6.28.24 Football Articles

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si.com

Jarquez Hunter, the Most Underrated RB in Auburn Tigers History?

Terrance Biggs

4–5 minutes

When Jarquez Hunter left Philadelphia, Miss., he probably hoped to enjoy a decent career on The Plains with the Auburn Tigers. Thoughts of records, bowl wins and a degree gained traction with him. So far, two goals look within realistic reach, while the third remains a strong possibility. 

During Hunter's tenure, the Tigers hold winless record in bowl games at 0-2. On a positive note, he earned a bachelor's in natural resource management. Now, Hunter focuses on making his senior season at Auburn the best one yet. With that said, if healthy and consistently productive, Hunter will stand among the best in school history, perhaps the most underrated running back in a program rich in tradition at the position.

Patience

Hunter committed to play under the Harsin regime, which feels akin to holding the ocean back with a strainer. The team struggled as he waited behind Tank Bigsby, who was taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Never one to complain, Hunter accepted his role as the backup, and he performed well enough. 

When Bigsby headed to the NFL, he stepped into the starting spot, totaling 909 yards and seven touchdowns. Yet, once again, too often, the Tigers managed to safely rescue defeat from the jaws of victory, enroute to a 6-7 season. With apparent light at the end of the tunnel, with hope running wild around Toomer's Corner, the Tigers look better and so does Hunter's potential performance in 2024.

Rushing Yards

For the sake of argument, Hunter replicates his number for last year, 909 yards. He currently sits eighteenth on Auburn's all-time rushing list with 2,170 yards. 

Adding in the 909, leaves him at 2,979 yards, tying him with Tre Mason for sixth-highest. In the entire century-plus tradition of Auburn football, only five men gained more yards on the ground (Bo Jackson, Cadillac Williams, James Brooks, Joe Cribbs, and Ben Tate). 

That's it. Score one for Hunter. Auburn enjoys a sterling reputation for running back talent. Remember Brandon Jacobs, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams all played together. 

Yards From Scrimmage

In 2023, Hunter gained 1,027 yards from scrimmage. If he repeats that performance, those 4,006 total yards rank him third behind Williams and Jackson.

If you think about how productively Hunter played in the passing game, you'd see an athlete that accumulated excellent stats but also big plays that helped his team win when it appeared that he did not have the greatest supporting cast. All of this while playing his first two seasons behind a standout like Bigsby.

Yards Per Attempt

Now, few stats articulate effectiveness more than yards per attempt. Meaning, players can rack up high yardage numbers with voluminous carries. For example, Kevin Smith ran the ball for 4,769 yards on 905 carries for UCF for 5.27 yards-per-carry.

When the Lions drafted him, he played two complete, successful seasons before the mileage on his legs shortened his career. Meanwhile, splitting time for the first half of his career gives Hunter a chance to play stronger longer this season. 

Additionally, looking at the numbers, Hunter's 6.2 yards per carry puts him behind Jackson and Brent Fullwood, of all the backs that gained more yards on the ground at Auburn. Twenty-two running backs carried the ball more than Hunter.  

Overview

While no one probably hangs a Jarquez Hunter poster on their wall, you know his name. Granted, that name does not carry the clout of legends. However, as mentioned, when he places that white helmet on the top shelf, and throws that #27 in a wall-mounted frame, Hunter will join the all-time greats at Auburn on a statistical level.

More importantly, the kid from Mississippi will leave The Plains, as a man with a degree, respect and the knowledge that he defied expectations and conventional thought, enjoying a terrific career at Auburn.

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Auburn is an elite QB away from being contender

Jun 21, 2024

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Andy Graham

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It’s no secret Hugh Freeze inherited a formidable rebuilding job when he agreed to become Auburn’s head coach in November of 2022. Gus Malzahn was very consistent in his time on the Plains, but never lost less than four games in any of his eight seasons except for year one going 12-2 and winning the SEC. However, recruiting began to slip during his final season and Bryan Harsin was an abysmal recruiter during his two brief seasons. As a result, the Tigers have posted records of 6-5, 6-7, 5-7 and 6-7 in the last four years. Their record in the SEC is 14-20. Why should anyone expect anything different this year? That’s a great question.

Here are some legitimate facts and informed opinions. You can ultimately make up your own mind as to your level of expectation. Hugh Freeze was able to bring in the No. 8 recruiting class in the country in 2024 along with 14 players through the transfer portal at positions of immediate need. That is in addition to players like tight end Rivaldo Fairweather (led Auburn in receiving in 2023), offensive guard Dillon Wade (started every game on the o-line), linebacker Austin Keys (was hurt most of the year, but became a starter late) and edge rusher Jalen McLeod (3rd in tackles, 2nd in tackles for loss & 2nd in sacks). All those players came to the Loveliest Village through the transfer portal in 2023 and will all be major contributors in 2024.

It’s been well documented that Auburn struggled mightily over the last decade to attract highly rated offensive lineman from the high school ranks. Try to wrap your mind around this little nugget of data. I promise I’m not making this up.

In Malzahn’s final five seasons (2016-20), he successfully recruited one offensive tackle from high school that would go on to play any substantial amount of time at the position in Austin Troxel. That’s it. That’s the list.

As most of you will remember, Troxel had several knee injuries and never could establish a consistent starting position, but did actually play some. Freeze has already brought in five tackles from the transfer portal and three from high school in a year and a half.

In case you live in a bunker with no Internet, Auburn signed the Freeze Four (5* Cam Coleman, 5* Perry Thompson, 4* Malcolm Simmons and 4* Bryce Cain) at wide receiver in this year’s class massively upgrading the receiver room. They also signed Penn State’s leading receiver in 2023, KeAndre Lambert-Smith among others.

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The Tigers bring back senior running back Jarquez Hunter, junior running back Damari Alston and sophomore running back Jeremiah Cobb. All three have the potential to be All-SEC caliber.

Judging by these facts, I believe the Tigers have improved every position on offense from last season through recruiting and the portal. Well, every position but quarterback. Senior Payton Thorne is back and is the presumed starter after an up-and-down 2023. He threw for a relatively unimpressive 1,755 yards with 16 TD and 10 INT. On the other hand, he ran for a relatively impressive 515 yards and 3 TD.

An elite QB can make a world of difference for a college football team. Cam Newton, Nick Marshall and Jarrett Stidham were all high level college QB’s and each one of them led the Tigers to the SEC title game and national championship game on two occasions. Can Thorne be elite? Certainly not with the numbers he put up through the air in 2023.

However, he threw for 3,233 yards and 27 TD in 2021 for Michigan State. Of course, he had a really good offensive line, strong running game and dynamic receivers. Sound familiar? Auburn has surrounded him with a much better supporting cast in 2024. How much better? We’ll find out soon enough.

It’s hard to know what to expect from the defense with a new coordinator and several new players from the portal, but I feel certain they’ll be competitive. I’m not trying to put undue pressure on Thorne, but I absolutely believe elite QB play is the difference between the Birmingham Bowl and the CFB Playoff.

Andy Graham is the co-host of Auburn Blitz and his columns appear here weekly.

Andy Graham is a regular columnist for The Outlook.

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athlonsports.com

Athlon Sports Shares Final Prediction For Auburn Football in 2024

Lance Dawe

~3 minutes

The Auburn Tigers are expected to take a step forward in Hugh Freeze's second season on the Plains.

The Tigers finished 2023 with a mediocre 6-7 record despite posting extremely competitive games against some of their most fierce competition.

With the roster infused with a top-10 recruiting class, a group of transfers ready to contribute on both sides of the ball, and an upgraded staff, Auburn should improve on that record and finish above .500 for the first time since the 2020 season.

Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports recently released his official SEC football predictions for the 2024 season, projecting the Auburn Tigers to finish No. 10 in the conference. Here's what Lassan had to say about Freeze's upcoming season:

"The good news for the Tigers: The talent level is on the rise entering '24. Freshman receiver Cam Coleman fills a major position of need, and he's joined by a pair of transfers in Keandre Lambert-Smith (Penn State) and Robert Lewis (Georgia State) to jumpstart a receiving corps that struggled mightily last fall. Quarterback Payton Thorne had an up-and-down debut on the Plains in '23, but the Michigan State transfer should be more comfortable in his second season and could benefit from Freeze taking over the play-calling duties. Running back Jarquez Hunter is one of the best in the SEC and the line returns three starters.

New defensive coordinator DJ Durkin inherits five returning starters, but this unit has the pieces in place to improve on last year's performance (holding SEC teams to 24.4 points a game last year). Edge linemen Jalen McLeod and Keldric Faulk are rising stars, while Freeze added depth from the portal to solidify the interior of the line. Linebacker Eugene Asante anchors the second level, and cornerback Keionte Scott headlines a secondary featuring four new starters in '24."

Here's a look at Auburn football's entire 2024 schedule:

Aug. 31 - Vs Alabama A&M Bulldogs

- 6:30 p.m. SEC Network+

Sep. 7 - Vs California Golden Bears

- 2:30 p.m. ESPN 2

Sep. 14 - Vs New Mexico Lobos

- 6:30 p.m. ESPN 2 or ESPNU

Sep. 21 - Vs Arkansas Razorbacks

- Flex (2:30 p.m.-7 p.m.)

Sep. 28 - Vs Oklahoma Sooners

- Afternoon (2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.)

Oct. 5 - At Georgia Bulldogs

- Flex (2:30 p.m.-7 p.m.)

Oct 12 - Bye Week

Oct 19 - at Missouri Tigers

- Early (11 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Oct 26 - at Kentucky Wildcats

- Night (5 p.m.-7 p.m.)

Nov. 2 - Vs Vanderbilt Commodores

- Early (11 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Nov. 9 - Bye Week

Nov. 16 - ULM Warhawks

- 11:45 a.m. SEC Network

Nov. 23 - Texas A&M Aggies

- Flex (2:30 p.m.-7 p.m.)

Nov. 30 - Alabama Crimson Tide

- Flex (2:30 p.m.-7 p.m.)

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al.com

Auburn’s defense cracks Top 25 in EA Sports’ College Football 25

Published: Jun. 27, 2024, 12:49 p.m.

~2 minutes

Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) is tackled by Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante (9) during the first half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 in Auburn, Ala. (AL.com Photo/Stew Milne)Stew Milne

When the highly anticipated EA Sports’ College Football 25 video game comes out on July 19, the Auburn Tigers will boast one of the top defenses in the game.

According to EA Sports’ Top 25 defense rankings, which were released Thursday, Auburn will field the 17th-ranked defense in the game with an 86 overall rating on a 100-point scale.

EA Sports’ official website says the game’s development team “meticulously examined hundreds of thousands of data points to arrive at our team power rankings.”

“With help from our friends at Pro Football Focus (PFF), the team analyzed all 134 rosters, thousands of players, years worth of game film, and mountains of stats, ultimately arriving at our Team Power Rankings,” the site says, adding that rankings are subject to change in future game updates.

Topping the game’s defensive rankings is Ohio State with a 96 overall rating. Rounding out the Top 3 is Georgia and Oregon with a 94 and 90 overall rating, respectively.

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al.com

Auburn DB target, Thompson star Anquon Fegans closing in on commitment date

Updated: Jun. 27, 2024, 12:33 p.m.|Published: Jun. 27, 2024, 12:21 p.m.

~1 minute

Thompson's Anquon Fegans intercepts a pass intended for Central-Phenix City's Daylyn Upshaw during the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory

Thompson defensive back Anquon Fegans – the top uncommitted senior in Alabama – plans to commit on July 29.

Fegans told AL.com at the Foley 7-on-7 this week that his top four schools are Georgia, Clemson, LSU and Auburn.

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wtvm.com

New equipment coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn

Sydney Babb

2–3 minutes

AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) - After final approval from the Auburn Board of Trustees, a new videoboard will be built in the north end zone of Jordan Hare Stadium this summer.

“It’s a way to compliment the videoboard in the south end zone,” said Jeff Shearer, the Strategic Communications Director for Auburn Athletics. “That’s the envy of college football and it’s going to be built in such a way that allows for continued expansion of the north end zone.”

The new Jumbotron will not be complete until Fall 2025, but other changes are set to enhance fan experience this upcoming football season.

Auburn University Campus Safety is also investing in advanced meteorology equipment to track and predict extreme weather patterns before kickoff.

“The importance of investing time in new technology when it comes to weather is that knowing that weather is our number one hazard,” said Ashley Gann, the Public Information Officer for Campus Safety. “Now we’ve got technology that can help us better communicate those weather hazards to our Auburn community.”

There can be up to a 10-to-15 degree difference between seats in the shade or the sun, according to a heat study done last season by the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

“They’re collecting weather data; they’re collecting temperature; they’re collecting dew point; all of these variables that help us better forecast what kind of heat conditions are going to be occurring,” Gann explained. “We’ve identified key areas within the stadium that could be vulnerable areas, especially those that have higher heat sensitivities.”

Fans can also expect cooling and misting stations, portable fans, free water jugs, and an increase in safety personnel. But as far as more obvious changes in Jordan Hare go, the board of trustees has given the final approcal on the north edzone videoboard and will break ground this summer.

Auburn’s football season officially kicks off August 31 against Alabama A&M at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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