Paladin

Williams 'excited' to attend Iron Bowl Caleb Jones • AuburnSports Staff @CalebJ_Rivals BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ryan Williams went to the Iron Bowl last year. He'll be at the rivalry game again this season, but this time it's on the home turf for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers. The elite wide receiver will be one of the top guys on a lengthy list of impressive visitors, and the Alabama commit knows just how much this game means to both teams. "It’s the Iron Bowl," Williams said. "Even if one team is 2-7 and the other one is 10-0, it doesn’t matter. It’s still the Iron Bowl, it’s always gonna be a great game, so I’m just excited to see it on the Plains." Ryan Williams is one of Auburn's most sought-after targets. (Caleb Jones | AuburnSports.com) He saw the Crimson Tide win 49-27 last season in Tuscaloosa. Now he'll get a chance to watch it in Jordan Hare Stadium, where he's excited to see the atmosphere once again. "Just to see how hard the fans come out," Williams said on what excites him most. "This year is their building year I guess you could say. The fans, every game that I went to, they showed out. I definitely want to see how they show out against a talented team like Alabama." It's a busy time of the year for Williams, who's juggling a schedule of schoolwork, recruitment and practice. Saraland advanced to the third round of the 6A playoffs with a 51-14 victory over Briarwood Christian last Friday. "I’m just glad we came out with the win," Williams said. "We’re ready to get to work on Thanksgiving week. We definitely appreciate the honor to play next week." Williams remains "locked in" with the Crimson Tide and was in Alabama for the game against Chattanooga. He's still hearing from Auburn, USC, Georgia and LSU and the chatter is that Williams could end up reclassifying into the 2024 class. If that were to happen, Williams wouldn't sign until February, allowing him to take official visits in January. His relationship continues to grow with Auburn wide receivers' coach Marcus Davis and the two talk regularly. Auburn remains optimistic and heavily in pursuit of Williams, hoping that it can add the top-five player to either its 2024 or 2025 class. Regardless, Williams feels like Auburn is on the right path for success. "I definitely see them building for the next two to three years," Williams said. "I definitely think they’re gonna be a talented team to have the potential chance to win the SEC at one point."

2023 Regular Season Highlights

2023 Regular Season Highlights

2023 Regular Season Highlights

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Auburn NFL roundup: Giants’ Darius Slayton has his best 2023 game in 1 half Updated: Nov. 19, 2023, 11:46 p.m.| Published: Nov. 19, 2023, 11:35 p.m. By Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com New York wide receiver Darius Slayton had his most productive game of the 2023 season on Sunday, even though he didn’t play in the second half, in the Giants’ 31-19 victory over the Washington Commanders. Slayton had four receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown before leaving late in the second quarter with an arm injury. He went to the locker room and did not return to the game. Slayton scored on a 40-yard connection with quarterback Tommy DeVito as New York took a 14-3 lead with 5:58 left in the first half. On his first touchdown since a 54-yard reception in a 24-16 victory over the Houston Texans on Nov. 13, 2022, Slayton caught the football at about the Washington 15-yard line and juked his way into the end zone. Slayton had the second touchdown reception for an Auburn alumnus in the NFL this season, following a 1-yard TD catch by New York Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah in a 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 1. Working with the Giants’ No. 3 quarterback on Sunday, Slayton had his most productive game since he had six receptions for 90 yards in a 20-20 tie with Washington on Dec. 4, 2022. New York coach Brian Daboll did not have an update on Slayton’s injury after the game. Slayton was among the 18 former Auburn players who got on the field on the 11th Sunday of the NFL’s 104th season. In the other Sunday games: Dallas Cowboys 33, Carolina Panthers 10 · Derrick Brown started at defensive end for the Panthers. Brown made six tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and registered one quarterback hit. · Cowboys cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) was designated as a game-day inactive. · Panthers outside linebacker Eku Leota made one tackle. · Panthers linebacker Chandler Wooten is on injured reserve and not eligible to play. Cleveland Browns 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 10 · Steelers nose tackle Montravius Adams was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury sidelined Adams for the second straight game. Green Bay Packers 23, Los Angeles Chargers 20 · Packers kicker Anders Carlson missed to the right on a 52-yard field-goal attempt, made a 28-yard field goal to tie the score at 10-10 with seven seconds left in the first half and made two of his three extra-point attempts. · Packers safety Rudy Ford (New Hope) was designated as a game-day inactive. A biceps injury kept Ford from practicing for the game. · Chargers long snapper Josh Harris handled the snaps for three punts, two field goals and two extra points. · Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden did not record any stats. Houston Texans 21, Arizona Cardinals 16 · Cardinals inside linebacker Owen Pappoe did not record any stats. · Texans offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on injured reserve and not eligible to play. Jacksonville Jaguars 34, Tennessee Titans 14 · Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby ran for 21 yards on nine carries. · Jaguars defensive tackle Angelo Blackson did not record any stats. · Titans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. · Roger McCreary (Williamson) started at cornerback for the Titans. McCreary made four tackles. · Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) did not record any stats. · Jaguars wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. · Titans quarterback Malik Willis was designated as a game-day inactive. Miami Dolphins 20, Las Vegas Raiders 13 · Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made his three opportunities. He connected on field goals of 34 and 47 yards and hit a PAT. · Dolphins defensive tackle Byron Cowart is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. · Dolphins wide receiver Anthony Schwartz is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. San Francisco 49ers 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 · Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) made one tackle on special teams. · Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Davis made one tackle before leaving the game with a hip injury. · Jamel Dean started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Dean made three tackles before leaving the game with foot and ankle injuries. Buffalo Bills 32, New York Jets 6 · Jets defensive end Carl Lawson was designated as a game-day inactive. · Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood made one tackle. · Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah did not record any stats. Los Angeles Rams 17, Seattle Seahawks 16 · Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall made one tackle on special teams. Denver Broncos 21, Minnesota Vikings 20 · Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham dressed for the game but did not play. Week 11 started on Thursday night, when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 34-20. Week 11 concludes on Monday, when the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.

Quick Quotes: Freeze on New Mexico State loss, his first Iron Bowl Freeze looks to turn the page from a head-scratching loss to a big opportunity at home in the Iron Bowl NATHAN KING11 mins11 Hugh Freeze's first Iron Bowl has quite an unexpected backdrop after last Saturday. Instead of a four-game winning streak entering a home matchup against their biggest rivals, the Tigers were stunned by New Mexico State, 31-10 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. And after its worst performance of the season, Auburn now hosts an Alabama team that's won nine straight games after a rocky start to the season. The Tigers opened as 14.5-point underdogs Sunday afternoon. Follow along here for live updates from Freeze's Monday press conference. * Freeze: "About as disappointed as I've ever been in coaching with Saturday's effort. It's an embarrassment, and it can't happen like that. It starts with me." * "The greatest challenge we probably have now ... is true connection to where, 'Man, I'm really playing for you and the school.' When you have that true connection and relationship, you can really hold each other accountable." * "We've quickly got to turn the page and put that behind us because we all know what the Iron Bowl means to so many." * Freeze calls Alabama "the best team I've seen on film at the point which we're playing them." * Can this team respond to a stunning loss in way that can lead to a competitive Iron Bowl: "I don't know yet. I sure hope so." * "Most everybody I've seen is in a fog from what happened Saturday. We need to snap out of that fast." * Freeze's Monday lesson this week is about focus: "We'll see if they respond. They have a choice." * Freeze says on Saturday morning before the game that "I was nervous, anxious" that the team would handle the New Mexico State game with the right mindset. * Freeze says he didn't watch the Kick Six live, but afterwards, "I couldn't wait to call Gus." * Freeze: "We're in a rebuild. That's no excuse for what happened Saturday." * Freeze says Auburn had more missed tackles against New Mexico State than the previous three games combined. * Freeze says Tuesday's practice has to "set the tone" for Auburn to have a chance to succeed against Alabama. Says the focus on the game plan for New Mexico State was "lacking." * Freeze hopes Auburn fans are on "another level" in the Iron Bowl.

Auburn's offensive PFF grades against New Mexico State Auburn did not grade out well offensively on PFF against New Mexico State. Andrew Stefaniak 3 hours ago The Auburn Tigers just endured the most painful loss in recent memory at the hands of New Mexico State. Auburn's offense couldn't get anything going, and the defense couldn't seem to stop the New Mexico State quarterback. After three straight SEC wins, it really is hard to understand how New Mexico State came to Jordan-Hare Stadium and upset the Tigers, who were favored by 25+ points. This makes it hard to have any confidence in the Tigers having a shot next Saturday in the Iron Bowl, as the Crimson Tide are rolling right now. Let's take a look at the offensive PFF grades from Auburn's 31-10 loss to the New Mexico State Aggies. 1. TE Brandon Frazier - 78.9 2. OL Gunner Britton - 73.6 3. QB Payton Thorne - 69.7 4. TE Rivaldo Fairweather - 68.7 5. WR Ja'Varrius Johnson - 66.1 6. OL Conner Lew - 66.0 7. WR Caleb Burton - 62.6 8. RB Jarquez Hunter - 61.3 9. RB Damari Alston - 59.2 10. OL Jeremiah Wright - 59.1 11. OL Dillon Wade - 57.5 12. OL Kam Stutts - 56.1 13. OL Izavion Miller - 55.4 14. WR Shane Hooks - 55.1 15. OL Jaden Muskrat - 54.4 16. TE Luke Deal - 53.8 17. WR Jay Fair - 53.6 18. WR Camden Brown - 52.9 19. WR Malcolm Johnson Jr. - 52.1

Auburn's defensive PFF grades against New Mexico State Here's how Auburn's 20 defenders graded out via PFF in the loss against New Mexico State. Andrew Stefaniak 3 hours ago The Auburn Tigers were beaten down by the New Mexico State Aggies in all fazes of the game, leading to an embarrassing loss. Auburn has been solid defensively this season, but that was not the case against the Aggies. Credit needs to be given to New Mexico State as they are a very good team, but there is no way they should come into Jordan-Hare Stadium and win 31-10. The defense let up over 400 yards of offense and just had a truly rough day in the Tiger's final nonconference game. It's scary to think what Alabama's rushing attack will do to Auburn next week after they gave up 213 yards on the ground to New Mexico State. Let's take a look at Auburn's defensive PFF grades from the loss to New Mexico State. 1. LB Cam Riley - 70.6 2. LB Eugene Asante - 69.9 3. DL Zykeivous Walker - 68.4 4. JACK Elijah McAllister - 67.4 5. DL Keldric Faulk - 66.7 6. CB Kayin Lee - 66.3 7. CB DJ James - 65.9 8. DL Lawrence Johnson - 65.5 9. S Jaylin Simpson - 65.4 10. S Zion Puckett - 65.0 11. S Caleb Wooden - 64.2 12. DL Jayson Jones - 64.0 13. CB Keionte Scott - 63.6 13. DL Justin Rogers - 63.6 15. CB Nehemiah Pritchett - 62.4 16. LB Austin Keys - 60.5 17. JACK Jalen McLeod - 57.3 18. S Donovan Kaufman - 56.5 19. DL Marcus Harris - 54.4 20. LB Larry Nixon III - 39

Carter: 'I just stayed with what I love' Caleb Jones • AuburnSports Staff @CalebJ_Rivals Over the last month and a half,DeA ndre Carter made a difficult decision. Should he flip his commitment from Auburn to Texas, or should he stick with the Tigers? Both schools had a strong message that Carter had to take into consideration, but when it came down to it, he decided that his heart was with Auburn. "Texas was trying really hard to flip me," Carter said. "I just stayed with what I love and fell in love with at Auburn. All the coaches, the relationships, the family feel, the players, the education and everything I just loved about it. The new program and everything." Carter took an official visit to Texas at the end of September and into October, and in the weeks following, it appeared that the Longhorns had made quite the impression. Texas walked through its vision for Carter in the program, explaining how they'd utilize him and how big he'd be for the Longhorns if he were to flip. "I was definitely giving them a thought after my visit for sure," Carter said. "It was a lot. A lot of pressure and it was a hard decision." The decision came in early November, when Carter reaffirmed his commitment to Auburn via social media. Head coach Hugh Freeze was an immense influence on his final decision, especially the authenticity displayed by the first year Auburn coach in conversation. "Me and him, the couple times we’ve spoken in person, it was just so natural," Carter said. "I definitely trust him and the program he’s building." That trust extends to offensive line coach Jake Thornton. "He’s definitely proven himself with everything he’s done so far and I love how he coaches," Carter said. Freshman Connor Lew is a testament to Thornton, as Lew's stepped into the starting center role with the injury of Avery Jones. Lew earned SEC Freshman of the Week a couple weeks back, which serves as a motivating factor for Carter. "It just makes me feel motivated, makes me feel like I can do that too," Carter said. "I remember coming in and the coaches talking very positively about him. He got his spot and he’s doing really good. It’s just kinda motivating me going in." Carter will make his first trip since July to Auburn next week, for the Tigers' game against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. It will be his first Auburn game day experience, "I’m super pumped for it," Carter said. "I’m just really excited to see them in action in person."

Waller feeling 'same love' as commit Caleb Jones • AuburnSports Staff @CalebJ_Rivals The last time Jamonta Waller visited Auburn, he was committed to Florida. Things were a little different this go-around for the linebacker out of Picayune, Miss., who flipped his commitment in favor of the Tigers a week prior. Auburn never stopped pushing for him, even with his commitment, which led to his flip. “Coach (Hugh) Freeze, they never stopped recruiting me," Waller said. "They always stayed on me and as more and more I started to come, it continued to feel like home. I had to do what’s best for me." What was it like being back in Auburn for the first time as a commit? "It felt good, man," Waller said. "It’s still the same love. The coaches still showing love. All the fans, everybody, still the same, it never changed." Prior to the game, Waller observed Tiger Walk, where Freeze took time to speak with him before entering the stadium. "He lets me know that I’m a priority for him," Waller said. "He wants me to come in and be a day one game changer. That’s the goal." Auburn envisions Waller as a jack linebacker when he gets to the Plains, hopefully becoming the game changer the Tigers need. Although the defense had a disappointing evening Saturday in a stunning loss to New Mexico State, he still holds Ron Roberts and his defensive schemes in high regard. "I think it’s great," Waller said. "What they want me to do is get after the passer. Undersized guy, what they say about my size, the speed that can get around the corner and get there. I just think the defense is very versatile and Coach Roberts is a great coach." When it comes to the play on the field Saturday, Waller feels like mindset was off, but the Tigers can't dwell on it. "I think it’s just the mindset they came into the game with," Waller said. "Looking ahead, they play Alabama next week. It’s New Mexico State, 'We’re not gonna do this, do that.' You can’t think like that. The sun’s still gonna come up tomorrow, so they can’t hold their head up on it." He'll return next week for the Iron Bowl, where he'll be looking for the mindset to be different. "I just wanna see the guys wake up with a new mindset and just keep going and work hard," Waller said. Waller is locked in with Auburn and plans to sign with the Tigers in December, knowing that the 2024 class just needs to stick together. "We should finish strong," Waller said. "Everybody’s still gonna stay on board and we just gotta keep guys here. Coach Freeze and his staff, they do a great job of letting everybody know that in the next couple of years, this is gonna be the place to be."

Georgia OL commit returns Caleb Jones • AuburnSports Staff @CalebJ_Rivals Georgia offensive line commit Micah DeBose returned to Auburn Saturday. It was supposed to be a confidence-building non-conference victory for the Tigers. Instead, New Mexico State rolled into Jordan Hare Stadium and handed Auburn one of its most embarrassing losses in program history. How exactly does that impact the viewpoint of Auburn from a high-caliber recruit like DeBose? "It goes that they just need better players in general," DeBose said. "Just more recruiting, not just me specifically, more better players, players that can make more of an impact on the field." This weekend was DeBose's second trip to Auburn this season, and despite the outcome, he feels that the program is trending in the right direction. "I like what Freeze is doing with the place," DeBose said. "He’s changing it around for the better. This game was just a bust, I don’t know what to say about it. They didn’t come out and play how they should’ve played." DeBose is currently committed to Georgia, but the Prichard, Ala., native was hardly recruited by Auburn this time last year. Now, he's one of the top guys on Auburn's board and the staff has made it abundantly clear. "I feel like I’m a big priority," DeBose said. "They definitely make a priority for me to come up here and get me up here and watch the game. I feel like I’m pretty top of their list." Progress has been made in his recruitment. The Tigers are in a better spot than they were a year ago. However, DeBose wants to see that growth continue. "I like that they’re rebuilding," DeBose said. "They’re a developing program, I just want to see how Coach Freeze turns this place out. A year, maybe two years, I just want to see how they’ll be." He'll see how Auburn rebounds this week, as the 6-foot-5 offensive lineman will return for the Iron Bowl.

Auburn working hard to flip Coen Echols. Will be coming for the Iron Bowl.