aubiefifty 18,260 Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 al.com Auburn to reportedly add former Texas A&M DBs coach under Jimbo Fisher to staff Published: Jun. 20, 2024, 10:42 a.m. 2–3 minutes Auburn's Hugh Freeze speaks to reporters at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Birmingham on May 8, 2024.Patrick Greenfield Auburn is expected to add former Texas A&M defensive backs coach TJ Rushing to its staff as a “special assistant,” according to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Rushing was part of former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher’s staff since 2020. Fisher was fired as Texas A&M’s head coach in November and new head coach Mike Elko brought in a new staff. For two years at Texas A&M, Rushing worked with new Auburn defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. Durkin was the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M in 2022 and 2023. Rushing was the defensive backs coach on a staff that produced the nation’s best pass defense in 2022, allowing just 156.2 passing yards per game that season. But the Aggies regressed in that stat in 2023, allowing 207.4 yards per game which was the 37th best mark in the country. Auburn was 31st. The regression in Texas A&M’s defense in 2023 was a considerable factor in the expensive decision to move on from Fisher. Rushing’s role as a reported special assistant is not exactly clear. Rushing does have a strong recruiting profile. 247Sports lists Rushing as the primary or secondary recruiter on five different top 100 recruits signed to Texas A&M — all since 2022. Rushing is also listed as the primary recruiter on two five-star signees, including Terry Bussey, the No. 11 overall player in the 2024 class. Auburn brought back Wesley McGriff as its cornerbacks coach and added former Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly as its co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,260 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 247sports.com Creating competition on the offensive line the goal for Thornton Jason Caldwell 4–5 minutes AUBURN, Alabama—When Jake Thornton arrived on the Auburn campus, the Tigers had just a handful of scholarship offensive linemen on campus and no true tackles that were ready for life in the Southeastern Conference. That started a rebuilding project that has continued into the spring with Auburn's offensive line group now a group that has the ability to not only compete in the toughest league in the country, but also has enough competition to force guys to step up to earn a starting spot. That has been the goal for Thornton since day one and along with Auburn strength and conditioning coordinator Dom Studzinski and dietician Danielle Gillen, the Tigers have put together an offensive line that is in better shape going into the season than any we've seen on the Plains since the 2017 season. "For us, we tried to be strategic in building depth while also creating depth to win right now," Thornton tells Auburn Undercover. "Going into year two, it has been very similar. We've had some surprises in the room with guys that have really done a good job of developing themselves and transforming their bodies. That's a testament to Coach Dom and Miss Danielle with strength and nutrition. I think they're the best in the country. They've done a great job of transforming these guys' bodies and their minds when it comes to competing and nutrition and getting their bodies ready to go. "We've added guys that we thought would be two or three years down the road for depth and they've now become big-time factors on our depth chart and that's a really good thing. Now you've got young competition in there. That's a good thing because you've got guys that could win jobs and maybe have them for two or three years. That's huge in our world of football at this level because it's all about continuity." Continuity is something Auburn has more of this season with talented Connor Lew at center and Dillon Wade sliding inside to guard and Jeremiah Wright on the other side. Junior college signee Izavion Miller is back for his second year at right tackle, but Auburn did dip into the portal once again to bring in massive Percy Lewis at left tackle. Competing with second-year player Tyler Johnson for the starting job in the spring, Lewis added another component to Auburn's offensive line group. Auburn also brought in another player to compete at tackle in Akron transfer Ronan Chambers. That gives you four tackles with some experience, not to mention junior college signee Seth Wilfred and high school addition Favour Edwin. On the interior, Auburn has seen guys like Bradyn Joiner and Eston Harris Jr. step up to push the older guys in front of them along with Dylan Senda stepping in at center. With Tate Johnson also in the mix and capable of playing all three spots, all of the sudden there are a lot more options for Thornton and the Tigers. That has been the goal since he got to Auburn and now it's starting to become a reality. "Going into year two, we knew we wanted to add an older tackle because we had some young dudes in there that were talented, so we went and got Percy," Thornton said. "He's another guy I was familiar with from his junior college time. He's done a great job for us. It allowed us to take a breath and figure out exactly what we needed. "Competition is the catalyst for everything. If you don't have competition, you're going to be stagnant. We wanted to make sure we had healthy competition with the ones, twos and threes. That's something we've really tried to build because the more competition you have, people are going to rise to the occasion. That's what pushes you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,260 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 si.com Auburn Tigers, Hugh Freeze Hit Home Run with 4-Star Safety Commitment Auburn Daily Staff 3–4 minutes When it comes to recruiting the very best prospects to any collegiate program, having a head who can really sell the complete package always helps enormously. So it proved last week when 4-star safety recruit Eric Winters admitted how the special relationship Auburn Tigers boss Hugh Freeze enjoys with his players ultimately sold him on making a commitment. "(Freeze) is a big part of why I committed to Auburn," Winters told Chad Simmons of On3. "He loves his players, he is a family guy and we built a great relationship. Coach Freeze is doing big things at Auburn and he made me feel like a priority and made me feel comfortable" Home cooking certainly factored into Winter's decision to stay in state, but the two-way star at Enterprise (Ala.) High School is particularly sold on the ambitious long term project Freeze has in mind. Winters certainly has the kind of body that wouldn't look out of place if he were lining up on the backend for an NFL team. Standing at 6-foot-2 inches, and tipping the scales at nearly 200 pounds, Winters should provide some real thump in pass defense, especially if he adds more bulk to his frame. Pretty much across the board, Winters was regarded as being a top-75 prospect in the entire country. 247Sports ranks Winters as the No. 5 safety nationally. Freeze and Auburn managed to beat out the massed rumored interest of Georgia, Miami, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss and USC to secure the talented safety. Quite a recruitment masterstroke all told - one which surely serves notice that the Tigers are fully prepared to mix it against their heavyweight rivals. The past month has also seen cornerback Donovan Starr, defensive prospect Bryce Deas and offensive linemen Broderick Shull all join Winters in committing to Auburn. Coach Freeze will be delighted to have won the red hot battle for Winters in particular, especially because fellow safeties Jaylin Simpson and Zion Puckett have now departed for the NFL. In addition to gaining a star player, Freeze couldn't have figured how he would also be getting a highly motivated assistant to help with the ongoing recruitment drive. "I am already working guys," Winters admitted to Simmons. " It starts with my teammate Zion Grady. I am going after Alvin Henderson, Julian lewis, KJ Lacey and some others. Coach Freeze has this group of defensive players in Alabama he wants called the super 7. Guys like Jared Smith, Anquon Fegans, Naseem Offord, and Zion are guys that haven't committed yet.I will be on all of those guys." Clearly Winters has plenty of confidence in what he can do both on and off the field, and helping recruit even more top in-state talent would doubtless be greatly appreciated by Freeze. Up to this point, 15 new recruits have committed to the Tigers, so Winters banging the drum so loudly for others to join him will undoubtedly be making a resounding noise elsewhere in Alabama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,260 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 athlonsports.com Dap Recap: An early look into Auburn football's predicted 2024 depth chart Darrell Dapprich 2–3 minutes Auburn's football roster for the upcoming season should see a significant upgrade over last year's version. Here's a deep dive into what the two deep could potentially look like. Auburn football has improved its roster via the transfer portal and top-notch high school recruiting in year two of the Hugh Freeze era. Just what might the depth chart look like in 2024? Will it be enough to surpass last year's win total? Let's take a look position-by-position on both sides of the ball. Auburn's Offense WR-X #8 Cam Coleman, FR/ #4 Camden Brown, JR WR-Z #5 KeAndre Lambert Smith, SR/ #3 Perry Thompson,FR WR-H #14 Robert Lewis, SR/#18 Sam Jackson,SR LT #73 Percy Lewis, SR/#65 Seth Wilfred,SO or #74 Ronan Chambers, SR LG #52 Dillon Wade, SR/#63 Jaden Muskrat,SR C #75 Connor Lew, SO/#54 Tate Johnson,SR RG #77 Jeremiah Wright, SR/ #71 Dylan Senda, RS-FR RT #72 Izavion Miller, SR/ #79 Tyler Johnson,RS-FR TE #13 Rivaldo Fairweather, SR/ #86 Luke Deal, SR QB #1 Payton Thorne, SR/ #15 Hank Brown, RS-FR RB #27 Jarquez Hunter, SR/ #23 Jeremiah Cobb, SO or #22 Damari Alston, JR Auburn's Defense DE #15 Keldric Faulk, SO/ #96 Philip Blidi, SR NT #99 Jayson Jones, SR/ #92 Trill Carter, SR DT #22 Isaiah Raikes, SR/#95 Gage Keys, JR Buck #35 Jalen McLeod, SR/ #24 Keyron Crawford, JR MLB #6 Austin Keys, SR/ #12 Dorian Mausi, SR WLB #9 Eugene Asante, SR/ #33 DJ Barber, FR FCB #4 Kayin Lee, SO/ #36 Jay Crawford, FR or #14 Tyler Scott, RS-FR WS #1 Jerrin Thompson, SR/ #3 Laquan Robinson, JR or #5 Terrance Love, SO FS #19 Sylvester Smith, RS-FR/ #21 Caleb Wooden, JR BCB #0 Keionte Scott, SR/ #8 Antonio Kite, SO Star #25 Champ Anthony, JR/ #28 Kensley Louidor-Faustin, FR or #18 Kaleb Harris, FR Auburn's Specialists PT #91 Oscar Chapman, SR/ #37 Gabe Russo, FR PK #38 Alex McPherson, SO/ #33 Towns McGough, FR LS #44 Reed Hughes, SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,260 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 al.com Brian Robinson Jr.: ‘This is the best I’ve felt’ since shooting Updated: Jun. 20, 2024, 8:10 a.m.|Published: Jun. 20, 2024, 8:00 a.m. 5–6 minutes Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. scores a touchdown during an NFL game against the New England Patriots on Nov. 5, 2023, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.(AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper) By Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com Former Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Alabama standout Brian Robinson Jr. has been Washington’s leading rusher in each of his two NFL seasons, even though he was shot on the day after the Commanders’ final preseason game of his rookie campaign. Robinson was shot in the hip and knee when he was accosted by two armed teens seeking to steal his Dodge Challenger Hellcat in Washington, according to District of Columbia police, who reported Robinson wrested a gun away from one of the boys before being shot by the other. After being shot, Robinson was taken to a hospital, where he had surgery before being released the next day. The injuries caused Robinson to miss the first four games of the 2022 season. Terrion Arnold lists LANK as his ‘proudest accomplishment’ Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs, Giants’ Malik Nabers already beefing Anders Carlson loses one competitor for Packers’ kicker job Since his return, Robinson has run for 1,530 yards and seven touchdowns on 383 carries and caught 45 passes for 428 yards and five touchdowns in 27 games. But that doesn’t mean he was fully recovered. “This is the best I’ve felt since probably right after I got drafted here,” Robinson said during the Commanders’ offseason program, “… because it’s a work in progress to get back to where I am now from where I came from in my first year.” After a 4-13 record in 2023, Washington has a new coach for 2024, with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn taking the reins. Robinson is working with a new offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, and a new running-backs coach, Anthony Lynn. Both men have been NFL head coaches. And the Commanders have a new quarterback after choosing LSU’s Jayden Daniels at No. 2 in the NFL Draft on April 25. “We get to set the tone for what we want for this year within the staff, within the locker room, within this whole organization,” Robinson said. “We get to set the tone for how we want this year to go based off of just how we put the past behind us and attack what’s in front of us. As long as guys continue to be where their feet are and attack what’s in front of them, we’ll continue to make strides in the right direction.” Last season, the Commanders finished 25th in points and 24th in yards among the NFL’s 32 teams. In Kingsbury’s four seasons as Arizona’s head coach, the Cardinals never finished that low in either category. “It’s going to be a little bit faster as far as comparing it to the offense we had last year,” Robinson said. “I don’t really want to go too much into detail as far as, like, what kind of play calls we will have. I just know the tempo will be faster compared to last year. We had a huddle-type of offense. This offense will be more no-huddle.” The season before Robinson joined Washington, Antonio Gibson rushed for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns on 258 carries. In the next two seasons, Gibson had 811 yards and four touchdowns on 214 rushing attempts while catching 95 passes for 742 yards and four touchdowns. Gibson is now with the New England Patriots, but the Commanders added running back Austin Ekeler in free agency this offseason. Ekeler led the NFL in touchdowns with 20 in 2021 and 18 in 2022. Last season, Ekeler missed three games, and his stats dropped to 628 yards and five touchdowns on 179 rushing attempts and 436 yards and one touchdown on 51 receptions. Ekeler said he didn’t see himself and Robinson as competitors for playing time, but different parts of the game plan. “We’re different body types, different assets, different ways,” Ekeler said during Washington’s mandatory minicamp. “He’s a little bit younger. I got a little bit more tape. My strengths are well-known. B-Rob’s still getting himself in his footing going into Year 3 here. … “He’s a big guy, and so he’s going to have those strengths to his advantage. He’s going to be able to catch the ball. He’s going to be a strong runner coming downhill. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t have as much wiggle, but if you compare him to me, I’m a jitterbug out there.” The Commanders completed their offseason program last week. Washington’s veteran players are scheduled to report for training camp on July 23 in Ashburn, Virginia. The Commanders kick off their three-game preseason schedule against the New York Jets on Aug. 10 and start the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 8. FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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aubiefifty 18,260 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 al.com Elba’s 4-star running back Alvin Henderson flips to Auburn from Penn State Updated: Jun. 21, 2024, 12:13 p.m.|Published: Jun. 21, 2024, 12:03 p.m. 4–5 minutes Elba’s Alvin Henderson speaks after being presented Class 1A Back of the Year by AHSADCA director Brandon Dean and ALFA agent Scott Stricklin during the 2023 Mr. Football banquet in Montgomery, Ala., Jan. 30, 2024. (Will McLelland/preps@al.com) Will McLelland | preps@al.com By Ainslie Lee | alee@al.com Matt Cohen | mcohen@al.com Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers have won the commitment of Elba’s 4-star running back and two-time Class 1A Back of the Year Alvin Henderson, a major flip away from his previous commitment to Penn State. Henderson announced his commitment to Auburn in a post to Instagram on Friday afternoon. Henderson committed to Penn State in April, within a week of taking an official visit to head coach James Franklin’s program. Measuring 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, 247Sports ranks Henderson as the 8th-ranked running back in the 2024 class and the 11th-ranked prospect — regardless of position — in the state of Alabama. Henderson is ranked just outside the top 100 players nationally in the 2025 class. With Henderson in the fold, Auburn has secured its first running back commitment since the 2023 recruiting cycle and brings the Tigers’ 2025 recruiting class to a total of 16 commitments. Auburn’s 2025 class was already ranked sixth nationally by 247Sports ahead of Henderson’s commitment, and Henderson is now one of the five highest-rated players in Auburn’s class. Auburn’s class is expected to jump into the top five nationally with Henderson’s addition. Auburn now has five of the top 15 in-state players committed. Henderson’s commitment comes less than a week after Auburn landed Eric Winters, a fellow in-state prominent high school player. Winters is a four-star safety from Enterprise. Auburn also remains in the mix for several other top in-state recruits including four-star edge rusher Zion Grady and four-star safety Anquon Fegans. Henderson visited Auburn in May after already committing to Penn State and took his official visit to Penn State just a week prior to flipping to Auburn. Winning Henderson comes on the heels of a 2023 season that saw him rush for 3,523 yards and 61 touchdowns on 225 carries – an average of 15.7 yards per carry and 251 yards per game. With Henderson in the backfield, Elba finished 13-1 this past fall in a season that ended in the state semifinal, where the Tigers lost 27-24 to eventual state champion Leroy. Henderson also held offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. The commitment of Henderson comes after a bit of turnover in his recruitment as a pair of Auburn’s new coaches in offensive coordinator and running backs coach Derrick Nix and co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly took the reins of Henderson’s recruitment after the departure of former running backs coach Cadillac Williams, according to Henderson’s 247Sports profile. After winning his second Class 1A Back of the Year honor on Jan. 30, Henderson admitted to AL.com’s Ben Thomas that he was “hurt” by the exit of Williams, but was confident he could build a relationship with Nix. “Coach Nix and coach (Hugh) Freeze and coach (Charles) Kelly came down to my school last Monday,” Henderson said of the Auburn staff in an interview on Feb. 1. “Coach Nix FaceTimed me last night and said he would be at my game Thursday. I’m already bonding with him, and he’s only had the job like two weeks.” And as evidenced by Henderson’s commitment, it appears Nix and Kelly have quickly settled into their new roles. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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AUwent 3,838 Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 (edited) 16 hours ago, aubiefifty said: athlonsports.com Dap Recap: An early look into Auburn football's predicted 2024 depth chart Darrell Dapprich 2–3 minutes Auburn's football roster for the upcoming season should see a significant upgrade over last year's version. Here's a deep dive into what the two deep could potentially look like. Auburn football has improved its roster via the transfer portal and top-notch high school recruiting in year two of the Hugh Freeze era. Just what might the depth chart look like in 2024? Will it be enough to surpass last year's win total? Let's take a look position-by-position on both sides of the ball. Auburn's Offense WR-X #8 Cam Coleman, FR/ #4 Camden Brown, JR WR-Z #5 KeAndre Lambert Smith, SR/ #3 Perry Thompson,FR WR-H #14 Robert Lewis, SR/#18 Sam Jackson,SR LT #73 Percy Lewis, SR/#65 Seth Wilfred,SO or #74 Ronan Chambers, SR LG #52 Dillon Wade, SR/#63 Jaden Muskrat,SR C #75 Connor Lew, SO/#54 Tate Johnson,SR RG #77 Jeremiah Wright, SR/ #71 Dylan Senda, RS-FR RT #72 Izavion Miller, SR/ #79 Tyler Johnson,RS-FR TE #13 Rivaldo Fairweather, SR/ #86 Luke Deal, SR QB #1 Payton Thorne, SR/ #15 Hank Brown, RS-FR RB #27 Jarquez Hunter, SR/ #23 Jeremiah Cobb, SO or #22 Damari Alston, JR Auburn's Defense DE #15 Keldric Faulk, SO/ #96 Philip Blidi, SR NT #99 Jayson Jones, SR/ #92 Trill Carter, SR DT #22 Isaiah Raikes, SR/#95 Gage Keys, JR Buck #35 Jalen McLeod, SR/ #24 Keyron Crawford, JR MLB #6 Austin Keys, SR/ #12 Dorian Mausi, SR WLB #9 Eugene Asante, SR/ #33 DJ Barber, FR FCB #4 Kayin Lee, SO/ #36 Jay Crawford, FR or #14 Tyler Scott, RS-FR WS #1 Jerrin Thompson, SR/ #3 Laquan Robinson, JR or #5 Terrance Love, SO FS #19 Sylvester Smith, RS-FR/ #21 Caleb Wooden, JR BCB #0 Keionte Scott, SR/ #8 Antonio Kite, SO Star #25 Champ Anthony, JR/ #28 Kensley Louidor-Faustin, FR or #18 Kaleb Harris, FR Auburn's Specialists PT #91 Oscar Chapman, SR/ #37 Gabe Russo, FR PK #38 Alex McPherson, SO/ #33 Towns McGough, FR LS #44 Reed Hughes, SR This makes me wonder how long it’ll be before the 2024 class becomes the majority of starters (Crawford over Waller, for example). Edited June 22 by AUwent 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,260 Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 9 hours ago, AUwent said: This makes me wonder how long it’ll be before the 2024 class becomes the majority of starters (Crawford over Waller, for example). the pod folks are so excited lately about talent infusion i feel really good big shooter. it makes me want to suit up but i probably could not run from the bench to the water coolers..............grins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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