Category: Auburn Tigers

Auburn vs Alabama injury report: Latest updates, news for Iron Bowl

All the latest updates and news on Auburn’s injury report ahead of the Iron Bowl game vs. Alabama.

The initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of rivalry week in the conference has been released.

Auburn’s report is fairly standard, as four of the six players listed have been diagnosed with season-ending injuries. This week, Kicker [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] returns to the list and has been ruled out for Saturday’s game at No. 13 Alabama. Tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather,[/autotag] listed as a “game-time decision” for Auburn’s last game vs. Texas A&M, is listed as “questionable” in Wednesday’s report.

For Alabama, one key addition was made. Linebacker Deontae Lawson suffered a season-ending injury in the Crimson Tide’s game at Oklahoma last Saturday night. According to Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, Lawson underwent surgery on Tuesday.

Here is a look at the initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report released Wednesday ahead of the 89th playing of the Iron Bowl.

Auburn football injury report

  • LB Jamonta Waller (Out)
  • DB Tyler Scott (Out)
  • DB Champ Anthony (Out)
  • K Alex McPherson (Out)
  • TE Brandon Frazier (Out)
  • TE Rivaldo Fairweather (Questionable)

Alabama football injury report

  • LB Deontae Lawson (Out)
  • DB Keon Sabb (Out)
  • WR Cole Adams (Out)
  • LB Quandarrius Robinson (Out)

Rivaldo Fairweather injury update

Fairweather status was listed as a “game time decision” ahead of last Saturday’s game vs. Texas A&M. However, he ended up starting at tight end in the game and played 60 snaps, his personal second-highest snap total of the season. However, he returns to the availability report this week and is listed “questionable” for Saturday’s game at Alabama. Fairweather’s injury remains unknown at this time, but it will be an important development to follow in the days leading up to Saturday’s Iron Bowl.

How Auburn’s upset win over Texas A&M affects its place in the USA TODAY Sports re-rank

How much did Auburn impress USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg with its thrilling win over Texas A&M?

Auburn football earned one of the most popular wins of week 13 by defeating then-No. 14 Texas A&M last Saturday, 43-41, in four overtimes.

Due to Auburn’s 5-6 record, the win over a top-15 team did not push the Tigers into the top-25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll or the AP poll this week. However, Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports has put a gauge on how special the win was in his weekly “college football re-rank” feature.

Following the win, Auburn rose 15 spots in Myerberg’s weekly re-rank, jumping from No. 92 to No. 77 ahead of this week’s Iron Bowl. Auburn made the second-largest jump of the week, trailing Kansas’ 22-spot jump to No. 46 after its upset win over Colorado at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri last Saturday. Outside of Auburn and Kansas, Nebraska and Jax State also advanced at least ten places in this week’s ranking.

The loss to Auburn sent Texas A&M down seven spots to No. 20. This week’s opponent, Alabama, also suffered a hit in the re-rank following its loss to unranked Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide now sits at No. 12 this week, five spots behind its previous week’s ranking.

Auburn will square off with Alabama on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcasted live on ABC.

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Five-star DL Malik Autry shuts down recruitment

Malik Autry is one of Auburn’s top commits for the 2025 cycle. How strong is his commitment to Hugh Freeze and the Tigers?

The drama surrounding college football recruiting is about to heat up ahead of the early signing period, which begins next week.

How many of Auburn’s 27 commits will fulfill their pledges? How many more will join? Those questions will fill every Auburn fan’s mind until the period ends on Friday, Dec. 6. However, one of Auburn’s top commits has chosen to ease the minds of Auburn fans and coaches by shutting down his recruitment and will with [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s program next week.

[autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], a five-star defensive lineman from nearby Opelika High School, announced Monday that he is shutting down his recruitment and will sign with Auburn next Wednesday. When asked about his decision to focus solely on Auburn, he reflected on his time as an Opelika Bulldog and compared it to the progression of Auburn’s current state.

“Going to all the other schools made me realize what I really wanted,” Autry said in an interview with Auburn Undercover ($). “My high school, my sophomore year we went 5-5, my junior year we went 4-6 and this past year we went 9-3 with a second round exit but just to see our team turnaround really shows me that — I had opportunities to go play for Central-Phenix City and IMG and all those big-time programs — but to stick it out and fight with your brothers and fight for a place you really love does mean more than just joining something that’s already established. That’s kind of been my mindset and helped me narrow down my decision and let me know that Auburn was home.”

Autry’s shutdown is a great sign for what’s to come for Auburn ahead of early signing day. Several 247Sports recruiting analysts recently forecasted a flip to Ole Miss by top commits [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag]. However, forecasts from several sites including Steve Wiltfong of On3 suggest that Alabama’s top recruit for the 2025 cycle, [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], could flip to Auburn from Ohio State.

Recruiting will be a hot topic over the next week, so having Autry’s firm commitment is a sigh of relief for Auburn fans everywhere.

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Auburn vs. Texas A&M injury report: Final update, news for Saturday

Here is the final update on Auburn’s injury report ahead of its week 13 game vs. Texas A&M.

Kickoff between the Auburn Tigers and the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies is less than two hours away, and the final SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report has been released for the game.

Auburn’s report features six players, four of whom are nursing season-ending injuries. Tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] has been added to the report with a “game-time decision” tag.

One player, kicker [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag], has been ruled out due to an ongoing gastrointestinal illness. Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will look to walk-on kicker [autotag]Ian Vachon[/autotag] to handle kicking duties on Saturday following his debut performance in Auburn’s win over ULM. In that game, he connected on all six of his extra-point opportunities and went 2-for-2 on field goal chances, connecting on a long of 26 yards.

Freeze complimented Vachon’s performance during Monday’s preview press conference by saying that it would be tough to remove his duties.

“It’d be hard to take it from him at this point. Again, I think Towns (McGough) is going to be outstanding. He’s just a young freshman. All of our freshmen are making mistakes that are playing. Kickers probably get more magnified than a DB or defensive lineman. I want to be sure everybody hears me loud and clear, I think his future is extremely bright. You don’t get that type of leg strength often. Currently, Ian (Vachon) is batting 1,000. Those have been critical plays in some of our losses that had we made those the whole dynamic of that game at that point kind of changes, so we’re not going to take the ball out of his hands right now. I’m proud of him. It’s a great story. He came through when he got his number called Saturday, so he’ll get another chance.”

Here is a look at the final SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of Auburn’s game vs. Texas A&M, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Auburn injury report

  • OLB Jamonta Waller (Out)
  • DB Tyler Scott (Out)
  • DB Champ Anthony (Out)
  • K Alex McPherson (Out)
  • TE Brandon Frazier (Out)
  • TE Rivaldo Fairweather (Game time decision)

Texas A&M injury report

  • RB Reuben Owens (Out)
  • WR Cyrus Allen (Out)
  • DB Tyreek Chappell (Out)
  • RB Le’Veon Moss (Out)
  • OL Mark Nabou Jr. (Out)
  • QB Jaylen Henderson (Out)
  • OL Chase Bisontis (Game time decision)

Caleb Wooden injury update

Wooden was listed as questionable for Saturday’s game on Wednesday’s initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report due to an undisclosed injury that kept him sidelined for last week’s game vs. ULM. He has been cleared to play according to the final report released Saturday, and will provide key depth to the Auburn defensive backfield.

Caleb Burton injury update

Burton has not appeared in a game since Auburn’s loss to Arkansas on Sept. 21. It was reported that Burton had missed several weeks of action due to concussion protocol. However, he is no longer listed on Auburn’s availability report, and will be available to play against Texas A&M.

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 vs. Texas A&M injury report: Latest updates, news for Saturday’s game

All the latest updates and news on Auburn’s injury report ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Texas A&M.

The initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report for week 13’s action features several notable names from Auburn ahead of its game with No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday night.

Auburn’s injury report includes four players who are nursing season-ending injuries: DBs [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], TE [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag], and LB [autotag]Jamonta Waller[/autotag]. Three other players are included, two are ruled out while one is deemed “questionable.”

Four Aggies have been ruled out for Saturday’s game, one of those is surprisingly not running back Reuben Owens. Owens was reportedly ruled out for the season after sustaining a lower-leg injury but has been upgraded to doubtful for Saturday’s game.

Here’s a full rundown of the initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of Saturday’s game between Auburn and Texas A&M.

Auburn injury report

  • WR Caleb Burton (Out)
  • LB Jamonta Waller (Out)
  • DB Tyler Scott (Out)
  • DB Champ Anthony (Out)
  • K Alex McPherson (Out)
  • TE Brandon Frazier (Out)
  • S Caleb Wooden (Questionable)

Texas A&M injury report

  • WR Cyrus Allen (Out)
  • DB Tyreek Chappell (Out)
  • RB Le’Veon Moss (Out)
  • OL Mark Nabou Jr. (Out)
  • RB Rueben Owens (Doubtful)
  • OL Chase Bisontis (Doubtful)
  • QB Jaylen Henderson (Questionable)

Caleb Wooden injury update

Wooden did not play in last week’s game vs. ULM due to an undisclosed injury. According to a report from Auburn Undercover, Wooden returned to practice this week, which could be a good sign for his chances to play vs. Texas A&M.

Alex McPherson injury update

McPherson has missed nearly every game this season due to complications from a gastrointestinal illness. He is listed as “out” again this week, which means that walk-on kicker Ian Vachon will remain the Tigers’ placekicker after connecting on 6-of-6 extra point attempts and going 2-for-2 on field goal opportunities.

Caleb Burton injury update

Auburn Undercover reports that Burton was placed in concussion protocol earlier this month and has yet to return to the practice field. Burton has appeared in three games this season, recording two catches for 49 yards.

Remaining injury update

Waller, Scott, Anthony, and Frazier are battling season-ending injuries and will not return to the field for the 2024 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 schedule: Is Auburn playing today? 

Is Auburn playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come. 

Will the Auburn Tigers be on the field today in Week 11 of the College football schedule?

Following a 17-7 loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn is on a bye week and will return to the field on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The Tigers will enter the final stretch of the season with their backs against the wall, needing to win each of their final three games to qualify for a bowl game. Their quest for postseason play begins next Saturday at home against ULM for the final nonconference game of the season.

After jumping out to a 5-1 record, the Warhawks have dropped its last two games. In their most recent game, ULM running back Ahmad Hardy rushed for 212 yards and a score, but it was not enough to carry the Warhawks to a win, falling 28-23 to Marshall on the road.

Before making the trek to Auburn, the Warhawks will host Texas State on Saturday, hoping to get back to its winning ways. According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, Auburn has a 91.9% chance to beat ULM next Saturday.

Auburn football 2024 schedule

  • Aug. 30: Auburn 73 Alabama A&M 7
  • Sept. 7: California 21 Auburn 14
  • Sept. 14: Auburn 45 New Mexico 19
  • Sept. 21: Arkansas 24 Auburn 14
  • Sept. 28: Oklahoma 27 Auburn 21
  • Oct. 5: Georgia 31 Auburn 13
  • Oct. 19: Missouri 21 Auburn 17
  • Oct. 26: Auburn 24 Kentucky 10
  • Nov. 2: Vanderbilt 17 Auburn 7
  • Nov. 16: vs. ULM (11:45 a.m. CT, SEC Network)
  • Nov. 23: vs. Texas A&M (TBA)
  • Nov. 30: at Alabama (TBA)
  • Record: 3-6, 1-5 SEC

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Key statistics for Auburn Tigers vs. No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs

How do the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs compare with the Auburn Tigers statistically?

The Georgia Bulldogs fell in the US LBM Coaches ranking after failing to come through against longtime foe on Saturday. Georgia’s 41-34 loss was a wild game where Georgia fell behind 28-0 in the first half, then roared back to take a 34-33 lead in the fourth quarter. However, Georgia’s lead did not last long as UGA blew it 18 seconds later.

Georgia’s playoff hopes are still alive, but they’ll need to win almost all of their remaining games, including against the Auburn Tigers. The Tigers themselves are 2-3 after their own tough loss against the No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners. They had a 21-10 lead before giving up 17 unanswered points to lose 27-21.

Georgia is favored early against Auburn, but they’ll need to make sure to play a complete game of football to avoid a major upset. Here’s the stat breakdown for Georgia and Auburn, provided by CFB Stats:

Scoring Offense

Auburn: 33.4 points per game (t-42nd)

Georgia: 32.3 points per game (52nd)

Rushing Offense

Auburn: 171.20 rushing yards per game (62nd)

Georgia: 129.25 rushing yards per game (102nd)

Passing Offense:

Auburn: 294.8 passing yards per game (25th)

Georgia: 302.3 passing yards per game (19th)

Total Offense: 

Auburn: 466 total yards per game (23rd)

Georgia: 431.5 total yards per game (44th)

Scoring Defense

Auburn: 18.8 points allowed per game (t-37th)

Georgia: 14.8 points allowed per game (18th)

Rushing Defense:

Auburn: 121 rushing yards allowed per game (t-48th)

Georgia: 126.25 rushing yards allowed per game (58th)

Passing Defense:

Auburn: 208 passing yards allowed per game (67th)

Georgia: 162 passing yards allowed per game (25th)

Total Defense: 

Auburn: 329 total yards allowed per game (50th)

Georgia: 288.3 total yards allowed per game (24th)

One key stat to watch:

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart recently explained why Georgia’s third down offense is struggling this season. The Bulldogs are converting over 20% less third downs than last season.

Auburn softball adds pitching coach Ryker Chason to new staff

The former Ole Miss and LSU assistant is the first hire under Chris and Kate Malvaux’s leadership.

The Auburn softball staff is under reconstruction following [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag]’s retirement at the end of the 2024 season. Following the newest hire of co-head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux, the Tigers have hired a new coach for the bullpen to assist the pitching staff.

[autotag]Ryker Chason[/autotag] will join the coaching staff in 2025 after being one of the nation’s top coaching free agent moves of the young off-season. Chason makes his way over to Auburn after spending three seasons with Ole Miss, where he coached under Jamie Trachsel.

The Rebel pitching staff combined for a 2.91 earned run average in 2023, which marked the second-lowest ERA under Chason’s direction. His pitchers combined for nine shutouts that season, as well.

Prior to coaching at Ole Miss, Chason assisted Beth Torina at LSU for four seasons as student coach. In that time, he helped coach four NFCA All-Americans that were pitchers, including Carley Hoover and Allie Walljasper.

He has most recently spent the last 10 months as the Director of Pitching Growth for OGX Softball.

Now, he looks to make his mark on the Plains with a pitching staff that needs expanding for next year.

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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 guard K.D. Johnson to reportedly enter transfer portal

Auburn guard K.D. Johnson will enter the transfer portal after three seasons on the Plains.

Having spent each of the last three seasons with the Tigers program, Auburn guard K.D. Johnson is reportedly entering his name into the transfer portal according to multiple reports.

Johnson, a senior, appeared in 35 games this past season at Auburn, one of which he started. During the 2023-24 season, Johnson averaged 7.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, and 1.1 SPG for the SEC tournament champions, while also shooting 37.8% from the field, 27.1% from three, and 77.4% from the free throw line.

Across his three seasons at Auburn combined, Johnson started in 32-of-102 games with the Tigers since the 2021-22 campaign, averaging 9.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, and 1.4 SPG. Johnson also shot a combined 38.2% from the field, as well as 29.8% from three and 72.5% from the free throw line.

Prior to Auburn, Johnson originally began his collegiate career at Georgia during the 2020-21 season, where he was a Freshman All-SEC selection with the Bulldogs. Appearing in 16 games off Georgia’s bench, Johnson averaged 13.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, and 1.8 SPG, while also shooting 42.2% from the field and 38.7% from three.

Johnson is now the first Auburn player to enter the transfer portal after the Tigers season ended last week in the round of 64.