toddc

I live in Athens too. Small world

SIAP Auburn expected to hire Durkin as new DC D.J. Durkin is expected to be Auburn's new defensive coordinator, Auburnundercover has learned. Jason Caldwell11 hrs A veteran defensive coach that spent the last four seasons working in the Southeastern Conference as the coordinator at first Ole Miss and then at Texas A&M the last two seasons, DJ Durkin is expected to make another move in the league with Hugh Freeze tabbing him to take over the role as the defensive coordinator for the Auburn Tigers, a source has confirmed to Auburnundercover.com. Playing at Bowling Green from 1997-2000, Durkin got his coaching career started at his alma mater as a grad assistant and moved to Notre Dame in the same role before returning to Bowling Green as a full assistant in 2005. His first big opportunity came in 2007 when he moved to coach with Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. He spent three seasons there before going to Florida to reunite with Urban Meyer, who he got started with at Bowling Green. Durkin was the defensive coordinator for the Gators in 2013-14 under Will Muschamp, taking over for Dan Quinn. He moved to Michigan as the defensive coordinator in 2015 before getting a shot as a head coach at Maryland in 2016. He coached for two seasons with the Terps but was fired after backlash from the death of Jordan McNair following a workout. After consulting with the Atlanta Falcons the following season, Durkin was hired at Ole Miss where he coached for two seasons before making the move to Texas A&M. Despite a team that struggled last season and eventually led to the firing of Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies were a solid team on defense last season, finishing 19th nationally in total defense. In his first season at Texas A&M, Durkin's defense finished 25th in the country in scoring defense. In his first season at Texas A&M, Durkin’s defense led the nation allowing the fewest passing yards per game at 156.2. The Aggies held opponents under 150 yards through the air in six games, including three games under 100 yards. Texas A&M ranked No. 17 in the nation and No. 4 in the SEC in passing defense efficiency (117.10) and ranked No. 22 in the country allowing 20.7 points per game, which ranked fourth in the SEC. In addition to his significant experience on the field, Durkin has been equally accomplished on the recruiting trail. Durkin has helped ink nine top-25 classes, including five which ranked in the top 10 nationally. During his time at Florida, Durkin helped land four-straight top-11 recruiting classes and nine five-star prospects. Prior to his time in Oxford, Durkin spent one season in the NFL as a consultant for the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 after serving as the head coach at Maryland for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He doubled the Terrapins’ win total during his first season at the helm and excelled on the recruiting trail, bringing in consecutive top-30 signing classes for the first time in program history. With a history of coaching linebackers, Durkin is expected to coach either inside or outside linebackers for the Tigers along with current linebacker coach Josh Aldridge. The roles are still to be defined. More to come...

This looks like a really good hire to me. I get all the stuff about Maryland but I think it’s been proven since that he can coach, and has been trusted by high level coaches. I believe the Maryland stuff has been blown way out of proportion. Auburn expected to hire Durkin as new DC D.J. Durkin is expected to be Auburn's new defensive coordinator, Auburnundercover has learned. Jason Caldwell11 hrs A veteran defensive coach that spent the last four seasons working in the Southeastern Conference as the coordinator at first Ole Miss and then at Texas A&M the last two seasons, DJ Durkin is expected to make another move in the league with Hugh Freeze tabbing him to take over the role as the defensive coordinator for the Auburn Tigers, a source has confirmed to Auburnundercover.com. Playing at Bowling Green from 1997-2000, Durkin got his coaching career started at his alma mater as a grad assistant and moved to Notre Dame in the same role before returning to Bowling Green as a full assistant in 2005. His first big opportunity came in 2007 when he moved to coach with Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. He spent three seasons there before going to Florida to reunite with Urban Meyer, who he got started with at Bowling Green. Durkin was the defensive coordinator for the Gators in 2013-14 under Will Muschamp, taking over for Dan Quinn. He moved to Michigan as the defensive coordinator in 2015 before getting a shot as a head coach at Maryland in 2016. He coached for two seasons with the Terps but was fired after backlash from the death of Jordan McNair following a workout. After consulting with the Atlanta Falcons the following season, Durkin was hired at Ole Miss where he coached for two seasons before making the move to Texas A&M. Despite a team that struggled last season and eventually led to the firing of Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies were a solid team on defense last season, finishing 19th nationally in total defense. In his first season at Texas A&M, Durkin's defense finished 25th in the country in scoring defense. In his first season at Texas A&M, Durkin’s defense led the nation allowing the fewest passing yards per game at 156.2. The Aggies held opponents under 150 yards through the air in six games, including three games under 100 yards. Texas A&M ranked No. 17 in the nation and No. 4 in the SEC in passing defense efficiency (117.10) and ranked No. 22 in the country allowing 20.7 points per game, which ranked fourth in the SEC. In addition to his significant experience on the field, Durkin has been equally accomplished on the recruiting trail. Durkin has helped ink nine top-25 classes, including five which ranked in the top 10 nationally. During his time at Florida, Durkin helped land four-straight top-11 recruiting classes and nine five-star prospects. Prior to his time in Oxford, Durkin spent one season in the NFL as a consultant for the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 after serving as the head coach at Maryland for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He doubled the Terrapins’ win total during his first season at the helm and excelled on the recruiting trail, bringing in consecutive top-30 signing classes for the first time in program history. With a history of coaching linebackers, Durkin is expected to coach either inside or outside linebackers for the Tigers along with current linebacker coach Josh Aldridge. The roles are still to be defined. More to come...

I don’t think so. CHF has done really well in the portal to fill needs. I’m not sure why this narrative is so prevalent in here. Manny Navarro of The Athletic recently revealed his winnersand losers from the SEC when it comes to their activity in the transfer portal. At the front of the “winners” list is Auburn. Navarro says the Tigers’ transfer additions have outweighed their departures.

Transfer haul not as bad as some are trying to make it. Auburn dubbed a 'transfer portal winner' by The Athletic Taylor Jones Auburn’s coaching staff is working hard to fill key areas with transfer portal additions, and are currently succeeding. The Tigers will have added a talented wide receiver, a sturdy offensive lineman, and several solid defensive additions which should help boost its stock in the upcoming 2024 season. The haul has been impressive so far, and outlets such as The Athletic are taking notice. Manny Navarro of The Athletic recently revealed his winners and losers from the SEC when it comes to their activity in the transfer portal. At the front of the “winners” list is Auburn. Navarro says the Tigers’ transfer additions have outweighed their departures. Auburn’s recruiting has been on the uptick since Hugh Freeze took over. The 2024 class ranks No. 8 after the early signing period and the Tigers are also bringing in quality talent in the portal. Among the notable additions are former Georgia State standout receiver Robert Lewis (70 catches, 877 yards in 2023), ex-Mississippi State left tackle Percy Lewis (seven starts in 2023), former Texas and Minnesota defensive tackle Trill Carter (31 career starts), ex-Duke linebacker Dorian Mausi(27 starts) and former Texas safety Jerrin Thompson (31 starts). Those pickups outweigh the losses of 2022 starting quarterback Robby Ashford (South Carolina) and linebacker Cam Riley and safety Donovan Kaufman, who both ranked in the top 11 on the team in tackles last season and haven’t found new landing spots yet. Antonio Kite (CB-Alabama), Jerrin Thompson (S-Texas), Percy Lewis (OT-Mississippi State), and rico walker (TE-Maryland) are the most notable transfer additions for Auburn so far, as they all join the roster as four-star transfers according to 247Sports. Joining Auburn as “winners” include Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri. Arkansas and Florida were teams who “broke even”, while Alabama, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt joined the “losers” category.

Who’s missing is part of the story here.

Run blocking last year. You’ll have to expand it. At least we played assignment football, which is new and different. 😆

We’ve had four McDonald’s All American players in the last 5 years. Our 2024 class is ranked in the top 10 in our average player rankings. CBP is going to use the portal for filling in. The portal gave us Kessler, and CBM this past year who I believe will be really good before he leaves. Not to mention Broome who is a beast.

Good on him. Hope he gets some good reps on the field and comes back home down the road.

Kelly already paying dividends.

Why Monday's practice was Auburn's most intense of the season “That was one of the most serious practices I've had in a while, with the coaches being more locked in than the players." 85 mins Auburn’s coaches were already up in arms after one play. Walk-on point guard Jalen Harper, playing the role of Alabama’s Mark Sears on scout team, raced past the Tigers and got all the way to the basket for a layup. Preparing for the blistering pace of the Crimson Tide’s offense, Auburn hammered transition drills Monday, and Harper was able to score after the Tigers made a basket, attempting to simulate how Alabama pushes the ball even on a routine inbounds pass. “(Bruce Pearl) is already mad, and practice just started,” fifth-year senior forward Jaylin Williams said. No. 8 Auburn is 5-0 in the SEC, the only undefeated team left in league play, and is riding an 11-game winning streak. But it knows this week brings a tremendous challenge it hasn’t had a taste for yet. The Tigers not only head to face rival Alabama (12-6, 4-1 SEC) on the road Wednesday, but also play a tricky road game at Mississippi State on Saturday. Both will be Quadrant 1 opportunities — of which Auburn doesn’t have a win yet on the season for its NCAA tournament resume. So Pearl and his staff came to practice Monday with a fearsome plan to attempt to get the Tigers in an intense mindset for a road trip that will start against an Alabama team that runs with a blazing pace offensively under Nate Oats. “Yesterday was probably one of our hardest practices since June,” Williams said. “We really needed it. … Scout team did a really good job of pushing the ball in fastbreak — we were working on a lot of fastbreak stuff because that's where they're really good. They like to get out and play and get a shot off within 12 seconds of the shot clock.” Alabama doesn’t just push the basketball, it’s efficient in doing so, currently with KenPom’s No. 1 offensive efficiency rating in the country, along with the nation’s No. 3 scoring offense. The catalyst is Sears, an SEC Player of the Year candidate at point guard who’s averaging 19.2 points per game, plus 3.6 assists. Auburn did its best to replicate his high-octane orchestration of Alabama’s offense, but as Pearl said Tuesday, no amount of practice can adequately recreate Oats’ offense. His team will have to lock into the defensive scouting report and adjust as the game progresses Wednesday night (6:30 p.m. CST, ESPN). “Alabama is one of the fastest teams we’re going to play all season — they’re the fastest team we played last season,” center Dylan Cardwell said. “We struggled with that in transition. Really different perspective from the coaches as well with it being intense: an hour-long conversation before the film session just to make sure we’re kinda locked in to what we need to do in order to handle business for ourselves in the future, but also for the game.” Yes, Alabama is a load to prepare for as a defense. But as Cardwell said, Monday’s intense practice was also about more than just one single game. The Tigers know they’ve set themselves up for SEC championship contention in the early stages of the conference slate. And now, with six of their next eight games currently rated as Quad 1 opportunities, they know push is about to come to shove. The Tigers believe they have a special team, so they’re embracing that pressure from the coaching staff — and from the leaders on the team. “That was one of the most serious practices I've had in a while, with the coaches being more locked in than the players,” Williams said. “The coaches really worked us up to make us realize, OK, we have a chance to do something special if we win these two games this week. I won't say it's a guaranteed championship in the regular season, but it's going to help a lot if we finish these two games out with a dub. The coaches are trying to get that message out to us.” Auburn was swept in the two regular-season meetings against Alabama last season, including a trip to Tuscaloosa in which the Tigers had a 17-point lead with 10:27 remaining. Alabama stormed all the way back, took the game to overtime and pulled out a win to clinch the SEC regular-season championship, as Auburn had three different players foul out in overtime. Williams said that result certainly stuck with the Tigers, and they’re looking forward to the opportunity to build a lead on the road again — because this time, he doesn’t think this team would let it slip. “That team, we didn’t stick together,” Williams said. “So I think this team, if we get to that point, I feel like it’s going to be over with. But we know how good of a team Alabama is so we still got to respect them in a way that we just can’t go out there and play like we’re the No. 8 team in the country.”

CBP getting the guys ready for a tough game Wednesday night.

Auburn basketball signee Tahaad Pettiford named a McDonald’s All-American By Matt Cohen | mcohen@al.com Tahaad Pettiford (0) of Hudson Catholic with a slam dunk during the boys basketball game between No. 6 St. Peter’s Prep and No. 4 Hudson Catholic at St. Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City, NJ on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media Auburn five-star point guard signee Tahaad Pettiford has been named a McDonald’s All-American, according to an announcement Tuesday. Pettiford is Auburn’s fourth player since 2020 to receive the prestigous honor among the best high school players in the country. Current Auburn point guard Aden Holloway was selected in 2023, former Auburn forward Jabari Smith was selected in 2021 and former Auburn guard Sharife Cooper was selected in 2020. Pettiford, who plays for Hudson Catholic in Jersey City, New Jersey, is ranked as the top point guard in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports. He is a consensus top-25 overall player in the nation, according to recruiting websites. He is part of a two-man Auburn class coming next fall along with four-star forward Jakhi Howard. Should Holloway return to Auburn for his sophomore season, he and Pettiford will be Auburn’s first McDonald’s All-American duo in program history. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

That’s how I was raised and how I raised my kid, and now teach my grandkids. The generations who are taught that everything should be owed to them, or given participation trophies are going to get a hard lesson in the real world.

5-Star WR Says Auburn Tigers Have A 'Good Chance' Of Getting Him The Tigers are in pursuit of another highly touted wide receiver. Lance Dawe1 hour ago The Auburn Tigers are in pursuit of yet another highly touted wide receiver prospect. After landing two 5-star wide receivers in their 2024 class, Auburn fans have begun to gain some confidence in the Tigers making massive moves on the recruiting trail. Auburn now seems to be in a good position with 2025 receiver Caleb Cunningham. Cunningham just wrapped up his second visit to Auburn and told On3 about what he learned on the Plains. According to Cunningham, the Tigers are moving up his list of schools. “Auburn definitely moved up my list,” Cunningham told On3. “What stood out about Auburn is that I learned a lot about their program. They have great people on that staff. It’s all about brotherhood and family there. They showed great hospitality. The coaches definitely love me they were telling me how I can play a big role in their offense and that they need players like me in their offense.” The Tigers certainly need more players like Cunningham - the No. 2 wide receiver prospect according to On3 - in their passing game, which struggled mightily a season ago. The message to Cunningham? Find the best environment... preferably Auburn. “The message from Coach Freeze was to find the best environment. He feels like the best environment for me could be Auburn. He definitely wants me in his offense. “The message from Coach Davis was he wants me bad. I am one of his top guys in the 2025 class and he is going to coach me hard, but he’s going to love me harder. The message from my guy Coach Nix was that he can use me in his offense in a whole lot of different ways.” The Tigers have caught fire early for the 2025 cycle, currently sitting at No. 4 in the national rankings. “I feel good about Auburn,” Cunningham said. “They definitely have a good chance of getting me.”

Auburn HC Hugh Freeze visits elite 2025 OT Josh Petty Hunter Shelton Roswell (Ga.) Fellowship Christian four-star offensive tackle Josh Petty will be a high-priority prospect for every program that attempts to recruit him from now until he signs his National Letter of Intent. Plenty of schools are making an effort to standout to the 6-foot-4, 265-pounder, including Auburn. The Tigers are one of over 30 Power Five programs that have offered but are one of the few that have already had him on campus for a visit. Petty was on The Plains last May. on Thursday, Auburn skipper Hugh Freeze opted to come to the Peach State to return the favor: Grateful to have @CoachHughFreeze and @CoachThornton61 on campus. @AuburnFootball#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/GAllngdEbs — Paladins Recruiting (@FCS_Recruiting) January 18, 2024 The competition for Petty’s pledge is stout. Georgia, Tennessee, Clemson, Ohio State, Oregon and LSU are among those who have offered. Petty recently spoke with On3’s Chad Simmons to dish on his latest recruitment plans. “Committing is hard,” he told Simmons. “I’ve heard that from everybody. A lot of people tell me to go with my heart and that wherever feels like home probably is home. I’ve got that feeling about a couple schools, so I just have to figure out which one feels the most like home.” Georgia, Clemson among those pushing hard for Petty Petty has already seen Athens multiple times, as he took a game visit during the fall and then returned for a Junior Day trip this month. As always, the Bulldogs are primed to be at or near the top for an elite in-state recruit. “It’s a great program. They’ve won national championships. They have a great coach and great development there. Georgia being in-state is nice. It’s easy to stay home. It’s a great school,” Petty said of UGA. Petty also told Simmons that he’s planning another visit to Clemson. The Tigers also had him in the Palmetto State last summer. “I like Clemson a lot,” Petty said. “Coach (Dabo) Swinney is a great coach. He’s been there for years and he’s shown that he can do it. He’s won national championships and done it with different teams, but he’s done it at the same program. He’s got that loyalty that I really appreciate.” Petty is the No. 18 overall prospect and No. 3 OT in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 6 player in Georgia. On3 ranks Petty higher than other recruiting services. He checks in as the No. 11 recruit and No. 2 OT in the 2025 On300. Petty has an On3 NIL Valuation of $119K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

If he and Cardwell came back they might have a chance to get a title with the guard play next year .

Every article I read has errors all over them. It’s really hard to believe but that’s journalism today.