freeze, in eight months on the job, has brought Auburn back from the recruiting grave. He’s achieved that rebirth foremost by re-establishing Auburn’s presence within its home state.

Five-star instate wide receiver Perry Thompson flipped his pledge from Alabama to Auburn last week while standing on a pool deck during an Auburn recruiting visit. Freeze got tossed into the pool during the ensuing jubilation.

Worth it.

“Nick Saban, good coach, you know, … but I know he specializes in DBs, and my main position is receiver,” Thompson said of his decision. “I know Hugh Freeze has got a background of developing receivers to the higher level.”

Saban, a good coach? Try the greatest of all time.

And, this idea that Alabama is some slouch at developing receivers? Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith might like a word.

Nevertheless, wide receivers have posted monster numbers playing for Freeze, who has never struggled to win over recruits. Adhering to recruiting rules became his issue at Ole Miss, but it’s a new day in the NCAA, and the NIL era is tailormade for coaches like Freeze.

Just how notable is Thompson’s commitment?

Pretty big, when you consider Auburn hasn’t signed a five-star recruit since linebacker Owen Pappoe highlighted the 2019 class. Thompson is the seventh national top-250 prospect to commit to Auburn’s 2024 class. Five of those recruits are from Alabama high schools.

The help can’t arrive soon enough.

Freeze’s inaugural team will rely on transfers to plug holes in the deficient depth chart he inherited. That’ll have to do for now, and keeping an eye on the transfer portal is a must. But, most coaches will tell you – and Georgia’s Kirby Smart is proving – that high school recruiting remains the groundwork for championships.

Auburn is blessed with the opportunity to fill the bulk of its roster with prospects from within 250 miles of campus. Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle combine to provide enviable recruiting terrain.

Its chore is going against recruiting behemoths Alabama and Georgia.

Alabama’s got an awfully good recruiting pitch: Come play for the GOAT, whose track record for producing NFL talent speaks for itself.

Georgia’s pitch is strong, too: Come play for college football’s best thing going and a coach who’s developing talent as if he’s Saban 2.0.

Auburn’s counter: Come play for a player friendly coach who beat Saban twice at Ole Miss.

AUBURN RECRUITING:How Hugh Freeze has built relationships with instate coaches

'WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE AUBURN':5-star recruit Perry Thompson explains his commitment

COMMITMENTS WITH 'FAMILY':How Auburn football enjoyed historic success at Big Cat recruiting event

AU’s pitch worked on Thompson, who apparently wasn’t enamored with Alabama. Thompson said Saban tried to persuade him to attend Alabama’s “little cookout thing” last week. He opted for Auburn’s Big Cat weekend and made a commitment reversal that resulted in Freeze going for an impromptu swim.

That came after Auburn belly-flopped in its 2023 recruiting class, signing just one of the state’s top 15 prospects, while Alabama signed seven of the state’s top 15.

Harsin’s fate was sealed in 2022, after he signed one of the state’s top 15 prospects. Alabama nabbed six.

Outpunching Alabama within the state won’t happen every year, but Auburn must do better than getting trounced at a 7- or 6-to-1 rate among top-15 instate prospects.

“I hope that the high school coaches and players have sensed our willingness to do whatever it takes to get back in the game,” Freeze said in April. “We've got to win some battles in this state.”

So far, Freeze is winning his fair share.

Thompson became the fifth recruit ranked among the instate top 15 to commit to Auburn. He had pledged to Alabama while Harsin coached the Tigers. Freeze altered the course.

Deric Scott, Thompson’s coach at Foley High School, told AL.com that Auburn's recruiting shift under Freeze is a “100 to 1 change” from Harsin, and he described Freeze as having “a magnetic personality.”

That’s one man’s opinion, but Thompson’s commitment offers further evidence that Freeze resurrected Auburn’s recruiting within the state.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfiltered newsletter.

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si.com

 

Guessing Auburn football's offensive depth chart entering fall camp

Zac Blackerby

~4 minutes

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Auburn football's offense will look very different than a year ago.

Auburn football's offense has plenty to work on as fall camp gets going on the Plains.

A quarterback battle, running backs fighting for more carries, a brand new offensive line, and a ton of new wide receivers are all things that Hugh Freeze, Philip Montgomery, and the offense staff will have to work on before the season starts.

Some of these are my opinions and others are confirmed via a source. Let's take a stab at the offense.

Quarterback

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

1. Payton Thorne AND Robby Ashford

2. Holden Geriner

3. Hank Brown

Both Thorne and Ashford are listed as starters per a source. I believe Thorne will win the job and Ashford will have a role in the offense when the season starts.

Running back

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

1. Jarquez Hunter

2. Brian Battie

3. Damari Alston

4. Jeremiah Cobb

X Wide Receiver

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

1. Camden Brown

2. Shane Hooks

3, Nick Mardner

Hooks could find himself starting here over Brown. Considering Brown missed the spring with an injury, both could find themselves on a level playing field as they compete through camp.

Nick Mardner is also in the mix as a 6-foot-6 transfer from Cincinnati.

Z Wide Receiver

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

1. Jyaire Shorter

2. Koy Moore

3. Nick Mardner

According to Hugh Freeze, Shorter is dealing with some injuries but will be able to go. If he is able to recover during camp, he should end up as the Tigers' starting Z receiver against UMass. His explosiveness is too valuable.

Koy Moore brings a steady presence to the receiver room and should push to start for the second season in a row after transferring in from LSU.

H Wide Receiver

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

1. Ja'Varrius Johnson

2. Caleb Burton

3. Jay Fair

Johnson led the team in receiving yards a season ago and should be a consistent target in Freeze's offense. Caleb Burton transferred in from Ohio State and should see more playing time next season. Jay Fair is a name that many have been excited about since spring practice. He could make a push up the depth chart.

Tight end

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

1. Rivaldo Fairweather AND Luke Deal

2. Tyler Fromm

3. Micah RIley-Ducker

Both Fairweather and Deal are listed as starters currently per source.

The offensive line is tricky from a back up stand point. There's a chance Connor Lew is the back up at multiple positions but I took a stab at assigning a backup at each spot.

Left Tackle

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

1. Dillon Wade

2. Jaden Muskrat

Wade should get the start here barring injury. His former Tulsa teammate Muskrat will likely back him up and a position the Tigers desperately need to get right.

Left Guard

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

1. Tate Johnson

2. Jeremiah Wright

Right now, Tate Johnson is the starter at left guard per source. Many believe Wright will win the job before the season starts.

Center

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

1. Avery Jones

2. Connor Lew

Jones, a transfer from East Carolina, should get the nod here.

Many have been very impressed with how freshman Connor Lew has performed.

Right Guard

Trey Lee/ Auburn Daily

1. Kam Stutts

2. Tate Johnson

The veteran Stutts should start at right guard.

Right Tackle

Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

1. Gunner Britton

2. Izavion Miller

WKU transfer Gunner Britton may be Auburn's best offensive lineman.

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247sports.com

 

Deal says Auburn football has a new energy heading into preseason practices

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

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Auburn's Luke Deal talks about the Tigers as they open practices on Thursday.

VIDEO: A look at Auburn's class of transfers

AUBURN, Alabama—The momentum started last season following the firing of Bryan Harsin and several assistants from his staff, leaving Cadillac Williams and the rest of the coaches to lead the way for a group of players that never stopped playing until the final seconds ticked off the clock for the 2022 season.

When Hugh Freeze was named as Auburn’s next head coach in December, things got an energy boost right away. That has only intensified after a strong transfer portal haul in December and throughout the summer combined with positive momentum in the 2024 recruiting class.

Now the Tigers take the field on Thursday morning for the first preseason practice under Freeze, and they do so with the feeling of an entire fanbase fully behind them. With season tickets sold out and excitement continuing to grow, senior tight end Luke Deal says it’s absolutely something the players are feeling as they get ready to put in the work this August to get ready for the season.

“I think that momentum, whether it’s a new staff or new players or anything, it’s something that has gotten Auburn buzzing since then,” Deal tells Auburnundercover. “We definitely thrive with Auburn support. People are so excited for this season, so excited for coach Freezed and his staff, so excited for the new transfers and just how we’re all going to mesh together. I think that has helped us within the locker room. You usually block out outside noise, but right now with the momentum high we’re on after being really low at mid-year last year, it has been really, really good.”

The players are also feeling good after a very productive summer of strength and conditioning under coach Dom Studzinski and his staff. With so many new faces and a team that has had an edge about it since the way last season transpired, Deal says there are different expectations around this team that have been build through the hard work this summer.

“The biggest thing for us, football-wise, has been a lot of our conditioning,” Deal said. “Our conditioning is really football related. It’s short, football movements, but also really, really hard. I know a lot of people talked about how hard the Harsin era was in strength and conditioning, which it was, but so is coach Dom’s in its own respect. More than football, I feel like it’s built our team up. We’ve gotten to the point where we hold each other accountable. Everybody goes out there working hard and you’ve got guys talking in each group. It has been huge for this program. That definitely contributes to some of the excited nature within the locker room.”

With over 40 new players on the roster and a new attitude around the football program, Deal says this team is ready to get to work and hit the ground running on Thursday.

“It’s kind of different from years past,” Deal says. “There’s a lot of guys new here and a lot of guys have never been through a camp here. I talked to everybody. I talked to our quarterbacks, I talked to our offensive linemen, a bunch of different guys. They’re really anxious and excited just to get going. I talked to a couple of guys in our room. They’re so ready for actual ball to be played. Workouts are great and that’s where our team gets really close and we get in really good shape, but when you put on the pads it’s a different story.”

 

Dukes' Scoops: Intel on KJ Bolden's impending decision

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al.com

 

Auburn’s quarterback battle begins with Payton Thorne taking first snaps

Published: Aug. 03, 2023, 11:53 a.m.

4–5 minutes

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Junior quarterback Payton Thorne takes snaps during the open period of Auburn's first preseason practice. He transferred to Auburn from Michigan State this offseason. (Wesley Sinor | Wsinor@al.com)

If fans wanted a quick answer to who will be starting at quarterback for Auburn come the opener against UMass in a month, then this isn’t the right place.

After months of talking about an upcoming quarterback battle mixing new faces with old ones, Auburn finally had the group together on the same field Thursday. And for the first time, that meant coaches got to take a look at Payton Thorne.

Thursday was Auburn’s first practice of fall camp, and during a period open to media head coach Hugh Freeze’s quarterbacks took turns running plays with a full 11 on offense. They practiced against air, and Thorne was the first quarterback on the field.

 

Thorne took a handful of snaps with what appeared to be a group resembling the first-team offense.

Though Thorne may have been the first quarterback on the field, Freeze set the expectation as to not take too much away from that.

“They’re all gonna rotate through the first five practices really evenly amongst the 1s and 2s and 3s,” Freeze said. “We’ll evaluate all of those reps and kind of recalibrate and sit down and kind of go through there after the first five.”

Thorne’s session included mostly short-to-intermediate passes. For the junior, Thursday served similarly to the first day of school, as he inserted himself into a real Auburn practice for the first time. It is the true beginning of his work to build chemistry with a group of players not just new to him, but new to Auburn in general including junior tight end Rivaldo Fairweather and redshirt freshman receiver Caleb Burton.

Redshirt freshman Holden Geriner, who Freeze has spoken very highly of throughout the summer, was second to take snaps. And in a small sample size, Geriner looked impressive. He opened up a few more deep passes than Thorne’s first turn, highlighted with a pass into the corner of the endzone for Caleb Burton — one of at least 20 scholarship players who have joined Auburn’s roster since the end of spring practices.

Robby Ashford, who started games for Auburn at the end of the 2022 season, was the third quarterback to take a turn. He mostly ran running plays during his snaps. Freshman Hank Brown also saw a turn during the period open to the media.

Yet while Thursday may have been the true beginning of Freeze’s evaluation of the quarterbacks for this season — especially given it being Thorne’s first day — he has already built a strong relationship with the Michigan State transfer.

“It’s impossible for you not to visit with Payton because he demands it,” Freeze said. “I’m in my phone every day (and Payton says), ‘Hey coach, you got any free time today? Hey coach, you got any free time today?’ I love that about him. So, yes. I feel very comfortable with who he is and his leadership and his desire and his preparation and his football IQ. But you’ve got to make plays, and I haven’t seen that yet. And truthfully, I’m excited about the competition between he and Robby and Holden. I think it’s going to make them all better.”

 

The battle between those three will be among the biggest stories of fall camp. At SEC Media Days, Freeze said he hoped to quickly narrow it down to a top two.

It’s certainly too early to get a read on who that top guy will be. Freeze said he doesn’t want to set a date of when he will have a decision.

And even when he does get to that point, it doesn’t mean a decision is permanent.

“Heck, it may be three games into the season before we really know this is absolutely the guy we’ve got to roll with when it’s crunch time,” Freeze said. “We’ll have a starter game one. Does it remain bonafide? Show me the stats from game one. It comes down to how is the quarterback judged. He’s judged by how the team plays around him and his win-loss record.”

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Here is the printed info if you do not want to sit through thirty something minutes of video.

 

al.com

Hugh Freeze addresses media before Auburn’s first fall camp practice

Updated: Aug. 03, 2023, 9:19 a.m.|Published: Aug. 03, 2023, 8:21 a.m.

4–5 minutes

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze's first fall camp press conference

By

Ainslie Lee | alee@al.com

Matt Cohen | mcohen@al.com

Finally, the Auburn Tigers are back in the football facility as fall camp begins Thursday. Practice will begin around 9:30 with an open viewing period for the media.

Beforehand, head coach Hugh Freeze will give a press conference starting at 8:30 to prepare for the preseason. Follow along below for live updates from his session:

— Hugh Freeze opens in expressing his excitement to start fall camp. Remarks on the importance of spring practice and recruiting, but now it’s time to piece it all together.

— “We’re excited to see how we handle the mental and physical toughness,” Freeze said. Adds that he felt the team got bigger and stronger during summer workouts.

— When asked about the availability of running back Jarquez Hunter, Freeze said the situation will continue to be addressed internally and not discussed publicly.

— Freeze said this is the “most uncomfortable” he’s been heading into fall camp. Says he feels anxious that he might be a little behind in evaluation considering all the new faces on the team, emphasizing adding a new quarterback late.

— “To rebuild a roster, we did the right thing. Now we’ve gotta hurry up and go catch up,” Freeze said.

— On the addition of Northwestern offensive lineman transfer Dylan Senda: “He’s a big, good looking dude. And he’s a freshman. I think we’ve added a guy that’s got a long-term future here.”

— On his relationship with transfer QB Payton Thorne: “It’s impossible not to visit with Payton because he demands it,” Freeze says. Adds that he’s comfortable with the relationship he’s building with Thorne, but still hasn’t see Thorne in action.

— On the wide receiver room: “I do think we’ve improved that room in recruiting,” Freeze said. Added that he also believes some of the returners have the potential to be better than what they’ve shown to date.

— Early in camp, Freeze hopes to see the quarterbacks compete and wants to see who the team rallies around the most. Says that Robby Ashford, Payton Thorne and Holden Geriner will rotate evenly through the opening five practices.

— On recent recruiting success: “I think I’ve talked to most of the (call of) 2025 guys this week... I feel pretty good about the momentum we have right now.” Adds that the recruiting process is never over in the SEC.

— “I’ve always felt I was pretty decent at recruiting and I had a good plan... I think it’s easy to recruit at Auburn. It’s one of the elite teams in the country,” Freeze said, adding he’s still adjusting to the new world of college football, which includes the transfer portal and NIL.

— Which group excites Freeze the most: “If there’s a room that really excites me, I’m really excited about our O-Line... Obviously the quarterback room, you’re excited to see how they compete.”

— On the message he’s trying to send to the team and what he wants to see from the guys: “The commitment it takes to win today. It’s that simple to me. Do we have the toughness through the commitment we’ve declared to win today? And then stack the days... That’s the secret sauce.”

- Freeze said part of camp is going to be tearing people down, but said that’s where success comes from as he’ll bring people back up. Freeze wants to keep Auburn fun, and joked that he hopes his players will say the same at the end of fall camp.

- “I loved our running back room in the spring...I think we’ve got good players there,” Hugh Freeze says on a potential running back room without Jarquez Hunter.

- Freeze gives an injury update: running back Brian Battie will be limited but will still practice. Freeze says a few others will be limited but doesn’t expect anyone to be held out of practice.

- Going into the first game of the year, Hugh Freeze says Auburn may not have a sure-fire starter at that point. This seems like it could be a fluid situation.

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