3.1.24 Foorball Articles

aubiefifty · March 1

247sports.com

A different culture surrounding Auburn football in Year 2 under Freeze

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

Auburn coaches and players say there's a different feel around the program this spring.

AUBURN, Alabama—It has been around 15 months since Hugh Freeze was hired to be the head coach of the Auburn Tigers. There have been a lot of changes since then with Derrick Nix taking over as offensive coordinator and D.J. Durkin now running the defense. Auburn has also had to replace Cadillac Williams on offense and Zac Etheridge on defense.

Through all of that, Freeze said the biggest changes he’s seen have been with the players and their expectations of the program. Now knowing what to expect on and off the field, he said it all starts with the leadership council and how they have set the standard for what this program wants to be. There's one word that stands out above all others for Freeze and that's where it starts.

"Accountability," Freeze said. "No question. It's to the little things. It seemed that we were just way too casual about our approach and a lot of things, to me, and that's an indication of staff, players, all of us. I think the kids sensed it, I think we sensed it, and it was part of our meetings in January that we can't take that approach. And if it's not addressed, things tend to be repeated.

"I need everyone to be accountable to whatever we say the standard is, and truthfully, the older I get, the more I probably need players to help me see, 'Alright, maybe that's an unreasonable standard, coach.' Because things change some. So it was really big for me that the players would sit down and I would say, 'I want you to present to me: What do you think the standard should be?' If I think y'all are way, way off, I'm going to say it, and you do the same for me. We just had some really good conversations. They came up with the presentation, and I just approved it because I did agree with their approach, and then presented it to the team. I think that's the biggest difference I've seen thus far."

It’s something that tight end Rivaldo Fairweather says he’s felt since the moment they got back together following the bowl game loss in Nashville.

“Yeah, I just feel like it's a different culture in here now,” Fairweather said. “From the first day we came in, we had a players meeting and we set the standard of how this team is going to operate and just how we're going to do stuff around here. From day one we just set that forth and we had some leaders taking care of the accountability and stuff. When you're not supposed to be doing stuff that you're doing, you get punished for it. That makes everybody lock in and not try to mess around.”

Last spring, Freeze talked about the lists being brought to his attention and how long they were. Whether it was being late for meetings, missing classes or late to study hall, Freeze said there were things that had to start being done as a program. Those set the tone for the overall health of a program.

Now heading into year two, Freeze singled out guys on both sides of the ball that have taken on leadership roles for this team and that are demanding accountability for their teammates. He believes it’s another step in the right direction for the program.

“Those are guys that really have taken the leadership in saying, you know, if one of our guys has to need some enrichment for not meeting the standard, then we want to handle it,” Freeze said. “It’s an agreement we have with our positions and I’ve been really pleased with the leadership.

“That’s probably the most improvement when I say accountability… these lists are way down. There’s nobody turning an eye to them anymore. And even not the lists, but as simple as the locker. This is the picture of our locker and this is how it should look every single day and we should be accountable to that. It’s not too big of an expectation.”

aubiefifty · March 1

Quick Quotes Hugh Freeze opens Auburn spring practice

Nathan King

7–8 minutes

Auburn began spring ball earlier this week

Football (practice) is back at Auburn, as the Tigers enter their second spring of the Hugh Freeze era.

Auburn began practices Tuesday and will return to the field Thursday. There will only be those two practices before the team is off for the university's spring break next week. In addition to the newcomers from Auburn's 2024 class and the transfer additions, Freeze also has five new assistant coaches on the field with him this spring.

Follow along here for live updates from Freeze on Auburn's opening week of spring ball.

* When Auburn gets back to practice after spring break, they'll "get down to business" and go in pads.

* Says the team-led leadership has been admirable over the past couple months.

* What's the big difference from last year's start to spring? "Accountability. The little things." Says the team was "way too casual about our approach" last season.

* Freeze on the open quarterback competition this spring: "The hardest thing with four guys you want to get looks at is getting quality reps." Every throw will be charted, and the QBs who "grade out" the best will continue in the competition.

* Freeze says on QB Payton Thorne, says the job is "his to lose," but reiterates that the competition will be "wide open."

* Freeze says last season was "frustrating" because he wasn't able to coach the team to be consistent every practice and every game.

* Freeze: "We should have won a few more games last year."

* Freeze reiterates that he's "really comfortable" with Derrick Nix and Kent Austin on the offensive staff.

* Freeze "hated to lose" defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett, but he's "really excited" to promote Vontrell King-Williams: "He's who the kids really wanted."

* Freeze on new Auburn DC D.J. Durkin: "He was the first guy I interviewed where I felt like he coached defense like I coach offense."

* Freeze: "Everybody knows Charles Kelly. What a great mentor and coach he is."

* Freeze says he talked with Nick Saban this morning to arrange a golf trip over spring break. He's excited to see what sort of leadership role Saban can fill in the world of college football, even outside of coaching.

* Freeze on Saban's retirement: "Maybe it's fools' gold without hard work. But there might be an opening to capitalize on — why not Auburn right now?"

* Freshman receiver Cam Coleman "just makes us look different."

* Freeze touches on Texas transfer defensive back Jerrin Thompson and says he's already settled into a vocal leadership role.

* Freeze on the defensive line: "We need Jayson Jones to come on and be the guy."

* Sophomore defensive end Keldric Faulk has taken on a large leadership role within the defense.

* Freeze reiterates that he believes this quarterback room is capable of throwing with the type of precision needed to succeed in an RPO offense.

* What will be different on defense under Durkin? Freeze touches on limiting explosive plays and how that's a major emphasis for Durkin.

* Freeze says he's mostly out of the loop when it comes to the Lane Kiffin-Derrick Nix saga on Twitter when Auburn was in the process of hiring him as OC. "Well, I hired him first (back at Ole Miss), so I guess I have a right to him."

* Freeze: "I believe in our administration here. I think they're going to give us time to build it the right way."

aubiefifty · March 1

al.com

Hugh Freeze addresses Auburn’s QB battle, whose it is to lose and who’s making strides

Updated: Feb. 29, 2024, 3:37 p.m.|Published: Feb. 29, 2024, 2:51 p.m.

4–5 minutes

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was minutes removed from he and the Tigers’ 31-13 loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl when he said Auburn’s quarterback battle would be “wide open” come the spring.

And in his first media appearance of spring camp Thursday, Freeze reiterated that in saying “every spot is wide open.”

In the case of the quarterback race, Freeze said he’s got a four-man battle consisting of incumbent starter Payton Thorne, sophomore Holden Geriner, redshirt freshman Hank Brown and true freshman Walker White.

“The hardest thing is when you’ve got four guys you want to get looks at is getting them all quality reps. We would chart every single rep. In individual, every single rep, on footwork — I’ve got a team of three guys that are charged with that, the decision-making, execution and getting them quality reps.”

During the team’s first practice of spring camp Tuesday, the Tigers’ quartet of quarterbacks were faced with some unfavorable conditions as winds whipped across the field on a cloudy Auburn afternoon.

“That was a very challenging day for quarterbacks, for sure,” said Freeze.

Given the circumstances, Freeze left Tuesday’s practice impressed with Brown, who “threw it extremely well in those conditions.”

Meanwhile, in his first real look at White, Freeze walked away happy with what he saw.

“Obviously, you’re gonna get really good looks at Payton and Holden and Hank, and then you want to get Walker some, because I think he’s so talented,” Freeze said. “I mean, his arm strength is phenomenal. He made throws the other day that take great arm strength to make.”

That said, Freeze says White is “swimming” while everything continues to come at him quick.

“We’ve got to find a way to slow that down and give him quality reps, too. It’s a challenge to do that,” Freeze said.

But at the end of the day, signs continue to point at Auburn’s incumbent starter in Thorne, the fifth-year senior who transferred in from Michigan State a year ago.

“Let me clear: I think Payton has done an incredible job since January of taking a leadership role and setting the standard. Do I think it’s his to lose? Yes. But he’s gotta go earn it every day,” Freeze said of Thorne, who logged 1,755 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2023. “We’re not in a position where we can just say that it’s given to somebody.”

Last fall, Auburn’s passing offense finished near the bottom of the barrel as it finished the year ranked 121st in passing offense — leaving just nine teams in the FBS with a worse showing.

Now, with a new offensive coordinator in Derrick Nix, Freeze hopes Auburn’s offense can return to the likes of what he and Nix used to run at Ole Miss.

“I want to get back to the only thing I’ve known that has given us success everywhere we’ve been, the RPO-driven run game and the play-action passes off of it,” Freeze said. “In order to do that you’ve got to have a receiver or three that can win in some one-on-ones and quarterbacks that can execute it. I do think our quarterbacks can do that.”

Which quarterback will be the one to do it come the fall season?

That seems to be a question that only time will solve, especially since there’s a new offensive install happening with Nix now on The Plains.

“We’re changing our whole verbiage, our whole system, to what I’m comfortable with,” Freeze said. “I need to see who has the best grasp on that.”

In the meantime, Freeze will be grading Auburn’s quarterbacks out on three main factors: who can take care of the ball best, who has the best decision-making and accuracy — in that order.

“We’re gonna find out who grades out the best at leading our football team and executing the plan that we’re putting in place,” Freeze said.

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aubiefifty · March 1