12.1.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

The Real Deal Running it back to take care of unfinished business

Jason Caldwell

6–7 minutes

Auburn's Luke Deal plans to return for a sixth season.

AUBURN, Alabama—For Auburn fifth-year tight end Luke Deal, Saturday’s loss to Alabama is still one that stings and he admits it won’t go away anytime soon. Pushing Alabama’s defense around for much of the game and putting themselves in a position to pull off the upset, the Tigers came up just short and now head into a bowl game at 6-6 on the year.

While the game didn’t end like he or anyone else in orange and blue wanted, Deal said there are a ton of positives you can take from that game into the bowl game and next season.

“We had talked all week long how much that game means to the people who had been here,” Deal said. “How much it means to the fans and this state. Those guys truly took that to heart and you could tell with the passion that they played with and the compassion that they played with. What I hate is for the guys that don’t have any eligibility left and especially the ones that have never felt that feeling of winning an Iron Bowl. Not happy about the result, but very proud of the guys who literally emptied the tank. Mark my words, it will be the foundation of this program for years to come.

“We’ve talked about getting bowl eligible and how much fun it would be to be with each other for a bowl game, but after that last one I feel like we really don’t care who we play. We kind of want to take out our frustration on whoever it is, play a complete football game, and keep our foot on the gas for the entire four quarters. That’s what we’ve already started this week in the weight room and I have talked with the coaches and they feel the same thing.”

Deal and the Tigers hope to use the bowl game to build momentum into the 2024 season. With Auburn’s last bowl victory coming in the Music City Bowl following the 2018 season, Deal said he believes a victory would be a springboard for next year.

And he’s excited to run it back one more time to finish what he started.

“There’s some unfinished business,” Deal said. “There’s a couple of games, the Georgia game and Alabama game, but especially the Bama game. That will stick in my mind for 364 days. That’s something I can’t quite let go yet. My wife and I are here and we love it here. I’m blessed with another year of eligibility. I’m ready to lead this team next year. We’re going to have some serious dudes and we’re going to win some serious ballgames next year.”

Deal said that starts with the foundation that has been build in the last 12 months by Freeze and this staff.

“It’s strong enough that I’m coming back for a sixth year,” he said. “We have tried to flip this program around. I think the older guys, the leaders of this team, how hard everybody played. All of these different factors go into building a firm foundation. That’s what we wanted to do. We talked about flipping the script this year from the spring all the way to now and being watchmen for this team and being watchmen for this program. The foundation has been laid. There might be some people that were upset about this or upset about that. Trust me, we are too, but there’s always growing pains when you lay a foundation.

“I think about it like you’re doing a home project. You might have to go to Lowe’s a couple of times, but in the end you’re going to have something you can hang your hat on. That’s hopefully what we have for next year and I’m super excited for seeing it through and watching it unravel.”

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

2026 OL Kail Ellis announces commitment to Auburn

Taylor Jones

2–3 minutes

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It is never too early to begin building for the future.

Hugh Freeze and Auburn football landed a big commitment on Thursday in Kail Ellis, a member of the 2026 class from Cass High School in White, Georgia.

Due to his graduating year, he has not yet received a ranking from 247Sports, On3, or Rivals, but his size alone should have Auburn fans feeling excited. He stands 6-4, 285-pounds with two more seasons of varsity football ahead of him.

According to 247Sports, Auburn was the eighth program to extend an offer to Ellis, doing so on June 8. Since receiving an offer from Auburn, he has received an offer from five other programs including College Football Playoff contenders Florida State and Georgia.

Ellis recently told Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover that he feels that Auburn has the best chance to develop him as a lineman.

“What Coach (Hugh) Freeze, Coach (Jake) Thornton and that staff has going on is so special and I wanted to be a part of it,” Ellis said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “I feel Auburn can develop me more than anyone, academically and as a football player.”

Ellis becomes the first member of Auburn’s 2026 commitment class. Auburn currently has one offensive line commitment for its 2024 haul in DeAndre Carter, and one in its 2025 class in Spencer Dowland. Auburn currently has a top 25 class for both the 2024 and 2025 cycles, and Ellis’ commitment is a great way for the trend to continue in 2026.

Auburn I’m home…1000% COMMITTED #WDE @CoachThornton61
@AuburnFootball @CoachHughFreeze @CoachPMonty @CoachCox65 @AuburnMade @AuburnRivals @Gates_CassHC @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong247 @CClemente247 @AuburnU @CalebJ_Rivals @JeremyO_Johnson @ConnorGates77 @Velocity_FB pic.twitter.com/6aJTYvTCZ7

— Kail Ellis (@KailEllis78) November 30, 2023

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

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si.com

 

Auburn adds 2026 offensive line commitment

Zac Blackerby

~2 minutes

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Kail Ellis has committed to the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn has added the first commitment of their 2026 class. Cass High School offensive lineman Kail Ellis announced that he was committing to Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers.

The Canton, Georgia prospect said "Auburn I'm home. 1000% committed," on social media. 

According to Auburn Live, Ellis attended three games at Auburn this season.

Ellis is listed at 6-foot-3, 290 pounds, and is the first commitment of Auburn's 2026 class.

The offensive line is a must for the future of the Auburn football program. Though it's several years out until Ellis will play a college snap, you can never have too many talented offensive linemen ready to play in the SEC.

Looking at his frame, Ellis currently looks like an interior offensive lineman at the next level but with several years until he has to make the transition, his body could develop as a tackle during his high school career.

According to Auburn Live's Cole Pinkston, Ellis plays both offensive tackle and center.

Auburn has one offensive lineman committed in the 2024 class, DeAndre Carter.

Hugh Freeze and the Tigers also have an offensive lineman committed in the 2025 class - Spencer Dowland. 

Perhaps Auburn's early start in the 2026 class will create more momentum as recruiting season is upon us. 

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al.com

 

Auburn team captain Luke Deal plans to return to Auburn for sixth year

Published: Nov. 30, 2023, 12:35 p.m.

~2 minutes

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Auburn's Hugh Freeze closes book on 2023 Iron Bowl, looks ahead to bowl season

In an interview with 247Sports’ Jason Caldwell, Auburn tight end and team captain Luke Deal said he plans to return to Auburn for his sixth year with the Tigers.

Auburn tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua was quick to celebrate the news himself with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Deal did not have a catch in 2023, with Rivaldo Fairweather taking the lead tight end spot in an Auburn passing offense that struggled for the majority of the 2023 season.

Though Deal’s role is much stronger off the field. As a team captain, Deal has been at Auburn through two coaching changes and served as a compass as Auburn transitioned into the new Hugh Freeze tenure with so many new faces on the roster.

With Deal announcing his return, Auburn has six tight ends expected to be on the 2024 roster including 2024 commit Martavious Collins. Fairweather is expected to be back next season.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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al.com

 

Auburn’s Freeze calls bowl-game opt-outs a ‘difficult deal.’ How will he handle them?

Published: Nov. 30, 2023, 9:14 a.m.

5–6 minutes

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Temptation is plentiful these days in the world of college football.

From the transfer portal to name, image and likeness, college football players have so much to flirt with during their playing careers. As of late, players who have their sights set on the transition to the NFL or who are planning to transfer are becoming more and more tempted not to play in bowl games, too.

And while opting out of bowl games isn’t new — in fact, it’s grown in popularity the past few seasons — it is new to Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze.

When Freeze was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012-16, opting out of bowl games wasn’t really a “thing.” It wasn’t popular. After that, while Freeze was at Liberty from 2019-22, he didn’t have a player opt out, despite coaching the Flames in three bowl games.

“This is new to me,” Freeze said when asked about the trend of players opting out. “That is a difficult deal for me. I’ve always believed you finish. You finish with your team. We signed up for this.”

With that comment alone, Freeze — old-school in nature — said all that needed saying about his feelings toward the recent trend.

However, Auburn’s first-year head coach does believe in everyone having their own unique circumstances.

“There’s obviously some kids that probably will move on from here so our people need to know that,” Freeze said, seemingly referring to the transfer portal. “That’s the new world we live in.”

Freeze said Monday his plan is to approach transfer portal-related conversations with transparency. If Freeze believes a greater opportunity for a player exists elsewhere, he’ll tell them that. If Freeze believes a player needs to consider being patient and trust the process at Auburn, he’ll them that, too.

Auburn has seen just two transfer portal announcements as Enyce Sledge and Stephen Johnson, both young defensive linemen, announced their intentions to transfer earlier this week after not seeing the playing field much at all — if any — in 2023.

And while it’s safe to assume more announcements could be coming, there’s no telling who or when.

Nonetheless, though a player might put his name into the transfer portal, he technically can still play in Auburn’s bowl game. But the decision to let him play is left up to Freeze and the Tigers’ coaching staff.

“Do you take to the bowl game those guys that are choosing to do that? Or do you not?,” Freeze said. “You certainly need to have some numbers to have — you want do well and you want to prepare well. So you gotta have some numbers to do that.”

As for guys who might be looking to take their talents to the big league, there are a handful of names to consider — especially in the defensive backfield.

Cornerbacks DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett both received Senior Bowl invites last year before announcing their return to The Plains. The tandem did that again this year, too. However, there is no coming back this time around as the pair has run out of eligibility.

That said, regardless of whether James and Pritchett elect to play in Auburn’s bowl game or not, Freeze plans to make an effort to get some of the Tigers’ younger defensive backs some experience during the postseason.

“We’ll try to get our young kids a lot of work, hopefully get them in the game some — particularly those (defensive backs),” Freeze said. “We need to get those young DBs a lot of reps in those games. We think they have a chance to be really good players: (Tyler) Scott, Kayin Lee, Terrance Love, Sylvester Smith, JC Hart, that group of kids. We all think they have a chance, and they’re going to have to play next year. We need to see them.”

Auburn is set to learn who and where it will play in a bowl game on Sunday. In recent days, trends and chatter suggest the Tigers could be bound to see Oklahoma State at the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 in Houston or Northwestern or Wisconsin at the Music City Bowl in Nashville on Dec. 30.

Between now and then, Freeze and Auburn’s coaching staff will be juggling a lot as they are left having to recruit their own roster, tie up loose ends on the recruiting trail before Early National Signing Day on Dec. 20 and play their part in the transfer portal, which will be open from Dec. 4-Jan. 2.

Considering bowl opt-outs is just another thing on Freeze’s plate — and an unfamiliar thing, at that.

“I’m going to have to really put a lot of thought and prayer and seek wisdom for if that becomes a case here,” Freeze said. “This is my first experience with it, believe it or not. I’ve never had to deal with it before. I’ll be learning through the process myself.”

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247sports.com

 

SEC football preseason expectations revisited LSU Texas AM underachieve Missouri outperforms prediction

Cody Nagel

12–15 minutes

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Not every team delivered on its preseason goals.

The college football regular season is complete, but there is still plenty left to determine for the fate of the SEC with a critical conference title showdown between Alabama and two-time reigning national champion Georgia on Saturday in Atlanta. Overall, it was a disappointing regular season for the SEC, which struggled against signature non-conference opponents back in September. However, not all teams failed to reach expectations. 

Missouri is without question the biggest surprise team and overachiever in the SEC, perhaps even the entire Power Five landscape, this season after reaching 10 wins under coach Eli Drinkwitz. Others like Mississippi State and Texas A&M underachieved and opted for a change in leadership as a result with the firings of Zach Arnett and Jimbo Fisher.

Preseason expectations can not become a reality for every team in the SEC. There will always be teams that underperform, while others take advantage. Unforeseen circumstances such as injuries can also derail a hopeful season.

Get football and recruiting scoop on your favorite college team for $1 for first month.

Below is how every SEC team fared relative to preseason expectations:

 

Vanderbilt Commodores: Underachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 2-10, 0-8

There was optimism Vanderbilt could reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018, but a 10-game losing streak to close out Year 3 under coach Clark Lea resulted in disappointment. There was early momentum following back-to-back wins to open the 2023 campaign, but a blown 17-point lead in a loss at UNLV in Week 3 is where the snowball effect began. The Commodores went winless against SEC opponents for the third time in three seasons, two of which came under Lea, who is now 9-27 (.250) as head coach in Nashville.

 

Missouri Tigers: Overachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 10-2, 6-2

Without question the biggest surprise team in the SEC, perhaps even the entire Power Five landscape, this season. Missouri reached double-digit wins for the first time in nine years and is in position for a New Year's Six bowl appearance. The only losses in the regular season for the Tigers came against two-time reigning national champion Georgia, 30-21, and SEC West contender LSU, 49-39. Momentum is building in Columbia for fourth-year coach Eli Drinkwitz, not only on the field, but off of it as well in recruiting.

 

Mississippi State Bulldogs: Underachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 5-7, 1-7

The lone season as head coach at Mississippi State for Zach Arnett could be categorized as a disaster. The Bulldogs finished with their worst record against SEC opponents in 17 years as Arnett was fired in mid-November. Only one of the five wins in 2023 came against a team that reached bowl eligibility — Arizona. Mississippi State is in reset mode with the hiring of former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as the next head coach and the departure of record-setting quarterback Will Rogers to the transfer portal.

 

Kentucky Wildcats: Met Expectations

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 7-5, 3-5

Kentucky is going to a bowl game for the eighth-straight season under coach Mark Stoops. The Wildcats lost five of their last seven games to close out the regular season, but still met expectations in what was expected to be a transition year with plenty of new transfers, including at quarterback and running back. Kentucky capped off the regular season with an upset against rival Louisville and ended their College Football hopes and Stoops announced his commitment to the Wildcats despite buzz of him becoming the next head coach at Texas A&M. 

 

Ole Miss Rebels: Overachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 10-2, 6-2

Ole Miss overcame a brutal September stretch, for the most part, on its way to a second double-digit win season in three years. The Rebels' only losses came on the road against the two teams playing for the SEC championship — Alabama and Georgia — this Saturday. Ole Miss has seven 10-win seasons in the history of its football program. Lane Kiffin has his name on two of those with an opportunity to reach 11 wins for the first time ever during bowl season.

 

Auburn Tigers: Overachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 6-6, 3-5

Hugh Freeze led Auburn back to bowl eligibility in Year 1 as the new coach on The Plains. The Tigers were streaky this season, but just barely exceeded expectations given the circumstances of a rebuild. While the disappointment of the blowout loss to New Mexico State and late-game collapse against rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl stings, the fact that Auburn kept it close versus both the Crimson Tide and Georgia should hold some weight. However, expectations will be higher in 2024.

 

South Carolina Gamecocks: Underachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 5-7, 3-5

South Carolina tried to close out strong, similar to what it did last season, but the Gamecocks dug themselves into too deep of a hole and were unable to reach bowl eligibility for the first time in three seasons under coach Shane Beamer. A winless October was difficult to overcome, even with the easier slate in November. Pressure is mounting on Beamer and South Carolina to make a jump in 2024.

 

Arkansas Razorbacks: Underachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 4-8, 1-7

Year 4 for Sam Pittman at Arkansas was about as bad as any Razorback could imagine heading into the season. Expectations were bowl eligibility, but Arkansas did not come close to that with an 0-5 start to the SEC schedule — not to mention an early non-conference loss to BYU in mid-September. Pittman will remain in Fayetteville for at least another year, but the Razorbacks must show great signs of improvement in 2024. The development of star quarterback KJ Jefferson expected to enter the transfer portal is a setback.

 

Florida Gators: Met Expectations

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 5-7, 3-5

Believe it or not, Florida met expectations in Year 2 under coach Billy Napier despite not reaching bowl eligibility. The Gators are still trying to piece together a roster capable of competing in the SEC after losing five-straight games to close out the season. Momentum appeared to be building after a convincing win against SEC East division rival Tennessee back in mid-September, but two weeks later Florida followed that performance up with a blowout loss at Kentucky. The Gators need to find a solution to win on the road with a 2-10 (.200) record away from "The Swamp" under Napier. 

 

Texas A&M Aggies: Underachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 7-5, 4-4

Texas A&M is already moving on to a new era after the removal of Jimbo Fisher and return of Mike Elko to be the next head coach. But there is no ignoring the disappointment in College Station at failing to meet expectations yet again. The Aggies were forecasted to contend for an SEC West crown, but an 0-5 record against ranked opponents is never going to get the job done. A season-ending injury to starting quarterback Conner Weigman set the offense back, but there were plenty more issues than just that.

 

Tennessee Volunteers: Underachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 8-4, 4-4

Tennessee was not going to be a College Football Playoff contender like it was in 2022, but the Volunteers experienced a drop-off further than what was expected. The loss at Florida in the SEC opener was an early setback. Tennessee also lost its pecking order in the SEC East with Missouri rising and handing the Volunteers an embarrassing 36-7 loss in mid-November. Alabama and Georgia both beat Tennessee by at least two scores. 

 

LSU Tigers: Underachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 9-3, 6-2

LSU was unable to defend its SEC West title despite Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback Jayden Daniels putting up record-setting numbers for the Tigers. It was the defense that underperformed drastically, ranking third-worst in the SEC in points allowed per game (27.8). All three of the losses for LSU came away from Baton Rouge with two of those defeats against College Football Playoff contenders. The Tigers can still reach 10 wins for the second time in as many years under coach Brian Kelly with a bowl victory. 

 

Alabama Crimson Tide: Overachiever

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 11-1, 8-0

There was a lot of preseason doubt surrounding Alabama football and whether this was the beginning of the end for Nick Saban. But, ahead of the SEC Championship Game, the Crimson Tide have a chance to potentially clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff if they can knock off Georgia. Alabama was all but counted out of the Playoff picture with a non-conference loss to Texas in Bryant-Denny Stadium back in Week 2. Since then, the Crimson Tide rattled off 10-straight wins, including a late-game stunner at Auburn to close out the regular season.

 

Georgia Bulldogs: Met Expectations

 

(Photo: Getty)

Regular season record: 12-0, 8-0

Georgia did what was expected in the regular season, but will ultimately be judged on how it performs in the postseason as it makes a run at a historic third-straight national championship. The Bulldogs won all 12 games by at least seven points, going 4-0 against ranked opponents. Quarterback Carson Beck emerged as a potential Heisman Trophy finalist in Year 1 as the starter and the defense ranks first in the SEC in points allowed per game (15.8). Now the real test begins with the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, which had previously won seven-straight against Georgia before the national championship two seasons ago.

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[aubiefifty 16,887]

it is all about recruiting and the portal today. as an aside next monday night i do a sleepover at the hospital for asleep apnea study so tuesday's  articlesmight be late asi have no idea what time they will release me. anyone wants to send flowers message me for an address................grins.

[SaltyTiger 7,853]

Just wake up early and leave.