2023 Fall Camp Thread

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[Paladin 3,305]

 

'Sometimes your head spins': Tempo of practice 'completely different' for Auburn under Freeze

"This is run a play, get the ball, run a play, get the ball, run the play. Coach Freeze is really pushing that tempo, and I feel like it’s going really well."

Nathan King

Tempo, tempo, tempo.

The pace of Auburn’s practices have occupied a large chunk of the takeaways so far from both players and coaches, as Hugh Freeze and his staff continue to push the Tigers with game-like speed in every practice in preseason camp.

Auburn’s new coaches pushed the pace in spring ball but are now taking things up a notch — on both sides of the ball. Even for more experienced players who were around under both Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin, it’s been an adjustment — one that Auburn hopes pays off in the long run this fall. And that adjustment period spans back to summer workouts with new strength coach Dominic Studzinski, whom players have explained during camp deployed a more up-tempo approach in conditioning work.

“It’s definitely faster than what we’ve had before,” offensive guard Tate Johnson said. “Previous years we’ve been more of a slow, pro-style offense, huddle-up, get a play, get the ball, run the play. But this is run a play, get the ball, run a play, get the ball, run the play. Coach Freeze is really pushing that tempo, and I feel like it’s going really well. That’s the biggest adjustment, playing with the speed Coach Freeze wants to play with.”

Johnson continued: “There’s two things that are challenging switching over to that particular offense. A is obviously the conditioning. You have to train your body to go at that speed. And two is getting up to the ball as fast as you can and still making all the calls and going to where you need to go, hitting all your spots. Getting really good at that comes with reps. I feel like this offensive line, even in spring and so far in camp, has done a great job of communicating and playing tempo we’re trying to play with.”

According to data from 247Sports’ Chris Hummer, the two main architects of Auburn’s new-look offense both ran faster systems last year than the Tigers did under Harsin. At Liberty, Freeze’s offense ranked No. 47 in plays per minute, and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery — who coached Tulsa for the past eight seasons — was No. 40 in the same category in 2022. Auburn finished No. 83.

For Montgomery, the pace at which his quarterbacks snap the ball is just as important as ensuring that play calls are moving quickly and efficiently, too. To make that work for the Tigers this preseason, Montgomery is telling his players to log as many mental reps as possible on the sideline while others are working in the offense. Otherwise, the execution will be clunky from play to play, and the offense can trip itself.

“We like to play with space; I think our guys getting used to that,” Montgomery said. “That's a totally different way of playing offense than a lot of them are used to. … We’ve go get set faster, we’ve got to get our eyes back on the sideline quicker. And then we've got to really mentally rep that play in our head in a manner that when we're set we understand what's fixing to happen, what's fixing to go on and how to react to what we're getting defensively. And so that comes with progress, that comes with reps. I think our guys are doing a better job of it. But yes, we would like to play that way.”

Of course, the goal for Montgomery and Freeze is to successfully implement a system that puts the defense on its heels every game. So even as the Tigers have been overwhelmed at times by the speed of practice, it goes both ways for the defense, too.

“Man, I would say it's really different,” receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. said. “The up-tempo offense, sometimes your head spins. But it also sometimes confuses the defense, and that makes it easier for us to capitalize. It's really different — especially the conditioning that it takes.”

As a result, first-year defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said his evaluations in the first couple weeks of camp require somewhat of an asterisk.

“The tempo of practice is probably a head-spinner,” Roberts said. “A lot of high school kids come out, and it’s not like anything they’ve seen. So the young guys are making, obviously, a huge adjustment. We’re not going to judge them until it’s Day 7, 8, 9, until things slow down a little bit and they get clicking.”

The tempo-based approach on both sides of the ball will receive its first big test Saturday morning, when Auburn scrimmages inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.The Tigers will report to the stadium at approximately 9 a.m. CST on Saturday, and Freeze will summarize the day’s action with reporters following the scrimmage at 11:30 a.m.

[alabastertiger 617]

14 hours ago, yngwie1995 said:

You've been following Jalen since middle school, eh? 

No, I've been following our offensive line being bad for about 7 years.   The original post was that Jalen has been just about unblockable in practice.   I was saying that in the past that would be saying more about how bad our O-line was than how good the D-lineman was.

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[yngwie1995 2,232]

2 hours ago, alabastertiger said:

No, I've been following our offensive line being bad for about 7 years.   The original post was that Jalen has been just about unblockable in practice.   I was saying that in the past that would be saying more about how bad our O-line was than how good the D-lineman was.

It was a joke.

[alabastertiger 617]

12 minutes ago, yngwie1995 said:

It was a joke.

Ha, my bad

[Paladin 3,305]

 

Donovan Kaufman changes position again in Auburn secondary

Auburn's safety room adds even more experience with Kaufman, a two-year starter for Auburn

Nathan King

An experienced Auburn secondary is shifting a bit in hopes of finding the right combination for the 2023 season.

Early in preseason camp, redshirt junior Donovan Kaufman has moved back to safety, where he started last season before an injury. When Kaufman swapped again to nickel in spring practice, it helped solidify Jaylin Simpson as the other starting safety alongside Zion Puckett. Kaufman will now compete with those two for a job in the secondary once again.

“We move them all around, but right now his role is to play safety,” position coach Zac Etheridge said Thursday. “He played star, nickel all spring. So moving around being able to play safety, DK is a guy that you can move around because he's very loud, he's very physical. Just keep him on the back end, right now we've got him at safety, but we'll move him around a little bit as camp goes on. Just trying to get his cleats in the dirt so he can communicate at a high level.”

In Kaufman’s first season at Auburn in 2021 after transferring from Vanderbilt, he played nickel with Nehemiah Pritchett, starting seven games. Limited by injuries last season, Kaufman started five games at safety and two at nickel.

As Etheridge mentioned, Kaufman competed with Keionte Scott at nickel in the spring, rotating in for first-team reps. But with Scott now in control of that spot in the preseason, Auburn’s defensive staff saw it more constructive to slide Kaufman back to compete in a deep safety room.

How much will Auburn play three safeties? Last season’s third-most utilized safety, the now-departed Cayden Bridges, played 386 snaps — an average of just over 32 per game, still a significant role within the secondary. The other name Etheridge mentioned in the second safety rotation was former JUCO standout Marquise Gilbert.

“DK every day is challenging (Simpson) at that spot, so they know they can't have an off day,” Etheridge said. “If they have an off day, that depth chart will change fast. So just see how they respond. That's the beauty about having depth in the room and having guys that have played a lot of ball.”

The safety position now becomes even more experienced with the re-addition of Kaufman, who adds to Puckett’s and Simpson’s resume to give the room 49 career starts between the three players.

“They’ve been in the system a while and they know the expectations that I’m expecting from them to be the quarterback of the defense,” Etheridge said of his safety room. “They make all the checks. So I make sure that they own that and take pride in that, and that’s what I try to emphasize on them every day, to try to take that role.”

[aucanucktiger 1,805]

One of the parts of this season I'm most interested in is seeing how much of a flashback it is to Gus as OC. He & Freeze are schooled in a very, very similar O ideology.

[DAG 34,034]

1 hour ago, aucanucktiger said:

One of the parts of this season I'm most interested in is seeing how much of a flashback it is to Gus as OC. He & Freeze are schooled in a very, very similar O ideology.

Very very similar is pushing it. They are akin with going fast and implementing the QB read into the offense. That is pretty much where it stops. 

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[toddc 13,194]

17 minutes ago, Paladin said:

 

Great to have you back around helping out in these threads, especially recruiting.

[AUGoo 2,666]

38 minutes ago, Paladin said:

 

If the helmet covers do such a good job, why don't they just play games in them?

[Paladin 3,305]

Auburn DL coach Jeremy Garrett: 'We've got two starting noses'

"I don’t want the guys to care about who goes out there first because I need them all. I need the rotation."

Nathan King3 mins

Auburn has a rare commodity on its defensive line entering the 2023 campaign: Its top two nose tackles were both SEC starters last season.

First-year position coach Jeremy Garrett not only inherited former Oregon transfer Jayson Jones, who started every game last year at nose, but also added Kentucky transfer Justin Rogers this offseason, after Rogers also started every game in 2022 and was highly sought after in the portal due to his talents.

Now Auburn has both, and is working to find the best game plan to utilize the combined 684 pounds for the success of its 2023 defensive front. This preseason, Jones has received the bulk of first-team work at nose tackle, but that doesn’t mean Rogers won’t have a substantial role to play in 2023.

“We can play two guys and they can rotate — and it’s really like we’ve got two starting noses,” Garrett said. “I don’t want the guys to care about who goes out there first because I need them all. I need the rotation. That’s the outlook.”

Many assumed Rogers, rated as one of Auburn’s top transfer additions and a former elite recruit in the 2020, would overtake the incumbent Jones for the starting role this season. And while Rogers is still with the primary defensive group this preseason, Jones made the most of his second offseason at Auburn, and has been one of the defense’s most talked-up players, even going back to the spring.

Teammates have said Jones is bigger — if that’s even possible — stronger, faster, and playing with more confidence, after he logged 28 tackles and a fumble recovery last season.

“We left the spring, and we had a plan that he and I talked about — cut it up, the good and the bad,” Garrett said of Jones’ offseason improvements. “Here’s what you did well. Here’s what you need to work on. In the summer, he just locked in and got it done. I think he’s mobile. I think he’s stronger at the point of attack. I think he’s doing a really good job. He had a great summer.”

And as Garrett alluded to back in the spring, Auburn has packages to utilize both players at the same time. Rogers, who's back from a minor shoulder injury this offseason, is quick enough to play a standard defensive tackle spot, and he has some experience doing so at Kentucky. Against heavier offensive personnel, the Tigers can try to completely clog the interior of the offensive line with both Jones and Rogers at the same time.

Those formations also allow third-year starter Marcus Harris to kick back out to defensive end, giving Auburn tons of size at the three interior positions. An aside: This preseason, Harris has moved back “where he’s best at,” according to Garrett, which is defensive tackle — a luxury he can now afford with the Tigers having sufficient options at defensive end in the form of true freshman and former top-75 overall recruit Keldric Faulk, and Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite.

“That's a big addition because we play a lot of run-heavy teams,” Harris said of Auburn’s ability to play both Jones and Rogers together. “We’re gonna need those two guys in at the same time sometimes, so that’s a big addition. Justin, from Kentucky, and having him and Jayson on the field at the same time, I can't wait to see how that turns out in a game

If Auburn can find reliable production from its nose tackles, that also changes the calculus on passing downs. Jones or Rogers pushing the pocket back from the interior creates space for the team’s top pass-rusher, App State transfer Jalen McLeod, to accelerate off the edge. McLeod is explosive but smaller, at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, so Garrett knows he’ll need assistance on the inside to be successful on third-and-longs.

“Now the quarterback doesn’t have room to step up,” Garrett said. “You have guys like Jalen on the edge. If that guy can’t step up, he can hit home. So it’s important to keep a guy who can press and penetrate the middle and then have guys on the edge who can get there.”

Colby Wooden was a dynamic player on Auburn’s defensive line for multiple seasons, and the nose tackle spot is just one area that will need to step up in order to offset his lost impact in 2023. But as Garrett has touched on multiple times, his primary goal is to reverse Auburn’s puzzling usage numbers on the D-line from the past couple seasons — when the coaching staff barely rotated at some of the most physically demanding spots on the team.

“We want to be by committee because you need that in the SEC,” Garrett said. “You can’t have one group out there getting beat up every game because those snaps add up.”

[Paladin 3,305]

Preseason camp notes, quotes & antecdotes, Day 6

Auburn coaches talk defense and more

Phillip Marshall44 mins

Veterans and leaders in the secondary

AUBURN, Alabama – Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett and safety Jaylin Simpson have felt the joy and the agony of college football in general and Auburn football in particular. They were freshmen in 2019, when Auburn won nine games and knocked off Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium. They fought their way through the COVID year of 2020 and through the disappointment of the two seasons that followed.

In their fifth season, they are set on going out in style. Pritchett is a starting cornerback. Simpson has moved from cornerback and is a starting safety. They are sharing their experiences and insight with younger players. Zach Etheridge coached them both last season. This season, Etheridge coaches the safeties and Wesley “Crime Dawg” McGriff coaches the corners. Etheridge has strong feelings for both players.

On Pritchett:

“He’s familiar with Coach Crime and me. He’s coming out of his shell. He’s having an elite camp. Just seeing his work ethic, making plays on the ball and communication, he’s not shy. He’s a different player, and these guys have stepped up to the challenge.”

On Simpson:

“Oh man, I wish you guys could see it,” Etheridge said. “Just his leadership, his style of play, his communication he has brought into the position. I don't think there's a day that has gone by that Simp didn't have a pick. Just seeing his range and making plays on the ball and being able to do that, just seeing that from him every day. He's coming up filling tackles, showing great range, good ball skills, taking leadership and pride in that role that he's in.”

Simpson and Pritchett, Etheridge said, have been teachers for young players since summer.

“Those guys getting in the building,” Etheridge said. “They go through film and talk through what they're seeing. They're teaching them how to watch film, teaching them how to communicate. … Seeing their experience show up on the field and show up in the film room has been pleasant to see.”

D.J. James skillset attracts attention

Cornerback D.J. James, in his second Auburn season, is a veteran, too. A Mobile native, he played three seasons at Oregon before returning to his home state. Last season, he blossomed into one of the SEC’s top cover corners. McGriff has been impressed.

“Skillset. Man, he has a skillset,” McGriff said. “He can play some really sticky coverage outside. He's very fluid, can change directions. He's got exceptional ball skills. He can go from the meeting room to the field. He's got a strong football IQ. So it's good to see him out there playing tight coverage because the offense has given us a lot to cover. They are doing a great job with formations, situations when they're throwing the ball down the field and just challenging us. I think DJ has done a good job of stepping up to the challenge.

“His skillset alone, you don't have a lot of them that can change direction, that can drive forward on the short ball, the intermediate ball, but at the same time possess the skill set to flip and go north and take away the deep ball. He has the skill set you look for that position.”

Why Auburn is hot on the recruiting trail

Like others on the staff, linebackers coach Josh Aldridge has been successful on the recruiting trail. He said Auburn’s success has not been by accident.

“(It takes) effort,” Aldridge said. “This place sells itself; I have said it before. I’m very blessed to be able to recruit for Auburn. I’m very passionate about it. It’s like living a dream to be able to recruit for a place like this. We work really hard at it because everybody else in our league works really hard at it. We’re going to try to keep it rolling.”

Edge rusher McLeod ‘unbelievable’

Defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett doesn’t coach the edge rushers at Auburn’s Jack position. But he doesn’t have to coach Appalachian State transfer Jalen McLeod to know what he is seeing.

“Oh, he’s unbelievable,” Garrett said. “Everything he does, he’s a pro. Great twitch. Good speed. Leadership. He’s done a really good job for us.”

Keldric Faulk and midnight phone calls

Auburn coaches celebrated last December when they flipped defensive lineman Keldric Faulk from Florida State, and with good reason. Faulk moved from the Jack position to defensive end and is pushing for a starting job.

“He’s mentally tough,” Garrett said. “You get a kid with want-to and drive. He’s not tapping out of practice. He might be tired, but he wants to go. And he wants to improve. If a mistake is made, Keldric will call me at midnight and we will talk through it. It’s funny. That’s the same way it was in recruiting – midnight conversations. I tell him you call me. I am here to help. I tell my guys my job is you. Call me anytime. My family understands I am on call.”

‘A different era’ of Auburn football

Etheridge, a safety on Auburn’s 2010 national championship team, dealt with difficulty after he arrived as a coach. The Tigers had losing records in 2021 and 2022. Etheridge said times are different now, and not just on the field

“It's just a different era of what's going on,” Etheridge said. “The beauty about it is alignment, starting from the top and making you feel that way. Guys are on the same page and just communication - with the administration to football to basketball. It makes us feel like we have a direction we're going in. Since I've been here, it's felt like Auburn has changed in multiple ways. But it's really about the people - about the culture and how it's changed to what it's supposed to be like, and people who believe in what we're trying to do as a community and an organization. More importantly, it's the family piece on what it's supposed to be like.”

A dynamic duo inside

Garrett wasn’t around for defensive tackle Jayson Jones’ first season after transferring to Auburn from Oregon. But he likes what he has seen in preseason camp. He likes it a lot. He says Jones has improved dramatically since spring practice. He and Marcus Harris have become a dynamic duo.

“(Jones) is moving better,” Garrett said. “He’s being more physical. That comes from having competition in the room. Anytime you have competition, that is awesome. Jayson does an unbelievable job with the required work and unrequired work doing extra. He has been a leader, meeting with younger guys, showing them things. They run after practice. He and Marcus get those guys running.

[Paladin 3,305]

 

Versatility the key for Riley in new defensive system

Auburn linebacker Cam Riley could have a new role this season for the Tigers.

JASON CALDWELL5 mins0

AUBURN, Alabama—A player that has been a big part of Auburn’s defensive efforts the last two seasons after playing sparingly as a true freshman during the Covid year of 2020, linebacker Cam Riley is a player that comes into the 2023 season with plenty of experience for new position coach Josh Aldridge to work with.

Listed at 6-5, 242, Riley also brings a different skill set to the linebacker group because of his size and athleticism. Able to play in the box, but also a guy that could help off the edge in certain situations, Riley is one of the guys that could be used in some different sets for coach Ron Roberts as he looks for the right combination on that side of the ball.

One of those spots is as a strongside linebacker for the Tigers. It’s not a position that will be on the field all the time, but Aldridge said it’s something that might fit Riley in addition to his role as a true middle linebacker. Because of his versatility, Riley could wind up being a guy that’s on the field a whole lot this season.

“He’s competing for that starting spot,” Aldridge said. “He’s splitting those one reps a lot. Cam is probably – if we were to move one of those guys down into like a jack linebacker or a sam linebacker, Cam would be the first guy up. And he’s working at that, too. I could see Cam, whether he’s starting or not, he probably has a good chance to play the most snaps of anybody in the room just because he’s doing multiple things, right?

“We had a guy at Liberty like that last year. He only started eight games, but I think he played way more snaps than anybody just because he was always in on something. You need those dynamic guys. And what you get with Cam, like you said, is experience. He’s just playing in a different spot than he was previously, so he’s just getting a feel for that more natural linebacker spot.”

Where Riley could really come into play is helping as an additional pass rusher in this defensive scheme. Despite his frame and ability to bend and run, Riley hasn’t been asked to do that in his career and is still without a sack to his credit in three seasons. That could change this year.

“That guy rushes a lot,” Aldridge said. “He's in that position a lot. It can even be where you flip which linebackers are in personnel-wise, right? Like, if they have two tight ends in the game, we'd rather have Cam in — and this, that and the other. But Cam is probably our best candidate when we want to put one of those guys on the edge, for sure. Him and Austin (Keys). He's just so long, and he's really good at using his hands.”

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[wareagle7298 126]

2 hours ago, Paladin said:

 

Quote

 

Going to date myself on this one, but that helmet looks like an old typewriter font ball.

[AuCivilEng1 11,045]

2 hours ago, AUGoo said:

If the helmet covers do such a good job, why don't they just play games in them?

Cause it makes em look like a bunch of goomba’s.

[cbo 7,968]

15 hours ago, DAG said:

It is interesting because besides Georgia and Bama, I am not to keen on the others, It seems like consistent has been bad across the board in terms of who is going to maintain that next level of success or not. I think Brian Kelly makes a significant difference at LSU. I also understand the process of freeze and usually it is a slow grind, so that is what I am expecting.

I also think Kelly is a problem at LSU. Great coach in a great situation.

Outside of them, Bama, and Georgia, I agree we don't know how the other SEC teams will do. There's always one that's better than expected and one that's worse than expected. Here's hoping AU is the "better than expected" team this season. 

[cbo 7,968]

14 hours ago, W.E.D said:

So many key transfers that will be starters. Who hits. Who doesn't, who blends well and complements each other. Who fit well into the coaches scheme they've never been in?

Offense has a chance of being kinda scary good. Excited for Game 1

Excited to over react to the scrimmage Saturday 

Schedule sets up nicely. We have a little time to figure it out. Who knows what could happen. 

[tigeraddikt 1,621]

3 hours ago, Paladin said:

 

[AUloggerhead 2,267]

3 hours ago, AUGoo said:

If the helmet covers do such a good job, why don't they just play games in them?

I don't think they're allowed in games.  Some benefit on angled blows

[WVR 818]

4 hours ago, Paladin said:

 

Has there been another running back to wear #22 since Fullwood? I remember Gabe Gross wearing is as a QB. 

[VicTree 143]

7 minutes ago, WVR said:

Has there been another running back to wear #22 since Fullwood? I remember Gabe Gross wearing is as a QB. 

Cassinius Moore, Tre Smith,  it's not a commonly used number.

[AURex 2,053]

When 50% of your roster is newbies, most of whom have never encountered a Power 5 opponent, frankly, you just don't know what ya got or what gonna happen.

This time of year, every fanbase (including us) is excited and optimistic. And I'm really liking what I'm hearing about Fall camp.

But frankly, I'm just totally comfabubustulated. We got a bunch of guys. We got a bunch of coaches. We have absolutely no idea how this will work out in actual games.

I WANT to win every game. I DOUBT we win every game. And just like all the "experts" and all the "insiders" and all of us here -- it's just speculation. Ain't nobody got a handle on the New Auburn ......... well, other than it is surely gonna be better than the last Auburn.

WDE!