8.13.23 Football Articles

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si.com

Auburn football ranked a top 15 job in college football

Lance Dawe

2–3 minutes

247Sports believes Auburn is one of the 15 best jobs in college football.

There's a stigma out there that Auburn is an undesirable job in college football.

Considering the Tigers' history, resources, and fanbase, it's hard to picture anyone looking down on Auburn as a bad place to be.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently wrote an excellent piece ranking his top 25 jobs in college football. He ranked the Auburn Tigers at No. 15 in the nation.

Here's what Crawford had to say about Auburn:

"Auburn is a top 11 job with regards to recruiting prowess over the past two decades and the Tigers have a national championship to show for it along with an unbeaten season in 2004. Those who fund the program just paid Bryan Harsin to go away after one, unsuccessful season at a costly price after first attempting to sabotage his tenure in the widely-reported saga that unfolded over several months on The Plains. In that regard, it's not an easy job in the middle of the high-pressure SEC with three of the top 5 programs nationally as primary rivals, but you can win here. Jordan-Hare Stadium offers a unique environment and new coach Hugh Freeze is showing quickly after a few recent five-star flips that recruiting's of utmost importance and focus."

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Social Media reacts to Auburn landing 4-star defenisve lineman TJ Lindsey

JD McCarthy

~2 minutes

Auburn has landed yet another blue-chip recruit. This time it’s four-star defensive lineman TJ Lindsey who picked the Tigers over Texas, Miami and Texas A&M Saturday afternoon.

Lindsey is Auburn’s 16th commitment in the 2024 recruiting class, 14 of which are blue chips. He is the second commit that defensive line coach Jeremy Garret has landed, joining four-star Malik Blocton.

Buy Tigers Tickets

Originally from Arkansas, he is set to play his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida. He is the No. 304 overall player and No. 34 defensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite ranking.

The addition of Lindsey fired up the Auburn fanbase which took to social media to celebrate, here are the top reactions.

Gettin chilly 👀🥶📈🦅‼️

— Auburn FB Recruiting (@AuburnMade) August 12, 2023

Let’s go! Our family just got bigger and better 🦅#WDE

— Logan Bradley (@CoachBradleyAU) August 12, 2023

Harsin set Auburn back so far

I’m glad Hugh freeze is putting effort into recruiting and getting Auburn back to where they should be

— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) August 12, 2023

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si.com

 

How does Coach Hugh Freeze compare with the other head coaches in the SEC East?

Joshua Collins

8–10 minutes

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How does Coach Hugh Freeze stack up in the SEC East?

In this story:

Auburn Tigers

With the beginning of the 2023 college football season nearly upon us many teams and fan bases across the country are taking stock of their programs performance during the spring and fall camps while also evaluating the new recruits on their rosters. Actively weighing out their opportunities and making lofty predictions about their teams’ chances along the way.

With a mostly brand-new coaching staff on the plains since the hiring of Coach Hugh Freeze in November of last year, many are asking how Coach Hugh Freeze compares to the other head coaches within the SEC. With this two-part article series, we will weigh Coach Freeze’s career winning ratio and the culture he brings with him to the Auburn family against that of the other head coaches in both the SEC West and the SEC East.

We will cap-off this series with the SEC East, taking a brief look at the cadre of head coaches who lead arguably some of the best teams in college football today, providing some of the stiffest coaching competition for Coach Hugh Freeze to stack up with.

Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze:

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

As a faithful and diehard Auburn fan I will have to lead off with Coach Hugh Freeze and what he brings to the table as the 31^st head coach of the Auburn Tigers football program. Coach Freeze comes to plains from Liberty University after a very impressive and successful 4 years as the head of their football program, where he led the Flames to four bowl game appearances and produced a 34-15 record at the helm. Coach Freeze brings with him 12-years’ worth of collegiate head coaching experience with an overall career win-loss record of 103-47 making for a 68-percent win ratio.

More importantly Coach Freeze brings with him a culture of hope, tenacity, and hard work to make the changes so desperately needed within the Auburn football program to turn the page to a brighter and more successful future for not only the athletes and the student body but also the loyal Auburn fanbase. In quoting Coach Freeze in a recent Auburn media release, his message to the players on the team highlights so much about his character as a head coach and a mentor to these young men asking of his players “Will there be a fire burning inside you that’s hotter than any furnace that is put before you.” 

This sentiment speaks to the value Coach Freeze places on putting all your soul into this game we all know and love. This is the culture he brings to the plains, and I am excited to see it grow across the roster and across the fan base as his career begins on the plains. 

Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart:

Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off back-to-back National Championship wins, Kirby Smart has proven his ability to coach at the highest level in college football. Looking to establish himself as one of the first coaches to three-peat a national championship Coach Smart should always be looked at as a threat on the gridiron. Boasting a career win-loss record of 81-15 making for an 84-percent win ratio, Coach Kirby is quickly establishing himself as one of the best coaches in the SEC. As an Auburn fan this is definitely a difficult pill to swallow, but I would be remiss to not mention it. Coach Smart values hardnosed play on the field and looks to power through his opponents. The Deep Souths oldest rivalry will always remain strong, especially while Coach Kirby Smart remains at the helm in Athens. 

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel:

© Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coach Josh Heupel is entering the 2023 season having accomplished an almost legendary defeat of the Crimson Tide last season at home. One of the younger head coaches in the SEC, Coach Heupel has a career win-loss record of 46-19, making for a 70-percent win ratio. Coach Heupel has taken the Volunteers from a dumpster-fire program to a relevant team within the SEC in only two years’ time, which in and of itself is a feat worth mentioning. Known for his fast-paced offensive schemes, Coach Heupel will be one to watch as his career progresses.

Florida Head Coach Billy Napier:

© Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Returning for his second season with the Florida Gators Coach Billy Napier is looking to produce a much better season than his last, managing only a 6-7 win-loss record. With this fire to remain out of the Gainesville hotseat you can guarantee he will be looking to make the best of the upcoming 2023 season. Despite his somewhat weak inaugural season, Coach Napier is no stranger to coaching winning football. Boasting a career win-loss record of 46-19 making for a 70-percent win ratio, Coach Napier is looking to return to his winning ways. Also known for fast paced offenses look for the Gators to reach to become a powerhouse team once more under Coach Napier’s leadership should the pieces fall together.  

South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer:

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into his career third season as a head coach, Coach Shane Beamer is looking to looking to help the South Carolina Gamecocks relevant within the SEC again. Considering this is his first head coaching job, Coach Beamer has earned a career 15-11 win-loss record making for a 57-percent win ratio. Coach Beamer is known for being a special teams guru, and is also known for favoring smash-mouth defenses. Looking to continue with the momentum he has built at the program over the past two seasons, look for Coach Beamer to try to shake things up this upcoming season. 

Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz:

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Eli Drinkwitz has made impressive strides with Missouri in his tenure as head coach thus far. Known for fielding physical and fast teams year-over-year, Coach Drinkwitz has been known to ruin some rivals chances for perfect seasons producing several upsets. Coach Drinkwitz has a career win-loss record of 29-20 making for a 59-percent win ratio. The Missouri Tigers and Coach Drinkwitz are a team and a coach fans of SEC football know better than to sleep on as they are always an upset away. Look for him to continue his coaching stride heading in to the upcoming 2023 football season. 

Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops:

© Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coach Mark Stoops has become a staple of the Kentucky Wildcat fanbase with an almost cult like following. He has seen the Wildcats to some of their highest success since the days of Bear Bryant, and he is looking to maintain that momentum coming in to the 2023 football season. He is a crafty coach known for his incredible defensive prowess. Heading into his 10^th season as Kentucky’s head coach, Coach Stoops has career win-loss record of 66-59 making for a 53-percent win ratio. You can rest assured he will have his team prepared to play this coming 2023 football season. 

Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lea:

Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

Heading in to his third season as head coach as well is the Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lea. Manning the helm of one of the lowest ranked SEC team consistently year-over-year, is no easy feat to accomplish. Coach Lea is looking to change this narrative across the board. Despite only having a career win-loss record of 7-17 making for a meager 29-percent win ratio, Coach Lea is working hard to increase recruiting with Vandy. Coach Lea has a long and difficult road ahead to accomplish this task, however Coach Lea is a hardnosed coach prepared to put in the work required to do so. 

In closing, it’s important to remember that although stat lines and win-loss ratios may pop out on paper, the most important qualities of these coaches are the values of hard work and perseverance each of these leaders of men work hard to instill in each of the young men that grace their locker rooms. Although each fan will argue that their head coach is the best fit for the job, it’s the players opinions of their leaders that really matters.

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al.com

 

The new-look Auburn offensive line is going to ‘bring the juice’

Updated: Aug. 12, 2023, 3:41 p.m.|Published: Aug. 12, 2023, 7:00 a.m.

4–6 minutes

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There’s a lot to get acclimated to making the move to the SEC, so new Auburn offensive lineman Dillon Wade started with a table at Baumhauer’s Victory Grill and a plate of Bam-Bam Shrimp.

And of course, a greasy plate of chicken tenders at Foosackly’s too.

The food may be the simple part. The shrimp and chicken are reliable every time. Then comes the challenge of why Wade and a slew of other transfers were brought here.

Football Outsiders ranked Auburn’s 2022 offensive line among the bottom third of FBS teams in multiple statistics including sack rate. Auburn had to make changes and did so with new coaches and new players. Wade, who came to Auburn from Tulsa, is among three transfers that could start on the offensive line alongside Western Kentucky transfer Gunner Britton and East Carolina transfer Avery Jones.

Throughout periods of practice open to media, those three have been entrenched on Auburn’s first group of offensive linemen. Sixth-year guard Kam Stutts has also started every practice with that group on the right side. The left guard spot has been rotated between junior Jeremiah Wright and junior Tate Johnson.

It may be early, but their teammates have said they already notice an added energy in this group. Kentucky transfer defensive lineman Justin Rogers said he sees them giving their whole effort on literally every play — which other Auburn players said didn’t happen in previous camps.

“Really the whole offense line, they be bringing juice,” Rogers said. “It’s literally like we’re in the game every day going against them guys. So you’ve got to bring your A-game or, shoot, you’re going to get embarrassed.”

From his own side of the line of scrimmage, Wade said what Rogers sees is exactly what he’s trying to bring.

“We for sure bring the juice,” Wade said. “When we’re together, oh yeah, you better get out the way. You better get out the way.”

The on-field product started with building relationships off the field. Britton, Wade and Jones all committed to Auburn in late December or early January and have had time to get to know each other.

Britton said he’s gone with his new teammates to play golf. Wade isn’t a good enough golfer to play with Britton, he’ll admit, so he said goes to the gun range instead.

“A bunch of pieces from different places coming together to form one unit,” Wade said of building chemistry. “As much as you are together on the field, you have to be together off the field. We all go out to eat, hang out together and watch film together and bond.”

Wade said he was a “little raw” over the summer trying to play with purely his athleticism — Britton called Wade a “freak show” because of that. So fall camp has allowed Wade to focus more on his technique.

That technical focus also includes what it takes to play as a unit. And in fall camp, all the time spent together off the field as a unit is paying off on it.

“Spring, it was a little rough,” Wade said “Fall camp? We’ve come together quite lovely, I’ll say that. We’re almost there. Like a little bit more. A little bit more communication, a little bit more technique and we’re almost there.”

The talent infusion has allowed Auburn to play at the high-speed Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery have pushed in their new system.

“I would say we built something really nice in the spring and to add guys into it,” Britton said. “(Hugh) Freeze talks about it a lot is filling the holes. That’s kind of what I feel like we’ve done over the last six months of recruiting and stuff. Even bringing in guys like me that are ready to play now.”

And it’s working so far. Multiple Auburn defenders have talked about the pace being hard to keep up with. Wade is hoping that means come the real game, they’ll catch opponents’ defensive fronts still standing up when the ball is snapped — and that may draw penalties.

Doing all that in practice is already keeping Auburn’s defensive front on its toes in a place where there isn’t a scoreboard to matter.

“You’ve got to be ready,” Rogers said. “And don’t blink. You blink, you’re going to get messed up.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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auburntigers.com

 

Auburn scrimmages, hosts lettermen, Fan Day

Auburn University Athletics

7–9 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. – Three weeks out from Kickoff on The Plains, Auburn scrimmaged Saturday morning at Jordan-Hare Stadium before mingling with fans and signing autographs in the afternoon.

While no statistics were released, Auburn shared a video on social media of Damari Alston's long touchdown run.

 "I thought we ran the ball really well early on," Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. "I thought the heat got to us a little bit."

The offense had the upper hand when Auburn played at a fast pace, Freeze said. When he instructed the Tigers to operate at a slower tempo, the defense had the advantage.

"I thought the defense dominated the latter part of the scrimmage," Freeze said. "They created negative plays on us that didn't happen early in the game. They struggled stopping our tempo early on. I think we can go really fast when we want to.

"It's hard for me to leave a scrimmage or a practice feeling great because when one side does well, I worry that we're not getting it done on the other side and vice versa."

After a slow start, Auburn's defense dominated the latter part of Saturday's scrimmage, per Hugh Freeze

The quarterback competition remains hotly contested, Freeze said, with Holden Geriner and Robby Ashford tossing touchdown passes in the turnover-free scrimmage.

"That's priority No. 1 in offensive football," Freeze said, adding that Payton Thorne twice had near misses on would-be TD passes when his receiver was ruled out of bounds. "All three looked good at times today."

Narrowing the field from three to two, says Freeze, is proving difficult.

"Yesterday, I had my mind made up," he said. "After today, I need to watch the film before I say."

After a string of sweltering summer practices, Auburn will rest on Sunday before concluding preseason camp with Monday and Tuesday workouts prior to the first day of fall classes on Wednesday.

"They need the day off tomorrow," Freeze said. "I take pride in making sure our teams are fresh when game time comes."

The Tigers kick off the Freeze era Sept. 2 at home vs. Massachusetts at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

"I am very pleased with the want-to, the desire and the leadership I see being developed," he said. "I'm encouraged as to where we are at this point in camp."

Viewing the scrimmage from the shade near the top of the lower deck on the west side of JHS, approximately 150 members of the Auburn Football Lettermen Club liked what they saw.
"Unbelievable turnout," said former Auburn quarterback Ben Leard. "Everybody's excited about Coach Freeze, his staff and these players.

"There's a lot more insurgence of excitement surrounding this program. We want to see wins in 2023 but there's also a ton of excitement on what's to come. The foundation he's laying with how he recruits and the message he has for these kids, it's unbelievable."

Leard is serving his second stint as club president after taking over from former linebacker Justin Garrett.

"It's an awesome role," Leard said. "I'm so appreciative to be able to represent and be the talking head for so many unbelievable people who paved the way. Now it's our turn to pave the way to do anything we can for these young men."

After the scrimmage, Freeze and the Tigers headed to the Athletics Complex indoor facility for the Auburn Family Football Preseason Kickoff, presented by Golden Flake.

The football and volleyball teams signed autographs and took pictures with fans while Aubie, the Auburn University cheerleaders and golden eagle Aurea also provided popular photo opportunities.

The event marked Auburn's first fan day since 2019 and set the Tigers apart from the majority of Power Five schools that have not brought back similar post-pandemic preseason gatherings.

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer

Players Mentioned

#22 Damari Alston

RB 5' 10" Sophomore Business

#9 Robby Ashford

QB 6' 3" Sophomore Liberal Arts

#12 Holden Geriner

QB 6' 3" Redshirt Freshman Business

#1 Payton Thorne

QB 6' 2" Junior Education

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al.com

Hugh Freeze gives injury update following Auburn’s first scrimmage

Updated: Aug. 12, 2023, 3:41 p.m.|Published: Aug. 12, 2023, 12:50 p.m.

~2 minutes

Hugh Freeze recaps Auburn's first fall scrimmage at Jordan-Hare

A little over a week into fall camp and the Auburn football team is dealing with a handful of injuries, which first-year head coach Hugh Freeze provided updates for following the team’s first scrimmage on Saturday.

Leading off Freeze’s update was linebacker Wesley Steiner and wide receiver Koy Moore.

“Steiner’s been limited all of camp with a hamstring,” Freeze said. “Koy Moore has an ankle (injury), hasn’t been able to go.”

Meanwhile, sophomore wide receiver Camden Brown continues to miss action.

“Cam, he’s had just a string of bad luck and really hasn’t practiced since I’ve been here, truthfully,” Freeze said. “The spring or in camp. And we sure do need him to get healthy.”

The Tigers were also without wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson Saturday after Auburn’s leading returning receiver from 2022 had to get stitches in his mouth following an incident at practice this week. Freeze added that Johnson won’t be out long and that he’s had an impressive fall camp.

Junior wide receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. and junior linebacker Austin Keys are both dealing with shoulder injuries that have limited them, but Freeze doesn’t expect either of those injuries to be significant.

Auburn is set to take the field for its season opener against UMass on Sept. 2.

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al.com

Takeaway from Auburn’s preseason scrimmage? The Tigers may have a ways to go.

Updated: Aug. 12, 2023, 3:40 p.m.|Published: Aug. 12, 2023, 1:47 p.m.

5–6 minutes

On a day when Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze thought he’d be able to make decisions about his depth chart — now three weeks out from the first game of the season — his press conference following the first scrimmage of fall camp was instead filled with questions and an understanding of a lot of work left to do.

Media members were not able to view Auburn’s scrimmage, and Freeze’s account of it was filled with believed inconsistencies on how the team played. In his press conference, Freeze mentioned a number of position groups he thought underperformed in the game.

The game itself was a literal tale of two halves. Freeze said the first half of the game was controlled by the offense. At that point, the group was using the high-tempo that has been talked about throughout fall camp. On Friday, Dillon Wade said that tempo is going to give Auburn a big advantage, and Freeze seemed to think it did during the scrimmage.

But Freeze said he wanted to change things by lowering the pace, and see how the offense responded. They didn’t respond well.

“I called that off and wanted to see if we could execute and then the defense pretty much dominated from that point forward,” Freeze said.

The quarterback play also appeared inconsistent from Freeze’s remarks. Freeze said his trio of quarterbacks — Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner — all were reliable in taking care of the ball. The accuracy may not have been consistent, but Freeze said all three looked good “at times” on Saturday.

Ashford and Geriner each had touchdown passes. Thorne did not, but Freeze said there were two passes Thorne threw where the receiver was ruled out of bounds.

The quarterback play led Freeze now being at a point where he wants to re-think his decision on a final two — having made up his mind yesterday but now wanting to watch more film.

The wide receivers struggled, Freeze added. That comes after the beginning of fall camp where Auburn had rotated so many wide receivers into the picture and seemed to have many options. Freeze said the receivers had been having a good camp, but that didn’t extend into Saturday.

“But way too many opportunities in the RPO game that the quarterback made the right decision to throw the ball and a receiver is — again I haven’t watched the film — but he’s either loafing, which we can’t have, or he chose to run the wrong route,” Freeze said.

And for a group that Freeze said underperformed, also facing injuries to Malcolm Johnson, Camden Brown, Koy Moore and Ja’Varrius Johnson doesn’t do any favors.

While Freeze said the wide receivers took a step forward throughout this week, Saturday was certainly a step backward in his eyes.

Freeze also mentioned struggles in the secondary, especially when it came to tackling. It’s not uncommon for a coach to note tackling struggles in the first time in full pads, which Saturday’s scrimmage was, but Freeze seemed especially frustrated.

“I think we’ve got to tackle better, we did not tackle well today when our backs got in the second level,” Freeze said. “Obviously, the corners, I think, are talented. Our safeties are also, but we need depth there and we’ve got to bring those young kids on. But we didn’t tackle well today in the secondary.”

Freeze did have positive reviews for the trenches on both sides of the ball and especially the running back room.

Sophomore running back Damari Alston was a standout with three big runs, including a touchdown.

Freeze also praised freshman Jeremiah Cobb as someone who, despite being a “baby” on this roster, is going to be a good player for Auburn down the road.

Auburn’s new-look offensive line played well at the beginning of the scrimmage before getting worn out by a long week of practice on a few sweltering August days in Alabama in a row. There is no practice Sunday, which Freeze said the team needs.

The tiring offensive line synced up with when the defense took over the game, and that started up front.

“I think at the end of practice today I thought they were dominant,” Freeze said of the defensive line. “They created negative plays on us that didn’t happen early in the game.”

Freeze specifically mentioned jack linebacker Stephen Sings V, who has been a big riser throughout fall camp. Jack linebackers Jalen McLeod and Elijah McAllister as well as defensive end Keldric Faulk have “gotten better,” Freeze said.

“Yeah it was a mixed bag,” Freeze said of his team. “I‘ve said this all time, it’s hard for me to leave a scrimmage or a practice feeling great because one side does well and well, we’re not getting it done on the other side and vice versa.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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thanx for stopping by folks. i will check back later in the day for any new articles.stay cool out there. with this heat i discovered i want no part of hell.................

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yahoo.com

 

Auburn Sports Network announces additions to football coverage

Taylor Jones

2–3 minutes

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The 2023 Auburn football season is upon us. With it, comes changes to how fans listen to gameday coverage. Auburn Sports Network announced this week that there will be an addition to its crew, while one member is set to take on a new role.

Jason Campbell, who played quarterback for Auburn from 2001-04, is moving into the color analyst seat for the 2023 season. Campbell joined the Auburn Sports Network in 2016 as an analyst for pregame and halftime coverage. He takes over for Stan White, who stepped aside after serving in the role since 2001.

“I would like to thank God for this amazing opportunity to continue doing something I enjoy and love,” Campbell said of the change. “I appreciate the Auburn Sports Network team and Stan for their immediate confidence in me as I move into the analyst role.  I know I have incredibly big shoes to fill.  It has been a privilege watching and learning from Stan during our time in the booth together.  Auburn Family, I look forward to sharing great memories with you alongside the Voice of the Tigers, Andy Burcham, this fall.”

As for new additions, the Auburn Sports Network is welcoming former Auburn linebacker Will Herring to the crew. Herring will share sideline reporter duties with Ronnie Brown this season.

With Herring’s addition, it solidifies that three key members of Auburn’s 2004 undefeated season will now be a part of Auburn Sports Network’s coverage.

andy burcham remains the voice of Auburn Football, while Paul Ellen and Brad Law remain with the network in their usual capacities. Ellen will host the pregame, halftime, and postgame show, while Law will be a vital part of pregame and postgame coverage.

Auburn Sports Network announced a change to its flagship station over the summer. Local Auburn fans, as well as fans who choose to listen to the game while on campus, can listen to Auburn Sports Network’s coverage of each game on Wings 94.3.

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

[SaltyTiger 8,579]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

thanx for stopping by folks. i will check back later in the day for any new articles.stay cool out there. with this heat i discovered i want no part of hell.................

Great stuff again Fiddy. Yesterday was brutal hot on the Plains before late afternoon storms cooled us off. Had to run up to the lake in the afternoon. “feel like” temperature was 120 degrees per radio when I left. Fell to 117 for the return drive.

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1 minute ago, SaltyTiger said:

Great stuff again Fiddy. Yesterday was brutal hot on the Plains before late afternoon storms cooled us off. Had to run up to the lake in the afternoon. “feel like” temperature was 120 degrees per radio when I left. Fell to 117 for the return drive.

you ever fish over lagrange way? there is a huge lake overthere that used to do a pro bass thing in the eighties. we played at the buckskin lounge at the holiday inn that sits right there on the interstate. anyway they used to pack that place out and talk about fun folks to play for, believe it or not fsu fans were pretty cool back in that time as well. they took that butt kicking we normally gave them with class.

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si.com

Hugh Freeze reevaluating Auburn QB battle following Holden Geriner's big fall camp scrimmage

Lance Dawe

~3 minutes

Geriner had a great day during Auburn's first scrimmage of camp.

Auburn's quarterback battle may have just taken a very interesting turn.

The Tigers are currently working through fall camp with incumbent Robby Ashford, Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner.

Things were trending towards Payton Thorne coming in and winning the job outright during the summer, but as camp has progressed, that doesn't seem like the case anymore.

Freeze said during SEC Media Days in July that he would expect to trim the QB race down to two players about 10 days into camp.

It's probably is going to be, you know, those other three (quarterbacks) for the first 10 days trying to get enough reps where we get it down to at least two guys and then move from there," Freeze said.

The expectation was that Holden Geriner would be the one cut and that Thorne would dual with Ashford for the job.

We are nine days into fall camp, and Freeze has announced that the battle likely won't be trimmed.

According to sources, Holden Geriner showed out during the Tigers' first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday morning. He's been consistently solid throughout fall camp and was said to have "really, really showed out" by Freeze back in the spring.

The Tigers' head coach was asked about how the quarterbacks performed during the scrimmage and if he is still on track to trim the race in the next couple of days.

“Yesterday, I had my mind made up,” Freeze said. “After today, I need to watch the film before I say.”

Freeze went on to comment on the inconsistencies in the RPO game from the receivers despite the quarterbacks making the right read. It should also be noted that the Tigers are dealing with a rash of injuries at the WR position.

It will be interesting to see how Auburn chooses to present its offense during the media viewing window of practice on Tuesday.

You can read our notes from the Tigers' first scrimmage here.

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247sports.com

 

IN PHOTOS 2023 Auburn football fan day

Jason Caldwell

~3 minutes

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Auburn football had its first fan day under Hugh Freeze on Saturday.

Following the first scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday morning, coach Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers took part in fan day on campus. With several thousand fans in attendance, Freeze and the players spent a few hours signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. Check out some of the shots from fan day in this gallery.

Quarterback Robby Ashford signs for a fan on Saturday. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

Transfer OT's Gunner Britton and Dillon Wade soaking in the atmosphere at fan day. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Wide receivers Camden Brown and Koy Moore cut up for the camera. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Caleb Burton, Nick Mardner and Ja'Varrius Johnson give us some love. (Photo: Jason Caldwel, 247Sports)

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From one 99 to another, Liston Eddins and Jayson Jones. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Auburn High OL products Eston Harris Jr. and Bradyn Joiner. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Hugh Freeze signs a football as part of the huge crowd that came through to see him on Saturday. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Redshirt freshman QB Holden Geriner is all smiles at fan day. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Auburn's LB group gives us a shoutout. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Freshman OL Connor Lew continues to impress on the field. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Another player that has been impressive is transfer OL Jaden Muskrat. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Nehemiah Pritchett, Donovan Kaufman and Keionte Scott. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Keionte Scott signs a helmet for a young Auburn fan. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

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Quarterback Payton Thorne taking in his first fan day at Auburn. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

#PMARSHONAU: What does the first preseason scrimmage mean for Auburn?

Tigers' first preseason scrimmage is in the books

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Jason Caldwell's Friday Auburn mailbag column

Talking Auburn football, recruiting, Auburn basketball recruiting and more.

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PMARSHONAU Auburns QB uncertainty after one scrimmage business as usual

Phillip Marshall

3–4 minutes

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Robby Ashford is one of three quarterbacks competing for the starting job. (Photo: Auburn University athletics)

"Hopefully, after Saturday, we'll have a chance to narrow it down. Now, narrow it down, I don't know what that means yet, other than the fact that we're rotating too many guys right now."

That was what Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said about his quarterbacks after first preseason practice in 2013. Eventually, Nick Marshall won the job. He led the Tigers to the SEC championship and to the BCS Championship Game.

In 2017, Malzahn said Jarrett Stidham and Sean White were still competing for the job.

"At times, they both made plays. A lot of it has to do with Sean White. He wasn't able to go through spring and you've got a new offensive coordinator, so it's probably more the other way than it is about having enough information about Jarrett. This scrimmage was big. Next Saturday's scrimmage will be big, and we'll see where we are."

Stidham won the job, led Auburn to a 10-win season that included wins over Georgia and Alabama when each was ranked No. 1 and to the West Division championship.

In 2010, the spring before Auburn won the national championship, Cam Newton had been named the starter. He wasn’t happy after the first scrimmage.

“The guys are out there knowing they have to get better.  They have to know their assignments.  Coach Malzahn is coaching the quarterbacks up and pointing out our mistakes, telling us how we can make ourselves better.

"I had an OK performance, but I can always do better - some throws that I'm capable of making.  N

Newton, of course, went on to have one of the great seasons in college football history, lead Auburn to the national championship and win the Heisman Trophy.

The only thing unusual about what first-year head coach Hugh Freeze said after Saturday’s scrimmage, the first of the preseason, was that he acknowledged he thought he’d had his mind made up the previous day about the top two but had to watch film. Most coaches aren’t as honest as that.

His words were immediately interpreted widely as meaning he was ready to name a starter before changing his mind. In fact, he was responding to a question about whether he was ready to narrow the candidates down to two, as he had said previously he wanted to do after the first scrimmage.

And so it is that we go into another week with Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, sophomore Robby Ashford and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner competing for the starting job. Do Auburn coaches know who they will likely start? My guess is they probably do, but they will wait as long as they can to announce it.

Every team would like to have a combination at quarterback of an elite athlete with a powerful arm who becomes a first-round draft pick. It doesn’t always take that to win.

Of Auburn’s seven SEC championship-winning quarterbacks – Lloyd Nix, Randy Campbell, Jeff Burger, Reggie Slack (2), Jason Campbell, Newton and Marshall – only Newton and Jason Campbell had NFL starts.

What they all had in common is they knew how to win and made the players around them better. And that’s what Freeze wants most of all.

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al.com

Hugh Freeze pleased with team's response to adversity-filled first scrimmage

Updated: Aug. 13, 2023, 10:24 a.m.|Published: Aug. 13, 2023, 6:00 a.m.

4–5 minutes

Hang around the Auburn football program long enough and you’ll hear the word “strain” a lot.

By definition, the Tigers’ buzzword means to “exert to the utmost”, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. And surely that’s what first-year head coach Hugh Freeze and his coaching staff wants to see out of their players as they continue to prepare for the 2023 regular season.

But in order to get players to “exert to the utmost”, Freeze and Co. must first create an environment which forces that exertion — something has been a point of emphasis on The Plains this fall.

“I know spring practice is important and going through summer training is vital and recruiting is a priority,” Freeze said in his camp-opening press conference on Aug. 3.

“But now it all kind of gets to the point where you’ve got to put all the pieces together and find out how your team handles the pressure and the heat of being strained and stressed in the great game that we all love and try to prepare yourself to compete at the best level you can for the 12 opportunities that you have.”

Auburn senior cornerback Jaylin Simpson is in the middle of his fifth fall camp with the Tigers.

He calls this year’s fall camp “a lot smoother”. One breath later, he calls the workload " a lot harder”.

“We got pushed and strained a lot more,” Simpson said.

Ding, ding. There’s that word again.

Considering the word strain can also refer to an injury due to overuse or misuse, Simpson was quick to clarify that what Freeze has the guys doing is “good work” and it’s nothing their bodies can’t handle — even though it sometimes feels as if that’s not the case.

The pain in progress, however, has helped a team that features more than 40 new faces create chemistry.

“You’ve got to go every rep 100 percent even when you’re tired and you look over and your friend is breathing hard. You motivate each other,” said Auburn offensive lineman Dillon Wade. “You strain to finish. That’s where strain comes from. You’re giving your all. If your body’s telling you to stop, you keep going. You don’t stop. You just keep going.”

For Wade, who transferred from Tulsa in December, some of the strain has come from adjusting to the tempo of Auburn’s offense.

Though Wade played under Auburn’s offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery at Tulsa, he says the Tigers’ offense is moving a little quicker than the Golden Hurricanes and that it’s bound to give opposing defenses trouble come the fall.

“I feel like we’ll catch a bunch of defenses lacking, not able to get their calls off,” Wade said. “So we’ll catch a bunch of d-linemen just standing up.”

That sounded to be the case during Auburn’s first fall scrimmage on Saturday.

Heavy on the gas pedal, Freeze said the Tigers were able to run the ball well behind their quick-moving tempo, which first strained the defense.

“I’m all about creating adverse situations, and they struggled stopping our tempo early on, and I think we can go really fast when we want to,” Freeze said. “They struggled with that earlier. And then I called that off and wanted to see if we could execute and then the defense pretty much dominated from that point forward.”

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Tigers’ offense could only go full throttle for so long before the East Alabama heat did what the East Alabama heat does.

“Thought the heat got to us a little bit. It’s been a hot camp,” Freeze said. “I’m no excuse maker at all but we’ve gone several days in a row and you can tell they’re gassed a bit.”

The Auburn football team gets a much-needed day off Sunday.

Meanwhile, Freeze and his staff will likely have their eyes glued to the film from Saturday’s action, which showed plenty to be improved upon.

But Freeze isn’t hitting the panic button.

“I’m pretty pleased to this point,” Freeze said. “We’ve failed some tests in the adverse situations throughout but I’ve never had a team that didn’t.”

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