2023 Fall Camp Thread

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Surge from 'Too Tall' Miller alters Auburn's starting offensive line

"We can't keep him off the field. He's going to have to play.”

22 mins

Auburn’s offensive coaches have a good problem on their hands with two weeks until the season kicks off.

The Tigers are continuing to tinker with their offensive line groups in preseason camp, and in an attempt to find the best starting five, a new contender has entered the fray after making a massive surge within the group over the past couple weeks.

“It's a case of a guy that's stood out the entire camp — his body has changed since he got here, and he's stood out all camp,” Freeze said. “It's Izavion Miller — ‘Too Tall.’ We can't keep him off the field. He's going to have to play.”

The No. 4 JUCO offensive tackle recruit in this year’s class, Miller, who was previously committed to first-year Auburn offensive line coach Jake Thornton when he was at Ole Miss, worked this week with the starting offensive line at right tackle. That moved Western Kentucky transfer Gunner Britton, who’s been cemented at that spot since the spring, over to left guard.

Left guard has been the site of a starting competition this preseason between Tate Johnson and Jeremiah Wright, with Wright garnering most of the first-team reps of late. But again in Saturday’s scrimmage, Auburn slotted Britton into that role. With that change, the starting unit is, left to right: Dillon Wade, Britton, Avery Jones, Kameron Stutts and Miller.

Though Britton has only played three career snaps at left guard in his career, according to Pro Football Focus, Britton brings 41 games of experience to the table. And he’s not the only one shifting around as Auburn works to find its best possible combination up front.

“Gunner knows all five spots, so that gives us some flexibility to maneuver,” Freeze said. “Gunner's played well, too; we're going to need them both. But that's just a case of us trying to make sure we're ready for all different combinations and getting him live reps there at right tackle. And we got (Gunner) some at center one day. We got Connor Lew some at guard. We're trying to get all those combinations prepared.”

Miller also went through spring with the Tigers, and was mentioned in the summer as a player who had progressed well in workouts. At a monstrous 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds, he certainly presents SEC-ready size and physicality. And Thorne has seen him evolve into an SEC-ready player, too.

“Too Tall has had a phenomenal camp,” Thornton said this week. “Watching him progress, getting stronger, body quickness, first and second step off the ball, he is definitely making his presence known out there. He's doing a great job, he's being consistent day in and day out.”

Now inside two weeks until kickoff — and with “camp” now concluded with the second scrimmage, according to Freeze — Auburn’s staff will work to determine not only the lineups for the season opener on both sides of the ball, but also the travel roster, needed quickly for the team’s Week 2 trip to Cal. The offensive line is one of the most important equations to solve on that front.

“I haven't had to abide by this 70-man travel deal in a long time,” Freeze said. “When you do that, is it eight? Is it nine? Is it 10 offensive linemen? You want your best five out there.”

Edited August 19, 2023 by toddc

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Hugh Freeze provides injury update after Auburn's second scrimmage of fall camp

JD McCarthy

Photo by Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

Auburn has been battling injuries throughout fall camp and Hugh Freezeprovided an update about the health of the team Saturday after Auburn’s second scrimmage of fall camp.

The wide receiver group and defensive front have been hit the hardest and that was still the case with several expected contributors unable to play.

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Defensive end Keldric Faulk and pass-rusher Jalen McLeod were both unable to play in the scrimmage. Faulk “tried, but he’s not ready,” Freeze admitted.

Wide receivers Nick Mardner, Koy Mooreand Malcolm Johnson Jr. as well as linebacker Austin Keys were also unable to practice.

“Now its time for us to get a lot of those guys out of those yellow jerseys hopefully, and get them healthy with two weeks to go,” Freeze said. “We’re without some guys we’ve been counting on for sure.”

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[gr82b4au 5,568]

I still think linebackers are the biggest issue. A few of them are hurt. The ones that are playing we never hear anything about in scrimmages. 

[Win4AU 4,055]

I thought Miller was already locked in at LT?

[bigbird 60,580]

2 hours ago, toddc said:

 

Better add Scott to that list too!

[aucanucktiger 1,805]

Every school needs a strength coach with a name like ours, Dom Studzinski. Sounds like an SNL skit.

[tbone4jc 2,241]

Love to see that Robbie has really stepped up. Shows a lot, especially the rumors that were going around about him after he learned he did not win the QB1 job! He is growing up right before our eyes!! 

[3rdgeneration 6,471]

17 hours ago, toddc said:

 

This is fantastic! I’m loving this style of graphics!!!

[3rdgeneration 6,471]

6 hours ago, tbone4jc said:

Love to see that Robbie has really stepped up. Shows a lot, especially the rumors that were going around about him after he learned he did not win the QB1 job! He is growing up right before our eyes!! 

That was my thought, too.  I don’t see him giving up, because the kid has always been a competitor.  If CHF can work with him and challenge him on handling his emotions/attitude, the sky’s the limit for Robby. I think Ashford is very lucky to have Coach Freeze to guide him.  

[Viper 3,139]

20 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

I still think linebackers are the biggest issue. A few of them are hurt. The ones that are playing we never hear anything about in scrimmages. 

Part of the reason why our run game is flourishing.

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AuburnTigers

Hugh Freeze identifies who will field kicks, punts for Auburn

Peter Warren•about 2 hours

As the first week of the season inches closer, college football teams across the country are beginning to see their starting squad crystalize. For Auburn, that is happening this week.

Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze named quarterback Payton Thorne as the team’s starter for Week 1. But he has also appears to have settled on other starting roles on special teams as well.

That includes kickoff and punt return, where Brian Battie and Keionte Scotthave earned the jobs to return kicks and punts for Auburn.

“Battie will get the nod at kickoff return to start with,” Freeze said Saturday to a group of the media. “I do think we have other options too, but he’s proven to be one of the nation’s best so I think he will get the nod there.”

Battie’s credentials as a kick returner are already established following his time at USF, where he earned All-American honors as a returner in 2021. During that 2021 season, Battie returned three kicks for touchdowns while averaging 32.5 yards per return.

Last year his efficiency in the return game went down but Battie also had the duties of starting running back on his plate. He ran for over 1,000 yards on the season.

“We will have a couple running backs back there on kickoff,” Freeze said. “If we can design it to where we think they’re going to kick it, it will be be Battie getting that option.”

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Hugh Freeze shares what he likes from Shane Hooks

Sam Gillenwater•about 16 hours

Hugh Freeze brought in three transfers at wide receiver to take Auburn’s passing game back up a notch. Former Ohio and Jackson State WR Shane Hooks was amongst that trio and, to this point, he’s still trying to make the right impression on the Tiger’s head coach.

Freeze spoke about Hooks’ work and play since arriving on The Plains, specifically this fall, in a press conference this weekend. He said that, at 6’4, he provides a large weapon through the air but that the issue now is getting that size to play at the appropriate speed.

“He’s a big target. I wish he played the game a little faster,” said Freeze. “We’ve got to get him to do that I think. Some of that comes from maybe not playing against the speed at this level yet.”

However, that isn’t a problem that’s specific to Hooks. Freeze added that Auburn is spending a lot of time trying to get their new players, including their transfer receivers, to move at the pace that they’ll need them to this fall.

“If we can get him convinced to run every route? And knowing, ‘Dude, you can get a break but run this route like the game depends upon it‘? I think that’s the case, truthfully, with a lot of our transfer receivers,” Freeze said. “Now, again, some people have been hurt…but it seems like the transfers, the new guys? I’ve got to get them to play faster all the time. Shane is the same way.”

With that said, Hooks remains a very talented option in the Tiger’s receiving corps. Over his time with the Bobcats and JSU Tigers, he caught 116 passes for over 1,600 receiving yards and 18 scores.

Now, as he enters this season in the SEC, Freeze just wants him to get moving in time for the fall so that he can show everybody his ability to make highlights.

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10 Auburn players who raised their stock in preseason camp

There were plenty of names that popped this preseason camp for the Tigers

Nathan King32 mins

With preseason camp in the books, Auburn is now inside two weeks until the Hugh Freeze era commences.

As the coaching staff puts the finishing touches on game prep for the UMass season opener this week, players will go through their first full practice week of the fall semester — setting expectations for what the next three months will look like. 

While there were plenty of other names that popped at times this preseason — and the Tigers still have a few practices to go until game week commences in earnest — here are 10 players who saw their stock rise during camp, improving relative to perhaps their offseason expectations, or simply making strides in their position group that couldn’t be ignored by Auburn’s coaching staff.

QB ROBBY ASHFORD

While the other names on this list may see the field much more than Auburn’s now-backup quarterback, Ashford has, by all accounts, taken some steps forward this preseason. Even though he didn’t win Auburn’s quarterback competition, with Michigan State transfer Payton Thornebeing named the starter by Freeze last week, Ashford seems to have improved as a passer after a highly efficient 2022 campaign in that department. Then there’s always his dynamism as a runner, presenting a different element and threat for Auburn’s defense to account for — a tool the other QBs simply don’t possess.

After Thorne was named the starter, Freeze challenged his No. 2 QB to respond the right way. What followed were what Freeze called Ashford’s best practices of the entire preseason. The redshirt junior turned in another strong scrimmage performance with his arm, throwing two touchdowns and completing 8-of-15 passes. Thorne winning the job didn’t come as much of a surprise — he was brought in to do so, and possesses a significant experience advantage over the others — but Ashford is giving his coaches something to think about because of his improvements as a passer.

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RB DAMARI ALSTON

(Austin Perryman / Auburn Athletics)

Separate from the drama of the Jarquez Hunter saga, the expected production from experienced transfer Brian Battie, and the excitement of 4-star freshman Jeremiah Cobb, sophomore Damari Alston continued to put in the work this preseason. And continuing where he left off after a strong spring, the former 4-star recruit seems to have made himself an invaluable piece of Auburn’s running game this fall.

Alston has garnered plenty of first-team reps, and scored a touchdown in each of the team’s preseason scrimmages. At 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds, Alston has been able to display his shiftiness and power as a sturdy ball-carrier with a low center of gravity, but he’s also been one of the Tigers’ most capable home-run hitters this preseason. Offensive line coach Jake Thornton, whose unit blocked for 1,600-yard rusher Quinshon Judkins last year at Ole Miss, said Alston might be the most explosive running back he’s ever seen. Auburn’s running back room is regarded as one of the team’s strengths, and Alston’s strides have become a reason why.

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WR JAY FAIR

Perhaps an under-the-radar breakout candidate in a deep receiving corps, Fair came on strong this preseason at the slot position. After catching just two passes last year, the sophomore and former 3-star recruit occupied plenty of first-team reps at slot in practice even before incumbent starter Ja'Varrius Johnson sustained a minor mouth injury and missed a few days of practice.

What’s led to Fair’s improvements? After Freeze said Fair was among a few players on offense who had “the most consistent spring camp,” Fair spent a good chunk of the offseason putting in work with Thorne and Auburn’s other newcomers on offense. As a result, he's playing with a lot more confidence,” and “playing a lot faster, being decisive in his decisions,” offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery said. Slot receiver looked to be an easy position to project in the offseason, but Fair has now pushed Johnson, a fifth-year senior, hard for playing time.

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WR SHANE HOOKS

Speaking of a deep group of receivers: The Tigers needed some names to emerge into primary weapons over the course of camp. It should be one of the more evenly utilized groups on the team, but particularly in the early portion of the season, Thorne and Auburn’s new-look passing game would benefit from some go-to options. It appears Hooks, the leading receiver last season at Jackson State, has more than solidified himself among that group with his consistency, size and playmaking ability. It’s clear from watching practice that Thorne is comfortable looking to Hooks, and the 6-foot-4, 190-pound receiver has made good on his quarterback’s trust.

Hooks not only has the length and speed to hurt defenses in multiple ways down the field — we’ve seen him take short passes for big gains and haul in deep shots down the field — but he also might be the most freakishly talented receiver on the roster. That much was apparent when he skied for a one-handed touchdown grab in Saturday’s scrimmage — his second of the day. Hooks was already assumed to be one of Auburn’s top receivers this season all the way back when the Tigers snagged him out of the portal, but his performances this preseason have been encouraging to Auburn’s coaching staff all the same. An honorable mention in terms of consistent pass-catchers on this list would be tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, as it wouldn’t be surprising if he and Hooks were the two most-targeted players on offense this season.

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OT IZAVION MILLER

In the quest to reverse Auburn’s mostly negative offensive line trends from the past couple seasons, Thornton kept his eyes open throughout camp for any possible advantages or improvements he could make not only to his starting five, but the two-deep in general. It appears Auburn is positioned to have a couple waves of quality offensive linemen for the first time in years, and players like Miller — who was assumed a backup since it seemed Auburn had both its tackle spots locked in — are a big reason why.

The nation’s No. 4 JUCO offensive tackle recruit, Miller flipped from Ole Miss to Auburn when Thornton was hired. Thornton has been high on his potential as an SEC tackle for years now. And that potential could be taken advantage of as early as this season, after Miller surged into receiving starting right tackle reps late in camp. That moved Gunner Britton over to left guard, as Thornton and Freeze are comfortable working into the season to find the best combination for their starting five. As Freeze put it, because of how well Miller has practiced dating back even to the spring, “We can’t keep him off the field. He’s going to have to play.”

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OG KAMERON STUTTS

(Austin Perryman / Auburn Athletics)

The fifth-year senior started 11 games at guard last season, yes, but he was far from a projected starter up front back in the spring. Stutts began spring ball getting third-team reps, though he slowly worked his way back up, culminating in a starting nod at right guard in the spring game. After his SEC Media Days selection, Stutts began preseason camp in a starting role, and despite a number of quality contenders around him — Tate Johnson, Jeremiah Wright, Connor Lew and Jalil Irvin, just to name a few — Stutts has yet to relinquish his starting spot.

With plenty of shuffling even between starting-caliber players on the offensive line, Auburn has yet to pull Stutts from right guard for more than just a few reps at a time. And according to Thornton, it’s all effort from Stutts: “Every day when he gets in there, he’s the first one in, last one to leave, taking care of his body. The trials that he’s been through, the injuries, the coaching changes and trying to find his way, for him to stick it out and still be here, that alone means the world to me as a coach and to the rest of those guys. And it’s setting a great example to the younger players. Like hey, if you don’t get what you want Year 1? You don’t get what you want Year 2? Stick it out and keep working.”

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DE KELDRIC FAULK

Is it cheating to include Auburn’s highest-rated defensive line recruit since 2016? Maybe. But the fact that Faulk has seemed to make continual improvements in his second semester of practices on campus signals that the true freshman is more than ready to contribute against SEC competition right away. Auburn’s defensive coaches made the decision after the spring to move Faulk, who’s filled out into a 6-foot-6, 288-pound frame, from the “jack” pass-rusher position to a true defensive end spot. The move made sense on multiple fronts, as it allowed three-year starter Marcus Harris to move back inside to defensive tackle, where position coach Jeremy Garrett said “he’s at his best.”

Not only did Faulk make a position change, but when fully healthy, he’s been Auburn’s starter there. A minor hand issue has put him in a non-contact jersey over the past few practices, and Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite has filled in. Faulk likely won’t have a massive advantage in terms of playing time at defensive end as only a true freshman, but Auburn’s coaches were elated to see that one of the most talented players on their entire roster continued to take some steps forward this preseason. 

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OLB JALEN MCLEOD

Auburn needed multiple players to step up in order to orchestrate a successful, full-scale overhaul of its pass-rusher spot. All its production from last season either left for the NFL, graduated or exited via the transfer portal. That forced Auburn to heavily mine the transfer ranks for help — and the Tigers’ most productive addition at jack linebacker has been regarded as one of the top overall players on the entire defense. McLeod, whom Garrett said has displayed an “unbelievable” skill set in practice, comes over from App State after he said he had transfer opportunities across most major programs along the east coast.

But McLeod chose Auburn because of how familiar coordinator Ron Roberts’ scheme felt to what he ran at App State, and the fact that the Tigers were more than happy to keep him at outside linebacker and not ask him to play in the box. Auburn’s offensive linemen have marveled at his explosiveness off the edge, and the D-linemen say he raises the unit’s pass-rush capabilities exponentially. McLeod is another example of a transfer Auburn knew would be asked to make a significant impact, but has nonetheless outperformed expectations thus far.

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OLB STEPHEN SINGS

The other side of that coin is Sings, the lone transfer to follow Freeze and a few of his assistants over from Liberty. Whereas McLeod is a nimble pass-rusher, Sings, at 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds, has the size and physicality to play some earlier downs at the position. Sings quickly rose into a first-team role this preseason, where he swapped with McLeod at jack linebacker depending on the formation and alignment — and they also have experience playing together on the defensive front, when the Tigers really want to pin their ears back and attack the quarterback.

Sings was a productive player at Liberty over the course of three years given his role, but was, at the end of the day, a rotational piece who wasn’t a splashy pickup for Auburn in the transfer portal. But given his preseason production — Freeze said Sings  had one, maybe two sacks in the second scrimmage with McLeod sidelined due to a minor ankle injury — and how well he’s fit into Auburn’s plans to rotate the defensive front, Sings could end up having his best college season in the SEC this year.

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LB EUGENE ASANTE

(Austin Perryman / Auburn Athletics)

Asante’s name may not have been one earmarked by many Auburn fans to keep an eye on heading into the 2023 season, after he played only on special teams last season, and the fact that the Tigers bolstered their linebacking corps in the portal with a couple experienced pickups this offseason. But inside two weeks until the season kicks off, Asante has as good a chance to earn a starting job as most players in Auburn’s defensive front seven.

After transferring last offseason from North Carolina — where he tallied 58 tackles across three seasons — Asante missed a couple weeks of last year’s spring practices following the passing of his father. By the time fall camp rolled around, Asante was behind on the defense, and his opportunities to play ahead of names like Wesley Steinerand Cam Riley were slim. But now that the playing field has been leveled, per se, with a new coaching staff, Asante’s motor, effort and enthusiasm have painted him as an important player for the Tigers throughout the preseason. For the better part of fall camp, Asante has been the first-team linebacker on the weak side, and as position coach Josh Aldridge looks to iron out a rotation of four or five starting-caliber players, Asante is undoubtedly near the top of that group.

[AUnMS 120]

A name that I've been looking for to stand out is Woodyard.  He came in as a 4* linebacker (that we flipped from Bama).  I'm surprised that he's not making noise.

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I’m really starting to like this University of Auburn place. I think it’s growing on me. 😝 I hope Walker White doesn’t flip after seeing this!

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by toddc

[ken woolley 37]

I like her. Caw.

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[AUpreacherman22 3,892]

On 8/22/2023 at 8:39 PM, toddc said:

I’m really starting to like this University of Auburn place. I think it’s growing on me. 😝 I hope Walker White doesn’t flip after seeing this!

 

[Viper 3,139]

On 8/22/2023 at 8:39 PM, toddc said:

I’m really starting to like this University of Auburn place. I think it’s growing on me. 😝 I hope Walker White doesn’t flip after seeing this!

 

Cute. Needs some silicone.