Dorian Mausi – Syndication Server

Former Fresno State LB Phoenix Jackson schedules visit to Auburn

Johnson made 49 stops with four sacks as a senior at Fresno State in 2024.

Following a successful early signing period that saw the Auburn Tigers sign 25 high school recruits, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff are now shifting their focus to filling needs through the transfer portal.

One area of need is at linebacker, a unit that will need to replace key players such as [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag], [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag], and [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag]. One player who could fill one of those roles is [autotag]Phoenix Jackson[/autotag], a linebacker formerly of Fresno State. After a successful four-year career in Fresno, Jackson will look to use his final season of eligibility to play elsewhere.

According to a report by Pete Nakos of On3, there is mutual interest between Auburn and Jackson. Jackson has scheduled an official visit to Auburn for Dec. 13 and 14 and will also visit Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State this month.

Jackson had a solid career at Fresno State, where he recorded 101 tackles with five sacks and three interceptions over the last four seasons. The 2024 season was the strongest for Jackson, where he recorded 49 tackles with four sacks. Coverage was his strong suit, as he graded out at 90.3 in the category, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed 19 catches in 23 opportunities. However, he did not give up a touchdown while playing a coverage role on defense.

The winter transfer portal officially opens on Dec. 9 and closes on Dec. 28.

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CBS Sports includes two Tigers in midseason top 100 players list

These two Tigers have performed at high levels to this point of the season

Auburn football may not have the record it would like to have through six games, but that does not mean the players are not playing at a high level.

CBS Sports revealed its picks for the top 100 players at the midway point of the 2024 college football season and included two Auburn Tigers.

It is no secret that the production of wide receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] have been vital to Auburn’s success on the field, which is why CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer made sure to include the duo in his midseason ranking.

Lambert-Smith has already shattered last season’s top receiving totals just six games into his Auburn career by hauling in 24 catches for 510 yards and six scores. He has matched [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag]’s 2023 touchdown total and has blown past Fairweather’s yardage total by over 100 yards at the midway point of the season. However, he needs 15 more catches to surpass Fairweather’s 2023 total, which should be an easy accomplishment with six regular season games remaining.

Faulk holds the team lead in sacks this season, recording five for a loss of 32 yards. He trails [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag] and [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] for the team lead in tackles with 27, including 20 solo. Pro Football Focus data shows that Faulk is the most valuable defensive player on Auburn’s roster through six games with a grade of 86.4, with his strong suit being run defense, where he grades at 88.8.

Looking ahead to the rest of Auburn’s schedule, the Tigers will face 10 players from CBS Sports’ rankings including Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams (No. 17), Texas A&M EDGE Nic Scourton (No. 33), and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (No. 100).

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.

Gallery: Arkansas topples Auburn, 24-14

Here are the best images from Auburn’s tough loss to Arkansas on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn football welcomed Arkansas to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the 2024 SEC opener on Saturday and walked out disappointed.

The Tigers committed five turnovers, including four interceptions in its 24-14 loss to Arkansas.

After a successful first career start last Saturday vs. New Mexico, quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] was benched following his first-half performance, which saw him complete 7-of-12 passes for 72 yards and three interceptions. [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] provided a shot in the arm to the Auburn offense by passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns with one interception during the second half. Thorne completed touchdown passes of 10 yards and 67 yards to [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] in the game.

Defensively, [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag] led the team in tackles with eight while [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] each picked off passes from Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green.

Overall, Saturday was disappointing for the Tigers. However, there were plenty of great photos taken of the action. Here are the best photos from Auburn’s 24-14 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.

Mike Farrell Sports lists Auburn’s top three transfer portal additions

Which transfer portal addition will make the greatest impact on the Plains this season?

Auburn football had several needs to fill this offseason and found several great additions through the transfer portal.

The Tigers took care of areas by adding transfers such as former Alabama safety [autotag]Spoodie Kite[/autotag], former Mississippi State tackle [autotag]Percy Lewis[/autotag], and former California quarterback turned wide receiver [autotag]Sam Jackson V[/autotag].

Which of Auburn’s nine transfer portal additions could make the biggest impact this season? Mike Farrell Sports has examined all nine of Auburn’s transfers and has picked three that could have the best chance.

The first player Tony Thomas of Mike Farrell Sports mentions is Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag]. Lewis was the secondary receiver to Jamari Thrash in Atlanta in 2022 and made his way to the top of the pack in 2023 following Thrash’s transfer to Louisville. He hauled in a team-leading 70 passes for 877 yards and seven scores last season for Georgia State.

Next up is [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag], a former safety for Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns. Thomas breaks down why Thompson is such a valuable addition to the Tigers’ secondary.

Tied for the team lead with three INTs, Jerrin Thompson returned one of those picks for a 27-yard touchdown in a 31-10 win over Wyoming. In addition, Thompson added 38 tackles and broke up seven passes and was named an Honorable Mention All-Big XII. Thompson will fill a position of need for Freeze and the Tigers. For his collegiate year, Thompson has 176 tackles, five INTs, and 18 pass break ups to his credit.

The final impact transfer this season according to Mike Farrell Sports is former Duke linebacker [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag]. Mausi recorded 192 total tackles in four seasons at Duke, with the 2023 season being his best. In 10 games during the 2023 season in Durham, Mausi made 61 tackles, with 3.5 going for loss with an interception.

The Tigers’ 2024 transfer portal haul ranks No. 40 in the nation according to 247Sports, which ranks No. 15 in the SEC. Their high school recruiting class is top-notch. It wrapped up the cycle as the No. 7 class in the nation.

Auburn dubbed a ‘transfer portal winner’ by The Athletic

Auburn has reeled in several notable additions from the transfer portal to fill key areas ahead of the 2024 season.

Auburn’s coaching staff is working hard to fill key areas with transfer portal additions, and are currently succeeding.

The Tigers will have added a talented wide receiver, a sturdy offensive lineman, and several solid defensive additions which should help boost its stock in the upcoming 2024 season. The haul has been impressive so far, and outlets such as The Athletic are taking notice.

Manny Navarro of The Athletic recently revealed his winners and losers from the SEC when it comes to their activity in the transfer portal. At the front of the “winners” list is Auburn. Navarro says the Tigers’ transfer additions have outweighed their departures.

Auburn’s recruiting has been on the uptick since Hugh Freeze took over. The 2024 class ranks No. 8 after the early signing period and the Tigers are also bringing in quality talent in the portal. Among the notable additions are former Georgia State standout receiver [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] (70 catches, 877 yards in 2023), ex-Mississippi State left tackle [autotag]Percy Lewis[/autotag] (seven starts in 2023), former Texas and Minnesota defensive tackle [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag] (31 career starts), ex-Duke linebacker [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag] (27 starts) and former Texas safety [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] (31 starts).

Those pickups outweigh the losses of 2022 starting quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] (South Carolina) and linebacker [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Donovan Kaufman[/autotag], who both ranked in the top 11 on the team in tackles last season and haven’t found new landing spots yet.

[autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] (CB-Alabama), Jerrin Thompson (S-Texas), Percy Lewis (OT-Mississippi State), and [autotag]Rico Walker[/autotag] (TE-Maryland) are the most notable transfer additions for Auburn so far, as they all join the roster as four-star transfers according to 247Sports.

Joining Auburn as “winners” include Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri. Arkansas and Florida were teams who “broke even”, while Alabama, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt joined the “losers” category.

Auburn lands Duke LB Dorian Mausi from transfer portal

Mausi is the third transfer to sign with Auburn on opening day of the early signing period.

Auburn football has been on a roll today by signing several of the nation’s top recruits.

Among those signees are three additions from the transfer portal.

Earlier Wednesday, Georgia State transfer [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] and Kansas transfer [autotag]Gage Keys[/autotag] officially signed with the Tigers. Later, head coach Hugh Freeze revealed that a third transfer officially signed his intent to transfer to the Plains.

[autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag], a former Duke linebacker, signed with Auburn on Wednesday according to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover.

Mausi played four seasons for the Blue Devils and has recorded 193 total tackles. The 2023 season was his best as far as production goes, as he was able to make 61 stops with two pass deflections and an interception. He also created four pressures according to Pro Football Focus.

Stay up-to-date with the latest signing day news by checking out Auburn Wire’s early signing period tracker.

Hugh Freeze says that former Duke LB Dorian Mausi has signed with Auburn.

He visited this weekend.

More: https://t.co/Ss09y49I6x pic.twitter.com/MKsv3LUpBy

— Christian Clemente (@CClemente247) December 20, 2023

Duke statistical leaders through four games

Does anyone on this list worry you?

There are few programs college football fans are buying more stock in right now than Duke. Maybe the only program that has turned more heads is the Deion Sanders-led Colorado. ESPN decided that there’s enough interest in the Blue Devils that the next episode of “College GameDay” will be broadcast from Durham. For once, people on Duke’s campus are excited and not about men’s basketball.

It is there that Notre Dame will play this weekend coming off the toughest of losses to Ohio State. The Irish will be facing a team trying to prove it’s for real and belongs with the best of college football. Plus, a raucous crowd at Wallace Wade Stadium likely will be waiting for them. Only they will be able to put a damper on the celebratory mood.

Here are the players who have gotten it done for the Blue Devils so far and will look to continue to do so against the Irish: