2/9/23 Auburn Articles

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New Auburn LB coach excited about transfer additions for Tigers

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama—With the loss of senior Owen Pappoe from an already thin group of experienced linebackers, new position coach Josh Aldridge and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts knew the first order of business when they got to Auburn–beefing up the room with transfer help.

“The first priority is I wanted some guys with experience,” Aldridge said. “At the same time I didn’t want to sign guys that would be here for only one year and would be gone. What better experience can you get than guys who have played in our actual division?”

Auburn was able to get what should be immediate help by adding 6-2, 245 junior Austin Keys from Ole Miss and 6-2, 222 sophomore DeMario Tolan from LSU.

Playing in 19 games in three seasons, including four while taking a redshirt year in 2020, Keys has shown the ability to be a powerful inside presence already in his time in the SEC. Last season was his most extensive playing time when he appeared in all 13 games for the Rebels with six starts, finishing with 39 tackles and two sacks.

Looking for that veteran presence at the position, Aldridge said Keys gives them exactly that along with a bigger body for the Tigers.

“Austin is a guy that hasn’t just played, but he’s played a lot and started quite a few games,” Aldridge pointed out. “He’s already built for this league. He has two years.”

On the flip side is Tolan. Playing just one season at LSU, the Orlando, Florida native brings the future to Auburn. A highly-recruited player, who still has plenty of developmental time left, Tolan’s addition is something that Aldridge said is exciting.

“DeMario was almost like signing a high school guy because he played in every game as a true freshman, but he’s still got a lot of developing and upside,” AU's first-year linebackers coach said. “With us not signing a high school linebacker in this class, that was important to me. I wanted to sign one guy that was near a high school player.”

They will join a linebacker group that returns veterans Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner along with Desmond Tisdol and young players like Robert Woodyard and Powell Gordon. Transitioning to a different scheme with Roberts taking over the Auburn defense, Aldridge said the coaches wanted to give themselves more options by bringing in two different body types and styles of players. They accomplished that goal by the additions of Keys and Tolan, he said.

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“They are both very different types of players,” Aldridge said. “I didn’t want to sign two true in the box mikes and I didn’t want to sign two true on the edge athletes. I don’t think we could have done a better job with the two linebackers we signed from a transfer standpoint.”

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Keenan Britt talks Auburn visit, brother's reaction to Auburn offer

Taylor Jones

3–4 minutes

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Former Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt was an asset to the Auburn defense from 2017-20, and now Hugh Freeze is working towards starting a “Britt” legacy on the Plains.

Keenan Britt, a defensive lineman from the class of 2026 and younger brother of K.J. Britt, recently paid a visit to Auburn shortly after receiving an offer from his older brother’s alma mater.

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Keenan tagged along with K.J. on many of his college visits during his recruitment and saw many college campuses during K.J.’s career as a Tiger, so he has a high standard when it comes to athletic facilities. Britt tells Auburn Wire that he was truly amazed at the facilities that Auburn possesses.

“The new weight room addition was unbelievable. In all the colleges I have been to with my brother, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Britt said of Auburn’s recently upgraded facilities. “The locker room was even nicer. The feel in the locker room was more like a home feel than a typical locker room vibe. The locker setup was something else.”

His tour guide for his visit was none other than defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. While giving the tour, Roberts took the time to get to know Britt, as well as explain the ins and outs of his defense. After spending time with Roberts, Britt described his defensive mind as “elite” and feels that he would fit in well within his scheme.

“Coach Roberts made me feel like I was already on campus and had known him for years,” Britt said. “Talking about his Jack Defense was awesome, blew my mind how much he knew that I had no idea about. We talked about me playing the Edge defender in his defense. I think I would set up nicely based on his defense mentality and scheme.”

Offers began to pour in for the 6-2, 230-pound defensive lineman following a successful 9th-grade season at Oxford High School. Arkansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee have also reached out to Britt. His brother’s former coach, Gus Malzahn, has also communicated with Britt about the possibility of joining the roster at UCF.

Britt says that K.J. is ecstatic that Auburn reached out early, but is also excited about every opportunity that Keenan has received, and will receive in the future.

“To be honest, K.J. was just extremely happy for me to get an offer anywhere,” Britt said. “K.J. loves Auburn, don’t get me wrong, but he really just wants me to go wherever fits best for me. If that’s Auburn, then he’ll love it. But if it’s another school then he’ll be just as happy. That’s what I love about KJ, he just wants the best for me.”

Since Britt is a member of the Class of 2026, he has not received a ranking from the three major recruiting services: On3, 247Sports, and Rivals. But it will be interesting to watch his recruitment unfold over the next three seasons.

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College football recruiting expert calls Auburn "Spatula U,' says 2023 class has 'major potential'

Lance Dawe

~3 minutes

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Auburn's 2023 class was a solid foundation to build upon for Hugh Freeze and his staff.

Robbie Weinstein of 247Sports released a SEC football recruiting class breakdown, walking through each of the league's recruiting classes and getting 247's recruiting experts to share their thoughts on each one.

Steve Wiltfong, the director of recruiting for 247, had some high praise for Hugh Freeze and his first class on the Plains.

"Spatula U, as I like to say. It was flip season, and no one swung a heavier spatula than Auburn here. A lot of credit goes to Cadillac Williams and Zac Etheridge, the interim coaches there that helped keep their alma mater afloat with so many great players for when the new staff came in. A lot of those guys visited campus several times when Auburn was between coaches, and here they are in the class."

Wiltfong proceeded to break down his thoughts on some of Auburn's biggest wins from the class.

"Keldric Faulk, one of the prettiest defensive linemen in the country, a one-time Florida State commit. Kayin Lee, a physically ready-to-go and instinctive play-making defensive back who at one point was committed to Ohio State and was one of the standouts at the All-America Bowl. Jeremiah Cobb was not committed elsewhere, but great speed with over 2,000 yards rushing. Darron Reed, he flipped from LSU before Hugh Freeze was even hired [...] This class has major potential. A lot of them were flips, a lot of guys were headed elsewhere. Now Auburn has a top-20 class and a foundational class for Freeze. They could be competitive maybe earlier than anticipated because of this group."

The media seems to be picking up what Freeze & Co. are putting down, now that the dust is starting to settle following the end of what was a disastrous 2022 season.

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Why Auburn LB coach Josh Aldridge emulated Ron Roberts' defense at Liberty

Nathan King

5–6 minutes

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While others speculated as to who Hugh Freeze’s top target might be for his first Auburn defensive coordinator, Josh Aldridge had a strong inclination who the hire might be.

While Alridge was running the show for Liberty’s bowl as the interim head coach, Freeze was vetting coordinator candidates on both sides of the ball. Aldridge was his defensive coordinator at Liberty in 2022, but Freeze has set on making him his linebackers coach.

And Aldridge wasn’t at all surprised to see Freeze ultimately land on Ron Roberts as his DC, after Liberty ran many of the same schemes under Aldridge.

“We played a really tough schedule last year at Liberty and I knew we needed to be aggressive and switched a few things,” Aldridge said last week. “And the defense I studied was Baylor, actually.”

Not only was Aldridge infatuated with Roberts’ scheme, as one of the more respected and veteran defensive minds in the sport, but he made support staff hires to, well, support that system once Aldridge became Liberty’s defensive coordinator prior to the 2022 season.

After three seasons as the Flames’ defensive line coach, Aldridge ran the defense and also coached linebackers last season. Strength of schedule was obviously lower, but Liberty posted a top 20 overall defense, ahead of teams like Clemson, Tennessee, LSU, and not to mention Auburn.

Aldridge credits much of the success to studying Roberts’ system and tendencies at Baylor and his other past stops — and when Freeze brought Roberts to Auburn, it was a no-brainer for Aldridge to follow.

“I actually copy and pasted Baylor's defense basically and hired some guys who had ran that system,” Aldridge said. “That's what we did. So I had a pretty good idea that (Freeze) was going to hire Coach Roberts. I mean, that really sealed the deal for me about me wanting to come here and learn from him. He's one of the best minds in college football, and it's going to be really neat for me to be with him this year."

Auburn’s new defensive assistants are looking to improve a group that had an uncharacteristic 2022 season, finishing No. 62 nationally in total defense and in the bottom third of the SEC in several defensive metrics.

That retooling obviously starts with Roberts, who spent the past three seasons as Baylor’s defensive coordinator. Freeze said he wanted to focus on X’s and O’s when it came to his DC hire, and Roberts’ track record certainly checks that box.

“He carries enough defense and carries enough scheme to where we can tailor things to what they're good at,” Aldridge said. “There's a lot of pressure on the coaches to have answers within the scheme to put them in a position to make plays. So, I think that's what makes him special, with coach Roberts. When you turn his defense on, I don't think you can say 'They're a this, they're a that.' He's got a lot of answers on how to attack people week to week based on the offense you face, which is great in this league because in this league you're going to face teams that throw it 60 times all the way to the Alabamas and Georgias that'll have three tight ends on the field. I think that's what makes a great coordinator on defense. You've got to have a big enough toolbox to have answers."

Aldrige’s new linebacking corps loses just one piece from last season: senior and four-year starter Owen Pappoe, who will likely be a Day 2 draft pick. Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner started most games in 2022, and the Tigers also picked up a couple talented ‘backers in the transfer portal: Austin Keys from Ole Miss, who started last season, and LSU’s Demario Tolan, a former 4-star recruit and Auburn target in last year’s recruiting class.

Roberts’ 3-4 base scheme has plenty of variations, and players won’t be pidgeon-holed into one role. But he and Aldridge still need to break down the linebacking personnel on board before spring practices later this month and determine who might fit where.

"Coach Roberts and I had that conversation earlier this week — I think we can go into it and say, 'In the past, this type of style of a player has done well at Mike, this one's done well at Will,’” Aldridge said. “But this staff on defense, especially, we're not going into the spring saying, 'This is who we are and this that and the other.' We're really more so getting out there and seeing what our guys are good at and having enough confidence in ourselves as coaches to run the scheme that'll put them in a position to make plays. We don't ever want to handcuff our guys into being in a system that they don't fit in, right?

“Especially in today's climate, where your roster might flip a little bit, or being a new staff, you need to be a good enough coach to tailor your defense to what they're good at and not vice versa.”

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Can Auburn land the state’s No. 1 RB for the second year in a row?

Updated: Feb. 08, 2023, 10:26 a.m.|Published: Feb. 08, 2023, 8:33 a.m.

3–4 minutes

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Andalusia's J'Marion Burnett celebrates after the Andalusia at Montgomery Catholic high school football 4A playoff semifinal game at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (Vasha Hunt | preps.al.com)Vasha Hunt

By

• Nick Alvarez | nalvarez@al.com

J’Marion Burnette stood underneath Jordan-Hare Stadium, a few steps from the Auburn football locker room, and scanned his surroundings.

His Andalusia Bulldogs had just won its first state title in over 40 years and Burnette’s running ability was a large reason why. In the championship on Dec. 2 though, Burnette was sidelined with a concussion suffered in the third round of the playoffs. He felt proud with his teammates, saying it’s “something that we did and it can’t be taken away,” but it was also important that Burnette retain his senior year to defend it on the field.

The 2022 final was held at Auburn, this year will be at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. By then, will “Phat” Burnette be committed to the Tigers or Crimson Tide?

Burnette, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound four-star, is currently ranked No. 131 nationally on the 247Sports Composite. He’s the 10th-best running back in the country and tops in Alabama. Coaches and scouts rave about Burnette’s explosiveness and power, which produced 17 touchdowns on 187 carries last fall. In November, Burnette released an SEC-heavy top 10, which included Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and the two in-state favorites.

“I’m starting to close out (my recruitment),” Burnette told AL.com.

A season with 1,553 all-purpose yards brought attention from Georgia and Ole Miss, which offered him in November and last week, respectively. Hugh Freeze and the Tigers seem to be in the pole position, especially after securing the top running back in the state (Montgomery Catholic’s Jeremiah Cobb).

Burnette visited the Plains three times last year, taking in two Bryan Harsin-led gamedays on unofficial visits. Burnette returned on Jan. 28 for Junior Day and days after, followed up with a few tweets at Auburn commits A’Mon Lane, Jayden Lewis, and the latest, four-star quarterback Walker White.

With in-state legend Cadillac Williams still on Freeze’s staff, a huge part of Cobb’s securement, the Tigers should have no issue continuing a relationship. Burnette would be Auburn’s highest-rated in-state recruit since acquiring Lee Hunter from Blount in 2021.

MORE recruiting: ‘That was wild’: How Auburn climbed 2023 recruiting rankings after late-season coaching change

The debate around NIL and Alabama high school athletics is here

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.

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[Quietmaninthecorner 1,949]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

College football recruiting expert calls Auburn "Spatula U,' says 2023 class has 'major potential'

Lance Dawe

~3 minutes

---

Auburn's 2023 class was a solid foundation to build upon for Hugh Freeze and his staff.

Robbie Weinstein of 247Sports released a SEC football recruiting class breakdown, walking through each of the league's recruiting classes and getting 247's recruiting experts to share their thoughts on each one.

Steve Wiltfong, the director of recruiting for 247, had some high praise for Hugh Freeze and his first class on the Plains.

"Spatula U, as I like to say. It was flip season, and no one swung a heavier spatula than Auburn here. A lot of credit goes to Cadillac Williams and Zac Etheridge, the interim coaches there that helped keep their alma mater afloat with so many great players for when the new staff came in. A lot of those guys visited campus several times when Auburn was between coaches, and here they are in the class."

Wiltfong proceeded to break down his thoughts on some of Auburn's biggest wins from the class.

"Keldric Faulk, one of the prettiest defensive linemen in the country, a one-time Florida State commit. Kayin Lee, a physically ready-to-go and instinctive play-making defensive back who at one point was committed to Ohio State and was one of the standouts at the All-America Bowl. Jeremiah Cobb was not committed elsewhere, but great speed with over 2,000 yards rushing. Darron Reed, he flipped from LSU before Hugh Freeze was even hired [...] This class has major potential. A lot of them were flips, a lot of guys were headed elsewhere. Now Auburn has a top-20 class and a foundational class for Freeze. They could be competitive maybe earlier than anticipated because of this group."

The media seems to be picking up what Freeze & Co. are putting down, now that the dust is starting to settle following the end of what was a disastrous 2022 season.

 

[AUinMS9528 1,086]

The more I read about CHF and staff, the more I love them!!!!!🙌🙌🙌

I love the term “Spatula U”!!!   But it won’t stick, because starting with 2024 class, they will be committing to AU first.  No need to flip anymore.   

[Old fan 47 775]

6 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

Can Auburn land the state’s No. 1 RB for the second year in a row?

Updated: Feb. 08, 2023, 10:26 a.m.|Published: Feb. 08, 2023, 8:33 a.m.

3–4 minutes

---

Andalusia's J'Marion Burnett celebrates after the Andalusia at Montgomery Catholic high school football 4A playoff semifinal game at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (Vasha Hunt | preps.al.com)Vasha Hunt

By

• Nick Alvarez | nalvarez@al.com

J’Marion Burnette stood underneath Jordan-Hare Stadium, a few steps from the Auburn football locker room, and scanned his surroundings.

His Andalusia Bulldogs had just won its first state title in over 40 years and Burnette’s running ability was a large reason why. In the championship on Dec. 2 though, Burnette was sidelined with a concussion suffered in the third round of the playoffs. He felt proud with his teammates, saying it’s “something that we did and it can’t be taken away,” but it was also important that Burnette retain his senior year to defend it on the field.

The 2022 final was held at Auburn, this year will be at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. By then, will “Phat” Burnette be committed to the Tigers or Crimson Tide?

Burnette, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound four-star, is currently ranked No. 131 nationally on the 247Sports Composite. He’s the 10th-best running back in the country and tops in Alabama. Coaches and scouts rave about Burnette’s explosiveness and power, which produced 17 touchdowns on 187 carries last fall. In November, Burnette released an SEC-heavy top 10, which included Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and the two in-state favorites.

“I’m starting to close out (my recruitment),” Burnette told AL.com.

A season with 1,553 all-purpose yards brought attention from Georgia and Ole Miss, which offered him in November and last week, respectively. Hugh Freeze and the Tigers seem to be in the pole position, especially after securing the top running back in the state (Montgomery Catholic’s Jeremiah Cobb).

Burnette visited the Plains three times last year, taking in two Bryan Harsin-led gamedays on unofficial visits. Burnette returned on Jan. 28 for Junior Day and days after, followed up with a few tweets at Auburn commits A’Mon Lane, Jayden Lewis, and the latest, four-star quarterback Walker White.

With in-state legend Cadillac Williams still on Freeze’s staff, a huge part of Cobb’s securement, the Tigers should have no issue continuing a relationship. Burnette would be Auburn’s highest-rated in-state recruit since acquiring Lee Hunter from Blount in 2021.

MORE recruiting: ‘That was wild’: How Auburn climbed 2023 recruiting rankings after late-season coaching change

The debate around NIL and Alabama high school athletics is here

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.

This would be a great pick up. This kid appears to be bigger and has quickness and power, which is something that will make our tailback room even scarier.