Tag: Bryce Cain

Tigers of the Game: Shades of ‘vintage’ Thorne graced Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday

Auburn football grabbed the season-opening win over Alabama A&M due in part to Thorne’s great passing.

Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] had a disappointing season in 2023 where he passed for just 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] overhauled the receiving unit during the offseason in hopes of giving Thorne the opportunity to replicate his 2021 success when he passed for over 3,000 yards and led Michigan State to 11 wins and a Peach Bowl win.

It is still too early to tell if Thorne can bring Auburn similar success in 2024, but he has gotten off to a great start.

Thorne passed for 322 yards and four touchdowns in Auburn’s season-opening win over Alabama A&M on Saturday. Thorne eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the first time as a Tiger and his four touchdown passes are the most he has thrown since the 2022 season in Michigan State’s season-opening win over Western Michigan. It was his best performance in an Auburn uniform since he passed for 230 yards and three touchdowns against Mississippi State last October.

After the game, Thorne discussed his excitement of being able to connect on multiple deep passes.

“It was great, nice to see that we were able to take some shots down the field and connect on them and then obviously finish it the rest of the way and get in the endzone. It means a lot. You know it’s good to get out here and do it against another team and see it happen and it’s something we have to build on.”

Who are some other players that are worthy of a “Tiger of the Game” nod? Here are the players that caught the eyes of Auburn Wire writers Taylor Jones, Brian Hauch, Tyler Raley, and Auburn fans for their performance against Alabama A&M.

Following a strong scoring output, it is easy to see why the Auburn offense is earning a bulk of the attention. However, limiting Alabama A&M to three points and 242 yards can not go unnoticed. Jalen McLeod was Auburn’s top defensive player on Saturday after recording five tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack.

The “Freeze Four” had a stellar debut as [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] all logging at least one reception, with three of them finding the endzone.

However, it was Simmons that had the most impressive debut. Simmons hauled in a team-leading 91 receiving yards with an offensive touchdown. His first score came in the 3rd quarter when he recovered a blocked put in the end zone and earned his first receiving touchdown seven minutes later when he brought in a 57-yard pass from [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag].

The debut of “Big Play Dre” was memorable. Penn State’s leading receiver from a year ago ended his first game in orange and blue with three catches for 80 yards and a team-leading two touchdowns. Look for Lambert-Smith to be a life force for Payton Thorne this season.

Auburn fans have spoken, and they have chosen quarterback Payton Thorne as the “Tiger of the Game” after his performance against Alabama A&M. To have a say in who wins next week’s “Tiger of the Game” award, visit Auburn Wire on X (formerly Twitter) after every game to cast your vote.

Here’s an updated look at how many “Tiger of the Game” honors each Auburn player has earned this season:

  • KeAndre Lambert-Smith (1)
  • Payton Thorne (1)
  • Malcolm Simmons (1)
  • Jalen McLeod (1)

Bryce Cain brings ‘grateful’ attitude to the Plains

Cain never dreamed he would be an Auburn Tiger, and he is enjoying every second of it.

Auburn football freshman wide receiver [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag] had an unorthodox journey to the Plains and is enjoying every second.

Cain, who signed with Auburn as part of its historical wide receiver class in 2024, began playing football as an 11th grader after spending most of his athletic career on the baseball diamond. He broke out in 2022 by hauling 31 catches for 390 yards for the Baker Hornets and blew past those numbers as a senior in 2023 with 948 yards on 43 catches with 16 touchdowns.

Due to those impressive numbers and visits to several camps, Cain became an attractive target on many college football recruiting boards, including Auburn’s. It was a path that Cain could have never predicted.

“I never thought this day would come,” Cain said during a recent media availability. “I just gave it in God’s hands, and he led me to the right path. I didn’t think I was going to be here, but I am. And I’m grateful.”

His stats were impressive, but his speed drew Auburn wide receivers coach [autotag]Marcus Davis[/autotag] to Cain. Davis is excited for the potential that Cain can bring to the Auburn offense.

“One thing you can’t coach is speed, and he’s definitely got that. You can see his development from the spring to now; you can tell he was here this spring, just with how he’s developed. Just knowing what to do,” Davis said. “It’s fun coaching Bryce; he’s another guy who comes in with the same attitude every day, man. One thing I can say about the room right now is the approach to things is a grateful, gratitude attitude. It’s been fun so far.”

Cain is a member of the infamous “Freeze Four” which includes [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag]. He says that the hype surrounding the group is real and expects the unit to make an immediate impact.

“Oh we can have a big impact,” Cain said. “If we get all the plays down and learn just like that *snaps* we’re going to be on the field. It’s going to be a big impact for this team.”

Cain joins Auburn as the No. 13 recruit from Alabama from the 2024 class according to 247Sports, and the No. 30 wide receiver nationally.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Cam Coleman included on USA TODAY Sports’ instant impact freshmen list

Coleman has caught the eye of many national writers this season including USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg.

Freshman wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] has turned the heads of a few college football experts, including USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg.

Myerberg recently released his picks for the 10 college football freshmen ready to make an instant impact this season, including Auburn’s top 2024 signee. Myerberg says that Coleman’s impressive showing at A-Day should carry over into his freshman season.

Coleman is one of two five-star freshmen receivers joining this year’s Iron Bowl, along with Alabama’s Ryan Williams. But Williams is a wild card because of the fact he was not an early enrollee, making it harder to predict whether he’ll be ready to contribute for new coach Kalen DeBoer. Coleman could change the complexion of Auburn’s receiver room as a freshman and will definitely bring a big spark to a passing game that was putrid a year ago.

This is the second “impact freshmen” list that Coleman has joined recently. Earlier this week, ESPN mentioned the Phenix City native among the SEC’s top newcomers. Mark Schlabach and Chris Low join Myerberg in predicting Coleman to impact Auburn’s offense this season.

Coleman enters his freshman season at Auburn as the nation’s No. 4 overall recruit from the 2024 class, and the No. 2 wide receiver. He, along with fellow freshman receiver [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] will make their debuts on Saturday, Aug. 31 when the Tigers host Alabama A&M for the season-opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

What does Payton Thorne think about Cam Coleman’s skills?

Thorne comments on the highly-ranked freshmen’s skills ahead of the 2024 season.

Auburn football kicks off its 2024 campaign in just a matter of weeks and the hype around the season is building as the days go by. Many fans have high expectations for some of the newcomers they will season, and for good reason.

The main topic of conversation in that regard will be on wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], who is being seen as a player that will be a force on the Plains.

As if he does not have enough good things being said about him, quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] added on to it when talking to his former Michigan State teammate, Jayden Reed.

Coleman’s ability to catch the ball in unique ways is one thing that stands out to many, and a lot of that comes from his phenomenal leaping ability. It is so phenomenal, that Thorne believes Coleman can jump higher than his former Michigan State teammate, Keon Coleman.

“I’ve never seen somebody who can jump as high as (Cam) can. It’s honestly majestic,” Thorne said.

Coleman makes his way to the Plains after finishing his high school career with a Class 7A state championship at Central-Phenix City in Alabama and looks to turn some heads in the early going.

He will be seen along with other new wide receivers like [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] when the Tigers take the field for their week one game against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m. CST.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34

Where does Auburn land in CBS Sports’ post-spring SEC power rankings?

Will Backus of CBS Sports says that there is one giant question facing Auburn heading into the summer session.

A-Day provided a disappointing ending to Auburn’s spring practice session as the offense failed to score more than one touchdown in the game.

The touchdown, however, was exciting. Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] connected with freshman wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] for a 34-yard score in the 4th quarter, which could be seen as foreshadowing for what could be the 1-2 punch on Auburn’s offense this season.

Still, Auburn’s offense has work to do in order to find success in 2024. Following the spring session, CBS Sports’ Will Backus revealed his post-spring SEC rankings, where he placed Auburn at No. 12. Backus says that Auburn has the potential to rise, but Thorne holds the key to overall success.

Hugh Freeze has spent a lot of time and effort upgrading his team around the quarterback. Now it’s up to Payton Thorne to take that next step. The former Michigan State transfer failed to impress in his first season on The Plains. Whether that was due to a lack of talent to spread the ball to — no longer an issue now that former five stars like WR Cam Coleman are on the team — or Thorne’s own limitations, he has to be a whole lot better if the Tigers want to avoid embarrassments like losing to New Mexico State.

In addition to Coleman, Auburn has added three other highly touted freshman wide receivers [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] to its roster. [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] also provide the room with experience from the transfer portal. Expect Thorne to take a step forward this season and to play a major role in Auburn moving up CBS Sports’ rankings once the season gets underway.

Hugh Freeze: ‘I believe in our quarterback room’

Auburn’s head coach believes that he has the offensive pieces to make Payton Thorne and all Auburn quarterbacks successful.

Auburn football handled several needs this offseason, especially at wide receiver.

Following the additions of [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] from high school and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] from the transfer portal, Auburn fans and media members alike began to wonder if Auburn’s quarterback room would allow the new receivers to reach their full potential.

Hugh Freeze pondered that question also. When weighing the options, he decided to subscribe to the “bloom where you are planted” method and develop the stable of quarterbacks that are already on the roster. In a recent interview with Jox 94.5’s McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Freeze broke down his thought process when deciding to develop or go to the transfer portal this offseason.

“The options that you’re presented with: develop Payton (Thorne), develop Holden (Geriner), develop Hank (Brown), develop Walker (White), or go spend a million dollars on this guy, I just couldn’t bring myself to doing that, because I wanted to put all the pieces together,” Freeze said.

Following A-Day, Freeze made it apparent that Thorne will get the first nod at the position this season. Following a disappointing season in which he passed for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, Freeze believes that the recent receiver additions will boost his production, citing his Michigan State targets Keon Coleman and Jalen Nailor as examples.

“I’ve watched (Thorne’s) Michigan State stuff 1,000 times, he had two NFL receivers and he was pretty danged good,” Freeze said. “There’s a lot of things that should be 50-50 balls and you’ve got to have a guy that can do that. I think Dre Lambert, he’s a 50-50 pass-catcher. And obviously, we’re excited about the ones we signed.”

Outside of receivers, Freeze says that newly-appointed quarterbacks coach [autotag]Kent Austin[/autotag] will get Thorne, and every Auburn quarterback, to the right level.

“I believe in our quarterback room. I believe in Kent Austin,” Freeze said. “I believe if you have the right pieces around Payton that we can have success. I think you saw some glimpses of that, and I don’t think we had a total package around him really.”

In three seasons at Michigan State, Thorne passed for 6,501 yards and 49 touchdowns. In 2022, Thorne passed for 3,240 yards and 27 touchdowns with Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor as his top targets. It will be interesting to see how much of a step forward Thorne takes with a revamped wide-receiving corps.

Auburn football’s spring transfer portal haul receives praise from CBS Sports

CBS Sports’ Clint Brewster is impressed with Auburn’s ability to fill key needs within the transfer portal this spring.

Auburn football quickly assessed its needs following the spring practice session by adding four key players to its roster.

On offense, the Tigers added another experienced receiver in [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] from Penn State to go along with Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] and several key freshmen such as [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag].

Defensively, Auburn filled its front need with three defensive linemen: [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag], [autotag]Keyron Crawford[/autotag], and [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag]. Auburn added several defensive backs, wide receivers, and offensive linemen during the winter window in hopes of enhancing its six-win campaign from last season.

Following the closure of the spring transfer portal window on April 30, Clint Brewster of CBS Sports graded several top programs’ transfer portal moves. The Tigers’ ability to fill important needs impressed Brewster, who placed the Tigers at No. 2 with a B- grade.

The Tigers addressed the defensive line in the transfer portal with Philip Blidi (No. 291) and Isaiah Raikes (No. 679). Their rankings won’t “wow” you but they’re high three-star guys who project as solid contributors. Auburn also added a deep threat on the offensive side with receiver Keandre Lambert-Smith (No. 68), who had 12 plays of 15 yards or more last season at Penn State. At offensive tackle, Percy Lewis (No. 194) could be a starter after a strong spring.

Alabama was the lone program to top Auburn in Brewster’s rankings. Florida, Florida State, and LSU join Auburn by rounding out the top five.

Auburn reaches out to Arizona State transfer WR Elijhah Badger

Badger hauled in 141 catches for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns in four seasons at Arizona State.

Auburn football has enhanced its wide receiver room more than any position group this offseason. However, following the departure of Koy Moore to the transfer portal, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff are looking to add one more to the rotation.

According to a report by On3, former Arizona State wide receiver [autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] has heard from over 20 programs since entering the transfer portal on April 20 including Auburn. Auburn is one of six SEC programs that have expressed interest in Badger including Florida, Texas A&M, and Arkansas.

Badger was a highly-touted recruit from Folsom High School in Sacramento, California. He was a four-star athlete ranked No. 6 in the nation and was the No. 14 overall product from California from the 2020 recruiting cycle.

His play at Arizona State was indicative of his recruiting rankings as he hauled in 142 catches for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns in four seasons in Tempe. He was the Sun Devils leading receiver in both 2022 and 2023, where he combined to catch 135 passes for 1,579 yards and 10 scores. The 2022 season was his best to-date where he reached career-bests in receptions (70), yards (866), and touchdowns (7).

Auburn will have plenty of weapons in its receiving room this season. The Tigers’ leading receiver from last season, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], returns while former Penn State stand out [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] joins the roster from the transfer portal. Adding a receiver such as Badger would bring more experience to the roster, which will be a great development tool for freshmen receivers [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag].

Former Auburn receiver Jay Fair transfers to USC

Auburn Football’s most productive receiver from a season ago has taken his talents to the West Coast, where he will play for the USC Trojans in 2024.

Auburn Football’s most productive receiver from a season ago has taken his talents to the West Coast, where he will play for the USC Trojans in 2024.

While Jay Fair is coming off an impressive season in which he led all Auburn wide receivers with 31 receptions, the junior’s role on the depth chart was ambiguous at best with freshmen talent such as [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] joining highly touted transfer [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] on the Plains next season.

The former three-star recruit heads to USC with a much more direct route to playing time with the two most productive Trojan wideouts from a season ago, Brendan Rice and Tahj Washington, turning pro after being selected in the NFL Draft.

Fair’s departure ultimately clears up Auburn’s 2024 receiving room enough for coach Hugh Freeze to get a good idea on what it will look like heading into the fall.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Jay Fair becomes second Tiger to enter transfer portal

Fair logged 34 catches for 358 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons at Auburn.

The spring transfer portal window has been relatively quiet for Auburn, as just two players have declared their intention to depart from the program.

Joining defensive lineman [autotag]Brenton Williams[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] has also elected to dip into the transfer portal after spending two seasons on the Plains.

Fair was a notable player heading into the 2023 season following a successful training camp. The hype bled into the season as he made 14 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns in Auburn’s first three games. However, his production dipped as he managed to record just 17 catches for 150 yards and zero scores over the final 10 games.

Despite his late struggles, Fair was second in receptions with 31, third in yards with 324, and tied for third with two touchdown catches. Auburn’s leading receiver, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], returns to the team for the 2024 season. At the same time, true freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] are expected to enter the receiver rotation.

Auburn has received one commitment from the spring window, former Indiana defensive lineman Philip Blidi. Former Penn State receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and former USC [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag] are also high on Auburn’s board.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__