Auburn football ended last season with a 6-7 record. While the season did not end as fans and players alike would have hoped, the Tigers were a few plays away from having a completely different season.
Auburn dropped three home games to Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama by a combined 17 points. In two of those games, Georgia and Alabama scored their game-clinching touchdowns with less that three minutes remaining.
Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] evaluated his options once the season concluded, and elected to revamp several position groups including wide receiver and safety. Because of the new talent, one ESPN analyst expects the Tigers to give opponents fits this season.
During this week’s SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas, ESPN’s Greg McElroy discussed Auburn during a segment on College Football Live. The former Alabama quarterback says that Auburn was close to winning several games last season, and could be a “problem” for opponents in 2024 due to their roster upgrades.
“They’ve now gone out, they’ve added really good pieces at wide receiver. And Payton Thorne, I expect to take a step because it’s just hard to play quarterback by yourself. Jarquez Hunter, I think’s one of the best backs in the league. No one talks about him. So I think they’re gonna be able to run the football, take some of the pressure off the passing game. And I think they finally have the weapons on the perimeter that can win 1-on-1 matchups. So I’m really, actually, pretty optimistic about where Hugh Freeze [has] the Auburn Tigers going into this season.”
McElroy does say that Auburn could run into trouble by facing College Football Playoff contenders Alabama and Georgia on the road, but a favorable schedule and new talent could push Auburn in a positive direction this season.
Auburn welcomes [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], leading receivers at Penn State and Georgia State respectively, to its receiving corps. Texas transfer [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] is set to be the team’s No. 1 safety following the departure of [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] to the NFL. Auburn will be filled with experience this season, and will need to mesh well together in order to enjoy a successful season.
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