Tag: Camden brown

Former Tiger Camden Brown commits to Georgia Southern

Brown finished his Tiger career with 26 receptions, 289 receiving yards, and three touchdowns

One of the longest-tenured Tigers on Auburn’s offesnse will be departing for another school next season. Junior wide receiver [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] announced he would be taking his talents to Georgia Southern on Wednesday.

A contributor on the Auburn offense since 2022, Brown finished his Tiger career with 26 receptions, 289 receiving yards, and a trio of scores. Unfortunately most of that production came in his first two seasons on the Plains, as Brown had just 7 receptions for 61 yards in 2024 playing behind Auburn’s abundance of other talented pass catchers.

With most of those pass catchers set to return as the top options in 2025, Brown will travel a state over to play at Georgia Southern, where the senior will likely have his biggest role of his college career. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound big body receiver has all the physical tools and big-game experience to thrive in the Sun Belt, especially for a team that could be a piece or two away from winning the conference next season.

As for Auburn, Brown’s departure further cements incoming sophomores [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] as the top two options for either [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag], or [autotag]Ashton Daniels[/autotag] next season. Second-year receivers [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag] are also candidates to see a larger role in 2025, while freshman [autotag]Derick Smith[/autotag] could also push for a starting spot as soon as he touches down on the Plains.

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Auburn wide receiver Caleb Burton to enter transfer portal

Burton departs Auburn after playing in eight games over two seasons.

This week begins the winter transfer portal window, and a former Auburn wide receiver will use this opportunity to find a new home.

[autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag], a wide receiver who transferred to Auburn from Ohio State before the 2023 season, will put his name into the transfer portal after spending two seasons on the Plains.

Burton played a small role in Auburn’s offense in 2023 by recording 16 catches for 226 yards before appearing in just one game for the Tigers in 2024, catching two passes for 49 yards in Auburn’s 73-7 win over Alabama A&M on Aug. 31.

Burton was expected to be a part of Auburn’s receiver rotation following a strong 2023 season. However, Auburn Undercover reported that Burton had missed time due to concussion protocol this season, which played a role in his limited field time.

Auburn also signed three wide receivers as part of its 2025 recruiting haul last week. Mixing the new receivers in with key targets including [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], would mean even more restricted playtime for Burton in the future.

Burton is the second wide receiver to declare his intention to enter the transfer portal, joining junior [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag]. The winter transfer portal window opens Monday, Dec. 9 and will close on Dec. 28.

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Hugh Freeze reveals who will start at quarterback for Arkansas game

Did Hank Brown do enough against New Mexico to earn another start? Hugh Freeze shared his answer on Saturday night.

Auburn enters SEC play this week with confidence after defeating New Mexico, 45-19 on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Most of its confidence comes from quarterback play. Redshirt freshman [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] earned his first career start on Saturday, taking over for previous starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]. Brown passed his first test by completing 17-of-25 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns. He completed a pass to 10 different receivers including [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Sam Jackson V[/autotag], and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag].

Brown has won the respect of his teammates outside of the gridiron, and it was great for players such as tight end [autotag]Micah Riley[/autotag] to watch Brown finally get his chance to shine.

“He balled out man,” Riley said of Brown’s performance postgame. “The way that he carries himself is great. He always has his Bible. Reading it and talking to guys. He always keeps his spirits up. I’m proud of him and can’t wait for him to ball out his next game.”

Brown checked most of the boxes head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] was hoping to accomplish on Saturday. Because of his performance, Brown has earned another start. He will get the nod for Auburn’s SEC opener next Saturday against Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium according to Freeze, citing that he wants to see how Brown competes against a tougher opponent.

According to a report from Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live, Freeze is not ready to say that Brown is Auburn’s permanent fixture at quarterback, but he hopes to see every player at the position to practice better in the event that their number is called.

“I don’t know if it’s, if he keeps playing well, it’ll be a permanent fix,” Freeze said of Brown’s hold on the QB1 spot. “If not, maybe it wakes everybody else up, spurs them to be better prepared and make better decisions.”

Following Saturday’s performance, Brown has now passed for 463 yards and six touchdowns while completing 69.2% of his passes with zero interceptions. So far in 2024, he has completed 20-of-30 passes for 331 yards. The biggest test of his young career will unfold next Saturday as Auburn welcomes Arkansas to Jordan-Hare Stadium to open SEC play. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN.

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Brian’s Column: Auburn’s new weapons need to make a statement on Saturday

On paper, this is far and away the best starting wide receiver core Auburn has had in some time.

The Auburn offense heads into the 2024 season after spending much of 2023 in a state of flux. While quarterback Payton Thorne showed flashes of competence, specifically in the late SEC season, his lack of explosive weapons and inexperience in the Hugh Freeze offense led the Tigers to one of the worst offensive outputs in the conference.

Still, Auburn was able to win six games behind a dynamic defense that was consistently ranked in the top 20 in ESPN’s Football Power Index. That defense lost some key pieces this offseason however, further creating a need to [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], Hugh Freeze, Derrick Nix, and the Auburn offense to carry a bigger load in 2024.

If the Tigers are going to have a successful campaign, the offense needs not only improve, but improve drastically. That needs to start on Saturday against Alabama A&M, and it starts with the pass catching threats on the outside.

Only two wide receivers eclipsed the 300-yard mark a season ago on the Plains. Those players, [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag], both play college ball for different programs now. Only two incumbent wide receivers that made a decent impact, [autotag]Caleb Burton II[/autotag] (226 yards, 2023) and [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] (110 yards, 2023) remain on the Auburn roster this season.

The Tigers do return tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and his team-leading 394 receiving yards from a season ago, but Payton Thorne needs to have faith in other weapons outside the numbers when Auburn kicks off its season in a tomorrow. Those weapons, which are all due to make their Auburn debut, have plenty of talent. On Saturday, they have to prove to Thorne, Hugh Freeze, and the Auburn family that they can make an impact.

Auburn’s top receiving trio is set to be Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag], Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], and five-star recruit [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. Each respective member of the trio has high expectations going into this season for different reasons. If they all live up to or exceed those expectations, Auburn’s offense could be one of the best in the conference.

Lambert-Smith comes to the Plains after an illustrious career in Happy Valley. His 123 career receptions and 1,721 receiving yards rank just outside the top 15 in Penn State history, and he likely would have entered the top 5 in both categories had he stayed in State College for his final year of eligibility. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound big-play threat decided to join Hugh Freeze on the Plains however, where he’ll likely slot in as the “Z receiver”. He and his 13.7 yards per reception give Auburn a proven, experienced, number one receiver that it hasn’t rostered since Seth Williams. If Auburn’s offense is going to reach its potential, the senior needs to be the first Tiger to surpass 800 yards since the aforementioned Williams in 2019.

Auburn’s projected starting slot receiver, Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], brings much of the same pure speed and route running ability as Lambert-Smith. After hauling in a team-leading 70 receptions for 877 yards in 2023, Lewis has the potential to become a quicker and more explosive version of [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag], who racked up 31 receptions for 324 yards in this scheme a season ago. While Lewis’s 40-yard speed of 4.45 isn’t as fast as Lambert-Smith’s blazing 4.30, he’s shown elite ability to make defenders miss around the line of scrimmage. When the Auburn offense is at its best, Lewis will be in motion, catching short passes that open up the opposing linebackers, allowing the Auburn run game to thrive.

While the two transfers offer incredible quickness and speed, freshman Cam Coleman has the potential to become a true, dominant, “WR1”, or X receiver, on the Plains. The 18-year-old’s 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame combined with a 4.40 40-time give him all the physical tools needed to dominate in the SEC. There will be growing pains, but if the Phenix City, AL native can put it all together in his freshman season, Auburn’s ceiling could be as high as the College Football Playoff.

On paper, this is far and away the best starting wide receiver core Auburn has had in some time. With freshman Perry “Uno” Thompson and Bryce Cain waiting in the wings as well, quarterback Payton Thorne has little excuse to not take a major step forward in his final season on the Plains. That step forward must begin in the season opener against Alabama A&M.

The Tigers are heavy favorites, and the receiving core needs to show why on Saturday. If they don’t, things could derail quickly for Auburn.

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Auburn announces depth chart for Iron Bowl

Auburn is shaking up the starting lineup at wide reciever.

The Auburn Tigers are looking to close out the regular season with a bang when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the ___ edition of the Iron Bowl

The Tigers are looking to put their shocking 31-10 loss to New Mexico State behind them and are making some changes on the offensive depth chart. The Tigers are shaking up the starting rotation at all three wide receiver spots, with each featuring multiple starters.

[autotag]Caleb Burton III[/autotag] is now listed as a starter at slot receiver, while [autotag]Malcolm Johnson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] are now possible starters at the outside spots.

All three of them have seen their roles increase recently as [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and Co. look to spark a struggling passing attack.

Here is a look at Auburn’s full depth chart for Saturday’s game, which is set to start at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be on CBS.

Brian’s Column: Auburn needs to develop a passing attack following the bye

Auburn’s passing attack needs to be better in the second half of the season

The Auburn Tigers have lost two games in a row to drop to 3-2 (0-2 SEC) overall entering the bye week.

Those two losses are not on the defense.

If Auburn is going to go bowling this year, the offensive side of the ball needs to be better. Specifically, quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and the group of pass-catchers Thorne is throwing the ball to.

The Tiger’s offensive line and running backs improved greatly against Georgia last week after struggling for much of the season, but the one-dimensional Auburn offense fell flat in the second half, ultimately leading to Georgia storming back to steal on in Jordan-Hare.

It is pretty clear that head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is not interested in making a change at the quarterback position, at least for now.

While Thorne hasn’t been very good, his receivers have not helped him out much at all.

The headline of this tweet is slightly misleading as some of these catches have a high level of difficulty.

Still, when you are playing the number-one team in the country, some of these plays need to be made.

The first thing the Auburn coaching staff should be evaluating this week is the rotation at wide receiver.

[autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] has been fine in most games and above average in a few, as the junior leads all Auburn wide outs with 18 receptions and 196 receiving yards through five games.

[autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] has also done his part. The Auburn tight end is second on the team in receptions and yards, with 15 and 145, respectively.

The next four recievers on the Auburn depth chart, [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] and [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] have combined for just 15 catches combined.

The aformentioned Johnson going down with an injury in week 2 hasn’t helped, but one or two of Auburn’s pass catching threats needs to step up in the second half of the season to give [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] another option besides his slot receiver, tight end, or running back.

Auburn’s quarterback needs someone else he can trust. Until then, he’s going to continue making mistakes.

This game-ending interception is a perfect example of Thorne not trusting any of his receivers.

Auburn’s quarterback spends the majority of his time in the pocket staring down [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] before attempting to force a ball into tight coverage.

It doesn’t work, and Auburn loses the football game.

The Tigers need another option to step up in the passing game after the bye, or interceptions, drops, and misreads will continue to be an issue for the offense.

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In Photos: Auburn’s first scrimmage of fall camp

The Tigers had their first scrimmage of fall camp saturday, here are the top photos.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s first fall camp at Auburn is in full swing and the Tigers completed their first scrimmage Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Freeze met with the media after the scrimmage and admitted that it has caused him to reevaluate some things about the battle between [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] to become Auburn’s starting quarterback.

“Yesterday, I had my mind made up,” Freeze said. “And after today I need to watch the film before I say.”

In addition, [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] is limited due to an ankle injury and [autotag]Malcolm Johnson Jr.[/autotag] is dealing with a shoulder injury.

The Tigers will be off tomorrow before getting back into camp Monday as they get closer to the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 2 against UMass. Here is a look at the best photos from Auburn’s first scrimmage of fall camp.

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 11 Shane Hooks

The veteran has a chance to be Auburn’s top wide receiver.

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]Shane Hooks[/autotag]. The veteran is entering his sixth season of college football and has a chance to be a difference-maker for Auburn in the passing game.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Height: 6-4

Weight: 191

Previous School: Jackson State (2021-22), Ohio (2018-20)

Class in 2023: Senior

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three-Star / No. 334 in FL / No. 317 WR

Career Stats

Year G Receptions Yards YPC YPG TDs
2018 (Ohio) 5 0 0 0 0 0
2019 (Ohio) 13 26 515 19.8 39.6 5
2020 (Ohio) 3 8 120 15.0 40.0 1
2021 (JSU) 6 16 199 12.4 33.2 2
2022 (JSU) 13 66 775 11.7 59.6 10

PFF Grades

Year Offense Receiving Drops Run Blocking
2018 41.8 41.9 2.7 62.9
2019 72.4 74.5 78.4 65.6
2020 59.4 63.3 58.9 43.8
2021 64.9 64.6 85.1 60.1
2022 70.7 70.2 78.7 66.6

Depth Chart Overview

Hooks bring a ton of experience with 40 career appearances and has the ability to play all over the field for Auburn. His speed will allow him to take the top off of defenses from the slot while his impressive 6-foot-4 and 191-pound frame enables him to be a jump-ball machine while lining up outside or in the red zone.

While [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] should also see plenty of reps at the Wide Receiver-X spot, Hooks is set to be a focal point of the passing attack and is a breakout candidate for Auburn.

Shane Hooks’ Photo Gallery

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 8 Nick Mardner

The veteran adds some great size and expereince to Auburn’s wide receiver room.

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]Nick Mardner[/autotag]. He was the first of four receivers that Auburn landed out of the transfer portal and should feature heavily in the rotation at wide receiver.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Oakville, Ontario

Height: 6-6

Weight: 206

Previous School: Cincinnatti (2022), Hawaii (2018-21)

Class in 2023: Senior

247Sports Composite Ranking

Two-Star / No. 2 in Ontario / No. 372 WR

Career Stats

Year G Receptions Yards YPC YPG TDs
2018 (Hawaii) 1 0 0 0 0 0
2019 (Hawaii) 12 5 169 33.8 14.1 2
2020 (Hawaii) 8 11 188 17.1 23.5 1
2021 (Hawaii) 13 46 913 19.8 70.2 5
2022 (Cincinnati) 12 19 218 11.5 18.2 3

PFF Grades

Year Offense Receiving Drops Run Blocking
2018 58.5 59.6 – 60.0
2019 51.1 49.8 21.7 79.2
2020 60.7 62.1 49.8 51.6
2021 75.6 76.1 68.1 64.5
2022 64.3 66.6 62.5 54.7

Depth Chart Overview

Mardner is on his third team after starting his career at Hawaii and spending last season at Cincinnati. He and new Auburn wide receivers coach [autotag]Marcus Davis[/autotag] were both at Hawaii in 2021, and this familiarity should enable him to be someone Auburn can lean on.

Auburn also added [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] at the X-Wide receiver spot and Hooks figures to be the starter due to his past production. However, Mardner should be able to carve out a role for himself, especially in the red-zone threat due to his great size. Expect Mardner to see plenty of action as the coaching staff rotates him, Hooks and [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] heavily.

Nick Mardner’s Photo Gallery

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 4 Camden Brown

He is coming off an other impressive spring in limited action.

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 sophomore wide receiver [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag]. He once again impressed during spring and looks primed for a bigger role despite Auburn adding several experienced wide receivers through the transfer portal this offseason.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Monroe, Louisiana

Height: 6-3

Weight: 203

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three-Star // No. 55 in Florida // No. 66 WR

Class in 2023: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year Games Receptions Yards YPC YPG TDs
2022 12 9 123 13.7 10.3 2

PFF Grades

Year Offense Passing Drops Blocking
2022 61.2 60.3 62.9 68.8

Depth Chart Overview

Brown has all the tools to become a No. 1 wide receiver but that is several years away as he is still learning and missed part of spring with an injury.  The Tigers also brought in Shane Hooks from JSU and he looks to be the starter at the X-Wide Receiver spot.

However, Brown is simply too talented and should see plenty of action in an offense that will heavily rotate at wide receiver. He caught just nine passes last season but two were touchdowns and that trend should continue as his size (6-foot-3, 203-pounds) and strength should allow him to be a red-zone threat.

Camden Brown’s Photo Gallery