Tag: Bryan Harsin

Brian’s column: Auburn needs to find its identity in week one

Auburn Wire’s Brian Hauch says that Auburn should discover themselves under Hugh Freeze.

Auburn football has been in a tenuous place for the last few years. The [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] era was full of controversies, flip-flopping recruits, and downright bad football.

The last few years have caused the Auburn Tigers to have the main thing every successful football team has, a true, strong, identity. The 2010 Tigers were Hollywood rockstars, feeding off the swagger of their best player, and one of the best Auburn football players of all time, [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag].

The 2013 team was defined by their offensive explosiveness, with playmakers like [autotag]Nick Marshall[/autotag], [autotag]Tre Mason[/autotag], [autotag]Sammy Coates[/autotag], and [autotag]Cameron Artis-Payne[/autotag] making sure Auburn was never out of a game.

In 2017, the Tigers ran, ran, and ran some more. Defined by grit and toughness off the back of SEC player of the year [autotag]Karryon Johnson[/autotag] and head Coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag]’s approach.

Auburn teams of late have lacked these true defining characteristics, often times looking uninspired on the field. With a new head coach and an overhauled team, the time is now for Auburn to find an identity again.

So what can that identity be? On the offensive side of the ball, the team needs to be quick and elusive, but also mean and gritty.

Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze [/autotag] has been known for his air-raid offense in the past, and Auburn has the personnel to implement it.

[autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] needs to be quick, calm, and poised in the pocket in week one. Coach Freeze’s system is designed for quick reads and accurate balls. Here’s an example of what kind of throws Thorne will be asked to make in the Hugh Freeze offense.

In this clip, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis reads man gets the snap, and fires a dot to his receiver running the go. The play was simple, smooth, and effective. Payton Thorne has already hinted that Auburn’s offense will look similar to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s fast-paced, one read and go, Liberty offense. 

Now he has to execute it, which may be a tougher task than assumed against a UMass secondary that had a great deal of luck confusing New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia with their man coverage in week one.

While Thorne needs to be quick in his reads, bad decisions will be detrimental against a UMass team that is going to try to bait him into as many as possible. Auburn’s quarterback needs to trust the system and get the ball in the hands of [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag], and [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] quickly and often. If he can do that, the Tigers are going to be a quick, energetic, fun offense.

The next step comes from the offensive line. The boys up front need to be feasting, supplying more pancakes than the waffle house on West Glenn on a Sunday Morning. [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag], [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag] and Co. have to establish themselves as the gritty, nasty, yin to the skill positions fast and energetic yang.

That is how you build a strong offense. Auburn should be able to punch their opponent in the gut for 3 quarters then take the top off the defense before they know what hit ’em. Physicality paired with elusiveness creates winning football, and more importantly, it can build an identity.

As for the defensive side of things, the Tigers have to become big-time playmakers. Last year Auburn had a negative 0.7 turnover margin. The year before that they were negative 0.1.

On the surface, it is easy to blame the inept play of the offense, but in reality, both units were equally bad. In 2022, Auburn’s offense turned the ball over 22 times, good for 107th most of out FBS teams. They also only gained 13, which was 112th most among teams in the FBS. 

[autotag]DJ James[/autotag], [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and the rest of the secondary’s focus should be creating chaos.

The high-tempo [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] offense surely is going to wear down opposing defenses. The more you can change the field and get the opponent’s unit back on it the more successful Auburn will be.

If the offense is going to transition into a high-energy unit, the defense needs to follow suit. That happens by creating turnovers.

 

Auburn not only has to beat UMass, but they have to show the rest of the SEC what kind of team they will be under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. If they are going to be successful this season and beyond,  that team needs be flying around the field, out-conditioning their opponents while also beating them down physically. We need to see who this team is going to be moving forward. It’s time for Auburn Football to re-establish itself.

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Auburn checks in at No. 32 on ESPN’s Week 1 FPI Index

Auburn should improve in its first year under Hugh Freeze, and ESPN seems to agree.

Last season could not have been much more of a disaster for the Auburn Tigers. The team finished 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the SEC, losing more games than they won for the second season in a row under head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag].

Still, there is reason to be optimistic as a Tigers fan this year with new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his band of transfers leading the charge. ESPN seems to share that optimism, at least for now, as they ranked Auburn just outside of the top 25 teams in the nation according to their College Football Power Index (FPI).

The FPI ranks each college football team by a variety of factors; Strength of record, strength of schedule, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and overall efficiency.

Former Auburn defensive coordinator to join the SEC Network

Derek Mason is back in the SEC but is now a member of the media.

auburn-football-derek-mason-defensive-coordinator-join-sec-network

Former Auburn defensive coordinator [autotag]Derek Mason[/autotag] is making his return to the SEC.

Mason, who was part of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s first staff in 2021, will be an analyst for the SEC Network, ESPN announced Wednesday afternoon. He will work with play-by-play commentator Dave Neal and sideline reporter Taylor Davis on SEC Network afternoon games this season.

After one season in charge of Auburn’s defense, Mason decided to step down and become Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator for the 2022 season. In January he announced that he was taking a “sabbatical” from coaching.

Prior to his time at Auburn, Mason spent seven years as the head coach at Vanderbilt. He finished with a 27-55 record and two bowl appearances.

Under Mason, Auburn’s defense ranked 27th nationally in scoring defense (21.8 points per game) and 21st in rushing yards per attempt (3.5).

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Auburn receives votes in preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

This marks the third straight season that Auburn will begin the season in the “receiving votes” category.

The preseason edition of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll has been released, which means that the giddy feeling of college football season is becoming more prevalent.

Auburn football ended the 2022 season on a sour note, as they fired head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] eight games into the season. Interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] brought new energy into the team, which resulted in a 2-2 finish.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has now taken over the program and has revamped the roster to a degree that brings excitement to Auburn fans everywhere. Head coaches from across the nation are taking note of the changes, and have given Auburn some respect in the polls. The Tigers will kick off the 2023 campaign in the “receiving votes” category of the poll.

It will mark the third straight season that Auburn has received votes in the preseason poll. The last time Auburn began the season as a ranked team was prior to the 2020 season when they held the No. 11 spot.

A look at the full USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 0-0 1,643 (61) –
2 Michigan 0-0 1,510 –
3 Alabama 0-0 1,489 (4) –
4 Ohio State 0-0 1,485(1) –
5 LSU 0-0 1,294 –
6 USC 0-0 1,228 –
7 Penn State 0-0 1,181 –
8 Florida State 0-0 1,145 –
9 Clemson 0-0 1,078 –
10 Tennessee 0-0 9991 –
11 Washington 0-0 941 –
12 Texas 0-0 848 –
13 Notre Dame 0-0 841 –
14 Utah 0-0 839 –
15 Oregon 0-0 820 –
16 TCU 0-0 655 –
17 Kansas State 0-0 440 –
18 Oregon State 0-0 365 –
19 Oklahoma 0-0 320 –
20 UNC 0-0 315 –
21 Wisconsin 0-0 309 –
22 Miss 0-0 303 –
23 Tulane 0-0 225 –
24 Texas Tech 0-0 200 –
25 Texas A&M 0-0 196 –

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa 169; South Carolina 89; Florida 63; Texas-San Antonio 59; Pittsburgh 52; UCLA 42; Kentucky 34; Baylor 28; Troy 25; Arkansas 20; NC State 19; Fresno State 19; Boise State 18; Auburn 18; Minnesota 16; Miami 16; Mississippi State 13; Oklahoma State 12; Missouri 11; Maryland 10; Southern Methodist 8; South Alabama 8; Illinois 7; Wake Forest 6; Air Force 6; Toledo 5; Washington State 4; Houston 3; Duke 2; Brigham Young 2; Arizona 2; Memphis 1; Kansas 1; James Madison 1.

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ESPN lists Ron Roberts among most interesting coordinator hires

Hugh Freeze refers to Roberts as “the mad scientist.”

Auburn has a historic reputation as a strong defensive team. However, that was one of the many aspects of the team that struggled under [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag].

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] wanted to hire a coordinator capable of lifting Auburn back to its expected level of defensive play and is confident [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag] is the man for the job.

Roberts previously served as the defensive coordinator of the Baylor Bears.

An article from ESPN by Adam Rittenberg discusses the most interesting coordinator hires in college football heading into the 2023 season and Roberts made the cut.

The article included quotes about Roberts that Freeze told ESPN’s Heather Dinch.

“The mad scientist,” Freeze said. “He truthfully is probably the most knowledgeable coordinator out there that has trained pretty much everybody in this conference right now that’s doing [the
system]. That was the value I was looking for.”

According to Freeze, Roberts is excited about improving the Auburn defense.

“The biggest challenge I have with Ron is, ‘Let’s don’t do everything in Year 1. Let’s just do what we can do,'” Freeze said. “But I love his maturity and his wisdom.”

Roberts will have his work cut out for him but seems excited about his journey on the Plains.

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How quickly can Hugh Freeze bring Auburn back to standard? ESPN weighs in

Freeze is on the right track to turning Auburn around. But how long will it take to show on the field?

After firing head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] after going 68-35 in eight seasons, Auburn felt that [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] would be an acceptable alternative.

The decision seemed to backfire, as Auburn fired Harsin just 21 games into his tenure. He finished 9-12 after a solid start which saw Auburn reach 6-2 in 2021. Harsin would lose the final five games of that season, and would only manage to win three games in 2022 before getting the can.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly pointed out that six of the preceding head coaches following the [autotag]Shug Jordan[/autotag] era had at least one top-15 finish and a run of success before being fired. That streak ended with Harsin.

Now it is time for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] to lead the program. How long will it take for him to turn things around? Connelly weighs in.

Connelly believes that Auburn made the right move by hiring Freeze due to his success against Auburn’s main rivals, Alabama and Georgia, during his time at Ole Miss. Not only that, but he has a proven track record of producing explosive offenses and winning recruiting battles.

While there is no accurate way to forecast Freeze’s overall success, Connelly believes that he will be off to a great start in 2023.

A soft nonconference slate should assure bowl eligibility or something close, but it’s still hard to tell how many games Auburn might win in Freeze’s first season. The roster had to be spackled together after imbalance and attrition issues. Auburn’s 2022 offense could only run, so Freeze brought in Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and five receiver transfers. The offensive line lost six of last year’s top seven, so he inked four transfers there. The run defense was dreadful, so he signed nine defensive line and linebacker transfers.

Freeze is one of two first-year head coaches that will navigate the SEC this season. Mississippi State named defensive coordinator Zach Arnett as its permanent head coach following the unfortunate passing of head coach Mike Leach.

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Auburn back in the picture for five star CB

“Flipmas” was a success in 2023. Can Hugh Freeze work his magic on Alabama commit Jaylen Mbakwe?

The state of Alabama’s top 2024 recruit has been a lock for Alabama since last July. However, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is working to change his mind.

[autotag]Jaylen Mbakwe[/autotag], a five-star cornerback from Clay-Chalkville in metro Birmingham, took an official visit to Auburn last weekend. During his visit, Freeze and defensive assistants [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] and [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] told Mbakwe that they were making him a priority this recruiting cycle, which may have him changing his tune when it comes to Auburn.

Mbakwe admitted to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover that Auburn was high on his list when [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] was the head coach on the Plains, but he put Auburn aside when [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] took over. He says that Freeze opened his eyes during his recent visit.

“I like to look in-state first. It kind of opened my eyes,” Mbakwe said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. This was the place I first wanted to come before the coaching change. I kind of backed off with coach (Bryan) Harsin here. With coach Freeze and the new staff, it kind of opened my eyes.”

Not only does Mbakwe want to compete on the gridiron at the next level, but he is also looking to run track. While on his visit, he spent time with Auburn Track and Field head coach [autotag]Leroy Burrell[/autotag].

“The track coaches are great,” Mbakwe said. “I came down for a track practice once. They were really fast. I see myself being one of those guys, a 9.9 guy.”

After his visit, Mbakwe says that Auburn has a chance to flip his decision and that he plans to return to campus in July for Big Cat Weekend.

RELATED: Meet the top 2024 prospects from the state of Alabama

Mbakwe is the No. 1 prospect from the state of Alabama for the 2024 cycle according to 247Sports and is the No. 19 athlete in the nation.

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Looking into Hugh Freeze’s incentive package at Auburn

Freeze could earn upwards of $3 million by completing several tasks.

It has taken nearly seven months for full details of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s contract at Auburn to emerge, but it appears that the Tigers’ leading man will have plenty of opportunities to make extra cash.

Freeze will be making $6.5 million annually to coach the Auburn Tigers, but what type of bonus money will Freeze have the opportunity to rake in during his time on the Plains?

According to the Opelika-Auburn News, which filed an open records request with Auburn University, here’s a look at Freeze’s incentives:

  • Five SEC wins would bring in $150,000 for Freeze plus an additional $150,00 for each SEC win after. An SEC Championship game appearance would mean $200,000 for Freeze while winning the game would mean $400,000.
  • A National Championship game appearance would be worth $1 million for Freeze while winning it all would be worth $2 million.
  • An appearance in a non-SEC group of six Bowl game would earn Freeze $50,000 while going to the Citrus Bowl or an SEC group of six Bowl game would allow Freeze to pocket $150,000.
  • Winning SEC Coach of the Year and one of the National Coach of the Year awards would be worth $75,000 apiece.
  • Personal appearances and endorsements earn Freeze $3,125,000 annually.

Freeze officially became Auburn’s head coach on Nov. 28, 2022, following the dismissal of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] just under a month prior. Freeze holds a record of 83-43 as a head coach at the FBS level and is 6-2 in bowl games.

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Auburn among top teams destined to rebound in 2023

Athlon Sports predicts the Tigers to go bowling after sustaining a five-win campaign last season.

Auburn went through a rough patch last season by sustaining a 5-7 season. The losing season sparked a coaching change as [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] was relieved of his duties on Oct. 31.

Things are trending upward for the Tigers, as [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has brought a new sense of confidence to the Auburn fanbase by recruiting and utilizing the transfer portal to find the best players for positions of need.

Because of the noticeable difference in overall morale, Athlon Sports feels that Auburn will be one of five teams that will rebound in 2023.

Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan recently shared five teams that he sees improving from their 2022 campaign. Auburn joins a list of programs such as Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Miami that are poised to get back to normal this season.

When discussing Auburn, Lassan shared that the Tigers’ lack of creating points, plus their struggles with stopping the run, led to a disappointing season. However, recent upgrades should get Auburn back on track.

The arrival of Hugh Freeze and a solid staff is the biggest reason Auburn should improve in ’23. Freeze and coordinator Philip Montgomery should jumpstart the offense, and the transfer portal additions of quarterback Payton Thorne (Michigan State) and four potential starters on a thin offensive line are another reason for optimism. Also, running back Jarquez Hunter should have a breakout year. The Tigers are solid in the secondary, and similar to the offense, a couple of transfer portal additions are slated to boost the line of scrimmage.

Several positions that received boosts this offseason include running back, offensive line, and quarterback. The new-look Tigers will begin their run to a bowl game on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Jordan-Hare Stadium against UMass.

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The fighter: T.J. Finley continues to face competition head on

Finley is keeping a positive attitude during the ongoing quarterback battle.

The 2023 season was a tested one for Auburn quarterback [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag].

After winning the quarterback battle during the summer, Finley would go on to play in just three games before a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of the season.

In those three games, however, he endured heavy criticism after throwing four interceptions to just one touchdown. Once his shoulder was back in playing shape, he elected to take a leave of absence from the program over the final four games of the season.

“I’m not really sure what triggered it, what prompted it,” Finley said Saturday when explaining his leave of absence. “I like to leave the past in the past and focus on the future. All I know is I’m a completely better person now mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and hopefully who I am right now can lead this team to a national championship.”

Now that he has returned to the team under new leadership, he is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to win the starting quarterback role. He says that it is his nature to compete, and he feels that he can contend with any quarterback in the country.

“I believe I can compete with anybody in the country, and that’s why I transferred here from LSU; I felt like I can compete with [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag],” Finley said. “Competition doesn’t scare me. I know who I am. I know what I can do, and with the right coaches, I know who I can grow into, and hopefully, this is the place. Competition brings the best out of everybody, and if you can’t handle competition, you don’t need to be in this industry.”

Now that Auburn’s football staff includes the likes of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag], and [autotag]Kent Austin[/autotag], former Auburn running back Tank Bigsby says that Finley will have the best chance to compete as opposed to his chances during the [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] years.

“All the adversity he’s been through, he keeps going. He keeps fighting. He’s looking for more. I can relate to guys like that,” Bigsby said during the NFL combine in March. “He’s great. He’s going to be great. He’ll be fine. He’s just going to get around the right guys, and I feel like he is now. The right coaches are in, and he’s going to do what he has to do.”

Finley will be in stiff competition with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] for the top spot on Auburn’s quarterback depth chart. In last Saturday’s A-Day game, Finley completed one pass for four yards in a rain-soaked contest.

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