SEC News – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Which Auburn legend is a favorite of ESPN’s Rece Davis?

The ESPN personality recently picked his all-time favorite player from each SEC program, and this Auburn Heisman winner made the cut.

ESPN personality Rece Davis has seen his share of college football games during his lifetime.

A native of Muscle Shoals and a graduate of the University of Alabama, Davis could be considered an expert on SEC football, which means that his opinion on such matters carries plenty of merit.

He recently revealed his picks for an all-time favorite player from each SEC team. For his Auburn representative, he chose a Heisman Trophy winner. However, it may not be the one that you are thinking about.

Davis says that a former Auburn quarterback is his favorite Tiger of all time, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner, [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag].

Sullivan was the first player from Auburn to win the coveted award after throwing for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns in 1971, on his way to winning his second-straight SEC Player of the Year honor. His Auburn career ended with 6,534 total yards and 54 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 541 yards.

Sullivan would go on to have a lengthy coaching career. He dove into the profession in 1986, serving as the quarterbacks coach at Auburn until 1991. He left Auburn to become the head coach at TCU from 1992-97, where he led the Horned Frogs to a 24-42-1 record. He finished his coaching career at Samford, going 47-43 in eight seasons.

Sullivan passed away in 2019 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Other players to make Davis’ list includes Tennessee‘s Reggie White, Georgia‘s David Pollack, and Arkansas‘ Darren McFadden.

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Predicting SEC Nation locations for the 2023 season

SEC Network’s premier Saturday morning pregame show will have plenty of fun sites to travel to in 2023.

Outside of watching actual college football games, the best part of a fall Saturday is rolling out of bed to watch each college football pregame show.

It is always a treat to watch the team of Laura Rutledge, Tim Tebow, Jordan Rogers, Roman Harper, and Paul Finebaum talk about the day’s big games ahead of a full slate of action.

This will be the last season of the SEC as we know it, as the conference will change its scheduling format to accommodate the addition of Oklahoma and Texas. Despite the pending changes, there will still be plenty of great SEC action week in and week out this season.

Where will SEC Nation take their show each week? Here’s our pick of which SEC games have the best chance to be highlighted by the SEC Network’s premier Saturday pregame show.

Sporting News predicts Auburn to face old rival in bowl game

Tickets to this game would sell fast if this projection were to come true.

As the 2023 season continues to inch closer, many outlets are predicting Auburn to return to bowl season following their disappointing 5-7 campaign last season.

Sporting News has recently dropped their preseason bowl game predictions and has given Auburn an interesting draw.

According to this projection, Auburn will be the first team from the SEC to participate in bowl season by traveling to Tampa, Florida on Dec. 22 to compete in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl against longtime rival, Georgia Tech.

The Tigers and Yellow Jackets have played 90 times in history, with Auburn holding a 47-41-2 advantage. Despite the rivalry’s lengthy history, these two teams have not played since 2005, when Georgia Tech stunned Auburn fresh off of their undefeated season by earning a 23-14 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Outside of history, these teams playing in a bowl game would be refreshing for both fanbases. Both programs failed to receive a bowl invite last season and will be competing in 2023 under first-year head coaches. With the date of the bowl game scheduled before Christmas, it can be assumed that both teams would need six-seven wins in order to qualify for the Gasparilla Bowl.

Here’s a rundown of where each SEC program will be heading this postseason according to Sporting News’ projections.

How does Payton Thorne stack up against SEC quarterbacks?

Podcast host Michael Bratton is the latest to reveal his SEC QB power rankings. Can Thorne boost his outlook as the season goes along?

[autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will be tasked with leading the revamped Auburn offense through its grueling 2023 schedule.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] must be confident in his ability to do it. He did bring in the former Michigan State Spartan after all. Perhaps it was simply because of the lack of options, but Thorne is a Tiger nonetheless.

On “That SEC Football Podcast,” Michael Bratton ranked each SEC team’s expected starting quarterback and Thorne slid in at No. 12. He beats out Florida‘s Graham Mertz and Vanderbilt’s AJ Swann, and falls just behind Missouri’s Brady Cook.

Bratton on Thorne: “It’s not because I think he’s a bad player. It’s just so hard for me to predict what Auburn is going to be with a new coaching staff and with essentially a new starting offense with all the transfers.

I’m not saying you can’t win with Payton Thorne. I think you can. They (Michigan State) won 11 games two years ago.”

Expectations will be high, and soon it will be evident if Thorne is up to the challenge of leading an SEC offense.

2023 SEC QB Rankings

Discussed in full on today's @thatSECpodcast

Link: https://t.co/rJv4TtJzJI pic.twitter.com/zPLw2mkhcu

— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) July 5, 2023

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Maddie Penta included in D1Softball’s D100 player rankings

Penta won 27 games and struck out 303 batters in 2023.

Auburn softball’s [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] had a season to remember in 2023.

The junior ace logged 220.2 innings of work over 43 appearances. Over that span, she struck out 303 batters and walked just 55 batters. D1Softball considers Penta to be one of the best players in college softball, which is why she is ranked highly in the publication’s D100 player rankings. D1Softball places Penta in the No. 14 slot in this year’s list.

Plenty of people agreed that Auburn was going to be a tough out in the postseason. Why? The Tigers were led by Penta. She was one of two players with 300-plus Ks this season, striking out 10 or more in 10 games. Penta averaged around 70 MPH on her fastball and riseball, which allowed her to use a changeup that had a 45 percent.

Penta will return to the Tigers’ roster for the 2024 season, joining several key returners such as [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag], [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag], and [autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag].

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A look at Lindy’s Sports preseason SEC QB rankings

How much does the addition of Payton Thorne boost Auburn’s QB room?

Auburn hopes to improve enough in to earn a bowl bid in 2023. In order to do so, quarterback play must be at a high level.

The quarterback situation on the Plains has improved, as two experienced quarterbacks headline the competition. Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has three seasons’ worth of starting experience while incumbent starter [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] has one full season of experience with the program, and has gone through spring practice under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

Who wins the battle? It may be some time before we know, but Lindy’s Sports has taken the time to predict the winner of the starting quarterback race and has given the honor to Ashford. However, the addition of Thorne has given the Tigers a bump in the preseason publication’s SEC QB rankings.

Here’s a look at SEC QB rankings according to Lindy’s Sports

Where Auburn lands in Lindy’s Sports preseason SEC outlook

Lindy’s predicts that Hugh Freeze will bring life to Auburn’s offense in 2023.

There is plenty of optimism surrounding Auburn football ahead of the 2023 season, but there are still plenty of questions.

Auburn brings in [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] to lead the program and has already generated buzz that has Auburn fans filled with hope and excitement. Maybe the fans will return the gift of patience to Freeze as he has been tasked to rebuild the program back to expectations.

As Auburn prepares to enter the season with unique circumstances, how does Lindy’s Sports project the Tigers to finish in the SEC West? The preseason publication has submitted its picks and has projected that Auburn will finish 6th in the division.

Lindy’s Sports says that Freeze will “breathe life into the offense”, and is optimistic about the future of running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag]. However, uncertainty regarding quarterback play is one of Auburn’s biggest questions says Jimmy Hyams.

It was unclear after spring if [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] could run Hugh Freeze’s offense at Auburn, so Freeze added Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] in early May. The Tigers do have an elite rusher in Jarquez Hunter.

Here’s a look at what the outlook of the SEC West according to Lindy’s Sports’ projections.

‘Five for Friday’: A preseason look at the Texas A&M Aggies with Cameron Ohnysty of Aggies Wire

Texas A&M, like Auburn, is looking to return to bowl season in 2023. Can they do it? Ohnysty sheds light on that topic, as well as several others.

As football season continues to draw closer, Auburn Wire will begin a new series where we get to know an opponent on Auburn football’s 2023 schedule.

To kick things off, let’s get to know the Texas A&M Aggies.

The Aggies welcome Auburn to Kyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 23, in what is sure to be an interesting SEC opener for both programs. Last season, Auburn took care of the Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium, 13-10, to give interim head coach Cadillac Williams his first win as the leader of the program.

Auburn holds a 6-5 record over Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, and is 4-1 in games played at Kyle Field, the site of the 2023 matchup.

Texas A&M, like Auburn, missed a bowl game last season. Can they turn things around this season? Cameron Ohnysty of Aggies Wire answers that question, and several more in this week’s edition of “Five for Friday.”

Several of the topics discussed in this week’s edition include candidates to replace 1,000-yard rusher Devon Achane, quarterback Conner Weigman’s transition to a full-year starter, and he sheds light on the possibility of Jimbo Fisher leading the Aggies to a 10-win season for the first time in his tenure.

Get to know Texas A&M a little better with this week’s edition of “Five for Friday.”

Bo Wallace on Hugh Freeze: ‘He can get people to believe’

Wallace, who played at Ole Miss for Freeze from 2012-14, shares his experiences of playing for Hugh Freeze with the Montgomery Advertiser.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is known to be a wizard at developing quarterbacks, and one of his former players is shedding light on what it is like to play for him.

In a conversation with Richard Silva of the Montgomery Advertiser, former Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace shares his reasoning behind choosing Ole Miss and Hugh Freeze following his lone season at East Mississippi Community College.

“Just the culture that he sets,” Wallace said. “He’s one of the best I’ve been around in creating buy-in with his roster and his coaches. I think he can get people to believe. The buy-in that he creates is something I knew was going to happen at Ole Miss, and I think you can see it in the other places he’s been since Ole Miss. I think that’s one of his best qualities.”

Similar to Auburn’s situation, Wallace entered Ole Miss to become part of a quarterback competition. He battled fellow quarterback Barry Brunetti and ultimately won. Freeze has shown in his short time at Auburn that he is going to take his time in picking the right quarterback, and Wallace can back that claim up.

“(Freeze is) a guy that is going to take it up all the way to game week, unless somebody just goes out and just takes it over,” Wallace said. “He’s going to keep that competition going all the way up until, like I said, game week or maybe two weeks before the game, just because he believes in the competition.”

Wallace says that the reason for his careful nature when it comes to quarterback competition is that he wants to see how each candidate handles adversity. However, he will prove to be the winning quarterback’s “biggest fan” during games.

“He kind of throws you in the fire in the practice, Wallace said. “There were some days where I felt like he just picked the day and I couldn’t do anything right that day. Just to throw some adversity at me. But I think he’s very different in the game. He’s your biggest fan during the game. But during practice, he definitely throws you in the heat and tries to create adversity and really stays on you.”

Wallace played for Freeze for three seasons and threw for a total of 9,534 yards and 62 touchdowns. The 2013 season, where Wallace threw for 3,346 yards and 18 touchdowns, was the fourth-best season by a Freeze-led quarterback since 2011.

For more of Silva’s conversation with Wallace, click here.

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Jessie Blaine set to transfer to fellow SEC program

Four members of the 2023 roster have found new homes, with three remaining in the SEC.

So far, four members of Auburn softball’s 2023 roster have found new homes out of the transfer portal. Three of them have announced that they will stay within the SEC.

First baseman [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] kicked off the trend by committing to Arkansas on June 18, and third baseman [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] announced that she would be transferring to South Carolina earlier this week. Now, former Auburn utility player [autotag]Jessie Blaine[/autotag] will make the move to a fellow SEC program, Mississippi State.

Blaine appeared in 110 games in two seasons at Auburn, making 86 starts. During her time at Auburn, Blaine saw time at catcher, designated player, first base, and right field. During her final season at Auburn, she started 27 games as the Tigers’ designated player and made four starts at catcher.

At the plate, she hit for a .263 average in two seasons with 64 hits, 11 home runs, and 55 RBI. She walked 42 times and struck out 33 times. She hit .285 with 39 hits, 9 home runs, and 37 RBI as a freshman in 2022.

Outside of the three SEC transfers, [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] will make the move to Clemson for her final season of eligibility. Two players from Auburn remain in the transfer portal according to D1Softball, [autotag]Maia Engelkes[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlee McCondichie[/autotag].

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