Tag: demario tolan

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 31 Powell Gordon

Get to know the Auburn product ahead of his redhsirt freshman season.

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 Auburn native [autotag]Powell Gordon[/autotag]. The linebacker entered the portal in April but returned to the Tigers after [autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag] left the program in July.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Auburn, Alabama

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Class in 2023: Redshirt Freshman

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three-Star / No. 29 in Alabama / No. 65 LB

Depth Chart Overview

Gordon did not see the field in his first season on the Plains and entered the portal after spring practice. Getting him back to fortify the depth at linebacker was well done after the departure of Tolan but he likely needs more time to develop before contributing.

He was primarily a pass-rusher at Auburn High School and is still learning the linebacker position and with Auburn adding several experienced transfers his role could once again be limited in 2022. One path to playing time could be on special teams while the coaching staff continues to help him develop for 2023 and beyond.

Powell Gordon’s Photo Gallery

Hugh Freeze details DeMario Tolan’s departure from program

Tolan stepped away from the program last week after transferring in from LSU.

Last week it was reported that transfer linebacker [autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag] was no longer with the program. On Tuesday, head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] shed light on the situation.

During his time at SEC Media Days, Freeze was asked about Tolan’s departure. To which he provided a brief, yet weighty response.

“DeMario’s dealing with some personal family issues,” Freeze said Tuesday. “We want to support him every way we can to make sure he is in the best spot possible for him and his family.”

Freeze also said that a possible return for Tolan will be determined.

Tolan was a heavy target for Auburn during his recruiting days, but he ended up at LSU for his freshman season. After visiting in January, Tolan said that he felt that Auburn was a “perfect fit” for him.

“The highlight of my visit today was just the new staff and how well I feel like they’re going to be for me,” Tolan said. “Just overall I feel like it’d be a great place for me moving forward. I think that they’re at a great place — just a great coach. I feel like they’re going to be a perfect fit for me and just happy to have it be my first visit.”

Tolan recorded nine total tackles during his lone season at LSU in 2022.

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Report: DeMario Tolan no longer with Auburn

He is no longer listed on the team’s roster.

One of Auburn’s top additions from the transfer portal is reportedly no longer with the team. Linebacker [autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag] has left the program according to a report from AL.com’s Matt Cohen.

Tolan, who transferred from LSU in January, is no longer listed on the team’s online roster after previously being included.

Originally from Orlando, Florida, he was ranked as a four-star prospect both as a high school recruit and as a transfer by 247Sports. Tolan appeared in 12 games last season for LSU and made 10 tackles.

He was expected to be a reserve linebacker this offseason as he continued to develop and adjust to the college game. Tolan’s ceiling was high though and with three seasons of eligibility remaining, he was expected to be a key part of the linebacker room moving forward.

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Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 0 DeMario Tolan

DeMario Tolan is one of four transfer linebackers that the Tigers added this offseason.

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 linebacker [autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag] who is transferring to the Plains after spending his freshman season at LSU.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Ht: 6-1

Wt: 203

Previous School: LSU

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four-Star // No. 24 in Florida // No. 20 LB

Class in 2023: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Tackles TFLs Sacks PDs FFs
2022 (LSU) 5 10 0 0 0 0

PFF Grades

Year Defense Tackling Run Defense Pass Rush Coverage
2022 58.4 82.3 63.0 59.3 54.4

Depth Chart Overview

Auburn originally missed out on Tolan during his high school recruitment but he found his way to the Plains after a brief stop at LSU. The former four-star recruit has a high ceiling due to his athleticism but is not a proven and experienced contributor like some of Auburn’s other transfer additions.

His addition is about the future of the linebacker room as he has three seasons of eligibility remaining and is still working to adjust to the college game and a new defense.

However, he can play both Mike and Will linebacker spots and should be able to carve out a role for himself as a reserve due to his raw talent.

DeMario Tolan’s Photo Gallery

Twitter reacts to Auburn landing North Texas LB transfer Larry Nixon III

Auburn Twitter was fired up after the Tigers landed their second transfer of the day.

Auburn’s coaching staff has done a great job adding talent through the transfer portal and on Tuesday they added two more key pieces.

First was North Texas transfer wide receiver [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] but the Tigers were not done taking players from the Mean Green and just hours later former linebacker [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] announced his commitment to Auburn.

Nixon III is coming off a career year, where he made 105 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack in 14 games.

He is the fourth addition that linebackers coach [autotag]Josh Aldridge[/autotag] has made to his room this offseason, joining [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] (Ole Miss), [autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag] (LSU) and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] (App State).

The move fired up the Auburn fanbase which took to Twitter to celebrate the addition of Nixon III, here are the best reactions.

Former North Texas LB Larry Nixon III commits to Auburn

Nixon becomes the second transfer from North Texas that Hugh Freeze has landed this week.

How’s this for a Texas two-step?

A few hours after reeling in former North Texas wide receiver Jyaire Shorter, Auburn took in another former North Texas product in linebacker [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag].

The former was a bit of a surprise, but Auburn’s most recent commitment was anticipated after Nixon paid Auburn a visit last Thursday. Following his visit, he told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente that Auburn was high on his list.

“Right now, it’s up there right now,” Nixon III said. “Being in Auburn, it’s crazy. You can’t beat that stadium, being in the SEC.”

In four seasons at North Texas, Nixon has recorded 245 total tackles, with 11.5 being for a loss. His most productive season was in 2022 when he made 105 tackles, the second-highest total on the team. Pass rush was his strong suit last season according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him a grade of 78.0.

Auburn has now added four linebackers to their roster from the transfer portal. Nixon joins [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] (Ole Miss), [autotag]Demario Tolan[/autotag] (LSU), and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] (Appalachian State).

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

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Linebacker Zavier Hamilton puts Auburn in top four

It looks to be a battle between Auburn and Florida State for the three-star prospect.

The Auburn Tigers are one of the final four schools for three-star linebacker [autotag]Zavier Hamilton[/autotag]. The Navarre, Florida product announced a final four of Auburn, Florida State, Kansas, and South Carolina Friday on Twitter.

The 6-foot-2, 218-pounder has visited the Plains multiple times since being offered with his most recent trip being for the annual A-Day game.

The Tigers have already landed one commitment from the event, as three-star tight end Martavious Collins joined Auburn’s class on Friday.

He is the No. 532 overall player and No. 52 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 77 player from the Sunshine State.

It looks like the Tigers will have to make up some ground to land Hamilton, the in-state Seminoles currently have a 20.7% chance to land him according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine but Auburn is right behind with an 18.1% chance.

Auburn has a need at linebacker after it did not sign a high school linebacker in the 2023 recruiting cycle and is still looking for its first commit in the 2024 cycle. However, they did add transfers [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] and [autotag]Demario Tolan[/autotag], who both have multiple seasons of eligibility left.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Auburn’s A-Day game ranked among this season’s most intriguing spring games

Most of the college football world will be watching A-Day to see the “new look” Tigers under Hugh Freeze.

A new era is underway for the Auburn Tigers Football Program. The hiring of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has sparked a lot of interest and excitement that the program has not been surrounded by for the past two seasons.

A 247Sports article written by Will Backus listed the spring games with the most interest in 2023 and Auburn’s “A-Day” game made the cut. Backus is looking forward to seeing Freeze back in the SEC.

“If nothing else, this marks coach Hugh Freeze’s return to the SEC stage. The former Ole Miss coach who had his tenure with the Rebels end amid an NCAA investigation into numerous recruiting violations rebuilt his career at Liberty. Now he is right back in the SEC West, trying to revive a program that desperately lost its way under former coach Bryan Harsin. Freeze was relatively vocal about his displeasure at the roster he inherited, thanks to Harsin’s lackluster recruiting efforts, which translated into Freeze hitting the portal hard for 12 prospects. Seven of those play along the offensive or defensive line. Auburn’s spring game is key for those pieces gelling together.”

According to 247Sports, the Tigers have the No. 18 recruiting class and the No. 4 transfer class in 2023.

Among these recruits is defensive lineman [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag]. Both players are ranked in the top 20 at their position. Some of the biggest hits Auburn made in the portal include linebacker [autotag]Demario Tolan[/autotag] from LSU and defensive lineman [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] from Kentucky.

Auburn’s spring game is scheduled for April 8th and kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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The SEC’s most underrated transfer currently resides on Auburn’s roster

A member of Auburn’s top-five transfer portal class is not getting the recognition that he deserves.

Auburn Football currently holds the nation’s No. 4 ranked transfer portal class, trailing only LSU, USC, and Florida State, and leading Colorado, which has had an impressive haul as well.

Out of the 12 commitments that Auburn has received from the transfer portal, Auburn fans are excited about the boost to the offensive line that [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Dillion Wade[/autotag], and [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag] bring to the table, as well as the added help that [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag], [autotag]Demario Tolan[/autotag], and [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] can provide to their respective positions.

While all six of the aforementioned names are worthy of respect, there is one addition in particular that is not receiving the recognition that he deserves.

[autotag]Mosiah Nasili-Kite[/autotag], the former Maryland defensive lineman who has recorded 43 total tackles and 9.5 sacks over two seasons at Maryland, has been named the SEC’s most underrated transfer according to MikeFarrellSports.com.

Writer Matt Perkins says that Nasili-Kite is like a swiss army knife that can be used in many ways.

Hugh Freeze has done a solid job putting together a strong transfer class, especially on the defensive line. The Maryland transfer isn’t the biggest name that Auburn is bringing in, but he’s a versatile piece that can be used on any down and distance.

The SEC currently has six teams in the top 20 of 247Sports’ transfer rankings. Ole Miss, Florida, Kentucky, and Arkansas join Auburn and LSU as those with impressive transfer portal additions.

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Early LSU defensive depth chart prediction for the 2023 season

Here’s what LSU’s defense could look like in 2023.

Earlier this week, we took an early look at what LSU could throw out there on offense this fall.

Now, It’s time for the defense.

This unit is more of a challenge to pin down. LSU’s offense is bringing back most of its production. The defense, however, is losing several key pieces.

[autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] are gone after holding down the edge spots since 2020. The secondary is going through another makeover and veteran linebackers [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Jones Jr.[/autotag] are gone too.

[autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag], a talented young linebacker, hit the portal along with a couple of young corners.

The cupboard is far from bare. LSU returns strong players on the interior and did heavy work in the transfer portal, especially on the backend. With [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] and a healthy [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag], the defense remains in a good spot.

Here’s how we think the defense could stack up next season.