5.10.24 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Hugh Freeze explains reluctance to spend a million dollars on transfer QB commitment to Payton Thorne

Carter Bahns

4–5 minutes

The Auburn coach doubled down on his recruiting decision.

Auburn enters the second year under coach Hugh Freeze with an uptick in talent at some of the most important offensive positions, but the quarterback situation remains the same with veteran Payton Thorne back as the projected starter. The Tigers' signal-caller experienced a down year in his debut season with the program, but Auburn committed to him for the 2024 campaign when it shied away from the transfer portal recruiting battles that headlined the winter and spring windows. Freeze explained that decision and said he valued the development of his own players over jumping into a "bidding wars" for quarterbacks who may not fit the program's culture.

"I believe in our quarterback room," Freeze said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. "I believe in (quarterbacks coach) Kent Austin. I believe that if you have the right pieces around Payton, that we can have success. I think you saw some glimpses of that, and I don't think we had a total package around him really.

"The options that you're presented with: Develop Payton, develop Holden, develop Hank and develop Walker or go spend a million dollars on this guy. I couldn't bring myself to doing that because I wanted to put all the pieces together. Now, I'm not saying I won't do that in time, but just currently, I think the guy is proven. I've watched his Michigan State film a thousand times, and when he had two NFL receivers there, he was pretty dang good."

Thorne completed 61.1% of his passes for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns in his debut season with the Tigers. All of those marks were down from the career-highs he posted across his three years at Michigan State. He also tossed 10 interceptions for the third-straight season.

The supporting cast around Thorne is much improved this offseason, though, particularly at the wide receiver position. Five-star signee Cam Coleman headlines a tremendous talent haul, while three other blue-chip wideouts round out the newcomers from the high school ranks. Top-100 transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith also figures to contribute immediately. All of that incoming talent softens the blow of missing out on a potential quarterback upgrade through the transfer portal.

Freeze also echoed the sentiment from LSU coach Brian Kelly that dishing out hefty NIL packages to transfers may not be a tenable approach, anyway.

"I just don't feel comfortable with some of the bidding wars for some of the top guys in the portal," Freeze said. "Not that we're not very fair, it's just, I want to build the whole roster and try to do it with guys that fit, somewhat, your culture."

RELATED (VIP): Power conference teams with most departures during 2023-24 transfer portal cycle

Auburn did, however, find matches in 14 incoming transfers as part of the nation's No. 28-ranked class. Lambert-Smith is the top newcomer in that haul while tight end Rico Walker is the lone other four-star prospect.

This article originates on 247Sports.

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al.com

Hugh Freeze calls addition of WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith a ‘home run’

Updated: May. 09, 2024, 9:29 a.m.|Published: May. 09, 2024, 9:25 a.m.

~4 minutes

Hugh Freeze shares thoughts on Auburn's spring, Cam Coleman and more at Hoover prayer breakfast

Hugh Freeze has tried to word his comments carefully so as to not insult the previous group of wide receivers during his first year as Auburn’s head coach, but it was quite evident he needed to bring in new faces.

“Y’all have been around since I’ve been here: We had to restructure that room,” Freeze said Wednesday before playing a round at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Birmingham. “I hate saying it like that sometimes. But for what we want to do, we had to change that room.”

He said he felt he has done that with the incoming high school wide receivers, the foursome of former five-star recruit Cam Coleman as well as four-star recruits Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons.

Freeze said that Coleman has a chance to play early, and he proved that during spring practices. Thompson will arrive on campus this summer, and Freeze said that he “has the appearance” he could be another freshman with early playing time.

But that, he added, is why the addition of Penn State graduate transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith that much more important.

“You get a guy that has the experience that Dre has at the Power Five level to combine with those young kids I thought was a home run for us,” Freeze said.

Lambert-Smith led Penn State with 673 receiving yards last season and averaged 12.7 yards per catch. He has 126 career receptions and has played in 48 career games. Though he closed the 2023 season with two catches for 28 yards over his final three games including not making any catches on just one target against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Lambert-Smith couples experience and production alongside the talent of the incoming freshmen. That’s why Freeze called it a “home run” addition.

“He’s quick twitch, he’s long, he’s got length to him,” Freeze said of Lambert-Smith. “He’s a natural ball-catcher, he’s a 50-50 guy that can make contested catches, and he can make runs after the catch. I think he’s a really complete guy.”

Auburn will have seven new scholarship receivers on its roster compared to last season. The only returners are junior Camden Brown and sophomore Caleb Burton III. Brown is the only scholarship receiver left who was not recruited by Freeze.

Other additions incoming include Georgia State transfer senior Robert Lewis and former Cal quarterback-turned-wide receiver senior Sam Jackson V. Simmons and Thompson are the only freshmen not on campus and Lambert-Smith will be arriving soon after graduating this spring from Penn State.

Lambert-Smith and Lewis each led their respective teams in receiving yards last year. Auburn’s leading returning wide receiver is Burton with 16 catches for 226 yards. About 35% of those yards came in Auburn’s bowl game loss to Maryland where he had easily his best game of his freshman season: making five catches for 75 yards.

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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have a great one folks!

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Where does Auburn land in CBS Sports’ post-spring SEC power rankings?

Taylor Jones

Fri, May 10, 2024 at 8:04 AM CDT·1 min read

A-Day provided a disappointing ending to Auburn’s spring practice session as the offense failed to score more than one touchdown in the game.

The touchdown, however, was exciting. Quarterback Payton Thorne connected with freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman for a 34-yard score in the 4th quarter, which could be seen as foreshadowing for what could be the 1-2 punch on Auburn’s offense this season.

Still, Auburn’s offense has work to do in order to find success in 2024. Following the spring session, CBS Sports’ Will Backus revealed his post-spring SEC rankings, where he placed Auburn at No. 12. Backus says that Auburn has the potential to rise, but Thorne holds the key to overall success.

Hugh Freeze has spent a lot of time and effort upgrading his team around the quarterback. Now it’s up to Payton Thorne to take that next step. The former Michigan State transfer failed to impress in his first season on The Plains. Whether that was due to a lack of talent to spread the ball to — no longer an issue now that former five stars like WR Cam Coleman are on the team — or Thorne’s own limitations, he has to be a whole lot better if the Tigers want to avoid embarrassments like losing to New Mexico State.

In addition to Coleman, Auburn has added three other highly touted freshman wide receivers Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain, and Malcolm Simmons to its roster. KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Robert Lewis also provide the room with experience from the transfer portal. Expect Thorne to take a step forward this season and to play a major role in Auburn moving up CBS Sports’ rankings once the season gets underway.

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

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2026 Auburn High running back Omar Mabson earns Auburn offer

Taylor Jones

Thu, May 9, 2024 at 2:00 PM CDT·2 min read

 

 

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After enjoying a breakout season in 2023, Auburn High School running back Omar Mabson has become a hot name on the recruiting trail.

The 2026 running back has fielded several offers this month from programs such as North Alabama, USF, UAB, and Missouri. The latest program to offer is the most notable as they are the hometown team. Auburn offensive coordinator/running backs coach Derrick Nix recently visited Mabson and offered him a scholarship.

Of course, the “local factor” is important, but the swiftness of the offer could be a difference-maker in the long run. As a 10th grader during the 2023 season, Mabson led the “baby Tigers” in rushing with 1,283 yards and 16 touchdowns. He reached those numbers by competing in Class 7A, the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s highest classification. He rushed for over 100 yards in nine games last season, including twice over eventual state champion, Central-Phenix City.

 

In a recent interview with Auburn Undercover ($), Auburn High head coach Keith Etheridge says that Mabson can play running back or receiver, and is working every day to improve.

“(Mabson) came to me at the end of the year and said ‘coach, what do I need to work on?’ I said to work on the breakaway speed and you go from a group of five kid to a power four kid,” Etheridge said. “He was running in the 4.5’s and comes back and gets on the laser and runs a sub 4.4. I make him run it again and he runs it again. He’s really put the work in. He eats, breathes and sleeps it.”

Due to his age, Mabson has not received a rating yet from 247Sports. There are six former Auburn High players on Auburn’s 2024 roster including safety Griffin Speaks, offensive lineman Bradyn Joiner, and A-Day hero Towns McGough. Hugh Freeze appears to be working to build a strong relationship with Auburn High in an effort to strengthen the recruiting pipeline with the hometown high school.

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire