Tag: Caleb Burton

Cam Coleman named an ‘instant-impact’ signee by College Sports Wire

Auburn’s top signee of the 2024 recruiting cycle is poised to play an important role early on.

Auburn struck gold during the 2024 recruiting cycle by signing four quality wide receivers to boost its passing production.

The leader of the group is [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], a five-star signee from nearby Phenix City who joins Auburn’s roster as the state of Alabama’s top recruit of the class, and the nation’s No. 2 overall wide receiver.

Coleman is on campus and is going through spring practice. He is expected to be in contention for the offense’s top receiver role alongside [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag], and Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag].

When breaking down every SEC signing class, College Sports Wire‘s Matt Melton picked Coleman as Auburn’s “instant-impact” player for the cycle. Melton believes that Coleman can be the best receiver that Auburn has had in quite some time.

When looking at Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class overall, it’s hard to pick against Coleman not being the biggest instant-impact player of the group as a true freshman. Rated as the No. 3 prospect in the country, Coleman is a bigger receiver at 6-foot-3 who could very easily be the most talented wideout that Auburn has had in recent years, even as a true freshman.

Alabama‘s Ryan Williams, Florida‘s LJ McCray, and Texas A&M‘s Terry Bussey join Coleman in being named instant-impact signees by College Sports Wire.

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Jyaire Shorter named a top-10 player in the SEC West ahead of 2023 season

ESPN’s Bill Connelly feels that the North Texas transfer will be a great addition to Auburn’s receiver room.

During his SEC West preview, ESPN’s Bill Connelly documented what Hugh Freeze has done to correct Auburn’s passing troubles.

“Auburn’s 2022 offense could only run, so Freeze brought in Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and five receiver transfers,” Connelly said.

Connelly is keeping an eye on one of Auburn’s five receiver transfers.

Included in his preview were his ten favorite players from the SEC West. He mentioned North Texas transfer Jyaire Shorter.

Shorter was a valuable asset to the North Texas offense for the last five seasons, with his best season coming in 2022. He reeled in 23 passes for 628 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Shorter caught 41% of passes thrown his way with only five drops.

Connelly feels that Shorter will be a great deep-ball option for Auburn.

In the past 10 seasons, only two players have averaged at least 2.5 yards per route with a catch rate under 50% (and 50 minimum targets): Michigan State’s Jalen Nailor (2021) and Shorter at North Texas (2022). Doing so requires a lot of deep routes. Deep routes are fun.

Shorter joins a long list of exciting receiver transfers. Auburn also added [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] from Jackson State, [autotag]Nick Marder[/autotag] from Cincinnati, [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] from Ohio State, and [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] from FIU.

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Hugh Freeze updates status of Daquayvious Sorey

He signed with Auburn back in December but it no longer looks like he will be joining the team.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] spoke at SEC Media Days on Tuesday and he provided an update on wide receiver [autotag]Daquayvious Sorey[/autotag], who no longer appears set to join the program.

Freeze expressed optimism that JUCO defensive lineman Quientrail Jamison-Travis would be able to join the team for the season before telling reporters “not quite as much (confidence) about Sorey.”

Sorey was Auburn’s only high school wide receiver in the class and signed with the program back in December. The three-star prospect now appears to be taking the JUCO route, adding #JUCOPRODUCT to his Instagram bio.

He was ranked as the No. 471 overall player and No. 63 wide receiver in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Campbellton, Florida product was also the No. 85 player from The Sunshine State.

While he was Auburn’s only high school signee they also added four receivers out of the transfer portal in [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag], [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag].

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Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 10 Caleb Burton

He is one of Auburn’s most intriguing pickups.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in his first season on the Plains.

Up next is transfer wide receiver [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag]. The talented wide receiver spent one season at Ohio State before entering the portal and is one of Auburn’s most intriguing pickups.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Height: 5-11

Weight: 171

Previous School: Ohio State

Class in 2023: Redshirt Freshman

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four-Star / No. 22 in Texas / No. 21 WR

Depth Chart Overview

Unlike most of Auburn’s transfer additions, Burton is just starting his college career and is far from a finished product. The former top 150 recruit didn’t see the field last season partially due to an injury but spent time at Ohio State, the school that is the best in the country at producing elite wide receivers.

He fits best in the slot and will likely back up [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] as he gets valuable experience and learns the offense. Burton’s role may be limited in the 2023 season, but he has the talent to carve out plenty of playing time and will be a key member of the wide receiver room moving forward.

 Caleb Burton’s Photo Gallery

Jersey numbers for spring transfers unveiled

Here’s a look at what number each of Auburn’s eight spring transfers will wear this fall.

After finding success in the first window of the transfer portal window, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff continued to work to fill needs for their team in the spring portion.

As part of their spring transfer haul, Auburn gained support at wide receiver, jack linebacker, offensive line, and quarterback. [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] headlines the spring additions, as Freeze now has a worthy quarterback to compete with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] for the starting QB1 job.

Whoever wins the quarterback battle will also have more options to throw to thanks to the addition of three wide receivers in [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag], [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag], and [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag].

Defensively, the biggest position Auburn needed to fill was JACK linebacker. In the winter window, Auburn added [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] from Vanderbilt to build depth. However, Dylan Brooks elected to leave the program, which left more room to fill. The Tigers received assistance, however, by landing [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] from Appalachian State and [autotag]Stephen Sings[/autotag] from Liberty.

At linebacker, Auburn gains [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag]. Nixon was the second-leading tackler at North Texas last season with 105 total stops and was named first-team All-Conference USA.

RELATED: Ranking Auburn’s 2023 transfers by PFF grade

All eight transfers are now on campus and have received their jersey numbers for the upcoming season. Here’s a look at what number each spring transfer will wear this upcoming season.

No.  Name
1 Payton Thorne, QB
10 Caleb Burton, WR
11 Shane Hooks, WR
14 Jyaire Shorter, WR
16 Stephen Sings V, JACK
30 Larry Nixon III, LB
35 Jalen McLeod, JACK
63 Jaden Muskrat, OL

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Jyaire Shorter included in College Sports Wire’s best SEC wide receivers list

Auburn secured several wide receivers from the transfer portal, and the former North Texas star is set to make an immediate impact.

Auburn will have a completely revamped offensive unit in 2023, as [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] performed a complete overhaul by using talent from the transfer portal.

One of the most talented additions to Auburn’s receiving unit is North Texas transfer [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag]. Shorter announced his transfer to Auburn the same day as fellow North Texas product, linebacker [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag], shared his intention to also transfer to Auburn. Shorter joins [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] as new wide receivers to the squad, and one college football analyst feels that he can become one of the SEC’s leading receivers by season’s end.

In his initial SEC wide receiver rankings, College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn listed Shorter as the No. 12 wide receiver in the conference. Conn feels that Shorter and quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will team up to create explosive plays for Auburn this season.

If you want explosive plays, keep your eyes on Jyaire Shorter of Auburn. He joins a team in desperate need of big plays on the offensive side of the ball. Shorter should be a big play threat with plenty of those explosive plays, as long as Robby Ashford isn’t the one throwing the ball.

Shorter snagged 23 passes for 628 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for the Mean Green. His 11 touchdowns led the team last season, with the next closest receiver only snagging five. He has a total of 58 catches for 1,1,320 yards and 20 touchdowns ahead of his final eligible season in 2023.

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Auburn is already benefiting from Hugh Freeze’s knack for recruiting

Despite only being on the job for seven months, Hugh Freeze has led Auburn to a top five spot in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings.

After dismissing [autotag]Brian Harsin[/autotag] in October of last year, Auburn hired [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in hopes that he would rebuild a program that had been steadily declining over the last two seasons.

He has yet to coach a game, but Freeze is already proving that he was the right choice due to his success on the recruiting trail. Auburn ended the 2023 recruiting cycle with the No. 18 class, and they did more damage within the transfer portal by landing the nation’s No. 3 overall class.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently broke down the top 10 transfer portal hauls of the 2023 cycle and has listed Auburn’s class as one of the most impressive in college football.

Crawford says that Freeze is proving his positive track record in recruiting already.

Auburn’s power brass knew of Hugh Freeze’s ability to recruit and he has made noise ahead of his first campaign. Freeze has convinced 11 four-star transfers to join him on The Plains ahead of the 2023 season, including several defensive linemen that will assist in Auburn’s all-new group of pass rushers. The Tigers landed a much-needed quarterback too in (Payton) Thorne, doing so after the two-week April window. A couple pass-catching additions will provide immediate assistance.

Crawford listed quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], DL [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag], OL [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag], and WR [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] as the “hot names” of Auburn’s transfer portal haul, but the Tigers reeled in several potential day-one starters in OL’s [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag] and [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag], LB [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag], and RB [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag].

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Auburn named a spring transfer portal winner

The Tigers have added eight transfers during the spring window, including quarterback Payton Thorne.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] inherited a roster that needed a massive injection of talent if the Auburn Tigers were going to compete in the SEC in his first year on the Plains.

Well, he went out and got the talent and on Thursday the Tigers were named a winner of the spring transfer portal by Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press.

Auburn has brought in quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] (Michigan State) and wide receivers [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] (Jackson State), [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] (Ohio State) and [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] (North Texas) to fix a passing attack that was one of the worst in the SEC last season.

While Thorne struggled last season, Russo points out that his 19 touchdown passes were over double the nine that Auburn managed.

The Tigers also added offensive lineman [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag], who started for offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] at Tulsa last season.

It wasn’t just the offense that got reinforcements though, they added linebackers [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] (App State) and [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] (North Texas) and defensive end [autotag]Stephen Sings V[/autotag] (Liberty) to shore up the front seven on defense.

McLeod and Sings are both expected to help rush the passer at the Jack linebacker spot as defensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Roberts[/autotag] looks to create more “havoc” plays.

Nixon, who made 105 tackles last season, will help shore up the middle of the defense.

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Former Colorado receiver chooses Arizona over Auburn

Montana Lemonious-Craig elects to stay out west after visiting Auburn last month.

Auburn football head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has had plenty of success by gaining talent from the transfer portal this fall. However, one of his top targets has elected to keep his talents on the west coast.

[autotag]Montana Lemonious-Craig[/autotag], best known for having a spectacular day in Colorado‘s spring game last month, announced Saturday night that he will stay in the PAC-12 by transferring to Arizona. He chose the Wildcats over Auburn, Cal, and Michigan State.

Lemonious-Craig was part of Colorado’s mass exodus of transfers from Colorado, but his departure was a bit of a surprise. He caught three passes for 154 yards in Deion Sanders’ initial spring game in Boulder and declared for the transfer portal the very next day.

Soon after entering the portal, Lemonious-Craig paid a visit to the Plains. After his visit, Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live predicted that he would sign with the Tigers.

Despite Auburn not being able to land Lemonious-Craig, they have still added plenty of talent to the receiving corps by landing FIU’s [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], Ohio State‘s [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag], and North Texas’ [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag].

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Former Jackson State WR Shane Hooks visited Auburn on Tuesday

Auburn may not be done adding wide receivers despite the addition of Jyaire Shorter.

Despite the addition of former North Texas wide receiver [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] on Tuesday, the Auburn Tiger may not be done adding receivers.

According to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover, Jackson State transfer wide receiver [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] unofficially visited Auburn on Tuesday.

Hooks entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer on Dec. 21, 2022. He then committed to Ole Miss on April 20 but backed off that pledge on April 28. That is when Auburn got involved, offering him a scholarship on May 13.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder also has offers from UCF, Utah, Mississippi State and Liberty. This is his second time in the portal, he started his career at Ohio before transferring to Jackson State prior to the 2019 season.

He did not play in 2019 or 2020 but started to emerge in 2021. He caught 16 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns in six games.

Hooks became Jackson State’s top wideout last season, snagging 66 passes for 775 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories.

Auburn has already added three wide receivers between the two transfer windows, [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] (Cincinnati) committed during the first window with [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] (Ohio State) and Shorter (North Texas) committing during the spring.

They have also added former Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and FIU tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] as they look to overhaul a passing attack that struggled last season.

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