Auburn Tigers
Plain Candidates
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After Auburn lost 10-3 to a Kentucky team that was on a 10-game SEC losing streak, it was obvious head coach Hugh Greeze’s time with the Tigers was over.
In his third season, the program was floundering, with a 6-16 mark in SEC play. The offensive-minded head coach’s teams had been held to 17 points or less in 11 of those 22 games.
Whether the job is considered on the level of LSU and Florida or Arkansas depends on who you ask.
Gene Chizik did win a national title at Auburn within the last 20 years, but this Auburn program hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 2019. And it has often been very volatile SEC standards.
The Tigers should have some good options, but the candidate pool feels like a mixed bag between Group of 6 upstarts and retreads.
Last time, Auburn pursued Lane Kiffin before Freeze ended up with the job. We doubt Kiffin will be in play this time around. If he gets tempted to leave Oxford now, maybe it’s for Florida or LSU, but not Auburn. However, there is one sitting Power 4 coach we could see the Tigers pursuing hard.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2019, the Tigers’ last good season. 35-year-old Dillingham has been fantastic at his alma mater, taking the Sun Devils into the College Football Playoff in Year 2 and then almost knocking off Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal.
Arizona State finished 11-3 and No. 7. The Sun Devils are off to a 6-3 start this season.
They recently beat Iowa State in Ames despite losing their star quarterback Sam Leavitt for the season with a foot injury.
Dillingham is one of the most energetic and creative coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but would he leave his home for this job? Especially when he has an easier path to the Playoff in the Big 12 than he would in the SEC?
Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall seems like another very attractive option here. The 43-year-old former SEC linebacker and Alabama native has coached in the conference at Kentucky and Ole Miss and did very well within the state in his first head coaching job at Troy, in the state. He’s 38-11 as a head coach and has the presence and authenticity that Freeze seems to lack.
The list of other G6 head coaches we think will be in play starts with Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield, a 45-year-old former NFL offensive line coach who keeps piling up wins, going 29-6 the past three years. Memphis could be a Playoff team this year, which could muck up the timing if Auburn really wants him.
South Florida coach Alex Golesh, formerly Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, took over a hapless program and got it going. The Bulls, who are 6-2 with a blowout win against Boise State and road win over Florida, also have legit CFP hopes this season. Golesh, we hear, also is drawing a lot of interest from Oklahoma State, where he spent a season as a grad assistant under Mike Gundy.
Southern Miss coach Charles Huff, a 42-year-old former Alabama assistant, did a very good job at Marshall, where he had a 10-3 season and won the Sun Belt championship last year.
In his debut season at Southern Miss, which had won a total of four games over the previous two years, he has the Golden Eagles 6-2 and in contention for a Sun Belt title.
The other intriguing option is former Texas A&M and FSU coach Jimbo Fisher, who is now doing TV work for the ACC Network.
He took the Seminoles to a national title following the 2013 season and led the Aggies to a No. 4 finish in 2020.
He did get a boatload of cash to leave College Station after things really fizzled out there, but his 45-25 record was a lot better than anything the Tigers have been doing of late.
It’s worth noting things also fell apart for him in Tallahassee late in his tenure. The 60-year-old played college football in-state at Samford, where he also started his coaching career, and he spent six seasons at Auburn as quarterbacks coach.
If Fisher really wants back into coaching and Auburn is game, this might be very tempting for him.
Coaching searches are running rapid in college football this season. Auburn isn’t the last SEC opening. It’s just another.
Empty Plains
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was fired after losing to Kentucky at home recently.
Freeze was 15-19 in his two-plus seasons at Auburn. He will be owed $15.8 million in buyout money, with no mitigation, after he signed a six-year, $49 million deal to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022.
“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn football program,” athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn football are to annually compete for championships, and the search for the next leader of Auburn football begins immediately.”
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was named interim coach of the Tigers.
“It’s my fervent belief that great days are ahead for the Auburn football program,” Freeze wrote in a statement. “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this chapter. I love this place, and I’ll carry the friendships with me always.”
Freeze is the eighth Power Four coach to be fired this season. That now makes four open positions in the SEC, which include Florida, Arkansas and LSU. If we are ranking these positions, obviously Arkansas is the worst job. Auburn has to be the second worst behind Florida and LSU. What direction will Auburn move in for their next head coach?
Lane Kiffin is being talked about for every major job opening. He has guided #7 Ole Miss to an 8-1 record so far. Kiffin has been mentioned for the Florida and LSU positions already.
Curt Cignetti (Indiana) is the best coach that we expect to leave for a bigger program. The Hoosiers are having a great season. He has won over 20 games at Indiana and he’s in his second season there. He should be a top candidate but he might consider other Big Ten programs like Penn State or UCLA as his top destination.
Eli Drinkwitz (Mizzou) is another good candidate. He’s a Gus Malzahn disciple and he became the head coach at Missouri in 2020. The Tigers have been very succesful over the past three seasons, including a Cotton Bowl victory and AP Top 10 finish in 2023. They have been in the upper tier of the SEC for most of the season.
Former Penn State coach James Franklin was fired earlier in the season but he still wants to coach. His record at Penn State was 104-45. He cannot win big games but he typically wins against lesser opponents. He also coached at Vanderbilt from 2011-13 with a 24-15 record. He led the Commodores to a bowl game each season.
Auburn used to be a program that would have one great season every few years. Some examples of this are the 1993 team that was 11-0 and finished #4. They were on NCAA probation so they were banned from postseason play.
In 2004, they went 13-0 and finished the season #2. In 2010, they won the national championship and went 14-0. In 2013, they made it to the national championship game but lost to Florida State 34-31. They were 12-2 and finished the season #2.
Their last season with at least ten wins was in 2017 when they finished 10-4. It will be interesting to see who they hire.
Back To The Top?
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
War damn Eagle! After a disappointing 2024 season the Auburn Tigers are looking to take a step back up to the first tier in the SEC.
The slide over the last few years has been directly correlated to an overall lack of talent and depth for the Tigers.
The Bryan Harsin debacle was just that. Two straight 7-loss seasons got him a pink slip and the real issue was Hugh Freeze stepped into a mess.
If you look at the two seasons under Freeze you still see 7 losses in 2023 and 2024. Not any better? The difference is that Freeze is rebuilding the program.
Most pundits think this is the year that the Tigers step back up. Freeze has done a great job recruiting with two top ten classes and some stellar portal additions. The Tigers will be dangerous this year.
That all starts with transfer Jackson Arnold at Quarterback. The former Oklahoma QB is a killer dual threat, ask Alabama.
In the 2024 Oklahoma Alabama game, Arnold rushed for 131 yards and was 9 of 11 throwing it. The result was a 24-3 thumping of the Tide.
Receivers for Auburn will be a strength. Cam Coleman, Malcom Simmons are All-SEC caliber players. Add in portal addition Eric Singleton Jr and this group ranks as one of the best in the country. There is depth and talent here.
Back at tight end is Brandon Frazier after missing much of 2024 with an injury.
The running backs are solid though not spectacular. Look for Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb to tote the load. Jarquez Hunter will be missed.
The line should be solid with Dillon Wade, Connor Lew, and Jeremiah Wright all back. Add in Xavier Chaplin and Mason Murphy via the portal and you have 5 returning starters.
The bottom line is that this should be a much better offense. If Jackson Arnold brings it, then the Tigers should be very good. This will also help the defense who played steady last year.
The Auburn defense was solid in 2024. Can they do the same in 2025?
They have one guy who says YES. That’s Keldrick Faulk. The Jr. defensive end is a Bonafide All American.
At 6’6” and 270 lbs he looks the part and plays the part. He has NFL written all over him. Throw in Malik Blocton and Bobby Jamison-Travis and the Tigers will be solid on the defensive line.
Auburn does have to replace talent at the linebackers. Demarcus Riddick was an ALL-SEC freshman last year and will be joined by Caleb Wheatland and Champ Anthony who is returning from an injury.
If this group steps up then the Tigers may be able to keep opponents at that 21.3 points per game on defense that they surrendered last year. That was good for 28th in the country. We’ll see.
All the Defensive Backs return. Kayin Lee, Jay Crawford, Kaleb Harris, and Sylvester Smith are solid and this should be a team strength. Add in Champ Anthony back from an injury at Nickel Back and this is one of the better groups in the league.
Back for the Special Teams is Alex McPherson. McPherson was one of the best around before a severe illness sidelined him for much of the 2024 campaign. His return brings stability back.
In 2023 he was 13 for 13 on FG’s and 40 for 40 on PAT’s.
Hudson Kaak takes over the punting chores and Jeremiah Cobb is slated to kick return although one of the talented wideouts could make a move here.
The schedule is grueling. Welcome to the SEC.
A season opener against Baylor on the road will be telling. Then throw in road trips to Oklahoma and Texas A&M before the end of September. Ouch.
Add in Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt and there is no rest for the weary. Ohhhh, and Auburn hosts Alabama at Jordan-Hare for the Iron Bowl. A game that Auburn has not won in 5 years.
The bottom line is that this should be Hugh Freeze’s best team. There are quality players throughout the roster.
Freeze has recruited well and worked the portal hard. Now let’s see if the Tigers can start winning again.
Plain Improvement?
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s an old adage in the SEC that talks about head coach expectations and the overabundance of patience granted to new coaches in their first year or so.
That leeway can be limited however when the new hire is a marquee name, and the school underperforms fan expectations in the first year and postseason.
Thus, we find Hugh Freeze in his second year at Auburn.
After taking the Head Coach position from fan-favorite Interim boss Cadillac WIlliams, many of the Plainsmen faithful were already looking sideways at the former Ole Miss coach.
Losing to New Mexico State in the final weeks of the season as well as a loss in the Music City Bowl to a thoroughly mid Maryland squad didn’t win any favors, either.
Combine that with the retirement of the legendary Nick Saban and expectations are for a vastly improved record from the 6-7 totals that were put up in his first year.
This might be the year that happens.
The Tigers offense looks to be speedy to say the least.
Fourth-year RB Jarquez Hunter looks to improve his numbers and a pair of transfer WRs, Robert Lewis (Georgia State) and KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Penn State), should pair well with incoming true freshman WR Cam Coleman and TE Rivaldo Fairweather in his final year of eligibility.
Their only limitation could prove to be returning signal caller Payton Thorne. While the fifth-year QB looked pretty nimble running the ball last year, he didn’t have nearly the vertical game that he did while at Michigan State. He’ll need to improve on his 2023 ranking of 101st in the nation if Auburn plans to make any noise on offense.
The offensive line should give them plenty of time to cook. Tackle Percy Lewis comes to the squad from Mississippi State, and should pair well with returning Center Connor Lew. Some speculation coming into camp suggests that Tackle Dillon Wade might be better suited as a guard, but regardless they, along with 300lb+ Guard Jeremiah Wright should gel as a unit, if not in fall camp then definitely during the five-game home stand that Auburn starts the season with in 2024.
The bellwether of this year’s team may prove to be the defense.
DJ Durkin makes a lateral move in the SEC, coming into the same position he held at Texas A&M last year.
The biggest concern is the interior, where the loss to the draft of notable pass rusher Marcus Harris and 350lb DT Justin Rogers could prove to be significant, considering transfer replacements Trill Carter (Texas) and Gage Keys (Kansas) aren’t quite in their league.
The secondary gives pause as well. They’re an inexperienced squad, which is understandable considering the loss of Nehemiah Pritchett, DJ James, and Frederica Academy alum Jaylin Simpson.
True, Jerrin Thompson should be a more-than-workable starter at Safety after jumping from the Longhorns, and Keionte Scott should be as serviceable at CB as he was at Safety last year. All in all, this particular room on the team will need to grow up quickly if it wants to avoid being the weak link.
Linebackers should be the strong point of this year’s defensive squad. Don’t be surprised if Jalen McLeod doesn’t lead the league in several statistical categories, and DO be surprised if Eugene Asante doesn’t make his presence known after taking the portal from the Tarheels. He’s quick, nimble, and (as one scout praised him) “disruptive.”
All-in-all, this season could really go either way. The first five games of the season should set them up well for the tough middle stretch of @Georgia, @Mizzou, and @Kentucky.
Once the Iron Bowl concludes on November 30th, expect this squad to be either 9-3 or 5-7. Neither outcome would be surprising.
On The Plains
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Well, let’s get right to the Grits…….The Auburn Tigers stunk it up last year.
Only a 13-10 win over a woefully underachieving Texas A&M team kept them out of the cellar of the SEC West.
They came limping into the 2022 season after a bowl loss the previous December to HOUSTON…..yes HOUSTON.
Head coach Bryan Harsin needed to make it happen. It didn’t and he was soon long gone. The powers that be in the loveliest village on the plain have routinely had issues getting the coaching staff act together.
And that includes the fat cat alumni, who, while well intentioned, contributed to the coaching carousel that has been Auburn football lately. The record proves it.
Hopefully, a seasoned and revitalized Hugh Freeze can give the Tigers stability. Hugh needs time to get things into place. The Auburn family need to think progress, progress, and progress. Tiny steps in the right direction every day. It can be done. Let’s look at the first baby steps.
The roster at the end of the 2022 season was subpar to SEC standards and it showed.
Sure, Auburn had some very good players but overall the gap between the Alabamas, Georgias, and LSUs was widening.
In steps Hugh Freeze, who is no stranger to the ins and outs of SEC recruiting and the transfer portal, was able to bring in a top 20 rated recruiting class and maybe just as important a top 10 rated transfer portal group. The man means business and it showed immediately. Baby steps, baby step.
Next, Freeze brought in Phillip Montgomery to OC the offense and Ron Roberts as the DC but KEPT Cadillac Williams as Associate Head coach and running backs coach.
Cadillac served as the interim head coach at the end of 2022 and he is loved on the Plains. Keeping him was key. No one loves their school more than the Cadillac and the Auburn fan base knows it. He rallied the team and the town when they were at the lowest point last season.
Freeze knows how to turn a program into a winner. He’s done it before and can surely do it at Auburn. Give him a couple of years and he will close the gap with the big boys. He’s that good of a coach. Just keep your nose clean Coach and the sky is the limit.
So, let’s look at what’s happening in the ‘here and now’ with this group of Tigers starting with the offense.
Auburn brings back 2 starters from an offense that ranked near the bottom of the SEC with a 24.8 PPG.
One of those starters is Robby Ashford, who may or may not start under center against Massachusetts.
He was 123-250 for 1613 YDS and 7 TDS and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 710 YDS and 7 TDS. Compare those statistics with most of the SEC QBS and its easy to understand a 5-7 record.
My money is on Payton Thorne, the former starter at Michigan State who transferred in. He gives the Tigers a true arm back there and while he’s not the RPO threat that Ashford is. He doesn’t need to be with the Auburn running back room in good shape.
That running back room is led by Jarquez Hunter who averaged 6.5 YPC last year. Looks like a play action duo with Thorne and Hunter to me.
And when the Auburn QB, whoever it is, pulls that ball out and wants to spin it, he will have some veteran wideouts to throw to in Camden Brown, Ja’Varrius Johnson, and Koy Moore.
Then line up portal TE Rivaldo Fairweather and hey, we got something here! This offense has all the tools with the skill positions to be much better this year.
The offensive line will be revamped and should be better. Kam Stutts returns at RG and veteran O-linemen Dillon Wade, Avery Jones, and Gunner Britton came over in that great portal class and should make this line SEC solid.
On the defensive side the Tigers have a ton of returning starters including Marcus Harris, Jayson Jones Jr., Cam Riley, Nehemiah Pritchett, D J James, Zion Puckett, Donovan Kaufman, and former Frederica Academy standout Jaylin Simpson.
The defensive line for the Tigers should be solid. And transfers Justin Rogers, Lawrence Johnson, and Mosiah Nasili-Kite should either start or add needed depth.
The backers need to help Riley out a little more. He was the one stud in the lineup for Auburn. He gets portal help and veteran assistance from 5 or 6 more backers. Once again Hugh Freeze stepped in and got the Tigers either starters or depth here.
The defensive backs should be one of the better units in the league. All 5 of the DBs have started at one time or the other. Pritchett and DJ James return at the corners while Kelonte Scott and Donovan Kaufman return at the STAR. Throw in Zion Puckett and St. Simon’s Jaylin Simpson at the safeties and it’s on.
This unit should play much better this year. With the returning starters and incoming talent there is no reason for the Tigers to give up 29.5 PPG. Ron Roberts has got some great pieces to the puzzle. He just got to put it together.
Special teams are just that at Jordan-Hare. They are always solid and this year should be no different. Alex McPherson was ranked as the best high school kicker in the country in 2021. His older brother is doing the kicking for the Bengals……..Cincinnati not LSU. Oscar Chapman returns to punt and had a 43.8 average last year.
And remember one more portal addition to the team in Brian Battle. The transfer is an electric return man.
The schedule is daunting as usual. Texas A&M, LSU, and Arkansas on the road. Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, at home.
And 0hhhh I almost forgot, the year-ender with Bama.
This is a transitional year for Auburn. Will they give Hugh Freeze the time needed to right the ship? I hope so. A great year would be 8 wins and a nice bowl.
It’s doable if some things fall into place. Do that and watch the recruiting and portal go nuclear for Hugh and the boys next year.
The guy is a good coach and has what it takes to bring back the Tigers. But it will take time and baby steps, baby steps.
WAR DAMN EAGLE!
Practice Game
By: Garrison Ryfun
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On Monday last week, Hugh Freeze pitched the idea of playing a scrimmage in the Spring against another school: “Allow us to scrimmage somebody on a day.” Bringing up the attention and revenue it could bring, the decrease in risk of injury for both schools, and the benefits to seeing your guys in action against a different group of players.
Freeze even mentioned going against in-state teams like Troy, UAB, or Alabama State, to which new UAB Head Coach Trent Dilfer responded saying: “Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please.” He saw the benefits of live competition between teams and perceived it to be a benefit for his team as well. Dilfer mentioned the benefits of scrimmaging a team that is seen as superior to yours. Troy Head Coach Jon Sumrall was also on board with the idea saying: “I wouldn’t have a problem with it. I’d go play.”
This is not the first time the idea of scrimmaging against another school has come up in college football.
Dabo Swinney publicly pitched the idea in 2012, with then Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke publicly jumping on the train not long after. If this is such a popular move with Head Coaches across the sport, then why haven’t we seen it up for vote already?
David Cutcliffe, former Duke Head Coach, lays it out well in this 2012 quote: “That’s an old idea, that’s a good idea, but that’s very difficult to get the NCAA to move in those regards. Your best chance is if you can prove you can make some money, because then you have a chance for the presidents and the ADs to vote in favor of it.”
At the end of the day college football is a business, while it may benefit the coaches to see other teams in live competition with their own, if it doesn’t generate decent revenue then it is likely dead-on arrival for any vote. Something I am sure coaches have thought about in their pitches behind closed doors, but you do not see a lot of in past public pitches for the idea.
Which is why Hugh Freeze’s pitch makes a lot of sense, it may ultimately come to nothing but he is hitting the right chords. The focus on scrimmaging with a more local university, making the organization easier and less costly. The revenue that an in-state scrimmage could drive in for both Alabama and Auburn; Hugh Freeze understands what the pitch has to be if anything will come out of it.
It is a similar pitch to one Mike Gundy made in the spring of 2021, where he pitched a spring game against Arkansas.
Once again, his public comments did not really hit on the revenue generating aspect of the conversation, and it likely went nowhere because of it.
Other coaches, like Mike Norvell, said they were open to the idea during conferences this week. Could there be another major push for spring scrimmages against other schools?
One of the other major roadblocks is that while most major college football coaches seem on board with the idea, there were some pretty powerful dissenters to the push in 2012, namely Nick Saban and Bob Stoops.
The former is now a coach in the XFL, and the latter has adapted and changed his philosophy with his style of offense in more recent years.
Could Saban, and more importantly Presidents and ADs, come around to the idea, or will this die down for another decade before another push happens again?
Grounded War Eagles
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn wrapped up their five-game home stand to start the season. Auburn prepares to travel to No. 2 Georgia and No. 9 Ole Miss in back-to-back travel weeks.
Offseason discussions centered around what the Tigers needed to produce during the first five games to position themselves for a successful season. The consensus was no worse than 4-1.
After Auburn blew another double-digit lead, they finished their five-game stretch at 3-2, with two of those wins being single-digit victories over San Jose State and Missouri.
Auburn is one of the worst turnover margin teams in college football, sitting at -9 for the season. The Tigers’ average of -1.80 per game has them 129th nationally, ahead of only Temple and Stanford.
Looking to the near future, it’s time for Athens: a place Auburn hasn’t won since 2005 off a last-minute kick off the foot of John Vaughn.
In total, the Tigers are 3-14 in this rivalry, including their recent five losses. Auburn has lost eight of nine games in the series, and has failed to top 14 points in each of their eight losses.
To make matters worse, Auburn hasn’t scored more than 10 points in Athens in any of their last five trips. The last time the Tigers scored more than 10 points in Athens was a 31-24 loss in 2009.
Nobody predicted Robby Ashford would throw for 337 yards and 2 touchdowns in his second career start, one week after throwing for barely over 100 yards. Eight completions accounted for 270 of Ashford’s 337 yards. Ashford’s other 11 completions accounted for 67 total yards. Also, to note, six of those eight big plays came in the first half.
Can Auburn’s offense create more big passing plays? Was the first half indicative of confusion in the secondary (does LSU ring any bells)? We will certainly know more after playing the 18th-ranked pass defense in Georgia. The Bulldogs allow 175 yards per game through the air and have six interceptions in five contests.
Auburn’s defense in their last two games (Missouri and LSU) produced an average of 3.5 sacks per game. If this were compared to the national average, it would rank top ten.
In the same two games, the Tigers have 15 tackles for loss, which would rank them top 15 nationally by the same comparison.
Auburn takes positive defensive momentum facing Georgia, who ranks 12th nationally in sacks allowed (4 total) and 11th nationally in tackles for loss allowed (16 total).
We’re entering week three of negative noise surrounding Bryan Harsin’s job security as Auburn’s head coach. When the clock hit all zeroes following the 41-12 loss to Penn State, Harsin’s fate appeared all but sealed.
The most common question is: when will a change be made? Auburn faces two tough road tests before a bye week.
Auburn returns home against Arkansas following a bye week. If a change is to be made during the season, and if minds are made up (which we believe they are), heading into the bye week looks like a logical inflection point.
The Dawgs come into this next game as 29.5 point favorites over Auburn.
Georgia doesn’t like looking bad, and this game against one of their biggest rivals should fire them up.
UGA is still probably the most well-rounded team in the nation, yes, Georgia will still be the team to beat in the SEC East. Let’s watch Kirby put the last nail in Harsin’s coffin.
Georgia 52 Auburn 13
War Eagles Soar
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Of all the second-year coaches in the SEC, Auburn skipper Bryan Harsin is probably the most intriguing.
His first season at the helm of the Tigers saw the team go 6-7, almost upsetting Alabama in the Iron Bowl with a team that was more M*A*S*H unit than football team, then wrapping up the year with a final-minutes loss to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl.
After that, the real drama happened – assistant coaches resigning, multiple players diving into the transfer portal, and power-player Auburn boosters basically attempting a coup to remove Harsin for cause. The head coach survived, so now comes the real hard part.
Surviving the 2022 season.
Some elements are in place for this to be a much better season.
Tank Bigsby leads a stable of running backs that is easily top-3 in the conference. The receiver corps is solid if not exciting. T.J. Finley’s arrest means that it’ll be a smaller group of combatants for the starting QB nod.
On defense, the front four should be stout and once the offseason dings & dents get worked out, the secondary should be fine.
The secondary, by the way, includes Jaylin Simpson.
Simpson was the QB for the 2018 State Champion Frederica Knights team. This might be his final year on the plains and should be a showcase for him. Way-too-early speculation says he should be a second-day selection with an outside chance of being a first-day pick in next year’s NFL draft, should he declare.
Keeping in mind that, this is the SEC we’re talking about. Here’s our best estimation of what Auburn is going to do on the field this year.
WEEK 1 – vs. Mercer – I kinda wish this was at Mercer so Jaylin Simpson could re-live some 2018 memories. Maybe the score will be nostalgic enough. Auburn opens with a 48-0 win.
WEEK 2 – vs, San Jose State – Another cupcake, another easy win. The Plainsmen are going to need as many of these as possible as the season goes on. The Spartans are conquered 45-10.
WEEK 3 – vs. Penn State – The Nittany Lions took a close one at Happy Valley last year. Home field advantage makes the difference this year, too. Tigers take it 35-28.
WEEK 4 – vs. Missouri – The SEC schedule starts with a Tigers vs. Tigers match up. The actual southeastern team beats the out-of-their-league Midwesterners, 31-10.
WEEK 5 – vs. LSU – The last of the 5-game home stand to start the season sees another Tigers vs. Tigers matchup. This one will be the toughest so far, but we’ll say the home cookin’ makes the difference. Auburn victorious in a 21-17 scrap.
WEEK 6 – @ UGA – The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry gets renewed for the 127th time. This is a tough game even on off years, but the reigning champs will easily hand the orange & blue their first L of the year, 35-17.
WEEK 7 – @ Ole Miss – While it’s always fun to see Lane Kiffin on the ropes, I don’t see him getting out coached at home this time around. Consecutive losses for AU, this one to the tune of 34-14.
WEEK 8 – vs. Arkansas – As the season grows nearer, mentions of Arkansas being the SEC dark horse get more frequent. While I like Sam Pittman, I don’t see him walking out of Jordan-Hare victorious. Auburn gets back on track 24-13.
WEEK 9 – @ Mississippi State – Another close matchup in the thick of the conference schedule. Low scoring affair that the Tigers let slip 13-6.
WEEK 10 – vs. Texas A&M – More than likely, this will be two teams battling for 2nd place in the west with an outside chance of them battling for first. Here’s hoping for a brawl for the ages with Auburn taking the shootout in OT, 43-42.
WEEK 11 – vs. Western Kentucky – a “get healthy” game in the leadup to the Iron Bowl. Easy 45-6 win for War Eagle nation.
WEEK 12 – @ Alabama – were it not for Tank Bigsby going out of bounds last year, this one might be the Tigers looking for 2 in a row. Stranger things have happened in the Iron Bowl, but I just can’t give them the upset (though I REALLY wish I could). BAMA rolls, 51-21.
FINAL RECORD – 8-4, 2nd Place in the SEC West.
Out Of Gas
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Gus Bus finally ran out of gas at Auburn.
After eight years at Auburn, head coach Gus Malzahn will no longer serve as Auburn’s head coach as he was relieved of his duties, the program announced in a release.
Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele will serve as the interim head coach.
“After evaluating the state of the Auburn football program, we’ve decided that it was time to make a change in leadership,” Athletic Director Allen Greene said.
“We appreciate everything that Gus did for the program over the last eight seasons. We will begin a search immediately for a coach that can help the Auburn program consistently compete at the highest level.”
During his time as head coach, Malzahn had a 68-35 record, going 39-27 in SEC play.
In his first season at Auburn, he led Auburn to a National Championship appearance.
Auburn must pay Gus a buyout of $21 million dollars with $10 million of that coming to Malzahn in the next 30 days. 2021 will start off very nice for Gus and family.
The road seemed rocky at times for Gus at Auburn. Rumors started floating around back in 2016 that he may be fired, but then 2017 happened where Auburn beat number #1 Georgia and then beat #1 Alabama in a three week window, and won the SEC West.
Auburn lost to UGA in a rematch for the SEC Championship, and Auburn rewarded Malzahn with a 7-year $49 million dollar contract extension.
In 2018 Auburn finished 5th in the SEC West with an 8-5 overall record, and followed that up in 2019 with a 9-4 record with a loss to Minnesota in the Outback Bowl.
The 6-4 record this season with a bad loss at South Carolina heated up the fire Gus talk.
Then you factor in blowout losses at UGA and Alabama then the dye was cast.
Since 2014, Auburn has lost 33 football games with highly rated talent on the roster.
Malzahn had a 3-5 record in the Iron Bowl against Alabama, which is very good considering how dominant Alabama has been in the SEC.
His 2-7 record against Georgia in The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry had become a point of contention with the Auburn alumni base.
The 5-12 record against the two biggest rivals was a big factor in his firing. If you are the head coach at Auburn University you can’t consistently lose to Alabama and Georgia. Auburn never beat these two rivals on the road during his tenure at Auburn.
While Gus had overall top ten recruiting classes at Auburn two areas of major concern recently have been the lack of top tier offensive linemen and the QB position.
Auburn has failed to recruit and develop talent in the OL for years now and it shows up in the biggest games when Auburn gets dominated by the better defensive fronts in the SEC.
At QB, other than the great season by Nick Marshall in 2013, Auburn has been average at QB. Bo Nix currently was highly rated coming out of high school, but has been average at best at Auburn.
Gus ran a clean program and will hopefully get another Head Coaching job after he gets tired of spending Auburn’s buyout money.
I believe Auburn had a big name agree to take the job when Gus was let go, but since has backed out, and now you hear rumors of Kevin Steele having the interim dropped from his title, and if that is the case you have a public relations nightmare on the plains of Auburn.
Early signing day has come and gone and Auburn’s early signing period class was ranked 40th.
Whoever Auburn hires has his work cut out for him to try and salvage this recruiting class.
