aubiefifty 17,100 Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 247sports.com 3 seniors to represent Auburn at SEC Media Days Nathan King 2–3 minutes The Tigers will take the stage Tuesday in Nashville Hugh Freeze will be accompanied by a trio of seniors next week in Nashville. Tight end Luke Deal, offensive guard Kam Stutts and defensive end Elijah McAllister are Auburn's representatives for next week's SEC Media Days, the conference announced Monday morning. The lone newcomer on the list for Auburn, McAllister already began taking up a leadership role this past spring with the Tigers after transferring over from Vanderbilt. The fifth-year senior had 16 tackles and a forced fumble last season. Stutts started 11 games last season across both guard spots, though he was not a regular on Auburn's first-team offense in the spring. One of two fifth-year seniors in a veteran tight end room, Deal had three catches for 34 yards last season. Auburn's SEC Media Days representatives last year were edge rusher Derick Hall, running back Tank Bigsby and tight end John Samuel Shenker. For the first time in several years, Auburn will not go on the final day of media days, as the Tigers will take the stage Tuesday in Nashville. The event gets under way next Monday morning. 2023 SEC MEDIA DAYS SCHEDULE Monday, July 17 LSU Missouri Texas A&M Tuesday, July 18 Auburn Georgia Mississippi State Vanderbilt July 19 Alabama Arkansas Florida Kentucky July 20 Ole Miss South Carolina Tennessee Harris says energy around Auburn program 'nothing short of amazing' under new staff Marcus Harris talks about the Auburn Tigers heading into the 2023 season and why Hugh Freeze and his staff have made a huge impact. To read this full article and more, subscribe now — SALE: 75% off first year Get access to this article and all of the in-depth coverage from the 247Sports Network with this special offer. Join at 75% off Annual Already a subscriber? Login 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 17,100 Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 si.com Auburn’s 2023 Position Battles: Linebacker Joshua Collins 7–9 minutes Who will Auburn start at Linebacker in 2023? In this story: Auburn Tigers Returning once again to our rebuilt and retooled roster here on the Plains, we focus this time on the new and returning faces to Auburn’s linebacker room. The Tigers have new leadership across the defensive front, making position battles an inevitable and integral part of creating a new defensive identity on the Plains. With the addition of Coach Ron Roberts as defensive coordinator and Coach Josh Aldridge leading the linebacker room, Auburn fans should expect a different pace and violent force from the defensive ranks, one we Auburn fans were once used to seeing consistently. Coach Roberts and Coach Aldridge run fast-paced defenses designed to create and scheme pressure on the quarterback, receivers, and running backs. This playstyle is utilized to create offensive mistakes that force turnovers and negative yards for opposing offenses. Introducing this new playstyle obviously bodes a significant question, which is, who within our newly replenished linebacker room will fit the model that Coach Aldridge and Coach Roberts are looking for? We will make the case for six players currently in the linebacker room who have the opportunity to win quality starting reps for the Auburn Tigers this 2023 season. The Case for Cam Riley: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports A familiar name to the Auburn faithful, the returning junior Cam Riley clearly belongs in this position battle discussion. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound Evergreen, Alabama native returns after a moderately successful first season starting in 2022. Riley played in 11 games for the Tigers, putting up respectable numbers considering the overall win-loss ratio, ending the season with 65 total tackles. Riley has a solid first step off the snap, with decent ball pursuit skills. However, Riley could benefit from some increased physicality on the field. All things considered, this young man presents a solid case for being on the field with the starters this upcoming season. The Case for Larry Nixon III: © Christine Tannous / The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK A new face to the loveliest village on the Plains, Larry Nixon III, a senior transfer portal snag from the Mean Green at the University of North Texas, comes to Auburn with 1 season left to play and most assuredly gunning for starting reps. The 6-foot-1, 231-pound North Richland Hills, Texas native enters the linebacker room with some impressive numbers on paper. Boasting 246 total tackles during his four years of playing thus far, with 105 of those tackles being earned last season alone. Nixon is a pass-rushing specialist with a great first step coupled with excellent play recognition, making him a dangerous combination for opposing offenses. Nixon makes a strong case for him being the one Coach Aldridge calls on for starting reps this upcoming 2023 season. The Case for Wesley Steiner: Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Another familiar face on the plains is returning senior Wesley Steiner, who makes a solid case for his starting reps. Like Cam Riley, Steiner is coming off a moderately successful first starting season in 2022. The Georgia native steps once more into the linebacker room, standing at 6-feet 245-pounds, with a solid first step off the snap, and possesses great pursuit skills. Boasting 46 tackles last season, Steiner displays excellent open-field tackling technique, being sure to effectively wrap up the opposing player. Where Wesley may lack in on-field experience compared to some of his teammates in the room, he makes up for in speed. Steiner will definitely be a name to listen for this upcoming fall camp for being a starting contender for the Tigers in 2023. The Case for Austin Keys: Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Being another impressive addition to the Auburn linebacker room, former Ole Miss redshirt junior Austin Keys throws his name into the sorting hat for starting reps this upcoming season as well. The 6-foot-2, 233-pound traditional thumper-style linebacker hails from Seminary Mississippi. Keys logged meaningful playing time in two of his three seasons with the Rebels, putting up a total of 51 tackles with two sacks and one forced fumble. With a nose for the football, Keys could quickly become a pass-rushing specialist under the tutelage of Coach Roberts and Coach Aldridge, both being linebacker gurus. Keys is a very physical tackler with violent hands and an excellent first step off the snap. Austin Keys is another name Auburn fans should be keen to look out for this upcoming fall camp for putting in reps with the starting squad for the 2023 season. The Case for anyone else on the roster: Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Although we have covered a number of names thus far in connection with this linebacker position battle, I would be remiss to not mention these two young men as well. Returning redshirt junior Eugene Asante and returning redshirt freshman Robert Woodyard. Both of which will also be in the hunt for starting reps this 2023 season with the Auburn Tigers. Eugene Asante returns after a considerably shaky first season on the Plains, plausibly looking for a redeeming season. This take is merely considering his three moderately successful seasons with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Asante only played in 4 games last season, posting only one tackle. I would venture to wager this young man is eager to prove that that stat line was a fluke year. Robert Woodyard returns to Plains after a respectable true freshman season on the field, where he posted four total tackles in the four games he appeared in. Looking to continue to develop his skills as a power five linebacker in the SEC, I imagine Woodyard is eager to learn and put in work to make himself an intricate part of Auburn’s defensive future. Although he likely will not be vying for starting reps, he will likely fill in as a valuable second-teamer helping to spell the first team as the gauntlet that is an SEC schedule goes deeper into the season. All in all, Coach Hugh Freeze & Co. have ample defensive talent to choose from this upcoming season to effectuate their defensive schemes. I would count on this listing of players to be the names we fans become accustomed to hearing throughout fall camp as putting up the most significant fights for starting linebacker reps this upcoming 2023 season. With things looking up on the Plains, it is fair to say that it is once again exciting to await the upcoming football season. Related stories A few transfers and a senior Tiger are receiving new numbers for this season Perry Thompson is "leaning toward Auburn," according to a recruiting expert Auburn football's 2024 SEC conference slate has been released Hugh Freeze has $3 million worth on incentives laced into his Auburn contract ChatGPT ranks Auburn football's top 10 running backs of all time Ranking the five most important games on Auburn football's 2023 schedule Four-star linebacker Joseph Phillips commits to the Auburn Tigers Auburn's Jeremy Garrett ranked top-50 DL coach in college football WATCH: Jabari Smith had a massive game for the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials! 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aubiefifty 17,100 Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 247sports.com Most Valuable Tigers No 11 Nathan King 4–5 minutes We're still in the heart of the college football offseason: three months removed from spring practice, media days next week, and under two months until the start of the 2023 season, Auburn’s first under Hugh Freeze. So what better time to crank up the rankings? As we do annually this time of year, Auburn Undercover is counting down the top 25 most valuable players for the Tigers' 2023 season. A few notes to set the table: These rankings are based on a player's previous contributions to the team, as well as his assumed impact in 2023 — how important he is expected to be to Auburn's success in both production and the win-loss column. It is not simply Auburn's best players in descending order. If a freshman is included on the list, his positioning is obviously a projection of his talent and significance to his respective position group. Next up is No. 11: East Carolina center transfer Avery Jones. AS A RECRUIT Hometown: Havelock, North Carolina Class: 2018 247Sports Composite ranking: No. 13 OG, No. 285 overall (4-star) AS A PLAYER (Jason Caldwell, 247Sports) Jones began his career at UNC as the No. 13 offensive guard recruit in the country in the 2018 class. He appeared in only one game in two years with the Tar Heels before transferring to East Carolina in 2020. With the Pirates, he started in 2020 at left guard before starting every game the following two seasons at center. In a standout 2022 campaign at ECU, Jones posted the No. 8 pass-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus, among Group of Five centers. He allowed only sack in pass protection all season. Jones was one of the best offensive linemen in the portal after he opted to transfer, and he ended the cycle as Auburn’s top-rated transfer addition, per 247Sports, after decommitting from Illinois. 2023 OUTLOOK Jones immediately slotted in as Auburn’s new starting center in spring practice, with Tate Johnson sliding over to guard. Numbers aren’t everything, but the advanced metrics signal that Jones is a substantial upgrade at center for the Tigers over any of their options from last year: Johnson, Brandon Council and even Nick Brahms, had he not decided to medically retire. In Johnson’s case, he had Auburn’s worst pass-blocking grade in 2022 and allowed eight QB pressures in less than four full games of action. Jones’ consistency in the middle of the offensive line helped build cohesion with two fellow transfers at the tackle spots in first-year coach Jake Thornton’s room. It didn’t take long for Jones to settle in, and he was never threatened in terms of reps on the first-team offense. As Auburn looks to flip the narrative of what’s been an inconsistent offensive line unit for the better part of the past half-decade, Jones’ production in 2023 will be key for not only altering that narrative, but ensuring a baseline of success for the entire offense as a whole. Of course, his rapport with the Tigers’ quarterback contenders in fall camp will be key, as well. WHAT THEY SAID “He's taken a lot of snaps. He's not being surprised by a lot of the different looks that we're getting from our defense right now which has been great. A guy that can handle those duties, can make a lot of calls — as a quarterback getting good snaps and knowing where those things are going to be especially in the game that we want to play in the RPO system. You know, you start spraying snaps all over the place and then that's going to affect the way you run your offense. I think his veteran presence in there has been really significant and will continue to be that way.” — offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery WHAT SAY YOU? What do you think of Jones’ spot in our Most Valuable Tigers rankings? Too high? Too low? Just right? Share your thoughts on the Bodda Getta message board, on Twitter or on Facebook. MOST VALUABLE TIGERS No. 25: LB Cam Riley No. 24: DL Mosiah Nasili-Kite No. 23: LB Larry Nixon III No. 22: S Zion Puckett No. 21: K Alex McPherson No. 20: LB Austin Keys No. 19: WR Camden Brown No. 18: WR Shane Hooks No. 17: P Oscar Chapman No. 16: OLB Jalen McLeod No. 15: WR Ja’Varrius Johnson No. 14: RT Gunner Britton No. 13: DT Justin Rogers No. 12: TE Rivaldo Faiweather *** 75% OFF: Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more *** *** Get Auburn news straight to your inbox with the Auburn Undercover newsletter *** 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 17,100 Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 al.com Who will represent Auburn football at SEC Media Day? Published: Jul. 10, 2023, 2:05 p.m. ~2 minutes Auburn Football Auburn football announces SEC Media Day representatives AUBURN, AL - February 02, 2023 - Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze during press conference at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin PerrymanAustin Perryman / AU Athletics With “talking season” in full swing as the 2023 college football season approaches, SEC Media Day feels like the final notch in the belt before fall camp finally arrives. From July 17 to July 20, head coaches and player representatives from all 14 football programs in the SEC will flock to Nashville and meet with media members to discuss the offseason and the upcoming regular season. Alongside first-year head coach Hugh Freeze, who returns to SEC Media Days after spending four seasons at Liberty, Auburn will also be represented by senior tight end Luke Deal, senior defensive lineman Elijah McAllister and senior offensive lineman Kam Stutts. Deal and Stutts come to Music City as veterans in Auburn’s locker room, while McAllister is set to represent the Tigers ahead of his first season after transferring from Vanderbilt in December. Freeze and his trio of players are set to meet with the media on Tuesday, July 18. SEC Media Days will run from July 17 to July 20 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, which is just the third ever city to host the event. Though Atlanta hosted in 2018 and 2022, SEC Media Days are often held in the Birmingham Metro Area. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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