Category: Auburn News

Bryson Ware signs contract with Philadelphia Phillies

Ware is on the move to professional baseball after hitting a school-record 24 home runs in 2023.

Auburn baseball’s single-season home run leader is moving to professional baseball.

Infielder Bryson Ware was taken with the No. 253 selection of the MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies signed their 10th-round pick to a deal valued at $187,100 which includes a $152,500 signing bonus.

A blog titled Phillies Minor Thoughts says that Ware has intrigue as a prospect, and could be viewed as more than just an organization filler.

Ware struggled his first two years at Auburn after transferring from junior college, but broke out in a big way in 2023. He hit .350/.438/.731 with 24 home runs as a senior. He primarily played third base this season and has played around the diamond. According to Baseball America he posted some top end exit velocities to go with the home run power. The Phillies have not been afraid drafting college players coming off of big years with big exit velocity numbers.

In three seasons with the Tigers, Ware hit .297, scored 125 runs, recorded 135 hits, hit 31 home runs, posted 110 RBI, and stole 14 bases.

Two members of the Auburn baseball team joined Ware in being drafted, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag]. One, [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag], signed a free-agent deal after.

Five players signed to the Auburn baseball program were also signed.

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Cole Foster signs contract with San Francisco Giants

Foster will make the move to the Giants organization after agreeing to a deal earlier this week.

Three members of the Auburn baseball team heard their name called and one more was signed through free agency. Additionally, five players who were signed to the Auburn program were drafted.

Infielder [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 85th overall pick in the third round.

The Giants signed the Auburn shortstop to a deal with a $820,900 pick value and a $747,500 signing bonus. Foster could make a move to a full-season league quickly says Melissa Lockard of The Athletic.

A well-rounded player, Foster doesn’t have one standout tool but he’s a good athlete who has power potential from both sides of the plate and enough defensive chops that he will be able to contribute at a few positions in the infield. Holmes noted on Monday that Foster was relatively new to switch-hitting in high school, but that he had grown more comfortable swinging from both sides of the plate over the past three years. Foster has Power 5 conference experience and should be able to jump into a full-season league quickly.

In three seasons with the program, Foster hit .305, scored 102 runs, recorded 128 hits, hit 22 home runs, posted 97 RBI, and stole seven bases.

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Auburn picked to finish 6th in SEC West, 6 Tigers make All-SEC

Brian Battie was named First-Team All-SEC with five others making the third team.

There is optimism about [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s time at Auburn but it might take some time for that to turn into wins. The Tigers were picked to finish sixth in the SEC West by the media in this year’s preseason poll, the SEC announced Friday morning.

The Georgia Bulldogs were predicted to win the SEC East with 265 first-place votes and Alabama received 165 to win the West, edging out LSU who received 117. The Bulldogs were picked to win the SEC Championship with 181 points.

Six Tigers were named to the All-SEC teams with [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag] being the first team kick returner. Running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], cornerbacks [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag] and kicker [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] all made the third team.

Here is a look at the full poll.

Nick Saban describes his relationship with Hugh Freeze

Saban feels that Freeze will do a great job in his new role at Auburn.

During [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s introductory press conference in December of last year, he made a comment about Nick Saban being a great friend of his.

At SEC Media Days, Saban reciprocated the sentiment. An article from On3 written by Dan Morrison includes what Saban had to say.

“Well, I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Hugh Freeze, Saban said. “He’s a good friend. I thought he did a great job when he was at Ole Miss. He obviously did a really good job at Liberty, and I’m sure he’ll do a very good job at Auburn. So, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach, and I think his history as a coach sort of speaks for itself. He’s a good recruiter. They had really good players at Ole Miss when he was there and I’m sure they’ll do the same thing in his current position.”

Freeze is not one of Saban’s former assistants, but that did not stop the two coaches from developing a relationship.

“So, look, I’m friends with a lot of guys,” Saban said. “There’s a lot of guys that worked for me and did a great job, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t respect them, but you do have to compete against them and that’s part of it. You know, when I play golf, I play with some of my best friends, but they want to beat me and I want to beat them, and that’s okay. When the game is over, you’re still friends.”

The Iron Bowl will be interesting with the two friends coaching against each other in one of college football’s premier rivalries.

“That’s the way it will be, probably, with this,” Saban said. “It’s a great rivalry, the Iron Bowl, and being successful in that game usually has some significant impact on the SEC and the West division. So, it’s a game that’s really, really important to us to try to continue to do the things that we need to continue to do to be able to have success, and when we play down there it’s always been challenging.”

Freeze and Saban will have the chance to play each other once again this fall.

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Dan Mullen discusses Hugh Freeze’s offensive success

The former SEC football coach believes that Freeze knows the trick to get an offense going.

Auburn is hoping [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is the guy who can help restore its football program to prominence. In order to do so, offensive success is vital.

Former Mississippi State and Florida head coach Dan Mullen discussed how Freeze finds success on the offensive side of the ball while appearing on The Matt Barrie Show. An article from On3 includes the statements Mullen made.

“I think the understanding he has of the offense,” Mullen said. ““I think they do some unique things. They’re up-tempo, they’re going to spread the field, use different motions and formations. They’re going to change up maybe not plays as much, with this crazy schematic plays, but how they do it.”

The Tigers have struggled to move the ball over the past few years, last year particularly due to quarterback play. Freeze brought in former Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] through the transfer portal in an attempt to remedy the problem.

“One of the things is you talk about, ‘Hey, we’re going to get in the same formation and run the same play. But one time we’re going to do it on super tempo, one time we’re going to do it slow looking to the sidelines, the next time we’re going to move and jump and quick-motion people to do it,’” Mullen explained. “So I think that’s stuff that causes problems.”

Mullen believes that Freeze knows the trick to get an offense moving.

“There’s one thing to have the playbook to be able to do that. I think Hugh has a great understanding of that offense and how to scratch where it itches,” Mullen said. “As soon as he sees your weakness, which is OK, when we run this formation and this play series out of super fast tempo, you struggle getting aligned. We’re only going to do that at a super fast tempo. Or hey, when we do super fast tempo these ways it’s not a problem for you, but when we put motion that becomes a problem.

“So I think he sees it and really knows the ins and outs of his offense that allows him to continue to apply pressure not just within the scheme but within the game.”

Time will tell if Freeze was able to rebuild the offense in just one offseason or if he will need more time to accomplish that.

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Just how big of an impact has Cadillac Williams had on Auburn culture?

Auburn tight end Luke Deal says fans would be upset with Hugh Freeze if Williams wasn’t retained on staff. He’s not wrong.

[autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] is a special individual.

There is a reason why [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] was so desperate to keep Williams on staff when he took over the Auburn football program in December of last year.

Auburn tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] is one of many who have sung Williams’ praises since he helped revive the program in the second half of last season.

Deal made statements about the impact of Williams at SEC Media Days in Nashville and an On3 article written by Nick Kosko included some of them.

“You guys saw,” Deal said. “He was used to having the spotlight on him as a player, and whenever you saw he had the spotlight on him as a coach, you saw that positive energy. You saw that just positive light, that positive outlook on everything in life. That was something that energized us. It motivated us. That’s something that he brings every single day.”

The Tigers were in a rough spot when Williams stepped up as interim head coach, but the energy immediately improved.

Despite not having Williams as a position coach, Deal stressed how the impact of Williams reaches everyone.

“We’ve got a really good running back room, really, really good running back room,” Deal said. “Not only a good group of players, but a good group of guys. That trickles down from his leadership for sure and how he looks at every day as an opportunity.”

Deal also emphasized how upset people would have been if Freeze elected not to retain Williams on his staff.

“Oh, yeah. People are going to be pretty upset if you get rid of Cadillac Williams,” Deal said. “I know I would be. Coach Lac, he’s an incredible man, incredible ambassador for the school, has been for a long time. People with orange and blue in their blood, they want to see him around forever. That was definitely important for our success.”

Williams is a vital part of the Auburn program. From the players to the fans, his impact does not go unnoticed.
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Transfer linebacker Elijah McAllister has plenty of drive ahead of 2023 season

McAllister will accomplish great things both on and off the field at Auburn.

One of the biggest pick-ups in the transfer portal by [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers this offseason was former Vanderbilt linebacker [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag].

McAllister has his goals set out and knows what he needs to do to accomplish them.

An On3  article written by Peter Warren included statements from McAllister at SEC Media Days in Nashville.

“I laugh when I tell people all the time, I don’t know if you’ve ever know of or seen Thanos,” McAllister said. “I want to get all the infinity stones I can in life. I want my family and the kids and everybody around me to understand you can do anything you want in life. The end goal is to continue to elevate who I am as a person mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, in all facets of life. Continuing to work in the academic space and working on my doctorate. I want to be able to write two books. In the future, be a professor in university and continue to improve myself off the field and on the field. I want to continue to become a better football player and let the chips fall when they may.”

McAllister does not mess around in the classroom either. He earned a bachelor’s degree in medicine, health, and society and a master’s degree in education and diversity studies during his time at Vanderbilt. He will be pursuing a Ph.D. in education, leadership, and society at Auburn.

The 6-foot-6 linebacker joked about the differences between studying and sacking the quarterback.

“Probably I wouldn’t say the upcoming opposing offense for the week, but getting a quarterback sack is more difficult,” McAllister said. “When I think of studying for a Ph.D., there’s nobody stopping me from studying and working on getting better in the academic space, whereas when I’m rushing the passer, that person in front of me is like, no, you’re not going to do your job. That’s probably more difficult than studying and working on my academics.”

McAllister will be a difference-maker for Auburn’s defense in 2023.

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Former Auburn DC shares prediction for Tigers’ 2023 season

How much will Auburn improve in year one under Hugh Freeze?

2023 will be a pivotal year for the Auburn football program, and many predictions have been made as to how it will go.

It is tough to predict. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has wasted no time improving the roster since he took over the program but it is difficult to truly know what kind of team you have until conference play rolls around in mid-September.

Former Auburn defensive coordinator [autotag]Derek Mason[/autotag], who spent one season with the Tigers in 2021, has predicted how things will go for Freeze and the Tigers in 2023.

Mason’s predictions are included in an On3 article written by Nick Kosko.

“I think 7-5,” Mason said. “I think we understand what their quarterback situation is. We understand that this unit right now is somewhat saddled a little bit in terms of where they sit, but I think what they did in recruiting, what they did in recruiting was outstanding. And they did a good job in the portal and getting (Payton) Thorne and making sure you know really that they can get some competition in the quarterback room.

“But I think all the way around, they’ve got pieces. When you look at that secondary, you know Keionte (Scott)… guys coming back, Cam Riley, the production. It gives this group a chance offensively and defensively by what he’s done.”

Mason also noted that each game besides Georgia and LSU could be a win for the Tigers.

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Auburn is expected to be one of college football’s most improved teams this season

College football expert Phil Steele believes that the Tigers can play to their full potential this season.

There has been a drastic change in the energy surrounding the Auburn football program since [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] took charge in December.

After two seasons of a tenure that left a lot to be desired, Tiger fans have high hopes for what Auburn will be able to accomplish in Freeze’s first season with the program.

Fortunately for Tiger fans, Phil Steele is high on the Tigers’ chances to rebound. He has included Auburn in his 16 most-improved teams list.

Steele’s thoughts are included on why he thinks the teams he believes to be improved will be that way. With the recent changes within the program, he sees Auburn playing to its potential.

Steele’s take on Auburn: “All nine sets of my power rankings call for a winning season, there is no weekly talk about when a coach will be fired as the team is fully behind both Hugh Freeze and Cadillac Williams and will play to their potential with 17 returning starters and some solid transfers.”

Auburn will look incredibly different in 2023, which is likely a positive thing. Time will tell if Auburn can live up to these expectations or if recent trends continue.

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DJ James to host back-to-school giveaway

The event will take place on Saturday, July 22 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Covington Recreation Center in Opelika.

Schools are reopening soon and Auburn cornerback [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] is doing a giveaway to help local families. James will be giving away backpacks and school supplies to students he announced Sunday on Twitter.

The event will take place on Saturday, July 22 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Covington Recreation Center in Opelika. The Covington Recreation Center is located at 213 Carter Ave., Opelika, AL.

“In an effort to giveback and assist the cities of Auburn and Opelika, I am providing book bags and school supplies to students,” he tweeted. “Truly thankful I am in a position to help!”

The Mobile, Alabama, native is entering his second season with the Tigers after starting his career at Oregon. He is expected to be a starting corner and it is easy to see why he is so popular with the Auburn faithful.

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