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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