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Date set for Auburn's 2024 A-Day spring game The second spring game of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn is set Nathan King4 mins Spring practices for Year 2 of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn are right around the corner. The program announced Thursday that its 2024 A-Day spring game is set for April 6, which will conclude spring ball on the Plains. The team's 2024 spring practice schedule hasn't been released, but last year, Auburn gave itself 40 days to complete the 15 spring practices, with a week of spring break included. Last year's spring practices began Feb. 27. Auburn is coming off its third straight losing season, going 6-7 in Year 1 under Freeze, including three straight losses to begin the season. Fans will be eager to see some of the early enrollees from Auburn's No. 7-ranked recruiting class in this year's spring game, along with hopeful developments from the passing game. Both of Auburn's coordinators are gone from last season, and the OC job has been filled by Ole Miss assistant Derrick Nix, who will also coach running backs. Freeze has yet to name a new defensive coordinator. Auburn's 2024 season features five straight home games to begin the year and kicks off Aug. 31 against Alabama A&M.

Well so far we have poached all of… one.

Hugh Freeze and Auburn’s offensive staff is set for 2024. Here’s a look at the final product By Ainslie Lee | alee@al.com Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze on the sideline during the first half of an NCAA football game against Mississippi Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 in Auburn, Ala. (AL.com Photo/Stew Milne)Stew Milne The first shoe dropped on Jan. 5 as Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze announced he wouldn’t be retaining Philip Montgomery, who served as Auburn’s offensive coordinator for the 2023 season. However, Montgomery’s exit wouldn’t be the only staff change Auburn’s offense saw as associate head coach and running backs coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams abruptly announced his plans to resign on Jan. 11, forcing Freeze to do a bit more restructuring as it pertains to the Tigers’ offensive coaching staff. And as of Wednesday afternoon, barring any unexpected changes, Freeze has filled out his offensive coaching staff for his second season at Auburn. More: A timeline of all of Auburn football’s staff changes Here’s a look at the final product: Offensive coordinator — Derrick Nix Auburn announced the hiring of former Ole Miss associate head coach, wide receivers coach and running backs coach Derrick Nix on Jan. 17. Nix comes to The Plains after spending the past 16 seasons at Ole Miss, which included five seasons under Freeze, who served as Ole Miss’ head coach from 2012-16. Quarterbacks coach — Kent Austin Kent Austin was elevated to the role of quarterbacks coach on Jan. 17 after serving as Auburn’s special assistant to the head coach and quality control in 2023. Prior to taking his off-the-field role at Auburn last season, Austin served as Liberty’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterback’s coach under Freeze. Austin also spent two seasons serving as Ole Miss’ offensive coordinator 2008-09, as well as coaching stints in the Canadian Football League. Austin spent his college playing career at Ole Miss, where he quarterbacked the Rebels in the 1980s and is recognized as one of the program’s leading passers behind the likes of Eli Manning and Bo Wallace. Running backs coach — Derrick Nix With the resignation of Cadillac Williams, Auburn also needed someone to coach running backs. Fortunately for the Tigers, Nix comes to Auburn having spent 12 years coaching running backs at Ole Miss, as well as a successful running back career at Southern Miss. At Southern Miss, Nix became the first Golden Eagle to notch 1,000 rushing yards in each of his freshman and sophomore campaigns and is the only Southern Miss and Conference USA player to have rushed for 1,000-plus yards in three seasons. Wide receivers coach — Marcus Davis Auburn wide receivers coach Marcus Davis remained cemented in his current post as wide receivers coach throughout the Tigers’ staff shakeup. Davis, a former Auburn wide receiver himself, returned to his alma mater in December of 2022 as a part of Freeze’s inaugural staff at Auburn. Before his return to The Plains, Davis spent stints coaching receivers at Georgia Southern, Hawaii and Florida State. Davis played for Auburn from 2013-16 and helped the Tigers capture an SEC title and make an appearance in the BCS National Championship as a freshman. Tight ends coach — Ben Aigamaua Ben Aigamaua was also brought on as a member of Freeze’s inaugural staff at Auburn to serve as the Tigers’ tight ends coach. Aigamaua tagged along with Freeze after serving as Liberty’s tight ends coach for four seasons. Before his time at Liberty, Aigamaua spent seven years at Ole Miss and held a number of roles including graduate assistant, offensive analyst and assistant athletic director of community relations. Freeze was the head coach at Ole Miss during Aigamaua’s first five seasons in Oxford. Aigamaua spent his playing career on the defensive line at Lambuth and played under Freeze for two seasons when he was head coach. Offensive line coach — Jake Thornton Coaching Auburn’s guys along the offensive front is Jake Thornton, who was brought to Auburn as part of Freeze’s first coaching staff in December of 2022. Thornton’s jump to Auburn came after spending two seasons at Ole Miss — also as the Rebels’ offensive line coach. Thornton also spent time at Gardner-Webb and Tennessee Tech, as well as serving as an offensive line graduate assistant with Alabama’s national championship-winning team in 2017. After getting his start in Division II football, Thornton made the jump to Division I and played three seasons at Western Carolina.

I hope all the people crying about CHF and the transfer portal will finally come around . It was constant ranting for two weeks, but it sure looks like CHF had a plan all along.

Auburn lands commitment from former Alabama DB Antonio Kite Kite reunites with Charles Kelly, who recruited him to Alabama. Christian Clemente3 mins Auburn has another addition on the way to its secondary — and it’s a Charles Kelly special. Antonio Kite, a former Top247 prospect who spent his last two seasons at Alabama, has announced his transfer to Auburn. Kite arrives at Auburn as a redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility. A strength of the defense in 2023, Auburn lost safeties Jaylin Simpson and Zion Puckett and cornerbacks D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett to the NFL Draft. On Monday Auburn added former Texas safety Jerrin Thompson to shore up that position, while Kite arrives to fill in the cornerback spot. Originally out of Anniston (Ala.), Kite was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 227 player, No. 10 athlete and No. 11 player from Alabama in the 2022 class. The industry-generated 247Sports Composite had Kite as the No. 167 player, No. 8 athlete and No. 9 player from Alabama. He was originally recruited by Kelly when he was on staff at Alabama, entering the transfer portal after Nick Saban’s retirement. Playing in two games in 2022, Kite redshirted as a freshman and did not record a stat. He appeared in seven games — mostly on special teams — in 2023 and did not record a stat. Kite is addition No. 9 for Auburn through the transfer portal, you can track all of the Tigers' movement in the portal HERE.

Freeze officially elevates Kent Austin to Auburn QB coach Austin has been on staff under Freeze since 2019 Nathan King65 mins Kent Austin has been Hugh Freeze's right-hand man in the quarterback room for the past several seasons, and he's now being elevated to an on-field assistant spot in that role at Auburn. Austin is officially Auburn's new QBs coach, the program announced Wednesday, after he served as a "special assistant to the head coach" this past season in an off-the-field role for Auburn's offense. “I’ve known Kent for a long time and worked with him at multiple schools,” Freeze said. “He is a great teacher and developer of quarterbacks and has been a valuable resource to our program this past year.” Austin has been on staff under Freeze since 2019, when he was hired as Liberty’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He then came with Freeze to Auburn as a special assistant to the head coach, serving as an assistant QB coach to Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, who was fired earlier this month. Payton Thorne and Auburn's other quarterbacks mentioned throughout the 2023 season how valuable Austin's instruction has been, and he's now set to take over as their full-time position coach. “I feel very honored and blessed to be given this new position and am thankful for the trust Coach Freeze has placed with me to develop our quarterbacks at Auburn,” Austin said. Ole Miss receivers coach Derrick Nix has been hired as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator — and will also coach running backs, a vacancy created after Cadillac Williams stepped down last Thursday. “I have full trust in Kent and Derrick as coaches and men to help develop our offensive unit to the standard we expect,” Freeze said.

Derrick Nix will be the next offensive coordinator at Auburn Justin Hokanson AUBURN — Derrick Nix is expected to leave the Ole Miss coaching staff and accept the offensive coordinator position under Hugh Freeze at Auburn. Sources have told Auburn Live that Nix has been the top target for the position all along. Ole Miss football released a statement on Tuesday acknowledging Nix’s plans to depart the football program and join Auburn’s staff. Nix will also coach the running backs while at Auburn. He coached under Freeze from 2012-2016 while Freeze was leading the Rebels’ program. Nix has never called plays, but his background on the offensive side combined with an impressive reputation as a recruiter made him a prime target. Sources tell Auburn Live that Nix was a target when Freeze first arrived at Auburn last winter, but a deal wasn’t reached. Nix is currently the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach with the Rebels, a place he’s been for 16 years. That’s a nearly unheard of run of longevity in the current age of college football that spaned four different head coaches. Nix’s only other stop in college was a GA at his alma mater Southern Miss in 2003, then transitioning into the running backs coach in 2004-06. Nix was a quality control assistant with the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 before joining the Ole Miss staff in 2008. He coached running backs from 2008-2019 before moving to coaching wide receivers in 2020 and becoming assistant head coach. JOIN AUBURN LIVE FOR $1 TODAY Understanding Nix’s importance to the program, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffinpromoted Nix to assistant head coach in 2022. Kiffin even let Nix take over the program for a 24-hour period and during prior to Ole Miss’ first fall scrimmage before the season. Nix led the program and was the temporary head coach leading up to and during the scrimmage. “We’ve been fortunate to keep him here, he’s had a lot of opportunities to leave,” Kiffin said in August. “I’ve enjoyed working with him, he’s done a great job. But then today, you saw a whole other level out of him of his intensity in meetings last night, the pregame meal with the players, handling depth charts, doing everything. I was inspired listening to him this morning talk to the team. It was really cool to step back and be able to see that.” Nix said of the temporary, but invaluable experience, “the biggest thing is to be a clear communicator. That is what I felt out there in the scrimmage, making sure you go back through the plan with a fine-tooth comb, making sure that all the coaches are on the same page. I learned not to just be a wide receiver coach, to look at the other side of the ball, the other positions. You’ve got to be there for everybody.” It’s the second assistant coach Freeze has poached from Ole Miss, hiring offensive line coach Jake Thornton away from the Rebels last winter. More on Nix’s background In 2022, Nix mentored a talented crew of Rebel receivers that paired with the SEC’s top rushing offense. Senior transfer Malik Heath led the way with 971 yards on 60 catches and five touchdowns, the eighth-best season in Ole Miss history in terms of yards. Jonathan Mingo returned for his senior campaign and did not disappoint with 861 yards and five scores on 51 catches, including the FBS’ top receiving game of the season: an Ole Miss record 247 yard outing at Vanderbilt that ranked as the 13th-best in SEC history. Mingo went on to be drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. In 2021, Dontario Drummond became just the sixth Rebel to ever eclipse 1,000 yards receiving in a single season, notching 1,028 yards and eight touchdowns on 76 total catches. Drummond was a key target for quarterback Matt Corral, who was on the top quarterbacks nationally in 2021 and led an explosive Rebel offense to the Sugar Bowl. Nix’s first season as wide receivers coach was a memorable one as he guided Elijah Moore to an All-America campaign. Being coached by Nix for the first time, Moore led the nation in receiving yards per game (149.1) and receptions per game (10.8) on his way to being named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as one of the best wide receivers in college football. Following his spectacular season, Moore was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Nix has tutored some of the most productive backs in Ole Miss history in Dexter McCluster, Brandon Bolden, Jaylen Walton, Jordan Wilkins and Scottie Phillips, while the Rebels have ranked top-three in the SEC in rushing three times.

Yes and we need to get him going offensively. He could be the difference in a good run or a great run in my opinion.

Just keeps getting better and better every game! We need someone who can make those “stop and pop “ short jumpers big time.

SIAP CBP said he didn’t call time out during lswhos run because he didn’t want to let them rest and gather up a plan of attack. He could see that they were getting gassed and knew our depth could wear them down. I think it was a master stroke by Pearl and we saw the results in the final minutes.

Wesley McGriff to remain on Auburn coaching staff 'Crime Dog' McGriff will not be leaving Auburn after all Nathan King6 mins After a series of twists and turns since he returned to Auburn in the offseason, Wesley McGriff will ultimately remain on the Plains for the 2024 season. "Crime Dog" McGriff will not be leaving Auburn after all and is set to return to his post on Hugh Freeze's on-field assistant staff as a defensive backs coach, Auburn Undercover confirmed Friday afternoon. Last month, after Auburn hired Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly to its staff, McGriff left for an assistant job coaching under Mike Elko at Texas A&M as DB coach and passing game coordinator. McGriff was hired by Freeze last offseason, after the two worked together previously at Ole Miss. McGriff thus began his third career coaching stint at Auburn, having also been on staff in 2016 and 2019-20. He coached the Tigers' cornerbacks, while Zac Etheridge handled safeties and nickels. Etheridge resigned from the coaching staff Friday, and McGriff will coach defensive backs with Kelly. In late October, McGriff moved off the field due to a "personal issue," according to Freeze at the time. McGriff's title was "chief of accountability and in-house recruiting," and he remained on staff throughout the season. Special teams coordinator Tanner Burns took his spot as an on-field coach. Last week, defensive coordinator Ron Roberts took a job as an assistant coach at Florida, as the Tigers are now working to replace both coordinators. Auburn Undercover will update this story. Check back for additional information.

Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter returning for senior season Jarquez Hunter will return for his senior year Nathan King66 mins Auburn's running game is getting its best player back in 2024. Rising senior running back Jarquez Hunter will return for his senior year in favor of the NFL draft, the program announced on social media Friday afternoon. "There's something about this place, this team, this staff that's truly special," Hunter said. "I can't thank Auburn enough for what it has done for me. So with that being said, let's run it back, Auburn family. War damn eagle." A former 3-star recruit from Mississippi, Hunter bided his time behind Tank Bigsby for two seasons, rushing for 1,263 yards and 10 touchdowns. He then had 909 as Auburn's leading rusher in 2023, with seven touchdowns. With Hunter's production as the team's top back, Auburn was the SEC's No. 4 team in total rushing and No. 5 in yards per carry. Even with position coach Cadillac Williams gone after he resigned from the staff Thursday, Auburn is now set to return every scholarship running back in 2024: Hunter, Damari Alston, Jeremiah Cobb and even Brian Battie, who entered the portal earlier this month but withdrew this week.

Elite CB Devin Williams to visit Auburn this weekend JD McCarthy Georgia has always been a key recruiting area for Auburn and that is once again the case in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Tigers already have commitments from two Peach State natives in Kendarious Riddick and Ryan Ghea and they are in the mix for several more. One of them is four-star cornerback Devin Williams, who has scheduled a return visit to the Plains for this weekend, according to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. It will be his fourth visit to the Plains. Williams is the No. 90 overall player and No. 12 cornerback in the 247Sports composite ranking. The Buford native is also the No. 14 player from Georgia. It will be an important trip for Williams, it will allow him to meet new defensive coach Charles Kelly, who is expected to have a role coaching defensive backs. “Although Coach (Wesley) McGriff has left for Texas A&M, excited to meet Coach Kelly to talk about the direction going forward and his defensive scheme,” he told Wiltfong.

Auburn lands Mississippi State OT transfer Percy Lewis The Tigers now have their first offensive line transfer of the cycle Nathan King3 mins Auburn hopes it's added a starting-caliber piece for its 2024 offense through the portal. Mississippi State offensive line transfer Percy Lewis has signed with Auburn, the program announced Thursday. Lewis visited Auburn and Arkansas last week, and the Tigers now have their first offensive line transfer of the cycle. A mammoth of an athlete at 6-foot-8 and 345 pounds, Lewis started the final seven games of this season for Mississippi State at left tackle, and much like Auburn did this season at a couple O-line spots, he appeared in the previous five games, too, while splitting time at left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Lewis allowed only one sack all season on 235 pass-blocking snaps. Lewis was rated as the No. 5 JUCO player in the 2021 class from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where he played two seasons. Lewis said after he visit that he spent a lot of time during his visit not only with his new position coach Jake Thornton, but also strength coach Dominic Studzinski. Former Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross, who was taken No. 9 overall in last year's draft, has trained with Studzinski, and Lewis has a good relationship with Cross. Studzinski has also worked with former Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, who was drafted No. 13 overall in 2016 from Ole Miss. "That kind of motivated me to lean more this way," Lewis said. The Tigers are looking to add at least one offensive lineman through the portal, as they lose two starters: guards Gunner Britton and Kam Stutts. Left tackle Dillon Wade is expected to move inside to guard, thus Auburn and Thornton have targeted transfer offensive tackles to compete for that vacant spot. Auburn has some young pieces, like redshirt freshman tackle Tyler Johnson, that it feels good about for the future. But the pitch to Lewis was that he can bridge that gap in 2024. "(Thornton) was telling me that he’s got a freshman under me," Lewis said. "He needs somebody to come in that’s already been playing SEC ball. ... You’ve got to have your mind right when you come into SEC ball. They’ll come in and knock your head off if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do." Lewis has two years of eligibility remaining.

A “little bird” told him.

Remove the bummer tag from op and everyone sings!! Yeah 👍

5-star Auburn WR target Ryan Williams backs off Alabama pledge Williams is set to sign on his birthday, Feb. 9. Christian Clemente14 mins Fresh off the news of Nick Saban’s retirement, 5-star wide receiver Ryan Williams has reopened his recruitment going into a Feb. 9 final decision. Williams, an Auburn legacy, had been committed to Alabama since Oct. 8 of 2022. He recently reclassified from the 2025 cycle to the 2024 cycle, now ranking as the No. 10 player, No. 3 wide receiver and No. 2 player from Alabama. Alabama has a scheduled official visit the weekend of Jan. 20, Texas the weekend of Jan. 27 and Auburn is set to close things out the weekend of Feb. 3. The signing period opens up on Feb. 7, with Williams planning to sign on his birthday on Feb. 9. Why did Auburn get the last official visit for him? "I was sitting in Coach Freeze’s office and he said, ‘I call the last visit,’" Williams told Auburn Undercover at the Under Armour All-America Game. Hugh Freeze and Marcus Davis have put the full-court press on Williams since arriving in Auburn. "Like everybody says, the legacy. My dad went there. They were already in the area," Williams said. "So I mean that’s the main thing. Come be a program-changer. Change the narrative. Be the first." Auburn has already inked 5-star receivers Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson, with Top247 receivers Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain also signed in the 2024 class. Williams has been tabbed as "the last infinity stone" by Coleman and the final piece of the "Freeze Five." It's unclear as of now if his official visit schedule will change with recruiting visits opening back up on Friday. "The reason I am signing on my birthday is because that’s when my dad signed," Williams said. "That’s something I always wanted to do." Williams' dad — also named Ryan Williams — played defensive back at Auburn in the late 2000s. The Williams was on campus in December prior to the dead period, visiting for a bowl practice and the USC basketball game.

That’s his shtick!

Who said CHF can’t recruit the portal?

Auburn RB Brian Battie withdraws from NCAA Transfer Portal Cole Pinkston AUBURN — Auburn running back Brian Battie has withdrawn from the NCAA transfer portal. Battie spent eight days in the portal before withdrawing. He is the second Auburn player to withdraw along with nickel/corner Keionte Scott. Battie played three seasons at South Florida before coming to Auburn and has one year of eligibility remaining. Bookmark the Auburn Live Scholarship Tracker and keep tabs on current football roster numbers throughout the recruiting and transfer portal season. Bookmark the Auburn football transfer portal offer running tracker as updates happen in real time. Career production: Ran for 227 yards this year and was also the team’s kick returner. Before Auburn, he ran for 1,186 yards in 2022 at USF.

So much for a graceful exit. By posting this he just affirmed to me that he needed to go. Period! I hired and fired a lot of people in my business and the ones that left gracefully left the door open for rehiring at another time, and also signaled to the next one who hires them that they’re worth getting the benefit of the doubt..

He was also here for the Georgia football game. Five-star guard Meleek Thomas taking official visit to Auburn next week Brian Hauch Five-star shooting guard Maleek Thomas is reportedly set to visit Auburn the weekend of Jan. 13, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. The Tigers are set to face LSU inside Neville Arena that weekend. The shooting guard from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the seventh-ranked prospect in the 2025 class and the second-ranked shooting guard. Coming in at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds, the guard routinely averages a double-double for Lincoln Park Performing Arts School in Pittsburgh. Despite growing up over 600 miles from Auburn, Thomas has expressed interest in the Tigers because Bruce Pearl’s system caters to his play style and he has AAU ties to some of the 2025 Tigers commits. According to On3’s recruiting prediction machine, Auburn has a 37% chance of bringing Thomas to the Plains, with Penn State a distant second at 22%. The star guard has also received interest from Alabama, UCONN, Kansas, and Indiana. Although Auburn is loaded at the moment, the Tigers will likely lose Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams and K.D Johnson after this season. Thomas could provide Auburn with an influx of scoring and rebounding that Broome and Williams give him now.

Check these rankings out! Wow 😯 Auburn basketball jumps into ESPN's Power Rankings JD McCarthy Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports It is safe to say that the country is starting to take notice of Bruce Pearl and Auburn basketball. The Tigers are riding a seven-game winning streak and just beat Arkansasby 32 points in Bud Walton Arena, the biggest loss in the arena’s storied history. That win has caught the attention of the national media and the Tigers are starting to get the recognition they deserve after starting the season 12-2 and outscoring their opponents by 19.1 points per game ESPN’s Jeff Borzello updated his weekly power rankings on Monday and the Tigers made their season debut at No. 15. Bruce Pearl’s team has been a metrics darling all season, but it picked up arguably its best win of the campaign on Saturday, drubbing Arkansas on the road by 32 points. They’re clearly a top-three team in the SEC. They’re deep, experienced and led by Johni Broome, who is playing like one of the best big men in college basketball. He’s averaging 18 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3 blocks over his past four games. The metrics were just as impressed by Auburn’s win over the Razorbacks, Auburn starts the week as the No. 5 team in KenPom. Ranking No. 9 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, they are one of only four teams to be inside the top 10 in both metrics, alongside Houston, Purdue and Arizona. Auburn will look to make another statement on Tuesday when they host the Texas A&M Aggies in their SEC home opener. The game is set to start at 8 p.m. CT and will be on the SEC Network.