12.20.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

 

Keeping tabs on who has officially signed with Auburn

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

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Adding names as Auburn officially inks its 2024 class.

Pen hits paper on Wednesday for National Signing Day as Auburn and teams across the country officially ink their 2024 class. Auburn Undercover has you covered with a full Signing Day HQ and live updates which can be found HERE.

As NLI's are officially released by Auburn, we're also keeping tabs on who all has joined the class here. A look at who Auburn is getting and how the recruitment got to today for Hugh Freeze and his future Auburn Tigers:

 

LB Joseph Phillips

 

Already in Auburn and going through bowl practices, it was Cadillac Williams and the interim staff who was the first to discover Joseph Phillips and extend an offer to him last fall. Hugh Freeze, Josh Aldridge and Ron Roberts continued that when they took over, recruiting him heavily as a versatile linebacker who can play on the inside or as a jack linebacker. Phillips is young in terms of being a football player, originally playing basketball and switching to football later in his high school career. Tennessee was pretty involved and Georgia had landed a silent commitment early in the summer, but Freeze and his staff managed to change that and keep him close to home before publicly committing.

 

LB Demarcus Riddick

 

Another guy already on campus and going through bowl practice, Demarcus Riddick helped keep the summer momentum going in a big way when he flipped from Georgia to Auburn just a few days before Big Cat Weekend. The in-state Top247 talent committed to Georgia early in the process, but both Auburn and Alabama were the main factors when it came down to a final decision. It was once again Freeze and Aldridge that came out on top for his services. Playing some safety and offense for his Chilton County (Ala.) team, Riddick is a big-time athlete who's expected to play as a rangy outside linebacker in the Auburn defense.

 

LB D'Angelo Barber

 

Fresh off a strong performance in the 6A state championship game at Clay-Chalkville, linebacker D'Angelo Barber is already on the Auburn campus and practicing with the team after signing early with the Tigers. A talented player that is a classic middle linebacker, Barber is a player that Auburn has been excited about since his commitment over the summer. He’ll have a chance to play early after going through bowl practices and being on campus for spring.

 

S Kaleb Harris

 

Another player that is underrated, Kaleb Harris has played a key role on defense for one of the top programs in Alabama since his freshman year. A physical safety, Harris could play in the box as a safety but may be best suited to be the star position that has him as more of a nickel linebacker in Auburn’s system. He signed with the Tigers over Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and others.

 

DL Malik Blocton

 

A player that has continued to work and improve since he burst onto the scene as a high school freshman, Malik Blocton picked Auburn over Texas and several others but was always thought to be a Tiger because he’s the younger brother of Marcus Harris. With a bigger frame, Blocton has the ability to play multiple positions for the Tigers and is expected to get his first look at the tackle spot.

VIDEO: National Signing Day preview

Previewing Signing Day for the Auburn Tigers.

 

Welcome back to another edition of the Auburn Undercover Podcast.

On Signing Day Eve, Jason Caldwell, Phillip Dukes and Christian Clemente reconvene to break down the latest information just hours away from Signing Day opening up. The latest on KJ Bolden, LJ McCray, Amaris Williams, Coen Echols, Favour Edwin, Ryan Williams and how we feel Auburn will finish on Wednesday.

If you're not already be sure to subscribe to the Auburn Undercover YouTube channel. It is FREE and helps us out tremendously.

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si.com

 

Auburn Football National Signing Day Updates

Brian Smith

3–4 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers are primed to land one of the nation's best recruiting classes. This page will update Auburn recruiting information as it happens. Here are the primary topics and players that will be covered:

• Auburn Commitments Updated As Each Sign
• Ryan Williams, KJ Bolden, LJ McCray, Amaris Williams, Coen Echols, And More
• Recruiting Flips
• Rumor Mill
• Hugh Freeze Press Conference
• Recruiting Analysis
• SEC Recruiting Coverage

This article will be updated all the way through National Signing Day, so make sure to bookmark Auburn Daily and this article to gain all the latest information! Also, here's the full list of Auburn Tigers' verbal commitments as we head into National Signing Day:

Auburn football social update: 6:08 CST

Auburn pulling out the big guns today. Cam Newton makes an appearance on the Auburn socials to set the tone for Early Signing Day.

National Signing Day - 5:55 a.m. CST update

Welcome to Auburn's National Signing Day! It's going to be a wild ride! Let's get started.

One of the key recruits to watch is not likely to sign today. At least that's the expected out for Katy (Texas) High School offensive lineman Coen Echols. He's supposed to sign his letter of intent on Friday. Until otherwise proven, this is an Auburn versus LSU battle.

Echols is the nation's #252 player by the 247Sports composite rankings.

There will be many updates throughout the day so stay tuned!

Dec. 19, 5:24 p.m. CST

As a precursor for what's to come, I like Auburn's chances to sign at least two of the following prospects still on the board for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers: safety KJ Bolden from Buford (Ga.) High School, defensive lineman LJ McCray from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland, and defensive lineman Amaris Williams from Clinton (N.C.). 

Bolden is a consensus 5-star while Williams and McCray are also elite prospects who are ranked as 4-star or 5-star players depending on the recruiting service.

Adding these three elite recruits to the already committed prospects would place the Tigers well inside the national top-10 recruiting rankings. If the Tigers also eventually add Ryan Williams (signing on Feb. 9), that's a top-5 class for Auburn.

Do not forget about the offensive line either. From Katy (Texas) High School, Coen Echols is a player Freeze and his staff really want to add. It's Auburn or LSU as of Tuesday evening. As a rule, it can be difficult to beat LSU for recruits in the Houston area even if it would be Texas or Texas A&M in contention. Auburn has its work cut out for itself.

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247sports.com

 

LIVE UPDATES: Auburn National Signing Day HQ

Christian Clemente

13–16 minutes

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Live updates from Auburn on all things National Signing Day.

AUBURN, Alabama — Welcome to the Auburn Undercover National Signing Day HQ. This is your home for all things Auburn football recruiting, with National Signing Day on Wednesday and the early signing period lasting through Dec. 22.

We will have separate stories throughout the day, but this is your one-stop shop for the day. Below we have announcement times, will let you know when Auburn receives each Letter of Intent throughout the day and live updates on all the intel we're gathering throughout the day.

Hugh Freeze and his staff have Auburn on the verge of a top-10 class in their first year, looking to make a splash and end things strong at the end. It's been a busy cycle so far and isn't going to slow down on Wednesday.

Time to get started:

 

***STORY LINKS***

 

We'll keep links to all of our stories here so if you miss anything from what's set to be a wild Wednesday, you can refer back here and find anything you missed:

VIDEO: National Signing Day preview

 

***THE BASICS***

 

Total Commits: 22 (18 high schoolers, 2 JUCOs, 2 transfers)

THE COMPLETE COMMIT LIST

Note: 3-star tight end Martavious Collins is still on Auburn's commit list, but is NOT expected to end up in Auburn's class. The two "mutually parted ways" a while back and Collins has stayed publicly committed until he finds a new home. He has taken official visits to Austin Peay and UTEP and will likely sign with one of those two programs. He will not end up as an Auburn signee.

 

How many can Auburn sign in the 2024 class?

 

The 2023 class was a madhouse for Freeze and his staff. Signing over 40 new players through the high school level and through the two transfer portal windows, Auburn had over half its roster turn over during the offseason. This year, it's not quite the same situation.

While there's not an exact number here, look for Auburn to sign around 22-to-24 players from the high school and JUCO level, leaving another 10 or so spots available from the transfer portal. Now, remember, that number is fluid and even Freeze said so on Saturday when he opened up bowl practice with a press conference. 

"Well, if I knew what was going to happen Wednesday. That’s been one of my issues to when I say I don’t think I’ve been very good at some of this portal deal because I’m really committed to trying to sign the best high school class we can," Freeze said. "And it’s really hard for me to juggle the numbers in my mind for managing the 85. If you’re really committed to that, you kinda got to see a few things through."

The rough number of new players on Auburn's roster seems like it will be a little above 30, but that will all depend on if Auburn loses more players to the portal, who signs on Wednesday and what happens from there.

 

Will every Auburn commit sign Wednesday?

 

The simple answer is no. As previously mentioned in the story, Collins is still publicly committed to Auburn but is expected to sign with Austin Peay or UTEP. Auburn no longer had a spot for him in the 2024 class.

Defensive tackle commit Dimitry Nicolas remains committed to Auburn, but he will not sign until the February signing period. Getting academic paperwork finalized slowed things down, and Auburn is also waiting to see how the defensive line board shakes out with some other top targets as well.

 

Class Rank:

 

Auburn starts Signing Day ranked as the No. 11 team in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings. That number is good for No. 6 in the SEC, behind Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and Florida. Depending on how Signing Day shakes out, Auburn still has a chance to jump above both Florida and Oklahoma, with Texas being a possibility. Georgia and Alabama are firmly cemented inside the top-three.

Since his very first press conference, Freeze has stressed the importance of the 2024 and 2025 classes for his tenure at Auburn. Even though the staff was behind in the 2024 recruiting cycle with other schools having prior relationships with months — and even years — more communication, that was not an excuse for the staff. Auburn is now on the verge of landing a top-10 class, which would be the first time that's happened since the 2020 class.

 

Average Commit Rating: 91.81

 

That number would be good for No. 8 in the country and No. 6 in the SEC.

For reference, 247Sports 4-stars start at 90.00 points.

 

***ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULE FOR TOP TARGETS***

 

9 a.m. CT: DL LJ McCray, Mainland (Fla.) — Committed to Florida, Auburn and Florida State are the two teams vying for a flip from the 5-star defensive lineman. He will sign in the morning.

12 p.m. CT: S KJ Bolden, Buford (Ga.) — Committed to Florida State, Auburn and Georgia remain in the mix for the 5-star safety. It's Auburn that's put the most pressure on Florida State down the stretch. He'll sign with his teammates at the Buford High School Performing Arts Center.

12:40 p.m. CT: DL Amaris Williams, Clinton (N.C.) — Committed to Florida, Auburn and Ohio State have continued to push to try and flip the elite defensive lineman from the Gators. He will announce at his school, also going live on his Instagram (@qbkloui) for the ceremony.

3 p.m. CT: K Towns McGough, Auburn High (Ala.) — Deciding between a PWO opportunity with NIL at Auburn and a scholarship at Ole Miss, McGough is one of the top kickers in the country, according to Kohl's, and is someone that Auburn hopes to add late.

TIME TBD: OT Favour Edwin, Eagles Landing Christian Academy (Ga.) — Still uncommitted but looking at Alabama, Auburn and Florida, Edwin is expected to sign on Wednesday. As of now he has not set a time for an announcement. It's expected on his social media, on Twitter/X (@EdwinFave) and Instagram (@BigFav).

Friday, Dec. 22: IOL Coen Echols, Katy (Tx.) — After backing off his commitment to Texas A&M, Echols will sign on the last day of the early signing period for his birthday, which is on Friday. Auburn and LSU are the main schools, with Texas A&M still trying to hang around.

Friday, Feb. 9: WR Ryan Williams, Saraland (Ala.) — Committed to Alabama, Auburn and several others have tried to work on flipping the 5-star wide receiver who recently reclassified from 2025 to 2024. While he can sign in December, he has remained consistent on a plan to sign on his birthday during the February signing period.

 

***COMMITS SIGNING CEREMONIES***

 

A majority of the commits will send in their LOIs before the actual signing ceremony. Some commits will not have a signing ceremony.

9 a.m. CT: QB Walker White, Little Rock (Ark.) — White will sign at a ceremony at his school, Little Rock Christian Academy.

9 a.m. CT: DB A'Mon Lane-Ganus, Moody (Ala.) — Lane-Ganus will sign at a ceremony at his school, Moody.

10 a.m. CT: WR Perry Thompson, Foley (Ala.) — Thompson will sign at a ceremony at his school, Foley.

10 a.m. CT: WR Malcolm Simmons, Alexander City (Ala.) — Simmons will sign at a ceremony at his school, Benjamin Russell.

10 a.m. CT: WR Cam Coleman, Phenix City (Ala.) — Coleman will sign at a ceremony at his school, Central.

11 a.m. CT: EDGE Jamonta Waller, Picayune (Miss.) — Waller will sign at a ceremony at his school, Picayune Memorial.

1 p.m. CT: DL TJ Lindsey, Bryant (Ark.)

2:30 p.m. CT: IOL DeAndre Carter, Santa Ana (Calif.) — Carter will sign at a ceremony at his school, Mater Dei.

3 p.m. CT: LS JR Buckner, Auburn (Ala.) — Buckner will sign at a ceremony at his school, Auburn High.

Thursday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. CT: LS Keaton McNutt, Sharpsburg (Ga.) — McNutt will sign with his family 

SIGNED ALREADY: WR Bryce Cain, Baker (Ala.) — Cain held a signing ceremony on Dec. 11.

SIGNED ALREADY: DL Malik Blocton, Pike Road (Ala.) — Blocton held a signing ceremony on Dec. 11.

SIGNED ALREADY: S Kensley Faustin, Naples (Fla.) — Faustin held his signing ceremony on Dec. 14.

SIGNED ALREADY: LB Joseph Phillips, Booker T. Washington (Ala.) — Phillips held a signing ceremony on Dec. 17.

SIGNED ALREADY: S Kaleb Harris, Thompson (Ala.) — Harris signed grant-aid paperwork to be able to go through bowl practices. Harris will have his signing ceremony at 9:30 a.m. CT.

SIGNED ALREADY: LB Demarcus Riddick, Chilton County (Ala.) — Riddick will go home to sign on Wednesday at his school at 1 p.m. CT, but signed grant-aid paperwork to go through bowl practices.

SIGNED ALREADY: LB D'Angelo Barber, Clay-Chalkville (Ala.) — Barber signed grant-aid paperwork to be able to go through bowl practices.

 

***LETTERS OF INTENT RECEIVED BY AUBURN***

 

As Auburn receives LOIs and announces them, we will add them here. Remember, these will start early in the morning and will likely arrive before a commit has their signing ceremony. For other targets making a decision, it'd arrive after their ceremony and they've announced their choice.

 

***OUR PROJECTIONS***

 

Here are our current projections for the top remaining targets. These can — and will — change as the day goes along. These are also not official Crystal Ball PREDICTIONS, these are PROJECTIONS. 

5-star DL LJ McCray, Mainland (Fla.): PROJECTED TO STICK WITH FLORIDA

5-star DB KJ Bolden, Buford (Ga.): TOO CLOSE TO CALL

4-star DL Amaris Williams, Clinton (N.C.): PROJECTED TO FLIP TO AUBURN

3-star OT Favour Edwin, Eagles Landing Christian Academy (Ga.): PROJECTED TO ALABAMA

4-star IOL Coen Echols, Katy (Tx.): TOO CLOSE TO CALL

K Towns McGough, Auburn High (Ala.): PROJECTED TO AUBURN

 

***LIVE UPDATES***

 

Wednesday Updates:

6 a.m. — National Signing Day is officially open and underway.

Tuesday Updates:

9:10 p.m. — Things have definitely tightened up in the race for KJ Bolden. Auburn Undercover's Phillip Dukes reported that it's extremely close between Auburn, Georgia and Florida State down the stretch.

8:16 p.m. — One Auburn commits says this going into tomorrow: "I have 1, maybe 2 that I think we'll get."

8:06 p.m. — The door has not fully closed on Favour Edwin and Auburn. Right now I'd still predict him to Alabama, but there's a little bit of movement there for Auburn. 

6:21 p.m. — Ohio State has tried to make its way back in for Amaris Williams. The Buckeyes never left, but faded some as Florida held on and then Auburn pushed. They're absolutely a factor going into tomorrow's final decision.

5:15 p.m. — Things continue to shift back and forth with 5-star safety KJ Bolden. Auburn had some buzz on Monday while Georgia has some buzz on Tuesday to flip him from the 'Noles. Intel suggests that it will continue to shift around all the way up to noon tomorrow when he makes things official.

4 p.m. — First update, Amaris Williams has pushed back his announcement by 10 minutes to 12:40 central tomorrow. It's down to Auburn, Ohio State or sticking with his Florida commitment. 

Keeping tabs on who has officially signed with Auburn

Adding names as Auburn officially inks its 2024 class.

Pen hits paper on Wednesday for National Signing Day as Auburn and teams across the country officially ink their 2024 class. Auburn Undercover has you covered with a full Signing Day HQ and live updates which can be found HERE.

As NLI's are officially released by Auburn, we're also keeping tabs on who all has joined the class here. A look at who Auburn is getting and how the recruitment got to today for Hugh Freeze and his future Auburn Tigers:

 

LB Joseph Phillips

 

Already in Auburn and going through bowl practices, it was Cadillac Williams and the interim staff who was the first to discover Joseph Phillips and extend an offer to him last fall. Hugh Freeze, Josh Aldridge and Ron Roberts continued that when they took over, recruiting him heavily as a versatile linebacker who can play on the inside or as a jack linebacker. Phillips is young in terms of being a football player, originally playing basketball and switching to football later in his high school career. Tennessee was pretty involved and Georgia had landed a silent commitment early in the summer, but Freeze and his staff managed to change that and keep him close to home before publicly committing.

 

LB Demarcus Riddick

 

Another guy already on campus and going through bowl practice, Demarcus Riddick helped keep the summer momentum going in a big way when he flipped from Georgia to Auburn just a few days before Big Cat Weekend. The in-state Top247 talent committed to Georgia early in the process, but both Auburn and Alabama were the main factors when it came down to a final decision. It was once again Freeze and Aldridge that came out on top for his services. Playing some safety and offense for his Chilton County (Ala.) team, Riddick is a big-time athlete who's expected to play as a rangy outside linebacker in the Auburn defense.

 

LB D'Angelo Barber

 

Fresh off a strong performance in the 6A state championship game at Clay-Chalkville, linebacker D'Angelo Barber is already on the Auburn campus and practicing with the team after signing early with the Tigers. A talented player that is a classic middle linebacker, Barber is a player that Auburn has been excited about since his commitment over the summer. He’ll have a chance to play early after going through bowl practices and being on campus for spring.

 

S Kaleb Harris

 

Another player that is underrated, Kaleb Harris has played a key role on defense for one of the top programs in Alabama since his freshman year. A physical safety, Harris could play in the box as a safety but may be best suited to be the star position that has him as more of a nickel linebacker in Auburn’s system. He signed with the Tigers over Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and others.

 

DL Malik Blocton

 

A player that has continued to work and improve since he burst onto the scene as a high school freshman, Malik Blocton picked Auburn over Texas and several others but was always thought to be a Tiger because he’s the younger brother of Marcus Harris. With a bigger frame, Blocton has the ability to play multiple positions for the Tigers and is expected to get his first look at the tackle spot.

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al.com

 

Auburn starting safety Zion Puckett to play in Music City Bowl, then enter NFL draft

Updated: Dec. 19, 2023, 1:14 p.m.|Published: Dec. 19, 2023, 1:11 p.m.

3–4 minutes

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Auburn's Hugh Freeze previews Music City Bowl against Maryland

Auburn safety Zion Puckett announced Tuesday intentions to enter the 2024 NFL Draft after playing in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

Puckett has been Auburn’s starting safety over the past two seasons and has played 33 games over the last three seasons with the Tigers. 2023 was his fifth year in Auburn, and because of both a redshirt year and the year of eligibility granted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Puckett had the option to return for 2024.

Losing Puckett, however, means Auburn will now have to replace each of its starting outside cornerbacks with Nehemiah Pritchett and DJ James both out of eligibility and off to the NFL Draft as well as each of its starting safeties with Jaylin Simpson and now Puckett planning to forego their remaining eligibility and enter the Draft.

Simpson, like Puckett, said he will still play in the bowl game despite plans to play professionally.

Auburn’s plan seems relatively in place for the cornerbacks. Returning defensive back Keionte Scott said he will move from the nickel position to an outside cornerback role and rising sophomore Kayin Lee played well in several starts outside as a true freshman. Junior defensive back Donovan Kaufman will likely slide into Scott’s previous nickel position.

The safety position is much more questionable. Outside of possibly sophomore versatile defensive back Caleb Wooden, Auburn doesn’t have a clear in-house option.

“Once we’re done I think Caleb Wooden, that’s one of them,” Puckett said. “And I think Terrance Love. I think those two are going to be pretty good for our secondary for this game and on. I think they’re going to do a good job of just being behind us. The leadership that we showed, I think that’s going to help a lot.”

The Tigers do have a commitment currently from Laquan Robinson, a junior college transfer from Holmes Community College who is ranked as the top junior college safety prospect.

Auburn also remains heavily in pursuit of five-star rated safety and Florida State commit KJ Bolden. Bolden plans to sign Wednesday as part of National Signing Day. Landing his signature would be a massive boost of talent to a safety group that is significantly lacking experience.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

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whnt.com

 

Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter undecided about return for 2024 season

Josiah Elmore

2–3 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. (WHNT) — Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter will suit up for the Music City Bowl — But after that? Who knows.

The junior running back spoke on his plans past the Tigers’ bowl game, saying he’s not sure what the future holds.

“I haven’t decided that right now,” said Hunter. “Right now, I’m just focused on the bowl game trying to get past it.”

Hunter was the starting running back in 11 games for the Tigers this season, rushing for 865 yards and seven touchdowns. While his future remains unknown, he has options. Hunter is draft-eligible and could declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, he could enter the transfer portal and suit up for another school or he could return to Auburn.

When deciding what to do next, Hunter says he will look back on his career at Auburn.

“I just look back over the years and see how I developed as a player,” said Hunter. “How I played, maybe things I need work on in the future if I come back or not, things I have improved on.”

In his first two seasons on the Plains, he served as the primary backup behind former Auburn running back Tank Bigsby. Hunter did not appear in the first game of the season but continued to get better throughout the course of the season. Over the last five games, he rushed for 556 yards.

If Hunter decides to leave Auburn, he won’t decide until after the Tigers take on Maryland. Hunter said it was important to him to finish the season with the teammates he went to battle with throughout the season.

Hunter’s return would bolster the Tigers’ running back room which features former four-star Damari Alston, former four-star Jeremiah Cobb and All-American kick returner Brian Battie. Hunter was a three-star prospect out of Neshoba Central High School in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

He is the only remaining recruit from Auburn’s 2021 class.

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al.com

 

Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa opts out of Music City Bowl against Auburn

Published: Dec. 19, 2023, 11:44 a.m.

~2 minutes

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Auburn's Hugh Freeze previews Music City Bowl against Maryland

Auburn will not be facing Taulia Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time passing yards leader, when it faces Maryland in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

Maryland head coach Mike Locksley announced Tagovailoa would opt out of the game during a press conference Tuesday. Tagovailoa is expected to enter the 2024 NFL Draft.

Maryland had a top 20 passing offense in the country under Tagovailoa and the best in the Big Ten by passing yards per game.

Without him, Locksley will get his first look at life for Maryland after Tagovailoa as he uses both redshirt sophomore Bill Edwards and redshirt freshman Cam Edge in the game against Auburn.

Edwards has 32 career pass attempts across two seasons and Edge, who did not play at all in 2022, has two career pass attempts this season.

Maryland received the commitment of MJ Morris, a quarterback transfer from N.C. State, last week. But he will not be playing in the Music City Bowl.

Kickoff for the Music City Bowl is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

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si.com

 

Auburn's Keionte Scott Announces Position Change

Lance Dawe

2–3 minutes

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Scott will be making a move in the Tigers' defensive backfield starting in the bowl game.

Auburn is going to need to do some shuffling with their defensive backfield starting in 2024.

The Tigers will be losing a number of veteran pieces to both graduation and the NFL. Thankfully STAR/Nickel Keionte Scott will be returning to play in both Auburn's bowl game and a final season in 2024.

Scott announced to the media on Monday afternoon that he will be making a position change at defensive back, starting against Maryland.

Instead of playing nickelback, Scott will now be playing outside cornerback

"(The change) will start with this game in the bowl game, where I’ll be back on the outside on that island," Scott said during the Monday presser. "I’m excited for it.”

The move to outside cornerback has Scott excited to showcase another season of his abilities at a different position to NFL scouts. According to Scott, using the sideline is going to help him as a defender in coverage.

"When you get to be able to use the sideline as your friend, I feel like it helps me more because I've gone from having to guys with so much space to guarding guys that if I do win a certain leverage, that I can force them to one side and basically turn it to a one side release," Scott said. "I'm definitely excited to get back outside and get some sideline help and my eyes on the ball.”

“That was my first home, so I’m very excited to get back outside and get back on ‘Key Island.'"

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al.com

 

National Signing Day live updates: Auburn pursues last minute flips and a top-5 class

Updated: Dec. 20, 2023, 7:23 a.m.|Published: Dec. 20, 2023, 6:00 a.m.

3–4 minutes

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Auburn fans joke with 5-star Alabama commit Ryan Williams during his visit to the Plains

Welcome to National Signing Day, one of the most chaotic and exciting recruiting days on the calendar.

Auburn enters the day with 20 players committed to its 2024 recruiting class and expects most of them to sign their National Letter of Intent. Several already have and some have even begun practicing with Auburn as it prepares for the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

On the eve of National Signing Day, Auburn’s class is ranked as the 11th best in the nation, per 247Sports. It is headlined by two five-star rated wide receivers in Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson. Both are expected to sign on Wednesday.

But where the day gets interesting for Auburn is its last-minute pursuit of several flip targets. Five-star safety KJ Bolden (a Florida State commit), five-star DL LJ McCray (a Florida commit) and four-star defensive lineman Amaris Williams (a Florida commit) are all announcing their final college decisions Wednesday and are at the top of Auburn’s recruiting board.

Another one of Auburn’s top flip targets, five-star rated wide receiver and Alabama commit Ryan Williams, will not be making his decision until February’s signing day.

Auburn likely will not land all three, but getting the pledge of one or two from the trio would be a big day for head coach Hugh Freeze. McCray is expected to announce around 9 a.m., Bolden around noon and Williams closer to 12:40 p.m.

Freeze is expected to hold a press conference at 12:30. With the program finally receiving letters of intent from its recruits, Freeze can finally freely discuss his thoughts on the incoming players. Updates throughout the day, including Freeze’s press conference, will appear below as Wednesday goes on. Make sure to check back and to refresh the page for the latest news.

7:08 a.m.: Bit of a slow start for Auburn announcing its signees. Next up is Robert Lewis, a wide receiver transfer from Georgia State. He had 70 catches for 877 yards this season, and has one year of eligibility remaining. Lewis was Auburn’s first transfer commitment since the transfer portal opened on Dec. 4. Auburn’s receiver room next year, despite the high lift of high school talent it is expecting to sign today, is gravely in need of a player like Lewis with previous college experience.

6:17 a.m.: Malik Blocton, younger brother of Auburn star defender and NFL-bound Marcus Harris, is the first Auburn signee of the day. He is rated as a four-star recruit. Blocton is already participating in bowl practices with Auburn.

6 a.m.: The craziness begins. It’s 6 a.m. central time meaning national letters of intent can officially begin rolling in. Auburn already has a few in hand, meaning there should be a flurry of early morning announcements to come.

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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