Tag: Champ Anthony

Auburn football to host former UCF defensive back for visit

Hugh Freeze is interested in bringing in a talented freshman to fill its needs at defensive back.

A defensive back with connections to former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is scheduled to visit the Plains as a member of the transfer portal.

According to a report by Auburn Undercover, Auburn will receive a visit from [autotag]Chasen Johnson[/autotag] this week. Johnson signed with UCF as part of its 2024 signing class and played in seven games during his true freshman season.

In his debut season, Johnson recorded 18 tackles as a cornerback with two pass deflections. He made at least one tackle in all seven games, with his best game coming against Utah on Nov. 29, when he registered five tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson allowed 15 catches in 26 opportunities last season while allowing just two touchdowns.

Should Johnson sign with Auburn, he would add experience to an already-loaded unit. Players such as [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] return to the unit next season, while [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag] are expected to return from their season-ending injuries.

The winter transfer portal window opened Monday, Dec. 9, and will close on Dec. 28.

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Auburn vs. Texas A&M injury report: Latest updates, news for Saturday’s game

All the latest updates and news on Auburn’s injury report ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Texas A&M.

The initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report for week 13’s action features several notable names from Auburn ahead of its game with No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday night.

Auburn’s injury report includes four players who are nursing season-ending injuries: DBs [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], TE [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag], and LB [autotag]Jamonta Waller[/autotag]. Three other players are included, two are ruled out while one is deemed “questionable.”

Four Aggies have been ruled out for Saturday’s game, one of those is surprisingly not running back Reuben Owens. Owens was reportedly ruled out for the season after sustaining a lower-leg injury but has been upgraded to doubtful for Saturday’s game.

Here’s a full rundown of the initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of Saturday’s game between Auburn and Texas A&M.

Auburn injury report

  • WR Caleb Burton (Out)
  • LB Jamonta Waller (Out)
  • DB Tyler Scott (Out)
  • DB Champ Anthony (Out)
  • K Alex McPherson (Out)
  • TE Brandon Frazier (Out)
  • S Caleb Wooden (Questionable)

Texas A&M injury report

  • WR Cyrus Allen (Out)
  • DB Tyreek Chappell (Out)
  • RB Le’Veon Moss (Out)
  • OL Mark Nabou Jr. (Out)
  • RB Rueben Owens (Doubtful)
  • OL Chase Bisontis (Doubtful)
  • QB Jaylen Henderson (Questionable)

Caleb Wooden injury update

Wooden did not play in last week’s game vs. ULM due to an undisclosed injury. According to a report from Auburn Undercover, Wooden returned to practice this week, which could be a good sign for his chances to play vs. Texas A&M.

Alex McPherson injury update

McPherson has missed nearly every game this season due to complications from a gastrointestinal illness. He is listed as “out” again this week, which means that walk-on kicker Ian Vachon will remain the Tigers’ placekicker after connecting on 6-of-6 extra point attempts and going 2-for-2 on field goal opportunities.

Caleb Burton injury update

Auburn Undercover reports that Burton was placed in concussion protocol earlier this month and has yet to return to the practice field. Burton has appeared in three games this season, recording two catches for 49 yards.

Remaining injury update

Waller, Scott, Anthony, and Frazier are battling season-ending injuries and will not return to the field for the 2024 season.

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Initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report released ahead of Auburn vs. Kentucky

What is the status of several key Tigers ahead of Saturday’s game at Kentucky?

The initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report was released Wednesday, ahead of week nine’s action.

Auburn football has four players nursing season-ending injuries, with just one other player listed on the report. Wide receiver [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] is listed as “doubtful” for Auburn’s game at Kentucky this Saturday according to the first report. Burton has played in three games this season for the Tigers, hauling in two catches for 49 yards. The cause of his injury is unknown at this time.

LB [autotag]Jamonta Waller[/autotag], DBs [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], and tight end [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag] are ruled out for Saturday’s game.

Another player to keep an eye on this week is kicker [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag]. He has been removed from the availability report but has yet to play this season. Head coach Hugh Freeze suggested the possibility of McPherson getting a chance to kick this weekend during his weekly press conference.

“Should we have another opportunity within the 35-yard range, we are going to give Alex (McPherson) that shot,” Freeze said Monday. “He told me he felt like he could do that, so we’re close to thinking on that. We’ll see how the week goes. Again, we are excited about Towns (McGough) and his future and his talent, but we need to make those. Those are critical moments that keep our momentum up and us feeling good and us feeling like we are finding ways to win the game. But he (Alex) did feel like he could have participated if we had that situation again Saturday.”

Kentucky‘s injury woes will carry into this weekend’s game as seven players are ruled out, three players are listed as “questionable,” five are “probable,” and one player is listed as “doubtful.”

The player deemed “doubtful” for Kentucky early on is leading rusher, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, who has rushed for 419 yards on 92 carries with four touchdowns.

The next SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report will be released on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT, unveiling the final report 90 minutes before Auburn’s game at Kentucky, which is scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday.

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Auburn’s first SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report post-bye week is released

How healthy is Auburn heading back into SEC play?

Auburn football returns to action this Saturday by traveling to Missouri to battle the No. 16 Tigers at Faurot Field in Columbia. For the most part, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad will be healthy heading into the contest.

The conference released the initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report for Saturday’s game on Wednesday. Four Tigers have been ruled out of the contest early on: Cornerback [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag], defensive back [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], and BUCK [autotag]Jamonta Waller[/autotag].

Scott sustained an ACL injury during the offseason while Frazier and Anthony suffered lower-body injuries during the early portion of the season. The newest addition to the report is Waller, who will miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury. He appeared in two games this season, most recently in Auburn’s loss to Oklahoma on Sept. 28.

Missouri has been bitten by the injury bug over the last week as linebacker Khalil Jackson and defensive end Joe Moore III have been ruled out for the season due to injuries. Jackson and Moore join quarterback Sam Horn and defensive end Darris Smith in sustaining season-ending injuries at Missouri. Eli Drinkwitz’s camp did receive positive news regarding wide receiver Luther Burden this week as he is listed as “probable” and is expected to play this Saturday. Outside of Burden, running back Nate Noel and linebacker Triston Newson are tabbed “questionable” for Saturday’s game with Auburn.

The SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report will be updated several times between now and kickoff, with the final report released 90 minutes prior to the 11 a.m. CT kickoff between Auburn and Missouri on Saturday.

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Early look at Auburn’s Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of Georgia game

Several notable names have been added to the initial availability report ahead of the next edition of “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.”

The first SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report of week six’s action has been released, and several notable athletes from Auburn’s roster have made the cut early on.

The obvious names of [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag], and [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], who was diagnosed with long-term injuries, remain on the list as “out” ahead of the Tigers’ road SEC game at No. 4 Georgia on Saturday. However, a trio of important defensive players are listed as “probable” for the game according to Wednesday’s report.

Linebackers [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] and [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag], as well as safety [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag], are tagged “probable” for the Georgia game while OT [autotag]Izavion Miller[/autotag] is listed as “questionable.”

McLeod and Mausi combined to make seven stops in last week’s loss to Oklahoma, with McLeod logging a sack. McLeod is the team’s second-highest-graded defensive player according to PFF with 84.4 and has eight quarterback hurries with three sacks. Mausi has recorded four pressures through his first five games as an Auburn Tiger.

Thompson has allowed his covered receivers to catch just 56.3% of passes thrown their way this season at the safety position with a pass break-up and an interception. Miller, who has battled a hip issue throughout the year, has logged 149 snaps at right tackle for the Tigers this season. He is the team’s second-highest-graded pass blocker at 78.3, which is the highest grade among offensive linemen.

Four Georgia Bulldogs have been ruled out of this week’s game: RB Roderick Robinson, LB Smael Mondon Jr., WR London Humphries, and OL Tate Ratledge. DL Jordan Hall is listed as “questionable” while DL Mykel White, WR Sacovie White, and OL Jared Wilson are tabbed “probable.”

Auburn faces No. 4 Georgia on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The game will be broadcast live on ABC.

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Auburn announces depth chart for game against Ole Miss

Auburn will keep the starting lineup the same for their Week 8 matchup with Ole Miss.

After a two week break, Auburn is set to return to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. The Tigers are looking to snap a three-game losing streak and they have announced their depth chart for the game.

The Tigers have had to make several changes over the past weeks due to injury but that is not the case this week. The only change on the offense was removing the OR between quarterbacks [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] as backup to [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

Ashford has seen plenty of action as [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] have used Ashford and Thorne in a two-quarterback system. Grenier has attempted just nine passes and was clearly behind Ashford.

Auburn also made some adjustments to the depth chart on defense, [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag] is now the backup at star instead of [autotag]J.D. Rhym[/autotag]. In a corresponding move, Anthony is no longer listed as a backup at boundary cornerback, leaving Rhym as the only reserve.

Here is a look at the full depth chart.

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 23 J.D. Rhym

He should be one of Auburn’s top reserves in the secondary.

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 cornerback [autotag]J.D. Rhym[/autotag]. He appeared in 12 games as a freshman and is set to be a key reserve once again.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Valdosta, Georgia

Height: 6-1

Weight: 178

Class in 2023: Sophomore

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four-Star / No. 16 in Georgia / No. 20 CB

Career Stats

Year G Tackles TFLs Sacks PDs FFs
2022 12 14 0 0 1 0

PFF Grades

Year Defense Tackling Run Defense Pass Rush Coverage Special Teams
2022 63.8 44.9 36.7 71.0 69.8 54.6

Depth Chart Overview

Rhym broke through the rotation as a freshman and despite missing time in spring, he should once again be a key member of the rotation at corner. With [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] locking down the starting spots, he will form the second wave with [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag] and should see plenty of action.

J.D. Rhym’s Photo Gallery

Auburn reveals jersey numbers for freshman summer enrollees

Here’s a look at what number each of Auburn’s freshman summer enrolles will wear.

Auburn put some finishing touches on its roster Tuesday with the announcement of the jersey numbers for the transfers and freshmen who enrolled during the summer.

Eleven freshmen enrolled over the summer and were officially added to the roster including running back [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag], the highest-ranked offensive player from [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s transitional class.

While Cobb has a chance to contribute immediately, quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag] will likely need time to develop before they are ready to see the field.

They also got some much-needed reinforcements in the secondary with cornerbacks [autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag], [autotag]JC Hart[/autotag], [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], and [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag], in addition to safeties [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Terrance Love[/autotag], and [autotag]C.J. Johnson[/autotag] all making it to the Plains.

They also welcome defensive lineman [autotag]Darron Reed Jr.[/autotag] who can play anywhere across the defensive line for the Tigers.

Two members of the 2023 recruiting class are still missing from the roster, freshman wide receiver [autotag]Daquayvious Sorey[/autotag] and JUCO defensive lineman [autotag]Quientrail Jamison-Travis[/autotag].

Here is a look at each number the freshmen summer enrollees will wear their first season at Auburn.

Number Name Position
15 Hank Brown QB
18 Colton Hood CB
19 Sylvester Smith S
20 JC Hart CB
23 Jeremiah Cobb RB
24 Terrance Love S
25 Champ Anthony CB
27 Tyler Scott CB
29 C.J. Johnson S
45 Darron Reed Jr. DL
79 Tyler Johnson OL

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JUCO DB Champ Anthony commits to Auburn

The Texas JUCO product will provide extra depth for the Tigers in 2023.

As former Tiger and current Director of Player Relations [autotag]Trovon Reed[/autotag] would say… [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and Auburn football “aren’t done yet.”

[autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], a JUCO defensive back from Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, announced Sunday evening that he will be signing with Auburn. In his lone season at Tyler Junior College in 2022, Anthony recorded 14 tackles and an interception in four games.

Anthony received offers from programs such as BYU, ULM, Sam Houston State, and North Dakota State. But a recent visit to Auburn was enough for Anthony to announce his commitment.

The atmosphere of playing in the SEC, as well as the bond that he has built with Auburn’s coaching staff, is what set Auburn apart.

“You can’t beat playing in the SEC, every kid dreams of playing in the SEC. Going from JUCO to playing in the SEC, that’s not heard of, it’s not regular. I had to take this opportunity to play in the SEC and play along with some great coaches,” Anthony tells Christian Clemente of 247Sports. “Hugh Freeze, knowing he’s going to turn this program around. I’ve seen his lineage. It was a great opportunity for me to fit in, right opportunity for me to come in and play and I know I can make an impact.”

Anthony is a 6-1, 176-pound defensive back, and is expected to have immediate eligibility. According to Auburn Undercover, Anthony is supposedly the answer to Auburn’s need at defensive back after the deal with New Mexico State defensive back [autotag]Syrus Dumas[/autotag] fell apart.

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