4.23.24 Football Articles

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al.com

With Keyron Crawford, Auburn lands third transfer commit in 24 hours

Updated: Apr. 22, 2024, 5:42 p.m.|Published: Apr. 22, 2024, 5:35 p.m.

3–4 minutes

AUBURN, AL - April 06, 2024 - AU logo helmet during the A-Day Spring Game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin PerrymanAustin Perryman

A full overhaul of Auburn’s defensive front continued Monday with the signing of Keyron Crawford, Auburn’s third addition on the defensive line out of the transfer portal in 24 hours.

Crawford has two remaining years of eligibility coming to Auburn from Arkansas State.

Crawford joins interior defensive lineman Philip Blidi from Indiana and Isaiah Raikes from USC out of the transfer portal since Sunday afternoon. Head coach Hugh Freeze emphasized adding more talent out of the portal up front of defense and he has delivered on that promise.

Auburn allowed the fourth most rushing yards per game in the SEC last season and seventh in sacks.

That coupled with the loss of Marcus Harris to the NFL Draft made these additions important.

And there is new coaching. Auburn moved former linebackers coach Josh Aldridge to be in charge of the edge rushers while new defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was assigned the linebackers. Former defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett left for the same time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Auburn promoted Vontrell King-Williams to its new defensive tackles coach.

King-Williams is largely responsible for the addition of Raikes and Blidi.

Auburn has made several additions on the defensive front out of high school highlighted by Amaris Williams and Jamonta Waller. In the winter transfer window, Auburn brought in Gage Keys from Kansas and Trill Carter from Texas as interior defensive linemen.

Yet Freeze wanted more. So he added Crawford and Raikes and Blidi.

Crawford is unlikely to start. Auburn has its two exterior defensive linemen set in buck linebacker Jalen McLeod and rising star defensive end Keldric Faulk.

Crawford started all 13 games for Arkansas State last season and had 6.5 sacks along with 11.5 tackles for loss. He had 45 total tackles along with two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

He is initially from Memphis where he played at Briarcrest High School — the same high school Hugh Freeze coached at in various roles from 1992-2004 before moving to coach in college.

Freeze’s first Division I head coaching job was at Arkansas State in 2011.

There are enough new pieces in the defensive line and pass rusher groups for Auburn to expect to see significant improvement there — given that it gambled properly in the portal.

Auburn does not appear finished in the portal for the spring window, still recruiting on both sides of the ball.

The roster will have more than 30 new faces next season between high school recruiting and the transfer portal. Crawford is the 12th Auburn transfer added this offseason.

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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247sports.com

Jason Caldwells Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

7–9 minutes

Talking Auburn football, Auburn basketball and Auburn golf.

DL getting stronger 

On Sunday, Auburn got the first domino of what could be a big few days for the Tigers out of the transfer portal when Indiana transfer defensive tackle Philip Blidi committed, choosing Hugh Freeze's program over LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington and others. This is a big deal for coach Vontrell King-Williams as he looks to reshape the room heading into year two. 

That could get another big addition on Monday when Isaiah Raikes announces his decision after transferring out of USC following the spring. Playing at Texas A&M before making the move to the Trojans, Raikes is a big, physical interior defensive lineman that would add another key piece for King-Williams' group in the middle. 

Adding Raikes would give the Tigers a group that should allow for plenty of rotation to keep players fresh from start to finish in 2024. That's the ultimate goal, to be able to stay fresh throughout the year and also throughout the games. We have seen the last few seasons how a lack of quality depth has come back to bite Auburn teams in the fourth quarter of games. With the addition of Blidi and if the Tigers can land Raikes, this is an interior defensive line group that will be in better shape than we've seen in several years.

Holloway thoughts

When point guard Aden Holloway decided to enter the transfer portal, I'm not sure anyone saw him winding up at Alabama when the dust settled. But, that's exactly what happened over the weekend when he committed after taking a visit to Tuscaloosa.

It's probably a good fit for his game because he's joining a program that has made a living off of shooting the three. That's Holloway's game and he may excel in that system.

But, his comments about Auburn and the coaching staff were absolutely uncalled for and not even close to being true. They gave Holloway every opportunity to succeed last season and stuck by him even when it would have been easy to limit his time. Instead, they doubled down and gave him more minutes at times to the detriment of the team.

How did he reward them? By taking shots at the staff and program once he committed to Alabama about not getting shots and them taking the offense away from him. He attempted 50 more three-point baskets than anyone else on Auburn's roster last season. Holloway had plenty of opportunities to succeed last year. His lack of success didn't come because of the coaches. That was on him.

Tee it up

This week, the No. 1 Auburn men's golf team will take part in the SEC Championship after a dominant showing last week in winning the Mossy Oak Collegiate for their fourth straight team victory. With their showing in MIssissippi, J.M. Butler and Brendan Valdes were named SEC golfers of the week while Jackson Koivun was named the freshman of the week. Now the Tigers will head to Georgia for the SEC Championships looking for five straight. It will be from April 24-28 at Seaside Golf Club on St. Simon's Island. 

For the Auburn women's team, it's time to find out who will be coming to Auburn University Club for NCAA Regional play on May 6-8. On Wednesday, the full regional field for the NCAA Tournament will be announced at 1 p.m. CT on Golf Channel.

Auburn depth chart impact: DT Philip Blidi

First-year coordinator D.J. Durkin and position coach Vontrell King-Williams will look for at least a couple more transfers to fill some gaps along the defensive line

It comes as little surprise that Auburn's first transfer pickup of the post-spring cycle came at a major position of need.

The Tigers' efforts to bulk up their interior defensive front through the transfer ranks began Sunday evening, when Indiana's Philip Blidi committed to Auburn after visiting during the week. Blidi was also targeted by SEC cohorts LSU and Oklahoma, among others.

The fifth-year senior began his career at Texas Tech, where he appeared in every game over his first three seasons, contributing as a rotational player at defensive tackle, with 39 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. At Indiana last season, Blidi had a career-best campaign, amassing 30 tackles and four tackles for loss while starting 12 games.

Blidi is the first transfer addition for Auburn since the conclusion of spring practice, but he'll be far from the last for the Tigers' defensive front this offseason. Defensive tackle Gage Keys (Kansas) and nose tackle Trill Carter (Texas) already enrolled and went through spring practice.

First-year coordinator D.J. Durkin and position coach Vontrell King-Williams will look for at least a couple more transfers to fill some gaps along the defensive line, as replacing the production of first team All-SEC selection Marcus Harris is one of the biggest tasks for Auburn's staff this offseason. Blidi, Carter and Keys bring experience, yes, and Auburn also has plenty of exciting youngsters in the mix, but there's no such thing as too many playmakers at the line of scrimmage.

With more to come for Auburn through the portal, let's assess the Tigers' current personnel at defensive tackle — not including nose or end — and take a quick stab at how Blidi affects the depth chart outlook.

Seniors: Philip Blidi (RS), Gage Keys (RS)

Juniors: Quientrail Jamison-Travis

Sophomores: N/A

Freshmen: Darron Reed Jr. (RS), Malik Blocton

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Way-too-early depth chart projection

DT: Gage Keys OR Philip Blidi (1)

Darron Reed Jr. OR Malik Blocton (2)

NT: Trill Carter (1)

Jayson Jones OR Quientrail Jamison-Travis (2)

DE: Keldric Faulk (1)

Zykeivous Walker (2)

T.J. Lindsey (3)

At 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, Blidi's size and play style should remind Auburn fans of Harris, with a nice blend of power and quickness. Though Blidi's strength appears to be more as a pass-rusher; that's how he was able to do a lot of his damage for the Hoosiers in 2023.

Blidi's overall pass-rushing grade, per PFF, was the best on Indiana's defense last season. He logged 15 quarterback pressures on the year while playing 66 percent of his snaps as a 3-tech defensive tackle. Blidi was able to kick inside for Indiana to nose tackle, depending on alignments, and Harris occasionally did the same for Auburn last season. But given the Tigers' stockpiling of bigger, space-eating defensive tackles like Carter, Jones and Jamison-Travis — plus another potentially in the portal — Auburn shouldn't need Blidi to move around too much.

On paper, Blidi brings more production to the lineup than Keys, who was able to comfortably work his way into the first-team defense in spring practice. Auburn certainly hopes one of its new pieces will emerge into a stalwart like Harris, but until then, the Tigers are adding the pieces to be able to feature plenty of rotation at defensive tackle. Blidi could certainly be an SEC starter, but Auburn is also prepared to win with depth.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Former Texas A&M, USC DL Isaiah Raikes commits to Auburn

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

Auburn football has hit the transfer portal jackpot by securing two defensive line transfers in as many days.

One day after former Indiana defensive lineman Philip Blidi announced his intent to transfer to the Plains, former Texas A&M defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes followed suit. Raikes, who spent four seasons at Texas A&M before joining USC‘s roster for a short stint, announced his commitment to Auburn on Monday.

Raikes spent four seasons in College Station, where he totaled 43 stops with 4.3 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 29 total games. The 2023 season was his best, slightly edging his junior season performance in 2022. Last season, Raikes made 17 stops with three tackles for loss, a sack, and a pass deflection. Raikes finished the season as Texas A&M’s No. 7 defensive player according to Pro Football Focus with a 72.3 grade.

Following his stay at Texas A&M, Raikes elected to transfer to USC after the 2023 season. He went through spring practice in Los Angeles but decided to weigh his options again during the spring window, where he ultimately chose Auburn.

Raikes measures 6-1 and weighs 320 pounds, and will play a great role in closing gaps, which will allow players such as Keldric Faulk and Jalen McLeod to earn more tackle opportunities.

💙🧡 Let’s do it 🦅 https://t.co/DgHf57f0Ff

— Isaiah Raikes (@kooldademon) April 22, 2024

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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theplainsman.com

Tigers add Philip Blidi and Isaiah Raikes to defense line

~4 minutes

Auburn’s new defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams, who served as a defensive line analyst on the 2023 staff and with Hugh Freeze at Liberty prior to his promotion in February, has made two additions to his position group in as many days with Philip Blidi and Isaiah Raikes joining the program via the transfer portal. 

“We’ve got a couple spots left on our roster and if you're going to fill it, let's fill it at the defensive line and receivers. I think that's where we kind of need to add some more depth,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said following the Tigers’ spring game. 

Freeze made it clear what his staff needed to capitalize on during the spring portal window and the last two days have proven to be positive for Auburn’s roster goals heading into the 2024 season. 

Blidi made his announcement to transfer to the Tigers for his additional COVID year via social media Sunday afternoon after spending his senior season at Indiana. 

The Trenton, N.J., native, spent his first three seasons at Texas Tech prior to transferring to Indiana. Blidi played in every game during his first three seasons as a rotational player on the line with 39 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.

Thrust into a starter role last season, Blidi had a career high 30 tackles and four tackles for loss over the Hoosiers’ 12 games.

It only took Blidi’s new teammate Raikes one more day to finalize his decision to join Auburn’s defensive line after spending spring practices at Southern Cal.

Raikes transferred from Texas A&M, after three seasons of playing in every game for the Aggies, to Southern Cal following the coaching change in College Station, Texas this offseason. 

As an Aggie, Raikes totaled 43 tackles over his four seasons with 17 in each of the last two. This past season against his new team, Raikes had two total tackles, one of which was a solo shot on running back Jeremiah Cobb in the third quarter. 

Both Blidi and Raikes add much needed depth to a position group that includes fellow transfers Gage Keys, from Kansas, and nose tackle Trill Carter, from Texas, who both already enrolled and went through spring practice.

Freeze and his staff will continue to hit the portal in the later parts of the spring window to fill any final holes to the 2024 roster with the start to the upcoming season just over four months away.

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Patrick Bingham | Sports Writer

Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.

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247sports.com

 

Arkansas State edge Keyron Crawford transfers to Auburn

Christian Clemente

3–4 minutes

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Crawford has two years of eligibility remaining.

Auburn has help on the way at a major position of need. Keyron Crawford, formerly of Arkansas State, has announced his transfer commitment to Auburn. He visited on Sunday and Monday, his only visit in the transfer portal process.

"The atmosphere," Crawford said of his choice. "And pretty much the position I'm in right now. I feel like I'm in a position to thrive in this defense. I feel like I definitely will be able to thrive with some other guys... Blessed. Really blessed. My mom is blessed, everybody is just — it's a great feeling."

He played his first two seasons of college football at Arkansas State, totaling 14 tackles and a sack as a freshman before exploding for 44 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a sophomore. He entered the portal on Tuesday when it opened with two years of eligibility remaining.

Auburn was in search of more help at the buck linebacker position this spring transfer portal window, now getting Crawford who can also play at the 5-tech. From Memphis, Tennesse, Crawford is listed at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, playing his high school ball at Briarcrest Christian, the same high school that Hugh Freeze was the head coach at.

"God. He emphasizes God and I feel like he's changed his life around," Crawford said of Freeze. "He's on a mission right now and I'm glad to be a part of that mission. I'm glad to join."

In the combined 247Sports transfer portal rankings from the winter and spring windows, Crawford is ranked as a 3-star and the No. 80 edge rusher. Crawford had publicly reported offers from Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Cal and Indiana since entering the portal. 

Crawford is the third addition through the spring transfer portal window after signing former Indiana defensive tackle Philip Blidi and former USC defensive tackle Isaiah Raikes. 

His message to the Auburn fans?

"Get ready," Crawford said. "I'm coming to make a statement."

You can keep track of all of Auburn's movement in the transfer portal HERE.

Four-star CB Chris Ewald dissects top six; four officials set

Four-star cornerback Chris Ewald gives his thoughts on his top six schools, and the dates for four official visits.

Four-star cornerback Chris Ewald has much of recruitment set up as he moves toward a summer decision as he has a top six, and four official visits are set.

The Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna standout has Auburn, Georgia, Louisville,  Miami, Penn State and Tennessee on top of his list, and top six and his official visits will begin at SEC powerhouse Georgia.

The 6-foot, 165-pound Ewald will be at Georgia May 31-June. It is followed by official visits to Louisville (June 11-13), Miami (June 14-16) and Penn State (June 19-21). He is working on scheduling official visits to Auburn and Tennessee.

To read this full article and more, subscribe now —

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This article originates on 247Sports.

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.com

Auburn adds USC transfer, former TAMU defender Isaiah Raikes

Updated: Apr. 22, 2024, 4:10 p.m.|Published: Apr. 22, 2024, 2:19 p.m.

~3 minutes

Texas A&M students celebrate with Texas A&M defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes (34) as they packed Kyle Field after upseting Alabama 38-41 in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)AP

Auburn adding to its defensive line wasn’t a one-and-done situation.

After earning the commitment of Indiana transfer defensive lineman Philip Blidi Sunday, the Tigers have landed another transfer defensive lineman, this time in USC transfer and former Texas A&M defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes.

Raikes, who entered the transfer portal on April 12, announced his commitment to Auburn in a post to social media Monday.

While Raikes is technically transferring in from USC, he never played a snap for the Trojans.

After playing four seasons at Texas A&M, Raikes entered the transfer portal in December and landed at USC shortly after. However, Raikes’ stint in Los Angeles was short-lived and he eventually found himself back in the transfer portal.

In his four seasons at Texas A&M, Raikes appeared in 42 games, tallied 43 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and one forced fumble.

A native of Woodbury, New Jersey, Raikes was rated a 3-star defensive tackle out of high school and the 61st-ranked defensive tackle in the 2020 by 247Sports.

Measuring 6-foot-1 and 313 pounds, Raikes is set to add size to the interior of Auburn’s defensive line, which has been an area of concern for Auburn since the start of spring camp.

“I think inside is where we’re still a little thin,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said of the defensive line as the Tigers went through spring practice. “We’ll be looking, maybe, for some portal help there.”

And so far, the Tigers’ have gotten portal help with their additions of Raikes and Blidi.

Together, Raikes and Blidi join a defensive line room that already featured senior Jayson Jones, senior Kansas transfer Gage Keys, senior Texas transfer Trill Carter, junior Quientrail Jamison-Travis, redshirt freshman Darron Reed Jr., freshman TJ Lindsey and freshman Malik Blocton.

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al.com

Auburn lands Indiana transfer defensive lineman Philip Blidi

Updated: Apr. 21, 2024, 5:55 p.m.|Published: Apr. 21, 2024, 5:43 p.m.

~3 minutes

AUBURN, AL - December 20, 2023 - Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze congratulates a signee on the phone during National Signing Day at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin PerrymanAustin Perryman

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said he and his staff would be poking around the portal in hopes of adding a defensive lineman or two.

“I think inside is where we’re still a little thin,” Freeze said of the defensive line as the Tigers went through spring practice. “We’ll be looking, maybe, for some portal help there.”

On Sunday, Freeze and the Tigers officially added some help as Indiana transfer defensive lineman Philip Blidi announced his commitment to Auburn in a social media post.

Blidi, who announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal as a grad transfer on March 19, was high on Auburn’s list from the beginning.

Measuring 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, Blidi logged 30 tackles and four tackles for a loss for the Hoosiers last season. The 2023 season was Blidi’s first and only at Indiana after as the Trenton, New Jersey native started his college career at Texas Tech in 2020.

According to a post Blidi made on X, Auburn extended him an offer on March 25. Weeks later, the Tigers’ staff got Blidi on campus for an official visit on April 15-17.

“Everybody was really welcoming, everything I’ve been able to see is what I was looking for coming here,” Blidi told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente after his visit. “Every question that I’ve had has been answered.”

After his visit to The Plains, Blidi went on to cancel his scheduled visit to Oklahoma — joining LSU and Washington as teams vying for Blidi’s commitment.

With Blidi in the fold, he adds experience to a defensive line room that features senior Jayson Jones, senior Kansas transfer Gage Keys, senior Texas transfer Trill Carter, junior Quientrail Jamison-Travis, redshirt freshman Darron Reed Jr., freshman TJ Lindsey and freshman Malik Blocton.

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if anyone figures this out let me know as i have no idea.

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have a great one folks.