Hugh Freeze – Syndication Server

Auburn to promote TJ Rushing to outside linebackers coach

Rushing is expected to fill the void left by outgoing EDGE coach Josh Aldridge.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is not searching far for a replacement for outgoing EDGE coach [autotag]Josh Aldridge[/autotag].

According to reports from On3 and Auburn Undercover, Auburn is expected to promote special assistant to the head coach [autotag]TJ Rushing[/autotag] to an on-field role. Rushing is forecasted to coach outside linebackers and possibly work with Auburn’s nickelbacks.

After a professional football career that saw him win a Super Bowl title and build 1,290 return yards, Rushing dipped into the coaching world in 2013 as a graduate assistant at Arizona State, which later turned into a job with defensive quality control. He joined Texas A&M‘s coaching staff as a defensive backs coach under Jimbo Fisher in 2020. He was later dismissed along with the entire coaching staff following Fisher’s firing in 2023.

He followed ex-Texas A&M defensive coordinator [autotag]DJ Durkin[/autotag] to Auburn by taking an off-the-field role for the 2024 season to serve as special assistant to the head coach. Rushing has also coached at Northern Arizona and Memphis.

Rushing will fill the role left behind by former EDGE coach Josh Aldridge. Earlier this week, Aldridge announced that he is leaving Auburn after two seasons to become the defensive coordinator at East Carolina. He will step back into the coordinator role after being Freeze’s defensive coordinator at Liberty in 2022.

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

Auburn adds former USC tackle Mason Murphy from transfer portal

Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire sheds light on what Auburn fans can expect from Murphy following his commitment.

Auburn fans woke Tuesday to the news that an experienced offensive lineman would join.

[autotag]Mason Murphy[/autotag], a 22-game starter for the USC Trojans at right tackle, announced his commitment to Auburn on Tuesday morning. His commitment is welcomed as head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and offensive line coach [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag] are searching for a replacement at right tackle for the outgoing [autotag]Izavion Miller[/autotag].

What exactly is Auburn getting in Murphy? We asked Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire for insight on Murphy’s time in Los Angeles, and he delivered.

Murphy started all 12 of USC’s games this season, with his best game coming in the Trojans’ 42-20 win over Rutgers on Oct. 25. Pro Football Focus graded his performance 81.0 overall, with an 83.6 in pass blocking. However, he failed to grade above 71.0 in his remaining 11 starts, which caused frustration among the USC fanbase according to Zemek.

“Maybe (Thornton) can create improvements from Murphy, but USC fans winced (and probably yelled with anger) when Murphy made key mistakes which kneecapped the Trojans in 2024,” Zemek said.

Several of Murphy’s mistakes included losing a block against Minnesota on Oct. 5, which forced a momentum-swinging interception that led to a Trojan loss. Murphy also committed four false start penalties in USC’s loss to Washington on Nov. 2.

However, Zemek feels Murphy could become a high-level player with great coaching.

“To be fair to Auburn, USC offensive line coach Josh Henson has not done a good job with the Trojans,” Zemek said. “If Auburn thinks it can coach Murphy better than Henson did at USC, this could all work out. If that was the thought process behind this pickup, it makes sense. Just beware: Mason Murphy was not part of the solution at USC.”

Last season, Izavion Miller earned a grade of 64.4 from Pro Football Focus after allowing 17 pressures with four sacks in 570 snaps at right tackle. However, two key linemen: [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag] and [autotag]Connor Lew[/autotag], were graded above 70 for the season.

Murphy will compete alongside Virginia Tech transfer [autotag]Xavier Chaplin[/autotag] for the role of Auburn’s starting right tackle this spring. Chaplin committed to Auburn Monday after starting 25 games at left tackle for the Hokies over the last two seasons.

Ex-Stanford QB Ashton Daniels commits to Auburn

Daniels commits to Auburn after making 20 starts for the Stanford Cardinal.

Auburn will bring zero scholarship quarterbacks from the 2024 season into 2025 and the coaching staff is working quickly to fill the void.

Two days after landing the signature of former Oklahoma quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], Hayes Fawcett of On3 reports that Auburn has grabbed the commitment of another experienced quarterback in [autotag]Ashton Daniels[/autotag], formerly of Stanford.

Daniels was the first name to emerge once the winter transfer portal opened on Dec. 6. Steve Wiltfong of On3 submitted a prediction that favored Auburn landing the 20-game starter from Stanford following an interview in which Daniels said he could “be a spark” to the young wide receivers.

Daniels will enter an expected stiff competition between Arnold and five-star signee [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] for the right to be named QB1 for the 2025 season. In three seasons at Stanford, Daniels passed for 3,986 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 1,121 yards and nine scores.

Daniels’ addition brings confidence to the RPO game, as [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] now has three mobile quarterbacks on his roster. Three dual-threat quarterbacks will open play-calling and give Auburn more opportunities to win close games.

Auburn EDGE coach Josh Aldridge to become defensive coordinator at ECU

After coaching Jalen McLeod and Keldric Faulk to success in 2023 and 2024, Aldridge is ready to take on a larger role at an AAC program.

The first coaching move of the offseason has officially taken place.

[autotag]Josh Aldridge[/autotag], who spent the previous two seasons as Auburn’s EDGE coach, departs the program for the defensive coordinator position at East Carolina according to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Auburn’s EDGE rushers were arguably the strongest unit on Auburn’s defense the past two seasons under Aldridge. This season, [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] and [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] were the highest-graded defensive players according to Pro Football Focus at 85.5 and 84.7 respectively. The pair combined to create 74 quarterback pressures with 16 sacks and three forced fumbles. Backup EDGE rushers [autotag]Zykeivous Walker[/autotag] and [autotag]Amaris Williams[/autotag] had solid seasons as well by combining to make 13 pressures and 12 quarterback hurries.

McLeod found similar success in 2023 by creating 37 quarterback pressures with six sacks. As a freshman that season, Faulk made 36 tackles with a sack.

Before his time at Auburn, Aldridge spent four seasons under head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] at Liberty, where he began as a defensive line coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator, becoming a Broyles Award nominee in 2021. He has also spent time at Lenor-Rhyne and West Georgia.

Freshman QB Walker White to enter transfer portal

White’s Auburn career concludes after just one season on the Plains.

One piece of disappointing news has surfaced on an otherwise positive day for Auburn football.

According to reports from multiple outlets, including On3 and 247Sports, Auburn freshman quarterback [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] intends to enter the transfer portal after spending one season on the Plains. The news comes hours after former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold signed with Auburn as a transfer.

White saw action in one game this season, passing for 18 yards on two pass completions in Auburn’s 48-14 win over ULM on Nov. 16. The Little Rock, Arkansas native signed with Auburn as the No. 5 quarterback of the 2024 signing class and the No. 1 overall recruit from Arkansas.

Although disappointing, White’s decision to transfer is understandable. Auburn signed five-star quarterback [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] to its 2025 recruiting haul and snagged Jackson Arnold from the transfer portal early in the cycle. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn coaching staff has also made contact with Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy and Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels, as it is expected that Auburn will sign another transfer portal quarterback this cycle to fill in for the departures of Payton Thorne, Holden Geriner, and Hank Brown.

Following White’s anticipated departure, Auburn will bring zero scholarship quarterbacks from 2024 into its 2025 season. Thorne has graduated, Brown will sign with Iowa as a transfer, and Geriner remains in the transfer portal at the time of this post.

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].

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Auburn football lands Oklahoma transfer QB Jackson Arnold

Has Auburn found its QB1 for the 2025 season?

Following the graduation of [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], the Auburn Tigers must look to a new name to lead the offense as the team’s starting quarterback.

Their search may have ended on Saturday morning.

Pete Nakos of On3 reports that former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, who visited Auburn on Friday, has committed to the Tigers. He commits to Auburn after passing for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns in 16 games throughout two seasons.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] says that Arnold is a quarterback who can succeed at Auburn due to his understanding of the current offensive system.

“He’s as natural operating the RPO game as any kid mechanically that I’ve seen,” Freeze said Saturday. “I’ve seen enough on tape that he has a clear understanding of it. The thing that excites me the most is his mechanics are as good as they get. We’re not going to have to change a thing with that.”

Arnold signed with Oklahoma as the No. 4 quarterback of the 2023 recruiting cycle, a class that included Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, and South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The Denton, Texas native won Gatorade Player of the Year for his state after a senior season in 2023 that saw him pass for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 921 yards and 24 scores.

According to Auburn athletics’ official website, Arnold is the highest-rated quarterback (based on high school ratings) to sign with Auburn. Arnold, along with 2025 signee [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag], will be the first five-star duo to grace the Auburn quarterback room at the same time.

Arnold will now join a quarterback competition between redshirt freshman [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] and 2025 signee Deuce Knight. Following the departures of [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], Auburn is expected to add one more quarterback to its 2025 depth chart. Names to watch for in this regard are former Duke QB Maalik Murphy and former Stanford QB Ashton Daniels.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDkCESjxKN6/

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Auburn football releases 2025 schedule, dates

Which games are you looking forward to watch next season?

Auburn fans, great news! You can begin planning trips to see your Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium and on the road.

The SEC revealed every member institution’s 2025 football schedule on Wednesday, including Auburn. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will look to improve upon the Tigers’ 5-7 record in 2024 by making a giant leap in year three of his era.

Next season’s conference slate will feature the same opponents as the 2024 schedule but flipped. So Auburn will host Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, and Kentucky while visiting Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. In non-conference play, Auburn will face a Big 12 opponent, Baylor, on the road. Auburn will also play host to Ball State, Mercer, and a first-time opponent in South Alabama.

Opponents-wise, the schedule provides plenty of chances for Auburn to earn important wins. However, will the schedule structure give Auburn the necessary breaks to be successful?

Here is a look at Auburn football’s 2025 schedule

Aug. 30 at Baylor
Sept. 6 vs. Ball State
Sept. 13 vs. South Alabama
Sept. 20 at Oklahoma
Sept. 27 at Texas A&M
Oct. 4 OPEN
Oct. 11 Georgia
Oct. 18 Missouri
Oct. 25 at Arkansas
Nov. 1 vs. Kentucky
Nov. 8 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 15 OPEN
Nov. 22 vs. Mercer
Nov. 29 vs. Alabama

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.