Tag: eli stove

Ottawa RedBlacks select former Auburn WR Nick Mardner with 1st round pick

Mardner is heading to Canada to continue his football career after spending one season on the Plains.

Wide receiver [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] spent just one season on the Plains, but it was enough time to catch the eyes of Canadian Football League scouts.

Mardner, who played for Auburn during the 2023 season after transferring in from Cincinnati, was selected in the 1st round of the CFL draft on Tuesday, going 2nd overall to the Ottawa RedBlacks. As a native of Oakville, Ontario, Mardner is the first Auburn player in history selected in the CFL draft due to his national designation.

Following his selection, Mardner becomes teammates with former Auburn wide receiver [autotag]Eli Stove[/autotag] on Ottawa’s roster. He is also the sixth former Auburn player on an active CFL roster joining [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] (Saskatchewan), [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag], [autotag]TD Moultry[/autotag] (Montreal).

Mardner had a solid career as a wide receiver at Hawaii and Cincinnati before transferring to Auburn for his final collegiate season. He totaled 81 catches for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns at his two previous stops but failed to record a catch at Auburn. According to Pro Football Focus, he appeared in four games last season for 37 total snaps. He was the most active in Auburn’s loss to Georgia on Sept. 30, where he participated in 18 snaps.

Mardner now joins a long list of former Auburn players who have also played in the CFL including Darvin Adams, Nick Coe, Nick Marshall, and  Ryan Davis.

Eli Stove to make gridiron return in USFL

The former Tiger wideout is set to make his return to football by debuting with the New Orleans Breakers on Sunday evening.

Former Auburn Tigers wide receiver [autotag]Eli Stove[/autotag] is set to make his return to the game of football for the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL against the Pittsburgh Maulers on Sunday in Birmingham.

Stove was an effective receiver for the Tigers during his five years with the program. Stove rushed for 554 yards and four touchdowns off of 55 carries and caught for 1186 yards and six touchdowns off of 136 catches.

Stove was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. Injuries prevented Stove from ever making it to the Chargers’ minicamp.

Stove is one of four former Auburn players that will begin the season on a USFL roster. Several notable former Tigers include OT [autotag]Broadarious Hamm[/autotag] (Michigan Panthers) and C [autotag]Xavier Dampeer[/autotag] (Pittsburgh Maulers.) New Orleans leads all USFL teams with two former Auburn players on its’ roster. Stove is teammates with former Auburn LB [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], who played for the Tigers from 2018-21.

The Breakers game against the Maulers is set for 5:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday at Protective Stadium. FS1 will have the television broadcast of the game.

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2021 NFL Draft: Auburn special teams ace Eli Stove met with Bills

Buffalo Bills had 2021 NFL draft meeting with Auburn WR Eli Stove.

The Bills are no stranger to taking special teams seriously. After the loss of All-Pro return man Andre Roberts, Buffalo’s unit will certainly look different in 2021.

That could include a prospect by the name of Eli Stove,

According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Stove had a pre-draft visit with 11 total teams, one which was the Bills. In 2020, Stove was a kick and punt returner for Auburn last season and more.

Per Rams Wire, he’s a guy that’s confident in his ability to… do anything. That’s something that would certainly appeal to the Bills.

“Like I say to the scouts, I play everything,” he said. “Any position on the field you want to put me, I can do it. Slot, outside, play a little bit of running back, run in motion and get the ball on sweeps. I play special teams, too. I can do everything on the field. Versatility is my biggest thing.”

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound playmaker hauled in 136 catches for 1,186 yards and six touchdowns while at Auburn. He also had 55 total carries, four of which went for scores.

Stove’s time as a return man isn’t exactly extensive as he only had seven total between kicks and punts last year. But he also has played other special teams roles. Stove is considered a solid prospect as a gunner.

Stove is potentially a player to keep in mind for Day 3 of the draft. As a returner, Stove would have an uphill battle with the Bills. The team lost Roberts, but added Brandon Powell via free agency and re-signed another versatility piece in Isaiah McKenzie. Still, McKenzie is only on a one-year deal and Stove could be a long-term prospect for that spot.

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Jags among several teams to meet with Auburn WR, special teamer Eli Stove

The Jags have ben obvious in their search for versatile receivers, which is why it makes sense that they’ve shown interest in Eli Stove.

If there is one thing Jacksonville Jaguars fans have learned by now about Urban Meyer, it’s that he likes receivers who can contribute on special teams. When looking at our tracker of meetings they’ve had with prospects, several names on it further prove that point and the team’s decision to sign Jamal Agnew is also telling.

Another name who can be added to the list of versatile receiver prospects the Jags have met with is that of Eli Stove, who Justin Melo of the Draft Network says has garnered a lot of interest from the Jags and many other organizations.

Stove, a native of Niceville, Fla., hauled in 136 catches for 1,186 yards and six touchdowns while at Auburn. He also contributed in the run game, exiting his collegiate career with 554 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. While Stove’s time as a returner isn’t extensive, he returned four punts (for 30 yards) and three kickoffs (for 93 yards) in 2020.

During Auburn’s pro day, he measured in at 5-foot-11, 194 pounds, and ran a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash. In terms of his size, he seems to be reminiscent of Agnew (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) and the team could see him as a developmental player to have on practice squad if injuries occur.

Currently, the Mock Draft Database has Stove projected as an undrafted free agent based on the mock drafts on the web. That said, if the Jags can’t draft him late, it already appears they’ve put in the work to bring him back to the state of Florida.

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Auburn special teams ace Eli Stove met with the Saints

The New Orleans Saints are one of many teams that have met with 2021 NFL draft prospect Eli Stove, a wide receiver out of Auburn.

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The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reported Tuesday that the New Orleans Saints are amid a crowd of teams touching base with Auburn wide receiver Eli Stove, one of the more-accomplished special teams players in this year’s draft class. While he didn’t begin handling return duties until his final season in college, Stove lined up at several different spots to cover opposing returns throughout his five-year Tigers career. He’s also ranked fifth-best in the school record books with 136 career receptions and has logged 55 rushing attempts.

Stove tested like a capable athlete, though he didn’t put up any exceptional times while weighing in at 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds at Auburn’s pro day. He did time the 40 yard dash in 4.55 seconds — the same time that Marquez Callaway ran at last year’s NFL Scouting Combine. If Stove were to join the Saints, he’d likely figure to compete with Callaway for a roster spot.

While Callaway endeared himself quickly to Saints fans as a rookie, he was inactive to start the year and initially made it through roster cuts because of what he’d shown in training camp as a gunner in the kicking game. Expectations are higher for him after he made the most of his opportunities with New Orleans’ offense, but it’s in everyone’s interest to bring in competition to push him and make sure the Saints carry the best depth chart possible into the season.

But let’s circle back to Stove. He might not be picked in this year’s draft, though maybe a team trusts its evaluation enough to select him in one of the later rounds. And the Saints could use the help, given the losses their special teams units have taken this season: standout Justin Hardee (215 snaps, fourth-most) departed in free agency, as did Alex Anzalone (180, seventh-most). Craig Robertson, New Orleans’ leader in special teams snaps played (360), remains unsigned. There’s room for someone like Stove to make an impact quickly.

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Coach Harsin impressed by sophomore wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson

Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin had high praise for sophomore wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson after the Tigers’ first scrimmage Thursday.

Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin had high praise for sophomore wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson after the Tigers’ first scrimmage Thursday.

“He’s been one of the more consistent players, day in and day out, as far as his execution and preparation. Being able to come off the ball and be an explosive player play after play, the great ones who play that position at wide receiver, that’s what they do. He’s played faster, and he’s done it more consistently. He’s made some plays in practice.”

As a senior out of Hewitt Trussville High School, Johnson recorded 87 receptions for 1,683 yards and 15 touchdowns. His first two seasons at Auburn have been less than ideal as he has not yet recorded any stats. As a redshirt freshman he suffered from a sports-related hernia and last season only saw game action against Georgia.

The Tigers wide receiver corps last season was filled with veteran leadership, but now that former starters Seth Williams, Eli Stove, and Anthony Schwartz have departed for the NFL, this spring is Johnson’s time to prove himself capable as a starter.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo shared his thoughts on what makes Johnson a standout player:

“The bottom line is that you get out there, you notice guys on tape – are they coming off the ball, creating space making plays? He has made plays for two days. His ability to get off the ball with speed and urgency has put pressure on the defense. I think we got to get all these receivers exploding off that football and creating stress on the defense, whether we’re running a 6-yard route or a 9 route, which is a go ball or takeoff. He’s looked the same every time. When we’re run blocking, you got to explode off the ball, and he’s been doing that.”

Ja’Varrius Johnson brings consistency and talent to a youthful wide receiver corps. 158 days separate fans from the start of the season and while it is still unclear who Auburn’s starters will be at wide receiver, it is clear that Johnson’s breakout spring performance sets a standard for all receivers moving forward.

These fans watched the Auburn vs Mississippi State and lived to react to it

I’ve never been so underwhelmed and exhausted while watching an Auburn game before. The Auburn vs Memphis basketball game left very little in the emotional tank for football, it also didn’t help that the score at halftime was 6-3. But alas, Auburn …

I’ve never been so underwhelmed and exhausted while watching an Auburn game before. The Auburn vs Memphis basketball game left very little in the emotional tank for football, it also didn’t help that the score at halftime was 6-3.

But alas, Auburn was able to snap a two-game losing streak and the Tigers’ abysmal offense finally managed to find the end zone late in the second half. The final score was 24-10. Here’s what many had to say:

Auburn fans we can now relax, for it is now basketball season. Prayers up for Mississippi State DE Marquiss Spencer who was stretchered off the field in the fourth quarter.

Whole lotta anger: Reactions to Auburn’s loss against Texas A&M

Fans on Twitter wasn’t happy with Auburn’s loss to Texas A&M on Saturday and let everyone know about it.

Auburn had more than enough opportunities to take down No. 5 Texas A&M, and they squandered all of them.

Bo Nix overthrew Eli Stove in the first half and the Tigers then settled for a field goal. Auburn had three timeouts and the ball left with 24 seconds to go in the second quarter and instead opted to go to the locker room. Texas A&M had a very questionable third-down conversion in the third quarter and instead of calling a timeout and challenging the play, Auburn let play continue and gave up the game-clinching touchdown.

The Tigers’ defense also allowed Texas A&M to convert 70% of third downs.

It was inexplicable, frustrating, and pitiful to witness. Twitter also would like a few words here.

In summary, everyone is angry and I can’t blame them either.

Eli Stove named to Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year watch list

Stove had one of his best games for Auburn on Saturday in the Tigers’ 48-11 rout of LSU.

Eli Stove’s career at Auburn has been full of ups and downs, especially as he has to fight through injuries that kept him out of the majority of the 2018 season.

He’s back now and had one of his best games on Saturday against LSU, catching five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown as the Tigers routed the Bayou Bengals 48-11 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

For all his efforts this season, Stove has been named to the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year watch list.

From the press release:

Since 2018, a panel of writers, editors and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and Touchdown Illustrated have recognized 30 college football student-athletes each season from all divisions of college football for overcoming injury or illness, by sharing their remarkable comeback stories throughout the season. At the conclusion of the season, three college football student-athletes were honored as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award winners during an on-field presentation at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl.

On the season, Stove has 21 receptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

Eli Stove named to Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year watch list

Stove had one of his best games for Auburn on Saturday in the Tigers’ 48-11 rout of LSU.

Eli Stove’s career at Auburn has been full of ups and downs, especially as he has to fight through injuries that kept him out of the majority of the 2018 season.

He’s back now and had one of his best games on Saturday against LSU, catching five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown as the Tigers routed the Bayou Bengals 48-11 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

For all his efforts this season, Stove has been named to the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year watch list.

From the press release:

Since 2018, a panel of writers, editors and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and Touchdown Illustrated have recognized 30 college football student-athletes each season from all divisions of college football for overcoming injury or illness, by sharing their remarkable comeback stories throughout the season. At the conclusion of the season, three college football student-athletes were honored as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award winners during an on-field presentation at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl.

On the season, Stove has 21 receptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns.