Tag: Antonio Kite

Former Tiger Antonio Kite commits to Ole Miss

The sophomore saw action in four contests for the Tigers last season, totaling 6 tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception

Former Auburn Tiger cornerback Antonio Kite committed to the Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday. A former four-star prospect who spent his freshman campaign playing with Alabama, Kite played sparingly during his one season on the Plains.

The sophomore saw action in four contests for the Tigers last season, totaling 6 tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception. His lone interception as a Tiger came early in the season in a blowout victory over New Mexico. Unfortunately Kite’s season spiraled from there, as his playing time was cut significantly once SEC play started. The sophomore was ultimately dismissed from the team mid-season for “violating team rules” effectively ending his Tiger career before it had the chance to take off.

Unlikely to earn enough trust to get out of head coach Hugh Freeze and defensive coordinator [autotag]DJ Durkin[/autotag]’s ‘dog house’, Kite entered the transfer portal and will now play for his third SEC team in as many collegiate seasons. Kite’s move makes sense for both himself and the Tigers, as Auburn’s top two cornerback spots are currently held by stars [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag]. Many of the high-ranked prospects in Auburn’s No. 6 ranked 2025 recruiting class are likely to challenge for large amounts of playing time in the defensive backfield, making Kite’s path towards significant playing time even more murky.

Along with the aforementioned Lee and Crawford, freshman [autotag]Anquon Fegans[/autotag], [autotag]Blake Woodby[/autotag], and [autotag]Donovan Starr[/autotag], along with Georgia Tech transfer safety [autotag]Taye Seymore[/autotag] are all in the mix to receive plenty of playing time at the defensive back positions in 2025.

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Former Alabama, Auburn transfer commits to SEC program

A former Alabama transfer will once again play in the SEC.

A former transfer from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Antonio Kite officially announced his commitment to the Ole Miss Rebels on Tuesday night.

Kite previously played for the Auburn Tigers during the 2024 season, with whom he had previously transferred to last offseason.

A defensive back, Kite originally came to Alabama as a member of the Crimson Tide’s 2022 class as an in-state prospect out of Anniston High School. Kite remained at Alabama for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons in which he did not record any stats prior to transferring to Auburn.

This past season, Kite appeared in eight games with the Tigers in which he had six tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. Kite previously announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal earlier this month.

Kite was one of multiple former Alabama transfers to enter the portal so far this cycle, a list that also included the likes of JoJo Earle and Christian Leary, among others.

Former Alabama defensive back to re-enter transfer portal

The former Alabama defensive back is back in the transfer portal.

After transferring out of the Alabama Crimson Tide program last offseason, defensive back Antonio Kite has now re-entered the transfer portal after one season with the Auburn Tigers according to reports.

Kite, who transferred within the SEC from Alabama to in-state rival Auburn, was previously dismissed from the Tigers team back in late-October, and has not played since.

With the Tigers, Kite appeared in eight games during the 2024 season at the safety position where he had six total tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery, the latter of which was returned for a touchdown.

Prior to Auburn, Kite spent two seasons at Alabama where he did not record any stats with the Crimson Tide in either the 2022 or 2023 campaigns. Primarily playing a special teams role, Kite also came to Alabama as a member of the Crimson Tide’s 2022 recruiting class where he was a four-star in-state prospect out of Anniston High School.

Former Alabama transfer reportedly dismissed from Auburn team

The former Alabama transfer is reportedly no longer with the Tigers.

According to multiple reports, Auburn Tigers defensive back Antonio Kite has been dismissed from the team following a violation of team rules.

Kite, a former transfer from the Alabama Crimson Tide, was currently in his first season with the Tigers program. Appearing in eight games, Kite had a combined stat line of six tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown, while also playing a role on special teams.

As mentioned previously, the defensive back originally began his collegiate career at Alabama where he was a four-star prospect in the 2022 class out of in-state Anniston High School.

Kite did not play much with the Crimson Tide however across his two seasons in Tuscaloosa, not recording any stats during either the 2022 or 2023 campaigns prior to entering the transfer portal this past January. Once entering the transfer portal, Kite would go on to commit to Auburn shortly after.

Cornerback Antonio Kite dismissed from team

The Alabama transfer native recorded six tackles and one interception for the Tigers in five games this season.

Auburn’s defensive back unit became thinner this week as a first-year transfer was dismissed from the team.

According to Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover, cornerback [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] was dismissed from the roster this week for violating team rules. Kite, a native of Anniston, was in his first year with the program after spending the first two seasons of his career at Alabama after signing with the Crimson Tide as part of the 2022 recruiting class.

Kite was a key contributor to Auburn’s defensive backfield, participating in at least 31 snaps through the Tigers’ first four games. He played in a season-high 66 snaps in Auburn’s loss to Arkansas on Sept. 21. However, he did not record any play time in Auburn’s games with Oklahoma and Georgia. Kite played only five snaps during Auburn’s game at Missouri on Oct. 19.

Freshmen [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] and [autotag]Kensley Louidor-Faustin[/autotag] have picked up the slack in Kite’s limited action. Crawford has participated in 238 snaps over the last four games and was recently named the True Freshman of the Week by 247Sports for his stellar coverage in the Tigers’ win over Kentucky last Saturday. Louidor-Faustin was involved in 55 plays for Auburn during their games at Georgia and Missouri.

Kite ends his Auburn career with six tackles and one interception in five games as a Tiger.

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Auburn blows comfortable 2nd half lead, drops road contest at No. 16 Missouri

Auburn falls to 0-4 in SEC play after allowing a 17-3 lead to squander away.

The Auburn Tigers had a chance to claim its first SEC win of the season on Saturday, but hope faded in the game’s final minute.

After taking a 3-3 tie into halftime, Auburn scored two quick touchdowns in the 3rd quarter to take a convincing 17-3 lead over the home-standing Tigers. However, a four-yard touchdown rush from Missouri running back Jamal Roberts with 0:46 remaining in the game erased their 14-point deficit to claim the 21-17 win over Auburn on Saturday at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

Momentum began to swing in Auburn’s favor at the 13:55 mark in the 3rd quarter when Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] exited the game after taking a tough hit. He returned one play later and delivered a 47-yard pass to [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] to give Auburn the 10-3 lead with 12:34 to go in the quarter.

Both teams traded a possession each before Auburn earned its next score. The Missouri defense forced Auburn to punt following a three-and-out. Missouri returner Luther Burden III fielded the punt at the 15-yard line, but ultimately fumbled with Auburn’s [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] recovering in the end zone to extend its lead to 17-3 with 11:08 remaining in the quarter.

Missouri added a field goal to cut the Auburn lead to 17-6 to end the 3rd quarter, but became a threat in the early stages of the 4th quarter. Missouri running back Marcus Carroll found the end zone from two yards away with 14:57 remaining in the game, with a successful two-point try putting Missouri within three points, 17-14. Missouri punted on its ensuing two possessions before Roberts closed a 17-play, 95-yard drive with the go-ahead score.

The first half was virtually uneventful as both teams traded field goals to take a 3-3 tie into the locker room at halftime. Missouri’s Blake Craig put Missouri on the board with a 51-yard field goal at the 8:24 mark in the 1st quarter, with Auburn’s [autotag]Towns McGough[/autotag] answering at the 11:12 mark in the 2nd quarter.

Four of Auburn’s five offensive drives in the first half lasted fewer than seven plays and totaled 59 yards. Auburn’s lone scoring drive covered 64 yards on 11 plays and resulted in three points. After allowing Missouri to score on its initial drive that covered 41 yards in 12 plays, Auburn’s defense did not allow Missouri to piece together a drive lasting longer than six plays, with its longest drive covering 33 yards.

Missouri held the edge in the rushing department, out-gaining Auburn, 353-286. The home-standing Tigers also committed four fewer penalties than Auburn and held the ball for five fewer minutes than Auburn.

Auburn’s hunt for its first SEC win continues next Saturday on the road at Kentucky. Kickoff from Kroger Field in Lexington is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT on Oct. 26 on SEC Network.

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What did we from Auburn’s win over New Mexico?

Following Auburn’s week three win over the New Mexico Lobos, here is what we learned about the team in Hank Brown’s debut at quarterback

The Auburn Tigers are back in the win column and is making changes to try and keep things on the right track as they prepare for SEC play next week.

On a rainy night inside of Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Tigers took down the New Mexico Lobos on Homecoming 45-19 with a new starting quarterback in freshman [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag].

Brown replaced Payton Thorne after a rough start to the season, making his second game appearance after playing in last year’s Music City Bowl.

With all the buzz of his performance out of the way, here is what we learned from Saturday’s game about this Auburn squad.

The obvious thing to say is that there is easily a lot of potential that Brown has with his play. He went 17 for 25 with 235 yards and four touchdowns, showing flashes of what he can do in his young career.

Brown’s throws were proven to be sharp, even when partially inaccurate. His velocity gets the ball out quick and away from any danger where it may lie.

The downside at moments was the ability to get plays off in an efficient manner. While he was thrown into action on a week’s notice, the Tigers run the offense at an efficient pace and need him to move quicker on a consistent basis.

The running game proved itself again as [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] racked up 20 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown, staying elusive and using his strength to his advantage. While Auburn can not be one dimensional, it needs to be able to run as it has in the past.

The defensive play is still highly questionable for this team, which is a problem heading into a tough conference slate.

Most notably, one-on-one coverage in the secondary has not been great and was especially evident last night. The Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of too many passes that could have gone either way and must improve on turning that around.

On the positive side of it, interceptions by [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] recorded the team’s first two forced turnovers of the season, finally getting on the board after two weeks of no chaos. They look to continue that next week.

Auburn takes the field for its fourth home game in a row against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2:30. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Former San Jose State CB schedules official visit to Auburn

Following the departures of DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett to the NFL, Auburn looks to bring in experience to the cornerback position.

Following the departures of [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] to the NFL, Auburn looks to bring in experience to the cornerback position.

[autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] is the most experienced returner at the position, but who will join him on the other side? Auburn will look to find the answer within the transfer portal by bringing former San Jose State cornerback [autotag]Jayvion Cole[/autotag] in for a visit. The former Spartan will be on campus Monday, May 6 according to Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live. Auburn will be Cole’s second stop. He will visit the Plains after taking in a stop at Texas this weekend.

Cole was active in his first season at San Jose State in 2023. In 13 games, he made 38 stops with three going to a loss. He also hauled in three interceptions with 13 pass deflections. According to Pro Football Focus, he was San Jose State’s highest-graded defensive player last season with an 86.2. He graded higher than 82 in run defense, pass rush, and coverage. Receivers caught 49% of passes (26-of-53) when guarded by Cole, and he allowed just one touchdown in 697 snaps.

Auburn has eight cornerbacks on its roster, with Keionte Scott and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] providing the most experience. The Tigers added [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] from the transfer portal, but he played just 25 snaps at Alabama in two seasons. Adding experience to the defensive backfield will be important this offseason as the unit becomes depleted. Cole would be a valued addition to the program due to his ability to disrupt the opponent’s passing game in several ways.

Former Auburn defensive back Colton Hood transfers to Colorado

Former four-star recruit Colton Hood transferred from Auburn to Colorado on Sunday.

Former four-star recruit Colton Hood transferred from Auburn to Colorado on Sunday. The sophomore cornerback played just one season on the Plains, appearing in three games and recording 3 total tackles.

Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has been active all offseason in the portal, securing one of the country’s best incoming transfer classes. While Hood may not become a starting player right away, it is feasible to see a path where the Conyers, GA native earns a significant amount of playing time.

Hood’s talents will certainly be missed for an Auburn team that will have an almost completely overhauled secondary in 2024 after losing key contributors like [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag], [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] to the NFL Draft. The 19-year-old’s departure does open up a chance for Alabama transfer [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] to earn more reps in the secondary.

Hood’s brother, 2024 three-star running back Brandon Hood, will reportedly also join him on the Buffaloes roster next season.

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Auburn loses a pair of cornerbacks to the transfer portal

Colton Hood and Tyler Scott depart after spending one season with the program.

Auburn football’s departing transfer portal class grew Tuesday as two young cornerbacks have elected to take their talents elsewhere.

[autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag], a pair of cornerbacks who signed with Auburn’s 2023 recruiting class, announced Tuesday that they will be entering the transfer portal. The duo joins defensive lineman Brenton Williams, wide receiver Jay Fair, linebacker Wesley Steiner, and cornerback JD Rhym as spring transfer portal entries.

Hood, nephew of former Auburn cornerback Roderick Hood, joined Auburn’s 2023 class as a three-star according to 247Sports. The McDonough, Georgia native was the No. 48 cornerback and the No. 45 overall recruit from Georgia.

A fellow Georgian, Scott signed with Auburn as a safety before moving to cornerback this spring. He was the nation’s No. 20 cornerback and the No. 19 prospect from Georgia, signing with Auburn out of Pebblebrook High School in Mableton.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hood and Scott combined to play 53 snaps over five games. Hood saw the most action between the two by appearing in four games with 44 total snaps played.

There are now seven cornerbacks on Auburn’s roster following the departures of Hood and Scott. [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] headline the position as returners while [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] joins the team as a transfer from Alabama.

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