Category: Auburn News

Pittsburgh set to hire former Auburn AD Allen Greene for same role

Greene is set to return to the AD chair after stepping away from the role at Auburn in 2022.

Allen Greene stepped away from his role as Auburn’s athletic director over two years ago, and now he is ready to take the chair at another institution.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that Pittsburgh has hired Greene to become the university’s next athletic director. University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel confirmed the report on Friday morning.

In a press release from Pitt athletics, Gable says that Greene is “proven” and is ready to take charge of the athletics program.

“Pitt Athletics is the front porch of the University of Pittsburgh, serving as a crucial access point for so many across our campus, our region, our nation and the world. In Allen Greene, we have a proven national leader who exemplifies the Pitt way, and who has all of the experience and intangibles to elevate our athletics program in competition and in the classroom. In my conversations with Allen and with many others who know him well, it is clear that he will lead us successfully into the new world of intercollegiate athletics.”

Greene served as Auburn’s athletic director from 2018-22, coming to the Plains from Buffalo after serving as the leader of the Bulls’ athletic program in the three years prior. He departed from Auburn in August 2022 with three months remaining on his contract.

“The decision to step away from Auburn Athletics is not an easy one, but it is the right time for me to begin the next step in my professional journey,” Greene said following his departure. “I am very proud of the work that we have done together to move our athletics program forward. Christy and I want to thank the Auburn family for allowing us to be a part of something truly unique, and I wish Auburn nothing but the best in the years ahead. I’m confident we leave Auburn athletics stronger than when we arrived.”

The highlights of Greene’s career were the firing of former head football coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] in 2020 and the hiring of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] to replace him. He also hired [autotag]Johnnie Harris[/autotag] to lead the women’s basketball program in 2021, where she has built a 46-45 record in three seasons with two postseason appearances.

Greene heads to Pittsburgh after spending a short time at the University of  Tennessee, serving as Senior Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Operating Officer for the Volunteer’s athletic department. He will officially take over the role of AD at Pitt on Nov. 1.

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Auburn impresses offensive tackle target Broderick Shull on official visit

In the midst of many recruiting battles, Auburn offensive tackle target Broderick Shull has a highly positive view after his official visit

Auburn football is attempting to make massive moves on the recruiting trail in the summer, with many prospective players making official visits to the Plains.

One of those recruits is offensive tackle [autotag]Broderick Shull[/autotag], who made his visit to the Tigers this weekend and was highly impressed.

“This was definitely the experience I needed to kind of make my decision much easier,” Shull said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “I would say definitely getting more of the campus vibe was a good part of it. Also just seeing everyone again was a pretty good experience. The most important part was getting to see the players mainly because you can see what they’re really like off campus and seeing if it’s a fit for me. And which, these guys are pretty awesome, they fit me well. They’re responsible, mature guys.”

Shull made his second visit to Auburn after visiting earlier this spring. This time, he left with a very positive feel about what all Auburn had offer throughout its campus facilities.

The four-star offensive lineman is currently ranked as the No. 149 player in the country and the No. 13 offensive tackle recruit according to the On3 industry ranking. He is also ranked the No. 3 prospect in the state of Oklahoma.

A main reason why Auburn now sits in a good position to land Shull can be credited to the relationship that offensive line coach [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag] has built with him.

With a possible decision day nearing later in June, Shull is still set to visit the likes of Texas Tech and Texas A&M during the month, while he already visited Nebraska in May.

Auburn football hosted several notable targets for visits over the weekend including five-stars [autotag]Caleb Cunningham[/autotag] and [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], as well as former Ohio State pledge [autotag]Blake Woodby[/autotag]. Any commitments from these players would be monumental for the program, and coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is making sure that he does whatever he can to land the talented players.

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Auburn AD John Cohen given extension to 2029

Auburn University has extended its athletic director, John Cohen, for an extra two years through October of 2029

Auburn’s athletic program is looking to continue on its successful path across all of its teams. As of late, the Tigers have posted many accomplishments under their new leadership and will be hoping to have more luck in the near future.

Auburn athletic director [autotag]John Cohen[/autotag] was given a two-year contract extension in his position, keeping him on the Plains until October 2029.

Cohen was hired on October 31, 2022, which was a big day in the athletics depart as former football coach Bryan Harsin was also fired from the university. He later made his first big decision in hiring current head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] to the job, making an early statement on the Plains.

The athletic director has been a huge leader in making upgrades happen around the Tigers’ facilities. The board of trustees recently approved a new videoboard that is set to be placed in the north end zone of Jordan-Hare Stadium. They also put the current renovations for Plainsman Park into motion.

Most notably, Cohen made a big push for Auburn’s recent declaration that the program was switching from Under Armour to Nike, which will become effective in July 2025.

Cohen’s contract salary agreement will remain the exact same with the extension, being at $1.4 million dollars each year, with a $125,000 increase each November.

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Auburn to officially make the switch from Under Armour to Nike

Auburn’s long-time deal with Under Armour will expire in 2025, paving the way for Nike to become the program’s official uniform provider.

After spending 18 seasons as Auburn’s official uniform and apparel provider, Under Armour will make one last run on the Plains in 2024.

Auburn Athletics announced Tuesday that its deal with Under Armour will end next summer, paving the way for Nike to become the program’s next provider of uniforms, shoes, and apparel. Auburn athletic director [autotag]John Cohen[/autotag] is excited for the next chapter in Tigers’ athletics.

“We are excited to enter this new partnership with Nike, a brand that consistently champions athletes and sport around the world. We are appreciative of their strong support throughout this process. We believe that our 10-year agreement, beginning in July 2025, will continue to elevate Auburn and best serve our student-athletes and our university moving forward. We are also grateful to Kevin Plank and Under Armour for their 18 years of valued partnership in growing the Auburn brand and serving our student athletes, coaches, and fans. We look forward to the opportunity to celebrate this relationship throughout the final year ahead.”

Under Armour became Auburn’s official uniform outfitter in 2006, replacing Auburn’s deal with longtime provider, Russell Athletic. The original contract was for five years and was worth $10.6 million. In 2015, Auburn restructured its contract for 10 years and $78.1 million, plus $10 million in Under Armour stock.

Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live reports that Apple CEO and Auburn alum [autotag]Tim Cook[/autotag] played a major role in negotiations. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] were also open to moving on from Under Armour in favor of Nike.

Auburn’s current contract with Under Armour will expire in the Summer of 2025, and Nike will become Auburn’s official uniform provider immediately following the final event of the 2024-25 athletic season.

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__

Auburn Football names captains for 2023 Season

Four players have been announced as captains this season, including two transfers.

The Auburn Tigers have their leaders for the 2023 football season. Offensive lineman [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag], quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], and defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] were named the team’s captains on Tuesday.

The decision to make Stutts and Deal captains for the 2023 season is far from surprising, as both players have been with the team since 2019. The slight surprise on this list are [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag], both of whom attended other schools in 2022. It speaks to both Thorne and McAllister’s character that the coaching staff saw enough from them in such a short period of time to make them captains of their peers.

[autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag] has been with the Tigers since 2019, playing sparingly his first few seasons before starting at both guard positions a season ago. He was also one of the Auburn players made available to the media on Monday, showing the staff’s confidence in him to be the face of the line in front of the press. The fifth-year senior earned his bachelor’s degree last spring, and will begin working towards a master’s degree in business administration this fall.

Like Stutts, tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] is entering his fifth season with Auburn. The former high school quarterback has never seen much action on the field, but his consistent leadership off of it has defined his Auburn career. Deal was also made available during Monday’s media session. Like a true leader, Deal spent the majority of his time with the media praising his teammates, specifically the running back room.

Over the previous five years, only twice has the Auburn coaching staff named their starting quarterback a captain; ([autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] in 2020 and [autotag]Jarrett Stidham[/autotag] in 2018)  In both of those cases, the quarterback was coming off a great season at Auburn in which he had the whole previous year to lead his teammates into battle every Saturday.

2023 captain [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has yet to play a snap for Auburn. That just alludes to the kind of leader that Thorne is, and can be, for this newly put-together Auburn team.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] is the fourth and final captain for Auburn’s football team in 2023. The senior from Asbury Park, NJ was “The Boss” during his time at Vanderbilt, serving as team captain twice and playing in 36 total games for the Commodores.

McAllister will go into the season as the starting EDGE linebacker for Auburn, or as they like to call the “jack.” He’ll have plenty of early opportunities against lesser competition to make a name for himself on Auburn’s defensive front.

The announcement of Auburn’s 2023 captains has officially buttoned up a long, active, offseason on the Plains. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s team finally gets to play a meaningful game in Jordan-Hare this Saturday at 2:30 CST vs. UMass.

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Tim Tebow visits Auburn ahead of season opener

The former Gator provided words of encouragement to the Tigers.

Former Florida Gators quarterback [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag] took some time this week to stop by Auburn’s training camp to deliver a speech to the team ahead of their season opener on Sept. 2 vs. Umass.

While Tebow never beat Auburn during his illustrious Heisman Trophy-winning college career, his accomplishments as a football player, motivational speaker, author, and even baseball player, inclined Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] to give him a call.

In a video released by Auburn’s official Football account on X (formerly known as Twitter), Tebow implores the young Auburn men to go the extra mile, putting in extra work to find moments that will differentiate themselves from other teams across the country.

“What are the differentiating moments for you? Is [it] that you are actually passionate, meaning when it gets hard, this is where I want to be different.. I want to suffer so I can be the best, so we can be the best, meaning you care so much for something you’re willing it suffer for it.”

That message is essential for an Auburn team with transfers starting at nearly every positional group. While the long offseason of two-a-days and camps certainly gave the team time to bond, the grind of an SEC season is entirely different.

It may sound cheesy, but if this Auburn team is going to do something special, they will need to be willing to sacrifice for each other.

Tebow also let the Swamp know where his loyalty lies after Auburn posted the video on Twitter, poking fun at himself for never beating the Tigers as well.

Auburn’s season kicks off one week from today in when the Tigers welcome the UMass Minutemen to Jordan-Hare.

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Auburn announces enhancements to Jordan-Hare Stadium

The Auburn game day experience just got better for 2023.

Fans attending Auburn games at Jordan-Hare Stadium this fall will notice a few upgrades.

Auburn University announced more than 20 improvements to the greatest stadium on the Plains on Thursday. Among them are more seating, in-stadium entertainment improvements, quicker concession stand options, and new accessibility options.

Due to the demand for season tickets, Auburn University has introduced additional premium seating options, which will push Jordan-Hare Stadium’s capacity to over 88,000.  Fans will also have fast access to concessions, thus cutting down on time away from the action.

Here’s a full rundown of stadium enhancements ahead of the 2023 season.

How Payton Thorne can win the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (and maybe the Heisman)

Is a special season brewing for Payton Thorne?

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Foundation released its preseason watch list on Wednesday. Among the quarterbacks listed was recently named Auburn starting signal caller [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]. 

After coming to Auburn as the favorite to quarterback the team in 2023, Thorne struggled a bit in spring and fall camp, allowing [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] to push the quarterback competition all the way up to mid-August before he eventually won the job last Thursday.

Thorne spoke to the media for the first time since being named QB1 on Wednesday. He seems confident in his growth within the offense. 

“I think I’m an accurate quarterback… I feel like when we’ve been going fast in my past [in the] two-minute drill, I feel like we were efficient doing that,” Thorne said. “With the up-tempo stuff, I feel like that was a plus in my game the last two years. Just seeing defenses, being able to think quick and process quickly is definitely something you have to do in this offense and I feel like I’m able to do that. Now [it’s] about going out and executing.”

Thorne will need to go out and execute at a high rate frequently this year if he hopes to win the Golden Arm Award, which is given to the top upperclassman quarterback in college football. The watchlist includes 47 other names from across the NCAA, including Heisman favorites like [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag], and old friend [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag]. 

Thorne’s path to winning the Golden Arm will undoubtedly be difficult (he is currently +20000 to win the Heisman on Fanduel), but as NBA legend Kevin Garnett once said, “anything is possible.” If he can accomplish these four things, he’s got a chance.

Five Tigers named to preseason All-SEC third team

Georgia and Alabama led the way with 14 selections, followed by LSU.

Five Auburn Tigers were selected to the preseason All-SEC third team on Tuesday.

Running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], offensive guard [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag] received the honor after being selected by SEC coaches. No players on Auburn’s roster cracked the first or second team.

[autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] may be the name most familiar to Auburn fans. The junior tailback is coming off a strong season in 2022, totaling 899 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. He should be a focal point of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s offense in 2023, and it wouldn’t be a very big surprise to see him jump up to the second, or even first team by season’s end.

Senior tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] has yet to see significant playing time during his Auburn career but brings leadership and experience to an Auburn locker room filled with new faces. Deal also has an opportunity to break out with [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], who threw for 546 passing yards and four touchdowns to tight ends in 2022.

Guard [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag] has been locked in a positional competition all camp long. The sixth-year lineman was shaky in 2022 but will hope to have a starting role throughout the season on a revamped offensive line.

The lone Auburn defensive player to be selected by SEC coaches to the preseason All-Conference team, cornerback [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] has been a key member of Auburn’s secondary for the past three seasons, totaling 89 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 25 PD, and two interceptions in that span.

Aussie punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag] rounds out the Auburn selectees. The senior punter’s boot has been electric at times during his tenure on the plains. Chapman averaged 43.9 yards per punt last year, sending 12 of them over 50 yards.

Auburn’s five selections to the All-Conference team were among the lowest in the SEC. Georgia and Alabama led the way with 14 selections a piece, with LSU closely trailing behind with 11 players selected.

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Auburn gymnastics reveals 2024 home schedule

It’s another loaded slate of home meets for Auburn in 2024.

Auburn gymnastics unveiled its home schedule for the 2024 season on Monday and there will be some great matchups on the Plains. The schedule includes meets against perennial powers, as well as the first quad meet in Neville Arena history.

“There’s no place like the Southeastern Conference where you can create a home schedule like this,” head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said. “It will be a tremendous challenge and a lot of fun in 2024. On top of a great conference schedule, we’re excited to host the first regular season quad meet in Neville Arena history. So, fans need to renew their tickets soon!”

Auburn is entering a new era without superstars [autotag]Suni Lee[/autotag] or [autotag]Derrian Goubourne[/autotag] but is returning veterans [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag], [autotag]Sophia Groth[/autotag] and [autotag]Aria Busch[/autotag]. Former five-star recruit [autotag]Olivia Greaves[/autotag] is also set to compete after missing last season with an injury.

While the road schedule has not been revealed, the Tigers will have five home meets during the season and here is a look at each matchup.