Tag: Auburn

Where the New Orleans Saints were scouting 2025 draft prospects this week

Where were the New Orleans Saints scouting 2025 draft prospects this week? Their scouts were spotted at a couple of high-profile matchups:

Where were the New Orleans Saints scouting during this week’s college football games? Their scouting department is spread out nationwide catching  games and filling out reports on 2025 NFL draft prospects, but we only know where they are when it’s reported. This week’s news had them at several high-profile matchups.

Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Eli Hoff, the Saints were one of six teams scouting Mizzou’s game with Auburn. It’s at least the second time this season they were watching Missouri live, and the school’s best prospect is wide receiver Luther Burden III, a likely top-10 pick in the 2025 draft class. The 5-foot-11, 208-pound wideout totaled 6 receptions for 49 yards against Auburn and is up to 168 catches, 2,034 yards, and 19 touchdowns in his career. He’s also gained 209 rushing yards and scored four times on just 30 carries as a runner.

But that’s not all. The Saints joined half the league in scouting all of the early-round prospects competing in Texas-Georgia on Saturday night, a game the Bulldogs won handily. Quarterbacks Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers have both also earned top-10 buzz, but they took a step back against the future NFL players on each other’s defenses. Beck was intercepted three times and Ewers was briefly benched in favor of Arch Manning after throwing an interception and taking several sacks.

This may not be the year to look for a quarterback early on. The Saints need help at multiple positions, and it could be worth taking the best player available if they hold onto their position with a top-10 pick. We’re waiting for the rest of Week 7’s games to resolve, but Sunday morning’s Jacksonville Jaguars win put the Saints at No. 6 overall.

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Nick Saban says Tennessee was biggest rival while coaching at Alabama

Nick Saban says the Tennessee and Alabama football game was a bigger rivalry than the Iron Bowl when he coached the Crimson Tide.

Nick Saban retired from coaching on Jan. 10. He served as Alabama’s head coach from 2007-23, compiling a 201-29 (117-18 SEC) record, winning six national championships and nine Southeastern Conference titles.

Saban went 16-1 against Tennessee as the Crimson Tide’s head coach. His only loss was in 2022 at Neyland Stadium.

Since his retirement, Saban has joined ESPN’s “College GameDay.” Ahead of the Tennessee-Alabama game on Saturday, Saban said his biggest rival as the Crimson Tide was the Vols.

“For our players, this was a bigger rivalry than any other game that we played,” Saban said of Alabama playing Tennessee. “I’m talking about rivalry game. Even bigger than Auburn to our players.”

PHOTOS: Tennessee-Alabama football series through the years

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Former Notre Dame baseball player hired as Pitt athletic director

Great to see him doing well.

A face familiar to Notre Dame sort of will be reuniting with the Irish in the ACC. [autotag]Allen Greene[/autotag], who played baseball at Notre Dame for three seasons, has been hired as Pittsburgh’s new athletic director, effective Nov. 1. He will leave his current role as chief operating officer and senior deputy athletic director at Tennessee.

From 1996 to 1998, Greene slashed .329/.413/.538 for the Irish, resulting in a .951 OPS. He hit 15 home runs, had 113 RBIs and stole 22 bases. After his final season, the New York Yankees selected him in the ninth round of the MLB draft, but he never got above High-A.

Since then, Greene has worked a seven-year stint at Notre Dame, had two stints at Ole Miss and served as the athletic director at Buffalo and Auburn for a combined eight years. He clearly found his calling after his playing days ended, and it’s great to see him thrive in it:

https://twitter.com/PeteThamel/status/1847260012298600647

Best of luck to Greene in his new role (though not against the Irish).

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

SEC chaos in week 6 revealed anything’s possible ahead of OU-Texas

It was a wild week in the SEC in week six, with several top teams falling prey to an upset. Can Oklahoma keep it rolling?

The Oklahoma Sooners aren’t being given much of a shot heading into the Red River Showdown. It’s understandable. The Sooners have a lot to improve on offense heading into the Cotton Bowl. They’ve undergone a quarterback change and needed a lot to go right in the fourth quarter against [autotag]Auburn[/autotag].

A week off gave true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag]. more work with the first-team offense and the Sooners more time to get healthy. With a matchup with the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, could the Sooners keep the chaos we witnessed in Week 6 rolling?

OU and Texas play in the biggest rivalry in the sport. It’s one that the Longhorns lead in the all-time series, but a matchup that Oklahoma has dominated for much of the last 25 years.

Yes, the Longhorns look like the better team on paper. They’re the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason. At the same time, what happened in Week 6 provides hope that the Sooners could pull off an upset, much like they did last year when Texas was a top-five team in the nation.

Vanderbilt beat the No. 1 team in the AP Poll for the first time in program history. Arkansas, who dropped a game to Texas A&M the week before, beat what looked like a national title contender in the Tennessee Volunteers. Missouri, which many thought was a national title contender, was dominated by Texas A&M. In week five, an unranked Kentucky team went into Oxford, Mississippi, and knocked off the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels.

Through six weeks of the 2024 college football season, the only thing that seems certain is uncertainty. And the SEC may be as wide open as ever.

People are claiming Texas is an elite team. They very well may be.

Well, Saturday before Alabama-Vanderbilt kicked off, those same people were saying the same thing about Alabama. I know I was. But how quickly opinions change.

Texas is a really good football team. They dominated Michigan in Ann Arbor earlier in the season. Although the Wolverines don’t have a passing game, the Longhorns completely shut down their impressive rushing attack. At the same time, that Michigan team just lost by 10 to an unranked Washington squad.

Despite their spot at the top of the national rankings, we still don’t know exactly how good the Longhorns are just yet. Again, they’re a really good team, but how good?

The same can be said for the Oklahoma Sooners. They’ve yet to play their best football in 2024.

Oklahoma has a defense that looks ready to roll into the Cotton Bowl. They have one of the best front sevens in the nation and a secondary that has played good ball despite a few big plays allowed against Auburn and Tennessee.

Offensively, the Sooners had some good moments in the fourth quarter against Tennessee and in the win over Auburn. Hawkins is protecting the football and showing off his ability to create big plays with his arm and his legs. The offensive line is the healthiest it has been all season, which could create an opportunity to find a better running game and improved protection for the Sooners true freshman quarterback.

This week, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who picks the Oklahoma Sooners in this big-time rivalry matchup. But as we’ve seen this season in the SEC, there are few guarantees. And in a rivalry game as big as OU-Texas, there’s no telling which way next Saturday could go.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Auburn RB reminds Kirby Smart of Nick Chubb

Is Kirby Smart comparing Auburn’s top running back to Nick Chubb a fair comparison? We dive into the numbers

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart compares Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter to former Georgia running back Nick Chubb.

Hunter has 65 carries for 437 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound senior is averaging 6.7 yards per carry.

“The dude, I don’t know if it’s the 27 thing, he reminds me so much of Nick Chubb,” said Kirby Smart. Hunter is a in his fourth season with Auburn, and he is a similar size to Nick Chubb, but he is simply not the bell cow running back that Chubb was at Georgia.

Nick Chubb posted legendary numbers during his time at Georgia. Chubb, who had one college season cut short due to a brutal leg injury, is the SEC’s second all-time leading rusher. Chubb finished his four year career at Georgia with 4,769 rushing yards and 52 total touchdowns. Chubb averaged over 100 yards per game in 47 career games.

Jarquez Hunter does not have that level of production, but he is one of the best backs in the SEC. Kirby Smart thinks there’s a lot to like about Hunter’s game.

“I mean, he’s got a straight line, and he’s so physical. People just bounce off of him,” added Smart. Hunter has 2,607 career rushing yards and 23 total touchdowns in four seasons at Auburn. His numbers don’t compare favorably to Nick Chubb’s but he has been very efficient throughout his college career.

“He’s just super physical, downhill,” continued Smart. “Like, he makes you not want to tackle him. He embarrassed us two years ago here, and then he had a really good game against us there. So, we think he’s one of the best backs in the country.”

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In 2023, Hunter rushed 19 times for 59 yards and scored a touchdown against Georgia. Hunter scored a long 62 yard receiving touchdown against UGA in 2022 and finished with 93 total yards on eight touches.

2026 Notre Dame quarterback commit reemphasizes commitment to program

Does this make you feel better?

The news that 2025 Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight was flipping to Auburn understandably isn’t sitting well with many Irish fans. Not only was Knight their highest-rated commit in that recruiting class, but he was the only quarterback. And while some 247Sports top 100 2025 quarterback recruits remain uncommitted, none have better than a three-star rating.

The good news for Irish fans is that the program still has one quarterback commit, and that’s [autotag]Noah Grubbs[/autotag] in the 2026 class. Even better, Irish fans don’t have to worry about him going anywhere, at least for now.

Undoubtedly prompted by the Knight news, Grubbs took to social media to reiterate his commitment to the Irish. While Irish fans will have to wait a year longer for him to arrive, they can sleep easy knowing the quarterback commit cupboard is not completely bare. If anything, this should make Grubbs even more admirable in the eyes of the fan base:

So yes, the Knight news hurts. But this post should at least inspire some confidence in the future.

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Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Div. I Coaches Polls are released; Auburn is No. 1 in Div. I

The preseason Bushnell/Golfweek men’s college golf polls are out.

The preseason Bushnell/Golfweek men’s college golf polls for the 2024-25 season have been released.

After completing one of the greatest seasons in men’s college golf history in 2023-24, Auburn starts the new year as the No. 1-team in the preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Div. I Coaches Poll. The defending national champion Tigers received 14 first-place votes and 409 points on Aug. 30.

Arizona State (two first-place votes) is second, Florida State (one first-place vote) is third, with Vanderbilt and North Carolina rounding out the top five.

Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Illinois and Florida complete the top 10.

After the latest round of confernece realignment, the Div. I poll features 11 SEC teams, six from the ACC, four from the Big 12 and four Big 10 teams.

2024-25 Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll

Rank University Points
1 Auburn (14) 409
2 Arizona State (2) 357
3 Florida State (1) 355
4 Vanderbilt 346
5 North Carolina 279
6 Virginia 271
7 Tennessee 262
8 Texas 257
9 Illinois 253
10 Florida 240
11 Georgia Tech 237
12 Oklahoma 229
13 Ole Miss 221
14 Arizona 211
15 Texas Tech 189
16 Alabama 182
17 Arkansas 180
18 Washington 140
19 Texas A&M 133
20 Oklahoma State 125
21 Georgia 122
22 Ohio State 68
23 Stanford 63
24 Duke 61
25 UCLA 55

Others receiving votes: Oregon (39), East Tennessee State (30), LSU (30), Mississippi State (30), California (23), Wake Forest (21), Baylor (18), Southern California (18), Notre Dame (15), New Mexico (13), BYU (11), Louisville (11), USF (11), West Virginia (10), North Florida (9), Clemson (5), Northwestern (5), SMU (5), South Carolina (2), Chattanooga (2), Elon (1).

2024-25 Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll

After winning the first national championship in school history in May, Colorado Christian is No. 1 in the Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek DII Coaches Poll. The Cougars received nine first-place votes and 430 points on August 30, six more than North Georgia (seven first-place votes and 424 points).

Oklahoma Christian (one first-place vote), West Florida, and Georgia Southwestern (one first-place vote) rounded out the top five, while Lincoln Memorial, Grand Valley State, Florida Southern (one first-place vote), Nova Southeastern and Central Oklahoma completed the top 10.

Rank University Points
1 Colorado Christian (9) 430
2 North Georgia (7) 424
3 Oklahoma Christian (1) 416
4 West Florida 370
5 Georgia Southwestern (1) 344
6 Lincoln Memorial 342
7 Grand Valley State 313
8 Florida Southern (1) 284
9 Nova Southeastern 280
10 Central Oklahoma 268
11 Lee 246
12 Saint Leo 188
13 USC Aiken 185
14 Dallas Baptist 183
T-15 Coker 161
T-15 West Texas A&M 161
17 Barry 153
18 Lander 134
19 Henderson State 123
20 Colorado State Pueblo 115
21 Midwestern State 113
22 Wingate 107
23 Barton 101
24 CSU Monterey Bay 68
25 Lynn 56

Others receiving votes: Western New Mexico (54), Columbus State (47), Missouri S&T (43), Texas-Permian Basin (40), Chico State (39), Tampa (39), Flagler (28), Ferris State (26), Harding (21), Carson-Newman (20), Anderson (SC) (18), Colorado Mesa (17), Central Missouri (16), Sonoma State (15), Shorter (14), Missouri-St. Louis (13), Arkansas Tech (11), Findlay (11), Simon Fraser (11), Southern Arkansas (11), Colorado School of Mines (10), Western Washington (10), Cal State San Marcos (8), Wayne State (MI) (8), Georgia College (6), Belmont Abbey (4), Catawba (4), McKendree (4), Northeastern State (3), Lenoir-Rhyne (2), Union (TN) (2), Newberry (1), Rogers State (1), Virginia Union (1).

2024-25 Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches Poll

After winning a Div. III-record 14th men’s national championship in May, Methodist starts in a familiar spot in the No. 1 in the Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Div. III Coaches Poll.

The Monarchs received six first-place votes and 264 points on August 30, five more than Carnegie Mellon (three first-place votes and 259 points).

Rank University Points
1 Methodist (6) 264
2 Carnegie Mellon (3) 259
3 Emory 250
4 Oglethorpe (2) 246
5 Illinois Wesleyan 227
6 Huntingdon 203
7 Washington & Lee 186
8 Lynchburg 175
9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 173
10 Redlands 149
11 Sewanee 145
12 Saint John’s (MN) 136
13 Kenyon 128
14 Wittenberg 119
15 Bethel (MN) 106
16 Aurora 93
17 LeTourneau 75
18 Franklin & Marshall 68
19 Pomona-Pitzer 64
20 Guilford 62
21 Babson 56
22 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 41
23 Hampden-Sydney 38
24 Texas-Dallas 36
25 Gustavus Adolphus 30

Others receiving votes: Whitman (25), Averett (22), Willamette (21), Rochester (19), Hope (18), Trinity (TX) (17), Farmingdale State (16), RPI (15), Christopher Newport (14), Rose-Hulman (12), Greensboro (11), Whitworth (9), Skidmore (8), McDaniel (7), Carleton (6), St. John Fisher (6), Allegheny (5), Rhodes (5), Berry (3), Spalding (2), Trinity (CT) (2), York (PA) (2), California Lutheran (1).

2024-25 Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll

After winning the program’s second national championship in May, Dalton State is No. 1 in the Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll. The Roadrunners received all 10 first-place votes and 250 points on August 30.

Keiser, Texas Wesleyan, British Columbia, and Lindsey Wilson rounded out the top five, while Columbia (MO), Houston-Victoria, MidAmerica Nazarene, Wayland Baptist and Ottawa Arizona completed the top 10.

Rank University Points
1 Dalton State (10) 250
2 Keiser 239
3 Texas Wesleyan 225
4 British Columbia 209
5 Lindsey Wilson 199
6 Columbia (MO) 182
7 Houston-Victoria 180
8 MidAmerica Nazarene 175
9 Wayland Baptist 173
10 Ottawa Arizona 162
11 Southeastern (FL) 155
12 Oklahoma City 143
13 Cumberland (TN) 129
14 Truett McConnell 121
15 Coastal Georgia 120
16 William Carey 85
17 Webber International 75
18 Campbellsville 71
19 Bellevue 64
20 Point 57
21 Ave Maria 45
22 Lawrence Tech 41
23 Taylor 29
24 Northwestern (IA) 23
25 Victoria – BC 18

Others receiving votes: Tennessee Wesleyan (17), Cumberlands (KY) (14), USAO (12), Lewis-Clark State (10), Reinhardt (10), The Master’s (5), Northwestern Ohio (4), Faulkner (3), Morningside (2), Park (MO) (2), Pikeville (1).

2024-25 Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. I Coaches Poll

After placing second at the national championship in May and winning six tournaments last season, Odessa is No. 1 in the Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. I Coaches Poll. The Wranglers received one first-place vote and 55 points on August 30, nine more than Midland (46 points).

Defending national champion New Mexico JC (three first-place votes), Indian Hills and Hutchinson rounded out the top five, while McLennan, Central Alabama, Ranger, Western Texas, Dodge City, Eastern Florida State  and New Mexico Military Institute completed the poll.

Rank University Points
1 Odessa (1) 55
2 Midland 46
3 New Mexico JC (3) 43
T4 Indian Hills (1) 35
T4 Hutchinson (1) 35
6 McLennan 32
7 Central Alabama 29
8 Ranger 13
9 Western Texas 11
T-10 Dodge City 9
T-10 Eastern Florida State 9
T-10 NMMI 9

Others receiving votes: Tyler (4).

2024-25 Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. II Coaches Poll

After winning their last 13 tournaments last season, including the program’s second national championship in May, Mississippi Gulf Coast is No. 1 in the Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. II Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs received three first-place votes and 39 points on August 30, two more than Kirkwood (one first-place vote and 37 points).

South Mountain (Arizona), Roane State and Des Moines Area rounded out the top five, while Parkland, Meridian, Murray State (OK), East Central and Iowa Central completed the poll.

Rank University Points
1 Mississippi Gulf Coast (3) 39
2 Kirkwood (1) 37
3 South Mountain 31
4 Roane State 28
5 Des Moines Area 27
6 Parkland 23
7 Meridian 13
8 Murray State (OK) 9
T-9 East Central 6
T-9 Iowa Central 6

Others receiving votes: Southeast (NE) (4), Jones (2), Hesston (1).

Pat Surtain ‘kind of salty’ about loss to Bo Nix in 2019 Iron Bowl

“I was kind of salty about that game,” Pat Surtain said of losing to Bo Nix and Auburn in the 2019 Iron Bowl.

Led by then-freshman quarterback Bo Nix, the Auburn Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 48-45 in the 2019 Iron Bowl.

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain, who was a sophomore at Alabama, was left scarred by that game which cost Bama a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

“Yeah, I was kind of salty about that game, I’m not going to lie,” Surtain said with a smile Wednesday. “It was tough game all around.”

Nix went 15-of-30 passing for 173 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers in that game. He also rushed six times for 44 yards and a score.

“Me and Bo had battles in college for sure from [my] sophomore year to junior year,” Surtain said. “What I’ve seen from him is just the versatility of him. Obviously, he can run the ball and throw the ball, but he knows how to win ball games and that’s what he does best. I’m looking forward to it coming into action on Sundays, so very excited for him.”

Nix (24) now looks to become a key piece of Denver’s rebuilding project alongside other young players like Surtain (24) and Quinn Meinerz (25).

“I think the team is poised to do great things,” Surtain said. “Obviously, we have a young team, but [there’s] a lot of hungry guys on the team that’s looking forward to that next step.

“I think we’re off in the right direction because Bo knows how to win games. He knows what it takes because he’s seen it on the biggest stage since college. Seeing him in action on Sundays is going to be very exciting for sure.”

Nix went 43-18 as a starter playing for Auburn and Oregon. He’ll now look to carry that success into the NFL after being named Denver’s starter.

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First look at DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett in Seahawks uniforms

First look at DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett in Seahawks uniforms

During the 2024 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected a pair of cornerbacks. Certainly not unusual for a team that values its secondary, but they did something that is not always common: they drafted a pair of teammates.

TSeattle selected cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett (round 5, No. 136) and DJ James (round 6, No. 192) during this pasat spring. These two will go from being Tigers to Seahawks. Now, we have officially gotten our first look at the two of them wearing the navy and neon.

It is only fitting these two have such close matching jersey numbers as well. Pritchett will wear No. 28, last worn by Kyu Blu Kelly and Kelvin Joseph in 2023. As for James, he will be No. 29, which was worn by SaRodrick Thompson.

Of course, when it comes to No. 29, the first name that should always come to mind is former Seahawks great Earl Thomas, who rocked this jersey from 2010-2018.

By drafting these two, the Seahawks are sending a message to their cornerback room: everyone’s job is up for grabs. Clearly, Mike Macdonald and John Schneider saw a pressing need to draft support or potential replacements from what they have currently. Here’s hoping these two Tigers can help bolster what many considered to be one of Seattle’s strengths.

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Former Farragut infielder transfers within SEC

Former Farragut and Texas A&M infielder transfers within the SEC.

The college baseball season ended on Monday with Tennessee defeating Texas A&M in the College World Series Finals.

Since the contest, Texas A&M utility player Jett Johnston entered the NCAA transfer portal. He announced his commitment to Auburn on Sunday.

“New beginnings,” Johnston said. “Blessed, excited and ready to get to work!! Fired up to be an Auburn Tiger.”

Johnston went to Texas A&M from Farragut High School in Farragut, Tennessee.

Johnston was a starting third baseman when Farragut won consecutive state titles in Tennessee from 2022-23. He appeared in 13 games, including three starts, as a freshman in 2024 at Texas A&M, recording two RBIs and five runs scored.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire