3.24.24 Football Articles

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

2025 OL Tai Buster commits to Auburn

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

Auburn football has added size to its top-10 2025 recruiting class.

Tai Buster, a three-star OL from Kannapolis, North Carolina, announced his commitment to Auburn on Friday. He chose the Tigers over Florida, Penn State, and Rutgers.

Buster was one of several top targets to visit campus last week. While on campus… he watched practice, toured campus and facilities, and met with several coaches. He tells Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live that he “feels at home” in Auburn and that he likes the energy and tempo of Auburn’s practices.

Offensive coach Jake Thornton played a key role in landing Buster, as he was college teammates with Buster’s high school offensive line coach at Western Carolina.

“They have the same philosophy,” Buster said of Thornton. “They want me to be the best football player that I can be. Coach (Kaleb) Spry is one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had. I really appreciate him and everything he’s done for me. I feel like Coach Thornton will be the same way.”

Buster is a 6-5, 260-pound offensive lineman from Brown High School in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He is rated as a three-star from On3 and Rivals, but has not received a ranking from 247Sports or ESPN at the time of this post. He is the third offensive lineman to commit to Auburn’s 2025 signing class, joining Spencer Dowland and Tavaris Dice.

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 @TaylorJones__

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247sports.com

Pro Day a blessing as Tigers show what they can do

Jason Caldwell

7–9 minutes

Auburn DB's Zion Puckett and Jaylin Simpson talk about Pro Day.

AUBURN, Alabama—Friday’s Auburn Pro Day meant different things to different players as players continue to make a push towards earning a spot in the National Football League. While guys like Marcus Harris, Jaylin Simpson, D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett had opportunities at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine to show what they could do, others like Zion Puckett, Gunner Britton and Kam Stutts had one final opportunity to put their names in the minds of scouts before next month’s draft.

With 52 scouts on hand and 31 of the 32 NFL teams represented (Buffalo), maybe nobody did as much to help themselves as Puckett did on Friday. Measuring in at 5-11, 213, Puckett ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds and a vertical leap of 37.5 inches, Puckett’s explosiveness is something he’s been working on for the last 12 weeks while training in Austin, Texas. Finally able to show the improvements he’s made, the safety said he’s pleased with how the day went.

“I definitely raised my stock,” Puckett said. “I’m just grateful for that. I’m just grateful to be able to come out and showcase what I did today. A lot of people don’t get this chance to do Pro Day or go to the combine and do different things like that. I’m very blessed.”

An experienced defensive back that has also played special teams, Puckett has a lot of snaps under his belt. He’s hoping that’s what some NFL team sees in him when they’re looking for someone to help out the roster.

“They’re getting someone who is going to play every down, special teams, play different packages — nickel, dime, safety,” Puckett said of what he brings to the table. “Someone who’s got range. Speed. Physicality. All-around player. And one who lives the game and does everything the right way — even the small things.”

On the other side of the equation was a guy like Simpson. One of the most productive safeties in the Southeastern Conference the last two seasons, Simpson didn’t need to show much else to the NFL teams after what he put on tape and then his performances over the last two months. Pushing his vertical leap to 40 inches and then having a solid workout in the defensive back drills, Simpson said for him it was all about enjoying the day.

“I didn’t think I had much to prove,” Simpson said. “My goal was to come out and have fun on the last go-around with my boys. That was the main thing for me. Still be able to show my ability and why I think I’m one of the best in the draft at my position.”

Getting to have one final day on the field with Puckett and Pritchett, a trio of players that have been together for the last five years, Simpson said it gave him another lasting memory of his time at Auburn.

“It’s a blessing to have this opportunity,” Simpson said. “I have been here five years, so I have been to every single pro day and watched everyone go through it. I always wondered if I would get my opportunity. I’m just blessed and thankful for Auburn and everything it has done for me to get me to this point. I can’t wait to hear my name called.”

Unofficial from Auburn Pro Day

                                                Bench                  Vertical               Broad Jump       40

Hayden Brice                   15                           34”                        9’8”                       5.02

Gunner Britton                 22                           32.5”                    8’11”                    5.34

Marcus Harris                  34                           --                             --                             --

Shane Hooks                    14                           36”                        10’10”                  4.81

D.J. James                          --                             --                             10’6”                    --

Avery Jones                       33                           33”                        9’                            5.47

Nick Mardner                   11                           35”                        10’9”                    4.52

Elijah McAllister             18                           28.5”                    9’10”                    5.10

Mosiah Nasili-Kite         21                           31”                        9’1”                       5.07

Larry Nixon III                   22                           35”                        9’9”                       4.76

Nehemiah Pritchett      --                             --                             9’11”                    --

Zion Puckett                      14                           37.5”                    10’4”                    4.50

Jacob Quattlebaum      --                             30”                        8’4”                       --

Justin Rogers                    --                             26”                        8’5”                       5.52

Jaylin Simpson                 --                             40”                        --                             --

Kam Stutts                         25                           28.5”                    8’3”                       5.40

Kassidy Woods                --                             36.5”                    10’6”                    4.83

Auburn Pro Day: Live updates

Updates from Auburn's Pro Day on Friday .

AUBURN, Alabama—Today is a big day for Auburn's NFL hopefuls with Pro Day 2024 at the Woltosz Performance Center as they work out for scouts to try to cement their spots in the league this season. The biggest names going today are defensive backs Jaylin Simpson, D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett along with defensive tackle Marcus Harris, but there are others that have a chance to make some noise with big days. We'll have coverage and updates in the thread from Friday's Pro Day workout throughout the day on Friday.

Hayden Brice (6-2, 237) 

40-yard dash (5.01),  broad jump (9-8)

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Gunner Britton (6-6.4, 304) 

40-yard dash (5.35), broad jump (8-11), Bench (22), vertical (32.5)

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Marcus Harris (6-2.4, 304)

Bench (34)

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Shane Hooks (6-4.1, 210)

40-yard dash (4.82), broad jump (10-10), bench (14)

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DJ James (5-11.7, 181)

broad jump (10-6)

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Avery Jones (6-4, 317)

40-yard dash (5.45), broad jump (9-0), bench (33)

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Mosiah Nasili-Kite (6-1,5, 285)

40-yard dash (5.1), broad jump (9-1), bench (21)

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Nick Mardner (6-6.1, 208)

40-yard dash (4.56), broad jump (10-9), bench (11)

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Elijah McAllister (6-6.5, 271)

40-yard dash (5.11), broad jump (9-10), bench (18)

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Larry Nixon (6-1.1, 230)

40-yard dash (4.78), broad jump (9-9), bench (22)

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Nehemiah Pritchett (5-11.3, 213)

broad jump (9-11)

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Zion Puckett (5-11.3, 213)

40-yard dash (4.50), broad jump (10-4), bench (14), vertical (37.5)

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Jacob Quattlebaum (6-0, 233)

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Justin Rogers (6-2.6, 322)

40-yard dash (5.53), broad jump (8-5), vertical (26)

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Jaylin Simpson (5-11.7, 182)

Vertical (40)

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Kam Stutts (6-4.6, 319)

40-yard dash (5.38), broad jump (8-3), bench (25), vertical (28.5)

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Kassidy Woods (6-2.2, 211)

40-yard dash (4.80), vertical (36.5), broad jump (10-6)

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i must be looking at all the wrong places for football news. i cannot believe we have not had a scrimmage yet. i promise yall i have been looking.