6.4.24 Football Articles

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al.com

 

3 Iron Bowls in 1 season? Multiple Alabama-Auburn games now possible

Updated: Jun. 03, 2024, 2:25 p.m.|Published: Jun. 03, 2024, 2:00 p.m.

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The Milroe Miracle: Jalen Milroe's 4th & 31 game-winning Iron Bowl TD to Isaiah Bond

One Iron Bowl week per year is stressful enough for Alabama and Auburn football fans. Under college football’s new scheduling systems, there might be even more.

Auburn athletics director John Cohen, speaking at the Associated Press Sports Editors South region meeting in Homewood on Monday, pointed out that the teams could now meet more than once.

“Statistically, it would be an anomaly for sure,” Cohen said. “But Alabama and Auburn under the new system could conceivably play each other three times in a row.”

Cohen’s not technically wrong. The cross-state rivals face each other each year to end the regular season, but in the past, the SEC’s divisional structure made it such that they’d never battle in the conference championship game.

The SEC West and East are no more. If the Crimson Tide and Tigers emerged from the regular season as the top two teams in the league’s standings, they could meet again in Atlanta.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, both schools could make it, regardless of the result in SEC title game. If the seeding fell the right way, Alabama and Auburn could play a CFP game as well.

It’d take a lot of things going exactly right (or wrong, depending on perspective), but under the new systems, weirdness is always possible.

“I think that’s incredible,” Cohen said. " “I think the limitless opportunities moving forward with the playoff system, how our league is going to work, no longer does it matter if an eastern division or the western division is the dominant side. It won’t matter. Everybody over a four-year period is going to play everybody. I love that.”

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Auburn impresses offensive tackle target Broderick Shull on official visit

Tyler Raley

2–3 minutes

Auburn football is attempting to make massive moves on the recruiting trail in the summer, with many prospective players making official visits to the Plains.

One of those recruits is offensive tackle Broderick Shull, who made his visit to the Tigers this weekend and was highly impressed.

“This was definitely the experience I needed to kind of make my decision much easier,” Shull said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “I would say definitely getting more of the campus vibe was a good part of it. Also just seeing everyone again was a pretty good experience. The most important part was getting to see the players mainly because you can see what they’re really like off campus and seeing if it’s a fit for me. And which, these guys are pretty awesome, they fit me well. They’re responsible, mature guys.”

Shull made his second visit to Auburn after visiting earlier this spring. This time, he left with a very positive feel about what all Auburn had offer throughout its campus facilities.

The four-star offensive lineman is currently ranked as the No. 149 player in the country and the No. 13 offensive tackle recruit according to the On3 industry ranking. He is also ranked the No. 3 prospect in the state of Oklahoma.

A main reason why Auburn now sits in a good position to land Shull can be credited to the relationship that offensive line coach Jake Thornton has built with him.

With a possible decision day nearing later in June, Shull is still set to visit the likes of Texas Tech and Texas A&M during the month, while he already visited Nebraska in May.

Auburn football hosted several notable targets for visits over the weekend including five-stars Caleb Cunningham and Na'eem Offord, as well as former Ohio State pledge Blake Woodby. Any commitments from these players would be monumental for the program, and coach Hugh Freeze is making sure that he does whatever he can to land the talented players.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34

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si.com

Auburn Is Making Moves With Top Football Recruits

Brian Smith

2–3 minutes

A few recruiting notes coming out of Auburn’s big official visitor weekend, discussing in-state recruiting, and a key name from the 2026 recruiting class.

**The Tigers made a move with 5-star cornerback Na’eem Offord. While committed to Ohio State, people close to the situation believe the Tigers are moving up the board for Offord. Oregon, Alabama, Florida and several other programs are not going to give up on signing Offord either, but it’s Auburn that is the biggest threat to Ohio State. He’s from Birmingham (Ala.) Parker.

**Another cornerback is one to watch with the Tigers as well. Blake Woodby is a player who came into the visit very high on Auburn and nothing changed based on intel. It’s not out of the question Auburn could win his recruitment soon but he does have official visits lined up. Woodby is from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances.

**Offensive tackle Broderick Shull continues to be high on the Tigers after his trip to the Plains. “Auburn mainly,” Shull said about the school recruiting him the hardest. “But Nebraska is doing a lot, too.” Shull would help Auburn sign one of the nation’s top offensive line classes. He comes from Bixby (Okla.) High School.

**Overall, Auburn’s recruiting weekend went extremely well. The Tigers are placing their best foot forward with each of the prospects that came to the Plains. Do not be surprised if the Tigers sign several of the prospects.

**Looking around the state, one could argue that Auburn is doing a better job with in-state recruiting than it has during any point in recent memory. This weekend is the first of four weekends of AU bringing in top prospects like Offord from inside the Yellowhammer State. Look for several more elite recruits to take official visits to Auburn like Zion Grady from Enterprise (Ala.) High School.

**Switching to the Auburn camp scene, next weekend will be a chance for several top 2026 prospects to come and compete. Of note, one of the players Auburn will see next weekend is Vodney Cleveland, a 6-foot-3 and 305-pound defensive tackle with offers from across the SEC and beyond. He comes from Prattville (Ala.) High School.

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al.com

Auburn goes 3-of-26 on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Updated: Jun. 04, 2024, 8:37 a.m.|Published: Jun. 04, 2024, 8:00 a.m.

8–10 minutes

The College Football Hall of Fame ballot for its Class of 2025 includes three former Auburn stars among the 77 players on the NCAA FBS portion.

With guard Ed King and linebackers Gregg Carr and Takeo Spikes reaching this stage of the selection process together for the second year in a row, Auburn is among the eight programs that have three candidates on the player ballot, joining California, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Southern Cal, Tennessee and UCLA.

The College Football Hall of Fame has enshrined eight players from Auburn. But the Tigers haven’t added to their Hall of Fame roster since fullback Ed Dyas was part of the Class of 2009, and no player that has suited up for Auburn in the past 35 seasons is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

The three nominees came from a list of 26 former Auburn players who were eligible for the Class of 2025 ballot. That doesn’t include 20 Auburn alumni who meet the first standard for consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame but aren’t in the current eligibility window.

That’s 46 players from Auburn with the possibility of becoming Hall of Famers.

To be considered for the College Football Hall of Fame today, a player must have been a first-team All-American selection by one of the organizations that the NCAA uses to compile its annual consensus All-American team. Currently, those organizations are the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of American, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation. But the selectors used by the NCAA have varied over the years, ranging from a low of two to a high of 10.

Players aren’t considered for the College Football Hall of Fame until 10 full seasons after their final college campaign. They also aren’t considered while they are active NFL players. Auburn has six players who meet the All-American standard but aren’t eligible yet because their final season with the Tigers came in 2014 or later and/or they’re still playing in the NFL.

Players also aren’t considered if their college careers ended more than 50 years ago, so any player who completed his time with Auburn before 1975 isn’t eligible for the 2025 ballot. The Tigers have 14 players who meet the All-American standard but are outside the 50-year window.

Those players still can be considered for the College Football Hall of Fame, but their qualifications are examined by the Football Bowl Subdivision Honors Review Committee, bypassing the ballot.

King qualified for the ballot as a unanimous All-American, Carr as a consensus All-American and Spikes as a non-consensus All-American.

A unanimous All-American is a player who was a first-team selection for all the organizations used by the NCAA to compile the consensus All-American team for that season.

A consensus All-American usually is a player who was a first-team selection for at least half of the organizations used by the NCAA to compile the consensus All-American team. It’s possible to become a consensus All-American without reaching the halfway mark, and it’s also possible, though rare, not to be a consensus All-American even while making at least half of the first teams.

For consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame, players don’t have to be consensus All-Americans – just first-teamers for the right selector.

Former Auburn players eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame whose careers ended more than 50 years ago include (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Linebacker Ken Bernich: Consensus in 1974

Center Jackie Burkett: Non-consensus in 1958

Defensive tackle David Campbell: Non-consensus in 1968

Fullback Joe Childress: Non-consensus in 1955

Tackle Frank D’Agostino: Non-consensus in 1955

Halfback Monk Gafford: Non-consensus in 1942

Defensive back Buddy McClinton: Consensus in 1969

End Jim “Red” Phillips: Unanimous in 1957

Tackle Ken Rice: Non-consensus in 1959 and consensus in 1960

Back Jimmy Sidle: Non-consensus in 1963

Guard Zeke Smith: Consensus in 1958 and non-consensus in 1959

Defensive tackle Jack Thornton: Non-consensus in 1965

Center Caleb Warrington: Non-consensus in 1944

Defensive back Larry Willingham: Consensus in 1970

Former Auburn players currently eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame ballot include (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Linebacker Aundray Bruce: Consensus in 1987

Linebacker Gregg Carr: Consensus in 1984

Punter Lewis Colbert: Non-consensus in 1985

Linebacker Kurt Crain: Non-consensus in 1987

Punter Terry Daniel: Consensus in 1993

Linebacker Karlos Dansby: Consensus in 2003

All-purpose/kick returner Chris Davis: Non-consensus in 2013

Kicker Damon Duval: Consensus in 2001

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley: Consensus in 2010

Running back Brent Fullwood: Unanimous in 1986

Offensive tackle Wayne Gandy: Consensus in 1993

Guard Ed King: Non-consensus in 1989 and unanimous in 1990

Running back Tre Mason: Non-consensus in 2013

Offensive tackle Marcus McNeill: Consensus in 2005

Quarterback Cam Newton: Consensus in 2010

Offensive tackle Victor Riley: Non-consensus in 1997

Defensive back Brian Robinson: Consensus in 1994

Defensive tackle David Rocker: Consensus in 1990

Cornerback Carlos Rogers: Consensus in 2004

Wide receiver Frank Sanders: Non-consensus in 1990

Offensive tackle Stacy Searels: Non-consensus in 1987

Defensive back Chris Shelling: Non-consensus in 1994

Linebacker Takeo Spikes: Non-consensus in 1997

Center Ben Tamburello: Unanimous in 1986

Running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams: Non-consensus in 2004

Offensive tackle Lee Ziemba: Consensus in 2010

Former Auburn players who meet the All-American standard for the College Football Hall of Fame but are not yet eligible for consideration include (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Defensive tackle Derrick Brown: Unanimous in 2019

Kicker Daniel Carlson: Non-consensus in 2017

Center Reese Dismukes: Consensus in 2014

Defensive end Carl Lawson: Non-consensus in 2016

Cornerback Roger McCreary: Non-consensus in 2021

Guard Braden Smith: Non-consensus in 2017

Auburn has eight players in the College Football Hall of Fame (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Wide receiver Terry Beasley: Unanimous in 1971

Fullback Ed Dyas: Non-consensus in 1960

Halfback Tucker Frederickson: Consensus in 1964

Halfback Jimmy Hitchcock: Consensus in 1932

Running back Bo Jackson: Consensus in 1983 and unanimous in 1985

Defensive tackle Tracy Rocker: Consensus in 1987 and unanimous in 1988

Quarterback Pat Sullivan: Unanimous in 1971

One of College Football Hall of Fame members from Auburn does not meet the currently used All-American standard – center Walter Gilbert, who played for the Tigers from 1934 through 1936.

Players on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot are nominated by athletic directors, head coaches and sports-information directors at National Football Foundation-member schools.

The FBS nominees are sorted geographically for eight District Screening Committees. The committee members vote on which players will represent their region on the ballot. Players who received significant support in the final voting in the previous year but did not make the College Football Hall of Fame also are held over on the ballot automatically.

The more than 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation then get the annual ballot for their consideration.

After the vote, the NFF Honors Court considers recommendations from the veterans committee, reviews the voting and chooses the members of the Hall of Fame class.

Former Alabama high school standout homers in return to Major League Baseball

Alabama goes 2-of-39 on College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 ballot

NFL rosters loaded with players with Alabama football roots

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.

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