Damari Alston – Syndication Server

Running back Durrell Robinson commits to Auburn

Robinson finished last season with 731 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns with UConn

Former UConn Huskies running back [autotag]Durell Robinson[/autotag] committed to join the Auburn Tigers on Saturday. Robinson, who originally committed to Charlotte, played one season with UConn before entering the transfer portal earlier this month.

The 6-foot-1 speedster played his high school football at St. Frances Academy in Maryland, which has now become somewhat of an Auburn recruiting pipeline. 2025 Tiger signees [autotag]Blake Woodby[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Deas[/autotag], and [autotag]Darrion Smith[/autotag] attended the school, and while none made much of an impact while Robinson was there, they did suit up on the same squad.

After playing sparingly with Charlotte in his redshirt freshman season, Robinson finished his first season with the Huskies with 731 yards and 8 touchdowns on just 107 carries. His 6.8 yards per carry led the team, finishing well ahead of starting running back Cam Edwards. The former three-star prospect received an offer from one SEC program during his recruitment process, the Kentucky Wildcats.

Still with three years of eligibility remaining, Robinson joins an Auburn backfield set to be led by senior [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] and freshman [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] next season. While Alston is the likely candidate to garner the bulk of the carries and Henderson is sure to compete for playing time following his historically phenomenal high school career, Robinson could earn himself a change-of-pace role very similar to the one he had with the Huskies.

At the very least, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff now have a myriad of options in the 2025 backfield. We’ll see how the Tigers ultimately decide to move forward after losing [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag].

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UConn running back transfer Durell Robinson set to visit Auburn

The former three-star prospect attended the same high school as a trio of 2025 Auburn signees

Former UConn Huskies running back [autotag]Durell Robinson[/autotag] entered the transfer portal following the regular season, and he reportedly is eyeing the Plains as a possible destination to continue his college career. According to Nathan King of Auburn Undercover, Robinson is scheduled to visit Auburn on Wednesday.

The Seat Pleasant, Maryland native played his high school football at St. Frances Academy in Maryland, which happens to be the same school that 2025 Tiger signees [autotag]Blake Woodby[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Deas[/autotag], and [autotag]Darrion Smith[/autotag] attended.

The freshman running back has three remaining years of eligibility after a solid first season with the Huskies. After starting his career at Charlotte, Robinson joined UConn this season to create an effective 1-2 punch with Cam Edwards. Both backs rushed for over 700 yards this season, with Robinson finishing his season with 731 yards and 8 touchdowns on just 107 carries. The former three-star prospect received an offer from one SEC program during his recruitment process, the Kentucky Wildcats.

Standing at 6-1 and weighing 200 pounds, Robinson could be a nice fit for an Auburn backfield set to be led by senior [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] and freshman [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] next season. While he still has yet to spend time in Auburn and talk with [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff, the fit makes sense considering Robinson would presumably have much of the same role he did last season with UConn while joining a trio of his high school teammates on the Plains.

If he were to transfer to Auburn, Robinson, along with Alston, Henderson, and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag], would have large shoes to fill following the departure of [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag]. With plenty of holes to fill and months to go before the season starts, Auburn’s backfield should have an almost completely different look in 2025.

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Sun Belt’s leading rusher schedules visit to Auburn

Auburn’s quest to find its next start running back begins with ULM’s Ahmad Hardy.

Auburn football is out to find its next premier running back and will dip into the Sun Belt Conference to begin its journey.

According to Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live, Auburn will host ULM running back [autotag]Ahmad Hardy[/autotag] for a visit next Monday. Hardy entered the transfer portal after a stellar freshman season at ULM, where he rushed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns on 237 carries.

Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] departs the program after rushing for 3,371 yards and 25 touchdowns, and the Tigers will look to re-shape the running backs room without his presence. [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] return as scholarship running backs and Alvin Henderson will join the roster as a true freshman ahead of the 2025 season. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will look to add a running back through the transfer portal to bring their scholarship total to four.

Hardy will be a solid addition to the rotation should he commit to Auburn. Hardy set the Sun Belt world on fire last season as his 1,351 rushing yards led the conference, while his 13 rushing touchdowns tied him with South Alabama’s Fluff Bothwell for the conference lead.

He rushed for over 200 yards in two games for the Warhawks in 2024 while rushing for over 100 yards in six additional games. According to Pro Football Focus, Hardy recorded 34 rushes of 10+ yards, and 63 of his touches resulted in ULM first downs. He gained 1,034 yards after initial contact and forced 96 missed tackles.

Auburn is not the only Power Four program that is interested in Hardy’s services. Ole Miss, Michigan, Kentucky, and Oklahoma are just a few programs that have contacted Hardy in the transfer portal’s early stages.

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Record-setting running back Alvin Henderson signs with Auburn

The four-star running back from Elba holds several AHSAA records. How many records will he break at Auburn?

A record-setting running back is on his way to the Plains.

[autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag], who holds 12 AHSAA records including yards per carry, season rushing yards, and touchdowns per season, is officially an Auburn Tiger after signing with the program on Wednesday.

Henderson’s recruitment was a roller coaster. The four-star running back from Elba was favored to commit to Auburn earlier this year before changing course and committing to Penn State in April. However, he backed off his pledge to the Nittany Lions in June and reaffirmed his plans to join Auburn’s 2025 class.

“Deep down and truly I know where home is and I knew where home was from the beginning,” Henderson said of Auburn in an interview with Auburn Undercover in June.

What is Auburn getting in Henderson? Henderson is the No. 9 running back in the nation according to 247Sports, and is the No. 12 recruit from Alabama for the 2025 cycle. He rushed for 3,456 yards as a senior at Elba High School and scored 61 touchdowns, which are state records. In Elba’s 80-78 loss to McKenzie High School in September, Henderson set another state record by rushing for nine touchdowns and three two-point conversions, resulting in 60 points.

He looks to break into the Tigers’ running back rotation next season alongside [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. How many records will Henderson break at Auburn?

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Izavion Miller takes home SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors

The Memphis, Tennessee native continues to be a key contributor for the Tigers since his commitment in 2022.

Auburn lineman Izavion “Too Tall” Miller earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors following the Tigers’ outstanding performance on the ground in week nine.

The senior played every snap of [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag]’s record-breaking rushing night at the right tackle position, consistently providing key blocks in front of Hunter, [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

While Hunter received most of the accolades following his career-high 278 rushing yard night, most of those second-level yards would not have been possible without Miller and the rest of the Auburn offensive line. Miller’s position of right tackle is often considered the “anchor” of a team’s run game, and the senior was undoubtedly just that on Saturday night. One three of Jarquez Hunter’s four longest rushes, Miller provided the key lead block to spring his running back through the hole. According to Pro Football Focus, Miller allowed just one pressure in 78 snaps on Saturday.

The Memphis, Tennessee native continues to be a key contributor for the Tigers since his commitment in 2022. He and the rest of the Tigers offensive line will continue their quest to help Hunter finish as the SEC’s leading rusher when Auburn returns home to host Vanderbilt on Saturday. If Miller can continue producing solid individual performances like this, he could find himself penciled into NFL mock drafts as the spring approaches.

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Auburn earns first SEC victory of the season against Kentucky

It took until the final week of October, but the Auburn Tigers finally won a conference football game.

It took until the final week of October, but the Auburn Tigers (3-5) finally won a conference football game. After trailing 10-0 after the first frame, the Tigers responded with 24 unanswered points, earning their first SEC win of the season over Kentucky (3-5) to give themselves a fighter’s chance at earning bowl eligibility.

It looked like it would be the same old story for the Tigers early on after Kentucky followed up an opening scripted drive field goal with a quick touchdown to take a 10-0 lead, but Auburn’s defense, specifically defensive end Keldric Faulk, stepped up in a major way for the remainder of the contest. Despite the defense finding some footing, Auburn’s offense struggled to put together any consistency early, ultimately going scoreless for the first quarter-plus.

The Tigers would score in every quarter remaining however. After a miss-hit punt by Kentucky punter Aiden Laros set up Auburn near mid field early in the second quarter, the Tigers took advantage with a quartet of punishing runs by the backfield duo of [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] to set up an eventual [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] touchdown to put the Tigers on the board early in the second stanza. Auburn would add an [autotag]Evan McPherson[/autotag] field goal before the quarter expired, leading to a 10-10 deadlock entering the half.

Much like the second quarter, the final 30-minutes of Saturday’s contest was all Auburn. The Tigers scored another 14 second half points off the back of a career-best night from senior Jarquez Hunter, who would go on to rush for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now the leading rusher in the SEC, Hunter added 19 receiving yards as well, finishing just 3 yards short of a 300 all-purpose yard game. Saturday was Hunter’s first ever 200+ yard rushing performance in his Auburn career. The total was just 29 yards behind Curtis Kuykendall’s all-time single game record for rushing yards by a Tiger. The senuor now sits in fourth place on the all-time list, behind only Kuykendall, Tre Mason (304 yards, 2013), and Bo Jackson (290, 1985).

While Hunter’s career-day was the highlight, the overarching theme of Saturday’s contest gives optimism to an Auburn team needing to win three of its final four games to qualify for a bowl. Saturday showed how effective Auburn can be when the offense takes care of the football, and the Tigers will have a lot of good tape to build on as they head back to the Plains for a massive contest with a rejuvenated Vanderbilt squad.

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What did we learn from Auburn’s loss to Arkansas?

Auburn Wire’s Tyler Raley breaks down Auburn’s loss to Arkansas from his point of view.

The Auburn Tigers have put themselves in a very tough position heading into the rest of the season with a lot of concern being voiced by their fanbase.

The Tigers saw the turnover bug become a huge problem in their 24-14 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, making them 0-1 in conference action.

Much like the loss to California, the shining moments that Auburn had in this contest were few and far between. Now, both the offense and defense have major questions to answer if better performance is going to come.

Here is what we learned about the Tigers after the loss.

The most obvious component of this game was the large amount of turnovers from around the offense, but especially the quarterback play. [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] made his second start of the season after a brilliant outing against New Mexico and threw three interceptions in the midst of the team’s five turnovers, with the other two coming from a [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] interception and a [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] fumble that cost the team a touchdown.

Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] expressed his frustrations in the loss, discussing how they need to give themselves more of a chance with wide open receivers running all over the field instead of turning it over.

The rushing attack gave itself a chance and seems to be getting more comfortable as the season progresses. However, the receiving corps seems to be on the opposite end, dropping many passes that need to be caught in order for Auburn to have success.

[autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] is turning out to be an amazing pickup in the portal, tallying five catches for 156 yards and both touchdowns in the game.

The defense is about as confusing as anyone could make it out to be. It has four interceptions over the last few games, meaning the aggressiveness is increasing.

The other side to this is that the Tigers are giving up way too many third down conversions to opponents. While they have only allowed 37.3% (25 of 67) of third downs this season, they gave up nine on Saturday, including a 58-yard heave in the third quarter to give Arkansas the lead.

With that in mind, the defense must get off the field on third down in order to possibly give the offense some momentum and string together quality plays.

Auburn looks to bounce back next week as it finishes off a five-game home stand with a matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners.

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OC Derrick Nix wants more ‘explosive plays’ from Auburn offense

Nix says that explosive plays are required in order to score at a high rate.

The Ole Miss Rebels did not become one of college football’s top offenses by playing with a slow tempo.

New offensive coordinator [autotag]Derrick Nix[/autotag], who spent the previous 16 seasons with the Rebels, has been coached several high-octane offenses and looks to produce the same product at Auburn. Not only is he coaching his offense to make plays, he is working to engrave an explosive mindset into the players in hopes of setting a standard.

“Being a fundamentally efficient scoring machine, it requires us to make explosive plays,” Nix said during a recent media availability. “It becomes a standard, and expectation.”

Being an explosive offense runs deeper than solid quarterback and receiver play. Nix says that each position needs to work together in order to build consistency.

“We just try to challenge our guys to expect it. If our offensive line can protect (and) the quarterback makes the right read against the right coverage, you should make the play and it should be explosive,” Nix said. “We should be able to count on that, week in and week out. That is something that we talk about and something that’s expected and needed for this offense to thrive.”

Auburn added plenty of talented wide receivers to its roster over the offseason including Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] return to head the running back position and [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] is back as the team’s starting quarterback.

This season, up is the only way Auburn can move as they finished No. 14 in passing offense last season among SEC teams. Those skill players as well as a more experienced offensive line should produce the “explosive plays” that Nix hopes to gain this season.

Jeremiah Cobb is glad he ‘stuck’ with Auburn

One of Auburn’s prized 2023 signees, Cobb says that working in a crowded running back room is beneficial to his development.

One of Auburn’s prized 2023 signees has remained loyal to the program through a coaching change and a deep position within the depth chart. His determination is beginning to pay off.

Sophomore running back [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] enters his second season with Auburn as a more experienced, stronger player. He credits his relationship with fellow backs [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] as a source of his growth.

“It’s been very beneficial. I came real close to those guys, we’re brothers now. They teach me everything,” Cobb said of his relationship with Auburn’s running backs. “They help me keep my head up, help me go hard at practice every day and give it my all and they definitely helped me a lot as a freshman, helped me grow a lot.”

Despite his progression, Cobb remains third on the depth chart behind Hunter and Alston. Cobb says that he is pleased with the group’s competition and is excited to work with Auburn’s experienced offensive line. In an era that sees many players dealing with Cobb’s situation, he says that he is happy that he decided to remain loyal to Auburn.

“I’m glad I stuck with it. I’m glad to stick with coach Freeze and the guys in the running back room, and it’s definitely a big change in talent on every position,” Cobb said. “Defense, offense, everywhere.”

Cobb rushed for 172 yards on 33 carries last season with two touchdowns. As a sophomore, Cobb looks to make a name ahead of his junior season in 2025, which will commence without current premier back Jarquez Hunter.

Hugh Freeze breaks down Auburn’s most notable position battles ahead of season

Rotations will be key for the Tigers this season, and Freeze wants the best players possible to be involved.

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers took the stage at SEC Media Days Thursday and one of the many topics up for discussion was position battles within the program.

The most notable battle, at least in the eyes of those outside of the program, is at wide receiver. The Tigers have a revamped wide receiver room which will feature three transfers, four true freshmen, and two returners. However, the most contested battle is on the other side of the line.

Freeze told reporters Thursday that the defensive line will feature a steady rotation this season.

“The most contested, we have six guys on defensive line you might say it’s contested, but I think we need to rotate all six of them,” Freeze said.

Auburn’s defensive line will be experienced as [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] returning with the additions of [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag], and [autotag]Gage Keys[/autotag] joining the program from the transfer portal. Experience will not be an issue, but it will be up to Freeze and defensive line coach [autotag]Vontrell King-Williams[/autotag] to find the perfect combination to give the Tigers the best chance to succeed.

Another position group of concern is at safety, which was ravaged by the NFL draft. [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] is out, meaning Auburn will need to look to transfers and new faces to fill the role.

“I’d probably say safety. You are going to have Keionte (Scott) and Kayin (Lee) getting the bulk of reps at corner, but we really need (Antonio) Kite and (Jaylin) Crawford, Amon Lane (Ganus), some of these younger guys to get ready to play there,” Freeze said. “(Jerrin) Thompson is the vocal leader there, but we need other pieces to give us depth there.”

Freeze went on to mention that [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will get the nod at quarterback and that the rotation of running backs will feature [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. At receiver, Freeze calls for six receivers to step into the rotation. Freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], as well as transfers [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], look to be prime candidates to earn steady playing time at the position.