Tag: derick hall

Four Auburn players make new preseason All-SEC list

Which players do you think will stand out for Auburn?

It isn’t long until the college football season kicks off, but some Auburn players are already getting recognized.

In PFF’s new preseason All-SEC list, four Auburn players were listed across three teams — running back [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] and punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag] were all named to the second team while defensive lineman [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] got a nod on the third team. The Tigers also got an honorable mention, too, with [autotag]Keiondre Jones[/autotag] just missing out on the third-team list.

Auburn’s defense certainly seems to be drawing the most hype this year before the start of the season, with Wooden, Hall and players like [autotag]Owen Pappoe [/autotag]making early impressions in camp and in the media before the start of the season. Bigsby, however, is expected to be one of the best running backs in the SEC, and this upcoming year could be very important for his draft stock moving forward.

These players (and more) will get their first opportunity to prove they deserve their preseason honors when the Tigers kick the season off against the Mercer Bears on Sept. 3 at home.

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2022 Auburn football preview: Edge

Derick Hall and Eku Leota are a great 1-2 punch at edge but Auburn needs someone to step up behind them.

The edge group is one of the most interesting positions on Auburn’s roster.

[autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Eku Leota [/autotag] have proven they are productive players in the SEC and are likely headed to the NFL after this season.

The concern is the lack of depth behind them, the Tigers have just three scholarship players behind them. Western Kentucky transfer [autotag]Marcus Bragg[/autotag], redshirt freshman [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], and [autotag]Joko Willis[/autotag], who is transitioning from linebacker.

With Hall and Leota leading the way there is no concern about the production of the group, but if either one of them were to suffer an injury then things could get dicey for Auburn.

Wide Receiver Preview

Tight End Preview

Running Back Preview

Offensive Line Preview

Quarterback Preview

CFN lists Auburn Football’s top players ahead of the 2022 season

Who will make the biggest impact for Auburn in 2022?

Auburn Football will have plenty of weapons on the field in 2022.

Offensively, the Tigers were paced by running back [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag]. The second-year back rushed for 1,099 yards and ten touchdowns in 2021, while reeling in 21 passes for an additional 184 yards.

Auburn fans expect to see Bigsby have the same impact for Auburn this season, but they also hope to see a few more players step up and ease Bigsby’s workload.

There will be a quarterback battle involving four candidates in incumbent [autotag]TJ Finley[/autotag], freshman [autotag]Holden Greiner[/autotag], and transfers [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag] and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag]. Whoever wins that battle will need to find a target at receiver that they can rely on. [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag] are among the top candidates to fill that role.

Defensively, Auburn looks to be more stable. The top three tacklers from last season have all graduated, but defensive linemen [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] and [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] are expected to be the top players up front. [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] returns at linebacker, and Oregon transfer [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] should pair perfectly with safety [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] in the backfield.

Who will make the biggest impact for Auburn football this season? Below is the list of the Tigers’ most impactful players according to College Football News: 

Colby Wooden has high confidence in Auburn’s defense

Auburn defensive end Colby Wooden believes that Auburn’s defense could be the best in the SEC this season.

Auburn junior defensive end [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], like every member of the 2022 roster, has seen the lack of confidence that the media has in Auburn, as they voted the Tigers to finish last in the SEC West during SEC Media Days last month.

“We aren’t going to say too much about it, and we are going to handle it on the field,” Wooden said during a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “I can definitely say the camaraderie and brotherhood definitely got better this offseason dealing with everything we have dealt with. We are ready to show that.”

The locker room seems to be more invested in head coach Bryan Harsin as he begins year two on the Plains, which looks to translate to the field. Wooden says that Auburn’s defense could be the best in the conference, and says that they have the units to confirm the claim.

“We have me and [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] returning. We added a big presence with [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] (transfer from Oregon). We have [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag] coming off the edge, two very good pass rushers,” Wooden says. “I don’t see why we can’t the best and most dominant SEC group.”

Wooden enters his fourth season on the Plains in 2022, carrying 107 total tackles with him. He comes into 2022 as the team’s leading returning tackler, as he made 61 stops, 8.5 being for loss. He was fourth on Auburn’s defensive leaderboard behind [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], [autotag]Chandler Wooten[/autotag], and [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag].

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Two Tigers named to Bednarik Award watch list

Auburn’s top returning tacklers have received a mention on the Bednarik Award watch list.

Auburn’s top returning tacklers from last season are expected to have breakout season’s in 2022.

Auburn defensive ends [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] are set to be the leaders of the Auburn defense this season and have the credentials to do so.

Both were named to the Bednarik Award preseason watch list. The award is given annually to the best defensive player in college football at season’s end.

Wooden and Hall ended last season No. 4 and No. 5 respectively in total stops, but will take over as the leading returning tacklers in 2022. Wooden had a phenomenal season, making 61 tackles, with 8.5 being for loss and five sacks.

Hall recorded 54 tackles in 2021, but made a home behind the line of scrimmage. Out of his total tackles, nine went for sacks, and he made a total of 12.5 tackles for loss.

The mention is the first preseason watch list that Wooden has become a part of, and it will be the fourth watch list nod for Hall.

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Auburn edge rusher ranked in new top-25 list

The senior edge rusher ranked 16th on the list.

Auburn edge rusher [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] has been getting quite a bit of attention over the offseason, and he got a little more on Tuesday.

Hall was named to PFF’s top-25 college football edge rushers list on Tuesday. He was ranked No. 16 on the list, just below fellow SEC edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. of Florida. The list clarified that it had nothing to do with pro potential, but simply ranked the players based on how well they believed they’d perform for their college teams in 2022.

The SEC had a great showing on the list, with seven representatives across the conference. Hall himself looks to be one of the anchors for the Tigers’ upcoming defense for the 2022 season and has been projected by many to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Last year, Hall had 52 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss and nine sacks in all of Auburn’s 13 games. He’ll look to improve upon that in his senior year to boost his draft stock and to help propel Auburn past their projected win totals for the upcoming season.

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College Football News predicts Auburn’s 2022 season

A look at College Football News’ 2022 game-by-game predictions for the Auburn Tigers.

It won’t be long before the Auburn Tigers are set to host the Mercer Bears as they open the 2022 season.

We will finally know who will take the starting job under center, whether that is [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag], [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], or [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag]. What we do know is that [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] is ready to shoulder the load for the offense in the running game. The SEC media recently named him first-team All-SEC at his position.

Defensively the team will be led by [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], and [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag]. The defense appears to be the strength of this team and we will soon find out how much truth there is to that.

As we continue to prepare for the upcoming campaign in year two of the [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] era, College Football News released their game-by-game predictions for Auburn.

Auburn picked to finish last in SEC West, 6 Tigers make All-SEC teams

Auburn will be looking to prove some people wrong.

As many anticipated, expectations are not high for Auburn football in [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s second season.

The Tigers were voted to finish last in the SEC West by members of the media who attended SEC Media Days.

Despite the skepticism about their ability to win games, six Tigers were named to the preseason All-SEC teams. Running back [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and edge rusher [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] made the first-team. While defensive tackle [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag], and kicker [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] each made the second-team and linebacker [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] made the third-team.

The Tigers are coming off of a 6-7 season in Harsin’s first season where they dropped their final five games after starting the year off 6-2. The Tigers had chances to win most of those games but were unable to do so.

Things only got worse in the offseason, the Tigers were hit hard by players departing via the trasfer portal (to be expected with a new head coach) and their was an attempted coup of Harsin that caused doubt if he would even get to coach a second season.

Harsin spoke at SEC Media days about the inquiry.

“There was an inquiry. It was uncomfortable. It was unfounded. It presented an opportunity for people to personally attack me, my family, and also our program. And it didn’t work.”

Auburn and Harsin will open the season against Mercer on Sep. 3 in Jordan-Hare Stadium. It it the first of five straight home games to open the season and a great chance for the Tigers to start the season strong.

Here is how the media expected the SEC to finish and a look at their all-conference teams.

SEC West

1. Alabama (177)

2. Texas A&M (3)

3. Arkansas (1)

4. Ole Miss

5. LSU

6. Mississippi State

7. Auburn

SEC East

1. Georgia (172)

2. Kentucky (4)

3. Tennessee (1)

4. Florida

5. South Carolina (3)

6. Missouri

7. Vanderbilt

SEC Champion

1. Alabama (158)

2. Georgia (18)

3. South Carolina (3)

4. Vanderbilt (1)

5. Texas A&M (1)

First Team All-SEC

QB: Bryce Young, Alabama

RB: Tank Bigsby, Auburn

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs: Alabama

WR: Kayshon Boutte, LSU

WR: Jermaine Burton, Alabama

TE: Brock Bowers, Georiga

OL: Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama

OL: Warren McClendon, Georgia

OL: O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida

OL: Nick Broecker, Ole Miss

C: Rickey Stormberg, Arkansas

DL: Jalen Carter, Georgia

DL: BJ Ojulari, LSU

DL:  Derick Hall, Auburn

DL: Byron Young, Tennessee

LB: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

LB: Nolan Smith, Georgia

LB: Henry To’oTo’o, Alabama

DB: Jordan Battle, Alabama

DB: Kelee Ringo, Georgia

DB: Eli Ricks, Alabama

DB: Jalen Catalon, Arkansas

Second Team All-SEC

QB: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee

RB: Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky

RB: Devon Achane, Texas A&M

WR: Cedric Tillman, Tennessee

WR: Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss

TE: Cameron Latu, Alabama

OL: Layden Robinson, Texas A&M

OL: Kenneth Horsey, Kentucky

OL: Darnell Wright, Tennessee

OL: Javion Cohen, Alabama

Center: Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

DL: Zacch Pickens, South Carolina

DL: D.J. Dale, Alabama

DL: Ali Gaye, LSU

DL: Colby Wooden, Auburn

LB: Bumper Pool, Arkansas

LB: Dallas Turner, Alabama

LB: Brenton Cox Jr., Florida

DB: Cam Smith, South Carolina

DB: Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M

DB: Christopher Smith, Georgia

Third Team All-SEC

QB: Will Levis, Kentucky

RB: Zach Evans, Ole Miss

RB: Kenny McIntosh, Georgia

WR: Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

WR: Josh Vann, South Carolina

TE: Jaheim Bell, South Carolina

OL: Brady Latham, Arkansas

OL: Tyler Steen, Alabama

OL Javon Foster, Missouri

OL: Jeremy James, Ole Miss (tie)

OL: Kendall Randolph, Alabama (tie)

C: Cooper Mays, Tennessee

DL: Gervon Dexter, Florida

DL: Justin Eboigbe, Alabama

DL: Maason Smith, LSU

DL: McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M

LB: Owen Pappoe, Auburn

LB: Ventrell Miller, Florida

LB: Jeremy Banke, Tennessee

DB: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

DB: Trey Dean III, Florida

DB: Trevon Flowers, Tennessee

DB: Malachi Moore, Alabama

First Team Specialist

P: Nik Constantinople, Texas A&M

K: Will Reichard, Alabama

RS: Kearns Jackson, Georiga

AP: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama

Second Team Specialist

P: Oscar Chapman, Auburn

K: Anders Carlson, Auburn

RS: Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

AP: Devon Achane, Texas A&M

Third Team Specialist

P: Paxton Brooks, Tennessee

K: Harrison Mevis, Missouri

RS: JoJo Earle, Alabama

AP: Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

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Auburn Morning Rush: Cannella heads north, Baseball breaks records

There’s plenty of information in today’s Auburn Morning Rush, so come check it out.

Good morning, Tiger fans. It is time for the Friday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.

Thursday was a busy day for Auburn Athletics, as [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag], [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag], and [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] all took the podium at SEC Media Days. Because of that, there were several stories surrounding Auburn Athletics that got swept under the rug. No worries, though. Auburn Wire has put all those stories together for your viewing pleasure.

Auburn Baseball had a successful week in the Major League Baseball draft. But, how successful was it? We break down all of the program records that were set this week.

A former tight end is finally getting his shot to prove himself at the professional level after a successful season in the USFL. Who is he, and where is he going?

The Basketball Tournament is heating up, and Auburn’s alumni squad, “Team War Ready” is set to take the court this Sunday.

Finally, a new NIL deal involving a key piece to Auburn Men’s Basketball’s starting five may have fans drinking a new soda.

All of that is coming up in today’s Auburn Morning Rush:

Everything Derick Hall said at SEC media day

The NFL draft prospect talked about defensive players to watch, tough SEC offensive lines and more.

SEC media day has long been an opportunity for fans of the Southeastern Conference to get an inside look into preseason preparation from their favorite school.

It was the Auburn Tigers’ time to go before the media on Thursday, and along with head coach Bryan Harsin’s thoughts on players to watch and the attempted coup to remove him from his position over the offseason, a handful of Tigers football players spoke as well.

One of those players was [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], a highly-touted NFL draft prospect who looks to be one of the anchors on Auburn’s defensive side of the ball for 2022. During his SEC media day spot, he discussed his own personal benchmarks for the upcoming year, players to watch on the defense and more.

Auburn Wire breaks down everything Hall said during his SEC media day appearance below: