11.29.23 Football Articles

[aubiefifty 16,913]

 

si.com

 

Auburn Briefing: Recruiting still on fire

Daniel Locke

2–3 minutes

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Following the Iron Bowl, Auburn has seen a noticeable uptick in recruiting.

Auburn had a productive weekend in recruiting and that continues to show.

Auburn picked up the commitment of Kalen Edwards, a 4-star defensive lineman in the class of 2025.

Edwards is the seventh commit to join Auburn's 2025 recruiting class. He has a 0.9087 composite rating and is the No. 261 player nationally, the No. 29 defensive lineman and the No. 9 player in the state of Tennessee according to 247Sports.

Auburn currently has the No. 5 class in the 2025 cycle according to 247Sports.

Check out other recruiting content:

Cam Coleman and Ryan Williams update

More Iron Bowl Recruiting Updates

Auburn basketball update

The men's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday night when the Virginia Tech Hokies come to town. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. CT and the broadcast can be found on ESPN2.

The women's basketball team will be back in action against the Clemson Tigers on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and the game can be found on SEC Network.

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saturdaydownsouth.com

 

Auburn loses 2nd DL in as many days to portal with 4 years of eligbility left

Grant Bricker | 15 hours ago

~2 minutes

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Auburn is now down 2 defensive linemen after Stephen Johnson decided to transfer.

The Tigers had Enyce Sledge declare for the transfer portal on Monday as well.

Johnson thanked Auburn for the opportunity and stated that he has 4 years of eligibility left.

“Thank you, Auburn for the opportunity,” said Johnson. “Much love and appreciation for the experience! Auburn will always have a special place in my heart. I’ll be entering the transfer portal with 4 years of eligibility! God got a plan for me.”

It was hard for Johnson to find playing time with names like Marcus Harris, Elijah McAllister, and Zykeivous Walker on the defensive line, to name a few.

Hugh Freeze’s 1st season at Auburn ended the regular season with a 6-6 finish. The Tigers will be going bowling after a hiatus in 2022 following a 5-7 record to end the year.

This season was Johnson’s 1st year with Freeze as a member of the 2023 class. He was a former 3-star recruit out of Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater.

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Grant Bricker

Grant Bricker was a former freelancer for The News TN in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He now freelances for Saturday Football. Follow on Twitter @GrantBricker.

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247sports.com

 

Freeze points to Auburn's 'other chances' against Alabama besides final minutes

Nathan King

5–6 minutes

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Hugh Freeze had one more thing to say.

When questioned concluded at his Monday press conference that went more than a half-hour, Freeze wanted to make sure one thing was clear about Auburn’s dramatic 27-24 loss in the Iron Bowl: he’s not pinning it on any individual player, and fans shouldn’t, either.

He knows Koy Moore and D.J. James will end up having their names mentioned often when recollecting the painful finish against Alabama, when the Tigers held a 24-20 lead inside five minutes left.

“Everybody will point to the last plays and D.J. and Koy and everything — but there are other plays in that game, too, that make a difference,” Freeze said Monday. “… It's not just those two young men and those two plays or the coaching decisions on those two plays. We had other chances, too, in that game.”

Moore muffed the punt that gave Alabama possession at Auburn’s 30-yard line with 4:48 remaining, appearing to lose his balance at the last second, falling backwards as the ball hit him and bounced off his chest.

Many wondered why Moore, the backup punt returner, was in the game, and Freeze didn’t know immediately after the game. Keionte Scott is the Tigers’ primary option there, but Freeze confirmed Monday that Scott “dinged” his shoulder on the previous third down and was in the medical tent briefly during the punt and the first couple plays of Alabama’s next possession.

“You have to play backups sometimes,” Freeze said. “The last thing you want to do in that moment is let them pin us back on the 5-yard line with their three timeouts. Koy has been solid all year at catching punts. Something happened with his footing, it looked like there. It’s one of those awful plays that I think we win the game if we catch that punt. But Koy has been as dependable as can be.”

And James is the one who will appear on highlight reels for years to come. He was in coverage against Isaiah Bond when the Alabama receiver extended in the corner of the end zone and caught the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds remaining. But as Freeze put it, there was no reason James should have been left alone for one-on-one coverage.

Freeze couldn’t sleep at all Saturday night and into Sunday, and he watched the film over and over again. He took still shots of the final play, showing Auburn’s coverage being in perfect position, with eight defensive backs in the end zone to Alabama’s five receivers. It was well executed — until it wasn’t, and James was left alone in the corner of the end zone. There were three other Auburn defensive backs a few yards from him, and Freeze said they needed to be closer and in a position to help, but something just broke down at the end of the play.

As for the play call, which was decided on during the timeout right before, Freeze maintains that he was comfortable and confident with the decision not to pressure Jalen Milroe. It was either that, or send a few extra players at the line of scrimmage and create more one-on-one opportunities.

“That was our two options, and that's the one we went with and felt like we could stay with their empty set and stay three-over-two, four-over-three and play with vision on the ball and knock the ball down,” Freeze said. “We didn't play with vision on the ball.”

Freeze spent a few minutes at Moore and James’ lockers after the game. They were obviously more upset than anyone in the stadium. James told Freeze, “I let you down, coach.” Freeze made sure to ensure them that Auburn had several other mistakes in the game, and that he in no way blamed them for their individual plays.

After all, at the start of the fourth quarter, Auburn had first-and-goal from the 8 and had to kick a field goal. Payton Thorne had Ja'Varrius Johnson in the back of the end zone for what would have been his third touchdown of the day, but it bounced off Johnson on second-and-goal.

“We could've put it away with another TD down on the 5-yard line, too,” Freeze said. “I thought Payton threw a heck of a ball there, and it hit (Johnson) right in the face mask. We've gotta make that play.”

The sting still hangs over Freeze this week, and he admitted he’s not sure when it will fade. An upset over the Crimson Tide and his third career win over Nick Saban would have certainly qualified as a signature win for the Tigers, who didn’t beat a team with a winning record this season.

“It’s hard for me to sit here and say that I am proud of delivering six wins when I felt like it could have been more,” Freeze said. “But, man, the Auburn family and fans have blown me away, which makes us want to deliver to them a product that they can be so happy with. I know we were limited. You could see there was different athleticism on the field in some games. But yet our kids found a way to compete. And so I’m very proud of that. But sure wish we could of had a few more in the win column.”

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al.com

 

Goodman: How the future favors Auburn after epic Iron Bowl

Updated: Nov. 28, 2023, 1:01 p.m.|Published: Nov. 28, 2023, 8:47 a.m.

5–7 minutes

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This is an opinion column.

_____________________

An important piece of news went unreported at the Iron Bowl amid the noise-quenching finish that was Fourth and 31.

The atmosphere inside Jordan-Hare Stadium before the final play was the best I’ve seen at a sporting event since the championship bout of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. Team Daniel LaRusso got KO’d this time, but that doesn’t mean it was a total loss for Auburn. Wins and losses are an all-or-nothing deal, but that’s not how recruiting works.

Despite the loss, the Iron Bowl was a major recruiting victory for first-year coach Hugh Freeze and what he’s building on the Plains. Freeze is doing a good job and Auburn is pointed in the right direction. All things considered, this was a successful season for Freeze and Auburn football. The future favors the Tigers.

Alabama is enjoying historic success with coach Nick Saban, and with any more luck the Crimson Tide will knock off Georgia in the SEC championship on Saturday and make the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, Freeze and his staff will be busy recruiting and momentum is building towards one of the best classes of commitments in school history.

Freeze is a great recruiter, but there’s something else about Auburn that’s attractive, too, and it’s undeniable. Here’s the true measure of Auburn’s unconquerable spirit and why it’s inevitable that the Tigers will very soon be back on top.

RELATED: Hugh Freeze reflects on state of Auburn football

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al.com

 

Auburn freshman defensive lineman Stephen Johnson announces intention to transfer

Published: Nov. 28, 2023, 1:23 p.m.

~2 minutes

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Auburn freshman defensive lineman Stephen Johnson announced Tuesday afternoon that he’d be hitting the transfer portal when it opened on Dec. 4.

In one season on The Plains, the 6-foot-3, 337-pound freshman defensive lineman never saw the field.

Johnson committed to Auburn as a 3-star prospect after a successful high school career at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, Ga. that saw him finish his senior campaign with 74 tackles, six tackles for a loss, four sacks and an interception.

Johnson committed to the Tigers after receiving other offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Vanderbilt, among others. Johnson will hit the portal with four years of eligibility.

Tuesday’s announcement came on the heels of fellow defensive lineman Enyce Sledge announcing his intention to transfer on Monday night.

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247sports.com

 

Bowl practices an important time for Freezes Tigers in Year 1

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama—We won’t know where the Auburn Tigers will go bowling after finishing the regular season 6-6 overall until later this weekend, but unless there is absolute carnage in the championship games, it looks like the Music City Bowl in Nashville (Dec. 30, 1 p.m.), the TaxAct Texas Bowl in Houston (Dec. 27, 8 p.m.) and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte (Dec. 27, 5:30 p.m.) are the top options for coach Hugh Freeze’s team.

The Music City bowl could be the most likely destination at the moment and if that were the case it could mean a rematch with frequent bowl foe Wisconsin. A trip to Houston could mean a matchup against Kansas State while Duke could be the opponent in Charlotte.

No matter the destination or the opponent, it’s going to be an important time for the Tigers trying to balance winning the game, enjoying the rewards of making a bowl, but also working towards the future.

One of the biggest points of emphasis for Freeze and his staff will be getting the young guys some valuable reps heading into the bowl game and spring practices. With seniors D.J. James Nehemiah Pritchett, Zion Puckett and Jaylin Simpson all expected to be gone after the bowl game, there will be a whole lot to replace for the Tigers in the secondary. You could also lose Keionte Scott if he decides to test the NFL Draft waters.

That makes for some important reps for Auburn’s group of young players signed last season. For guys like Colton Hood, Tyler Scott, Kayin Lee, Terrance Love, Sylvester Smith, JC Hart and junior college signee Champ Anthony, the 2024 season begins now.

“I'm not one that grinds them during the bowl. I'm really not. I want them to enjoy the journey and the process. We'll try to get our young kids a lot of work, hopefully get them in the game some — particularly those DBs. We need to get those young DBs a lot of reps in those games. “We all think they have a chance, and they're gonna have to play next year. We need to see them.”

In addition to the defensive backfield, this time will be important for young quarterbacks Holden Geriner and Hank Brown to get more reps and work in the offense heading into the bowl game and the offseason. Another spot is on the offensive line where Tyler Johnson, Dylan Senda, Eston Harris Jr., Bradyn Joiner and others will get an opportunity for more work during the on-campus practices before getting to the bowl site.

With recruiting on the front burner at the moment with the transfer portal opening up December 4 and trying to finish out the early signing period strong, Freeze said they’ll be ready to roll after final exams and graduation (Dec. 10) to get some work in before breaking for Christmas and putting the finishing touches on a plan for whatever game they wind up in.

“One of the things on my list (is to) just make a hypothetical practice schedule based on the bowls that I think we could end up going to,” Freeze said of his plans. “So I'll have that ready. We'll try to get five to six here, and then usually three more at the practice site. Usually around eight practices is what we try to get in and get a lot of good individual work and, obviously, get a game plan together. Excited to get some of those young kids some work.”

The bowl announcements will come out on Sunday following the final College Football Playoff rankings.

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[aubiefifty 16,913]

 

[aubiefifty 16,913]

 

[aubiefifty 16,913]

 

[aubiefifty 16,913]

 

[Gowebb11 9,381]

Nice work today, @aubiefifty

[aubiefifty 16,913]

Just now, Gowebb11 said:

Nice work today, @aubiefifty

i imagine it will slow up some until we get a bowl.good morning to you sir!

[gr82be 14,472]

40 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

 

al.com

 

Auburn freshman defensive lineman Stephen Johnson announces intention to transfer

Published: Nov. 28, 2023, 1:23 p.m.

~2 minutes

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Auburn freshman defensive lineman Stephen Johnson announced Tuesday afternoon that he’d be hitting the transfer portal when it opened on Dec. 4.

In one season on The Plains, the 6-foot-3, 337-pound freshman defensive lineman never saw the field.

Johnson committed to Auburn as a 3-star prospect after a successful high school career at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, Ga. that saw him finish his senior campaign with 74 tackles, six tackles for a loss, four sacks and an interception.

Johnson committed to the Tigers after receiving other offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Vanderbilt, among others. Johnson will hit the portal with four years of eligibility.

Tuesday’s announcement came on the heels of fellow defensive lineman Enyce Sledge announcing his intention to transfer on Monday night.

Imagine a three star not seeing the field as a freshman, I’ve never heard of such 🙄

Now he can go somewhere else and sit a year while he learns there as well. 

[SaltyTiger 7,864]

Good stuff Fiddy and thanks again. 

Headed down to NOLA in a bit. Hopefully a bit warmer than the 29 degrees here right now. Know the food will be good and “Christmas in the Oakes” at City Park is incredible.