5.29.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

 

Meet Auburns summer enrollees

Christian Clemente

11–14 minutes

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Meet Auburn's summer enrollees

A refresher on the freshmen Auburn is set to add to the roster.

 

RB Jeremiah Cobb

 

(Photo: Jason Caldwell/Auburn247, 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 166, No. 9 RB, No. 13 AL

One of Auburn's first commits of the 2023 class, Auburn running backs coach Cadillac Williams zeroed in on his guy and landed a commitment from Jeremiah Cobb back on July 1. Despite Clemson and Tennessee being in the mix — along with Georgia coming on late and getting him on campus for a visit — Auburn held on to Cobb, landing his signature in December and making things official with his teammates in February.

With Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston and USF transfer Brian Battie all on campus, Cobb won't be counted on to be a primary contributor in Year 1 but should still get his fair share of carries as a rotational option. Cobb is also an experienced receiver from his time at Montgomery Catholic (Ala.), lining up in the slot at times and giving Auburn an option to use him as a receiving back as a freshman.

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DL Darron Reed

 

(Photo: 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 187, No. 21 DL, No. 15 GA

One of Auburn's biggest wins in the cycle, it was Williams and Auburn's interim coaching staff that eventually pulled Darron Reed away from LSU. An All-American defensive lineman, defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett and Auburn's staff were fired up to inherit Reed's commitment and get him signed. Out of Carver (Ga.), Reed was disruptive up the middle, off the edge or just about anywhere he was lined up.

At Auburn, Reed should slot in over at the defensive end position, though Auburn will be able to move him around a lot and he's a strong candidate to get reps immediately.

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S Sylvester Smith

 

(Photo: Jason Caldwell/Auburnundercover, 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 232, No. 18 S, No. 18 AL

A longtime Tennessee commit, Munford (Ala.) safety Sylvester Smith was always heavily interested in Auburn and was a name that Zac Etheridge kept up with. Ultimately the new staff opted to jump on that opportunity, getting Smith on campus for a visit shortly before Signing Day and flipping him from the Vols. It's easy to lose track or forget about a player or two after Auburn signed such a massive defensive back class, but Smith is one of the highest-rated of the bunch and could be the future of the free safety spot behind Jaylin Simpson.

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S Terrance Love

 

(Photo: Jason Caldwell/Inside The Auburn Tigers)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 281, No. 25 S, No. 27 GA

Committing to Auburn back in April and staying loyal the whole way, Auburn's new staff inherited a bit of a Swiss army knife in Terrance Love. At 6-foot-3 and around 200 pounds, Love was recruited as a safety but already has the size of a linebacker and could make the move to playing that spot once he arrives at Auburn. Or, Auburn and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts can utilize Love as a "moneybacker" and play a hybrid role between safety and linebacker, similar to how Jamien Sherwood was used.

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CB Tyler Scott

 

(Photo: 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 327, No. 33 CB, No. 32 GA

One of the biggest risers over the course of last fall, Pebblebrook (Ga.) defensive back Tyler Scott started the fall as a low 3-star committed to Arkansas State and ended as a Top247 recruit, All-American and Auburn signee. Scott has the versatility to play safety or cornerback, with cornerback the expected spot when he arrives at Auburn. At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Scott isn't the fastest cornerback around but has strong technique and intangibles to make him the player he is. Auburn has D.J. James, Nehemiah Pritchett, J.D. Rhym and Kayin Lee who enrolled early and went through spring, but Scott will have a chance to work his way into the rotation.

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CB Colton Hood

 

(Photo: Christian Clemente/Auburn247, 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 372, No. 37 CB, No. 37 GA

With essentially his whole family playing at Auburn and going to school on the Plains, Colton Hood initially found himself a Michigan State commit. But as Auburn ramped up its recruiting effort and shortly after getting him back on campus for another official visit in December after Hugh Freeze was hired, Hood backed off his commitment to the Spartans and flipped to Auburn. Similar to Scott, Hood finds himself in a bit of a loaded room, but has a chance to be a rotational player as a freshman before fighting for a starting spot once James and Pritchett depart.

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WR Daquayvious Sorey

 

(Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 469, No. 63 WR, No. 83 FL

Nicknamed 'Quayvo,' Daquayvious Sorey was recruited by some schools as a big, physical safety and others as a big, physical receiver. Auburn ended up landing the commitment from the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Sorey, with the intention of utilizing him as a receiver. Coming up from small-ball 1A football in Chipley (Fla.), it'll likely take a bit of an adjustment for Sorey to get settled in, but he has plenty of tools in his tool box to be an impact receiver for Auburn one day.

As of now Sorey has not yet arrived in Auburn and still has some work to do before academically qualifying and enrolling at Auburn.

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OT Tyler Johnson

 

(Photo: Jason Caldwell/Auburnundercover, 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 589, No. 39 OT, No. 25 LA

At 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, Tyler Johnson is just simply the offensive line prospect that Auburn has failed to sign in recent years, but needed to. Johnson is raw as a prospect and will take time to develop, but with transfer additions on the way he has the luxury of doing just that. When it comes to NFL offensive tackles, Johnson has exactly that frame. Now it'll be about development and putting the pieces together.

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S CJ Johnson

 

(Photo: Brian Perroni, 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 630, No. 58 S, No. 94 TX

CJ Johnson wasn't really even on Auburn's board until Wesley McGriff was hired, after recruiting him at both of his previous schools in Florida and Louisville. McGriff liked his game enough to pursue late and get Johnson committed and signed with Auburn. At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, Johnson has a similar frame to that of Love and is another intriguing addition to Auburn's secondary.

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ATH JC Hart

 

(Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 698, No. 71 CB, No. 30 AL

It's still a little unclear where JC Hart slots in at Auburn, as Etheridge recruited him as a defensive back and wants to add him to the room. Meanwhile, Freeze and Auburn's offensive staff are also looking to add Hart to the receivers room. At 6-foot-2 and now up to 195 pounds after adding 20 pounds, Hart has a registered 4.37 40-yard time from an Auburn camp and is a dynamic athlete. Similar to Sorey, Hart will be making the jump up from 1A football which may take some adjustment.

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JUCO DL Quientrail Jamison-Travis

 

(Photo: Iowa Western, 247Sports)

247Sports JUCOComposite ranking: No. 34, No. 5 DL, No. 6 IA

One of the bigger surprises before Signing Day, Quientrail Jamison-Travis was offered by Auburn's interim staff in November and committed shortly before Signing Day — without ever visiting. As he helped win a JUCO national championship for Iowa Western, Jamison-Travis chose between Penn State and Auburn. At Iowa Western, Jamison-Travis finished with 45 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, bringing some experience to Auburn's defensive line room.

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QB Hank Brown

 

(Photo: Robbie Weinstein)

247Sports Composite ranking: No. 1,443, No. 70 QB, No. 40 TN

Freeze took Hank Brown's commitment at Liberty and believed in him enough to offer him a spot at Auburn, which he promptly jumped on. On a dominant Lipscomb Academy (Tenn.) squad, Brown lit up the stat sheet en route to a state title in 2022. Brown now joins Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner with an opportunity to compete for the starting role this fall, though a redshirt season seems likely for the freshman.

 

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Eight wins in year one? Mike Farrell forecasts Hugh Freeze's 2023 win total

Taylor Jones

2–3 minutes

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Mike Farrell, who is known famously as “the Godfather of College Football Recruiting”, has been an advocate for Auburn’s hiring of Hugh Freeze since the moment that Bryan Harsin was relieved of his duties last October.

He has also been very complimentary of Freeze’s transfer portal haul, calling it “the best class in the SEC.”

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Does Farrell’s praise of Auburn’s hire, plus the approval of Auburn’s transfer portal class translate to a favorable win forecast for the 2023 season? That, unfortunately, is not the case.

In a recent installment of his series titled Fact or Fiction, Farrell shared his take on Freeze’s chances of winning eight games in his first year at Auburn. Sure, many things have changed around Auburn, but the SEC slate will continue to be as challenging as it ever has been.

That’s likely the bar set by many boosters at Auburn, who are well known for their impatience, but it’s too high. And before Auburn fans say 6-6 or 7-5 is fine, I’ll agree with you, but I know expectations are higher than that. UMass, Samford, Vandy, Cal, and New Mexico State are all likely wins, but finding three more is hard. Maybe A&M on the road? Maybe Mississippi State at home? Arkansas on the road? Perhaps but all three are unlikely to me. I see a 6-6 season with a strong run game, an average passing attack with Payton Thorne, and a solid defense. But it’s not an easy SEC schedule at all.

His prediction of an “average passing attack with Payton Thorne” is nothing new. In an earlier installment of the series, Farrell said that Thorne would struggle at Auburn after throwing more than 10 interceptions over the last two seasons at Michigan State.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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si.com

 

Auburn has offered some impressive quarterbacks in the 2025 class

Jack Singley

4–5 minutes

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Auburn has always had inconsistencies at the quarterback position, and under the guidance of Hugh Freeze, fans are hoping that the nations top QBs will see Auburn as a destination. 

The 2023 class saw Freeze and staff make a late addition of Hank Brown, a former Liberty commit from Nashville. The 2024 class has its man in Walker White, an Arkansas native who shocked everyone with his decision to pass on Clemson and Baylor, for the Auburn Tigers. With those classes taken care of at the QB position all eyes point to 2025 and who Auburn can grab. 

Auburn has offered seven quarterbacks in the 2025 class, five of which are the top five quarterbacks in the class. The following is a list of all seven players and a quick bio on each player.

Bryce Underwood: The 6'3.5 205 lbs Michigan native is the third best player in the nation, and for good reason. He has impressed many in camp circuits with his fast decision making and excellent running ability, he also totaled nearly 3000 yards in his freshman season. Offered by 38 other schools, the nation knows of his talents. Auburn offered Underwood on May 18th of 2023.

George MacIntyre: The tallest of all the QBS, MacIntryre stands at almost 6'6 and weighs 182 pounds. The Nashville native is a talented basketball player as well as a football player. George has 33 offers including Auburn, Alabama, Colorado, Duke, and FIU where his uncle is the head coach. Auburn offered all the way back in October of 2022.  

Antwann Hill: Hill, from Warner Robins, Georgia holds 33 offers. Antwann like Macintyre is a bigger QB at 6'5 215 lbs. Hill has interest in Alabama and Auburn, both of which he has visited. He is also being pursued by Arkansas, Florida, and Miami. Auburn offered Hill on January 28th of this year.  

Austin Simmons: Simmons is not only a Florida native but he is also a Florida Gator commit. The lefty holds offers from Auburn, Miami, and Penn State all seem to be on the outside looking in. The recruitment is very early but he seems in it for the long run with the Gators. 

KJ Lacey: The Saraland, AL native is one of the more talented young quarterbacks in the state. He is teammates with one of the most coveted prospects in the country in WR Ryan Williams. Lacey holds almost 30 D1 offers. Lacey was one of Freeze's first offers on December 6th. 

Deuce Knight: Personal favorite here, as he has a similar game to former Auburn and Freeze QB Malik Willis. Knight is from Mississippi and has gotten love from the in state schools as Ole Miss is in his top ten. Washington, Notre Dame, Auburn, and Georgia are also teams in the 6'2 170 mobile quarterbacks top ten. 

Kaleb Bailey: Bailey is the only unrated recruit on this list. Kaleb plays for a familiar team for those who have watched Auburn recruiting in the past, North Shore in Houston, Texas. Former Auburn QB Dematrius Davis led North Shore to a state title in his final year before coming to Auburn. Bailey has a small offer list as his only teams are Auburn, UTSA, TCU, Alabama State, Marshall and Grambling State. Bailey was offered on July 22nd of 2022. 

Auburn is sure to offer more QBs in the 2025 class but for now these are the names to watch. There will be a lot of eyes on these players heading into their Junior seasons and there will be stars that come out of no where in the two years between now and their signing class. Auburn will look to secure one of these seven or find one of those stars for themselves.

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Michigan State QB transfer Payton Thorne commits to Auburn

New Mexico State transfer CB Syrus Dumas commits to Auburn

Auburn basketball lands transfer wing Chad Baker-Mazara

Auburn football lands former Jackson State WR Shane Hooks

2023 SEC quarterback rankings: KJ Jefferson takes top spot

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn RB target announces commitment date

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

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Auburn has made the shortlist of a talented running back from the 2024 class.

Ca'lil Valentine, a four-star running back from Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona, announced Friday that he will be announcing his commitment on July 8 and that Auburn is in the running.

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Joining Auburn on the list of schools that he will be choosing from are Oregon, Michigan State, Penn State, Utah, Illinois, Miami, and Oregon State.

“I have a good relationship with every coach,” Valentine said in a recent interview with On3’s Drew Schott. “They’re all good coaches and good people. Also, I like the culture at those schools. There’s real good culture and there’s a really good vibe that I’m getting from the coaches and the culture at the schools.”

Auburn is the only school from the SEC to offer Valentine, which holds special meaning.

“That’s my only SEC offer,” Valentine tells Schott. “It’s a really good school. It’s a big school to be at.”

Valentine is listed as a four-star running back according to On3, ESPN, and Rivals, but is a three-star according to 247Sports. Valentine rushed for 1,347 yards and 18 touchdowns for Chandler High School in 2022 and was a teammate of Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 quarterback of the 2024 class who recently committed to Georgia.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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[aubiefifty 17,100]

man that background song is so  fitting!!!!!!

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[WarTim 3,457]

Thanks Fifty.