Hugh Freeze – Syndication Server

USA TODAY Sports issues final grade for Auburn football

Is Auburn’s final grade a reflection of its 2024 record?

Auburn football had very few highlights during its 2024 season such as the thrilling overtime win over Texas A&M and premier back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] rushing for 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

However, plenty of forgettable moments led USA TODAY Sports to give Auburn a GPA-crushing grade in its postseason report card feature.

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg issued final grades for all 134 FBS programs following the College Football Playoff National Championship game earlier this week. Auburn received a “D” for its season performance which resulted in a 5-7 record. Other programs included in this category are Florida Atlantic, NC State, Mississippi State, and Troy.

Auburn ended its 2024 campaign with two SEC wins and was in a great position to earn more. Auburn led Oklahoma 21-10 in the 4th quarter before the Sooners scored 17 unanswered points over the final 8:32 to claim the win. Missouri also stormed back from a 17-3 deficit to beat Auburn in Columbia, 21-17. Missouri’s Jamal Roberts scored on a four-yard rush to cap a 17-play, 95-yard drive with 0:46 remaining in the game. Outside of SEC play, Auburn dropped a game to California despite being double-digit favorites at home.

The Auburn Tigers look to improve their record, and their final grade from USA TODAY Sports, during the 2025 season. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad hits the field for the first time in 2025 on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Baylor in Waco, Texas.

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__

USA TODAY Sports releases its final 2024 re-rank. Where is Auburn?

Where did Auburn finish in the final USA TODAY Sports re-rank by Paul Myerberg?

The Auburn Tigers’ 2024 season did not go as planned, thus resulting in a 5-7 record and no postseason bid for the second time in three seasons.

Auburn’s disappointing season can be reflected in USA TODAY Sports’ final re-rank of the season. Auburn won two of its final three games, however, a 14-point loss to Alabama knocks the Tigers down to a final resting place of No. 86, a six-spot drop from the beginning of bowl season.

Good news for Auburn is that [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff have worked tirelessly this offseason to improve its roster through the transfer portal. The Tigers have the No. 4 transfer portal class for the 2025 cycle according to 247Sports after landing several notable additions including quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], four-star tackle [autotag]Xavier Chaplin[/autotag], and four-star safety [autotag]Raion Strader[/autotag].

The national champion Ohio State Buckeyes claim the top spot in the year-end rankings, jumping four spots from No. 5. UConn made the largest stride in the ranking by climbing 18 spots to No. 59 while Oklahoma fell 16 spots to No. 64 following its bowl loss to Navy.

Many eyes set upon Auburn’s ‘interesting’ QB situation as offseason approaches

The Athletic’s Antonio Morales says that Auburn’s QB room overhaul will be interesting to watch play out.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s decision to not pursue a transfer quarterback following the 2023 season quickly haunted him. This offseason, he is learning from his miscalculation by overhauling the Tigers’ entire quarterback room ahead of the 2025 season.

Auburn’s newest quarterback situation has earned a spot within The Athletic’s 10 most interesting quarterback situations list. Antonio Morales of The Athletic is interested in seeing how Freeze and the Tigers adjust to additions [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and [autotag]Ashton Daniels[/autotag], and if Auburn’s inconsistencies at the position continue.

Neither is a sure bet to hit, but Auburn does have solid talent at receiver, which should help whoever starts at quarterback. Both are run threats, which is beneficial for Freeze’s offense, too. Having those two also means that four-star signee and top-50 prospect Deuce Knight doesn’t have to play right away. The Tigers flipped Knight from Notre Dame and held off a late Ole Miss push. His development will be something to monitor.

Although Daniels is the more experienced quarterback of the two, Arnold appears to be the guy to beat heading into spring practice. Arnold, the former five-star recruit and Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, passed for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns for Oklahoma in 2024. He eclipsed the 200-yard mark in passing twice last season, and rushed for 131 yards in the Sooners’ win over Alabama in November.

Auburn also added former South Carolina quarterback [autotag]Tanner Bailey[/autotag] to its room following the transfer of [autotag]Walker Whit[/autotag]e to Baylor. Auburn’s three transfer additions are being used to buy time for the development of true freshman [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag], who is seen as “the future” of the offense.

The winning quarterback will be tasked with producing at a higher rate than last season’s starter, Payton Thorne, who passed for 2,713 yards and 21 scores in 2024. Thorne ended the year by completing 62.8% of his passes and reaching a career-best quarterback rating of 150.8.

Auburn extends offer to 2026 Tennessee commit

Auburn is the latest to offer the talented defensive lineman from Hoover High School.

Auburn football is the latest SEC program to extend an offer to a talented defensive lineman from Hoover High School.

[autotag]Tyson Bacon[/autotag], a three-star defensive lineman and Tennessee commitment, shared this week that he has received an offer from Auburn. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers are one of four programs to offer the talented defensive lineman since the calendar flipped to 2025.

Tennessee has recruited Bacon the hardest and longest, with efforts dating back to Nov. 18, 2023, when he made his first official visit to Knoxville. Because of this, Bacon has rewarded Josh Heupel’s program by giving him his pledge.

Still, that has not stopped several of the SEC’s top programs, including Auburn, from trying to flip his commitment. Ole Miss, Alabama, Missouri, and West Virginia join Auburn in trying to sway him away from Rocky Top.

Bacon logged 44 tackles as an 11th grader at Hoover High School in 2024 with six tackles for loss, a sack, and 11 quarterback hurries. His efforts helped lead Hoover to a semi-final appearance in the AHSAA Class 7A playoffs. He is the No. 17 recruit from Alabama for the 2026 cycle and is the No. 52 overall defensive lineman according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Several programs are working to flip 2026 Auburn commit

Many programs are looking to snag one of Auburn’s most loyal commitments.

Auburn football landed its first commitment of the 2026 recruiting cycle on New Year’s Day in 2024 when three-start wide receiver [autotag]Denairius Gray[/autotag] announced his pledge to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Tigers.

Now, several schools are looking to change his mind as the 2026 recruiting cycle heats up.

In a recent interview with On3’s Chad Simmons, Gray opened up about his recruitment and the programs that have recently extended offers to him. Programs such as Clemson, NC State, Florida, and Florida State are pushing the hardest to flip him from his Auburn commitment.

Although he is being heavily pursued, Gray says that his commitment to Auburn is firm and that he plans to visit during the weekend of Jan. 25. What would solidify his signature in December? Auburn’s quarterback play this season.

My big thing this next season is to see how things go at quarterback,” Gray said in a recent interview with On3. “That is what I will be watching with Auburn, but my commitment is still good.”

Gray is one of Auburn’s six 2026 recruiting class, which ranks No. 6 in the nation in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings. He is a three-star wide receiver from Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida, where former Tiger Shaun Shivers currently serves as an assistant coach. He is the No. 74 wide receiver of the 2026 class and is the No. 57 player from Florida.

Former South Carolina QB joins Auburn’s roster

Auburn has officially rounded out its QB room for the 2025 season.

The original plan for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn coaching staff was to sign two transfer quarterbacks this offseason. Freeze achieved that goal by landing former Oklahoma quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and ex-Stanford quarterback [autotag]Ashton Daniels[/autotag].

However, his plans were altered as freshman [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] announced his decision to leave the program, leaving one more spot to fill. The good news for Freeze is that he did not have to look far to land his third transfer quarterback.

Auburn football landed a commitment from former South Carolina quarterback [autotag]Tanner Bailey[/autotag] this week to officially round out the 2025 quarterback room. Bailey will join the roster as a walk-on.

Bailey’s story is unique. He signed with South Carolina as a three-star quarterback from the 2022 cycle out of Gordo High School (Alabama). He played in one game for the Gamecocks during the 2023 season, where his only stat was a -7-yard rush in South Carolina’s win over Furman. After the season, Bailey decided to hang up his cleats and pursue other opportunities as a student.

Bailey returned to his home state to enroll at Auburn University, his dream school. He tells USA TODAY Sports that Auburn coaches approached him about joining the team in December—a chance he couldn’t pass up.

“Everybody that knows me, I’m a lifelong, die-hard Auburn fan,” Bailey said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “For me, if you ask the 5-year-old Tanner: ‘What’s your lifelong dream?’, this is probably what it is. It’s awesome, I’m super excited.”

With Bailey joining the program, Auburn has now signed four quarterbacks to fill the room for the 2025 season. In addition to the transfer of Arnold and Daniels, five-star quarterback [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] will compete for the starting quarterback job beginning this spring.

Tigers ranked among top 10 in ‘Way, way too early 2025 rankings’ by On3

It is only January, but Auburn football is already a player in College Football Playoff discussions for 2025.

The 2024 college football season may not be over, but analysts around the sport are already preparing for what promises to be a contentious 2025 campaign. With the path to a national championship seemingly as wide open as its ever been thanks to the transfer portal and NIL, the power landscape should shift year to year.

Programs such as Auburn, who had a rough season in 2024, could very well see themselves upwardly swerving into contenders in 2025. On3’s Andy Staples and Ani Wasserman, who just released their ‘Way Too Early 2025′ Rankings’, sees a trio of underachieving 2024 SEC programs, including Auburn, becoming elite next season.

Staples and Wasserman ranked the Tigers as the No. 10 team in the country in their rankings, crediting [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s work in the last two recruiting classes and the transfer portal additions of [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and [autotag]Eric Singleton Jr.[/autotag] for Auburn’s hypothetical turnaround. Florida, who also underachieved in 2024, checks in one spot above the Tigers, at No. 9 in the rankings.

Other than Florida and Auburn, Texas (No. 1), Georgia (No. 6), and South Carolina (No. 7) round out the five SEC programs ranked among the top 10 spots. Texas and Georgia were the only two teams to finish the 2024 year ranked among the CFP top 10, while South Carolina narrowly missed the 12-team Playoff field after finishing the season with six consecutive victories.

While the SEC has the most programs in the ‘Way Too Early’ top 10, the BIG 10 features the most in the top 5, with Oregon (No. 2), 2024 National Championship favorites Ohio State (No. 3), and Penn State (No. 4), representing the conference. Notre Dame (No. 5) and Clemson (No. 8) also earned spots in the top 10, making Florida, Auburn, and South Carolina the lone programs ranked among the elite to not earn a Playoff spot in 2024.

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

Auburn among programs in pursuit of former Alabama EDGE Jeremiah Alexander

Alexander signed with Alabama as the No. 1 EDGE from the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Auburn football recently added an EDGE transfer in Chris Murray from Sam Houston State. However, their pursuit of adding talented pass rushers is not over.

[autotag]Jeremiah Alexander[/autotag], a former EDGE rusher at Alabama, recently visited Auburn according to Hayes Fawcett of On3. Auburn joins Clemson, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss as programs showing heavy interest in the ex-Alabama defender.

Alexander signed with Alabama as the No. 1 EDGE prospect from the 2022 class, which ranked No. 2 in the nation. He was the sixth-highest-rated signee in Alabama’s 2022 class, trailing several talented players including EDGE Jihaad Campbell, quarterback Ty Simpson, and wide receiver Isaiah Bond.

Despite his high recruiting ranking, Alexander has only logged eight tackles in three seasons in Tuscaloosa. He participated in eight games throughout his Alabama career, making one tackle in each game. In 2024, Alexander played in four games, most recently seeing action in Alabama’s Reliaquest Bowl loss to Michigan.

[autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] is the headlining returner at EDGE, with five-star signee [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag] expecting to play a role this season. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is looking to add depth at EDGE to keep Faulk fresh and aid in the development of Smith.

Auburn guard Jeremiah Wright announces return to Auburn football

Wright is set to return after taking over the right guard slot on Auburn’s offensive line in 2024.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] received great news Monday as he looks to construct his 2025 roster.

[autotag]Jeremiah Wright[/autotag], who took over as the Tigers’ starting right guard in 2024, announced Monday that he will return to the team for his fourth season.

Wright is no stranger to seeing time on the offensive line by participating in over 1,200 snaps over the last three seasons. He took over as the Tigers’ starting right guard in 2024, allowing just nine quarterback pressures in 418 opportunities according to Pro Football Focus. Among the pressures were six hurries and two sacks.

As a freshman in 2022, Wright participated in 234 snaps over seven games at left guard, making one start on Auburn’s road trip to Ole Miss. He made the move to right guard for his sophomore season in 2023, where he split time with [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag]. Wright saw action in 11 games and totaled 308 snaps.

With the return of Wright, Auburn will return four linemen from its 2024 season including [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag], [autotag]Connor Lew[/autotag], and [autotag]Bradyn Joiner[/autotag]. Freeze will look to fill the right tackle position left vacant by outgoing transfer Percy Lewis with either Virginia Tech transfer [autotag]Xavier Chaplin[/autotag] or USC transfer [autotag]Mason Murphy[/autotag]. Both transfers bring a wealth of experience to the Tigers’ front.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DESd3hQJBcP/

[lawrence-related id=88520,88342,88072]

Coming home? Jeffrey M’ba schedules visit to Auburn

After spending two seasons at Purdue, M’ba is considering a return to Auburn.

What is meant to be usually finds its way back.

[autotag]Jeffrey M’ba[/autotag], who signed with Auburn as part of its 2022 signing class, is looking to take advantage of a new NCAA rule that will allow ex-JUCO athletes the chance to play a full four seasons under the NCAA umbrella.

Because of this, M’ba is considering a return to the Plains after spending the last two seasons at Purdue. According to his Twitter, M’ba has scheduled visits to USC, SMU, and Auburn. According to a report by Cole Pinkston of Auburn Live, M’ba’s Auburn visit will begin on Friday, Jan. 3.

M’ba signed with Auburn out of Independence Community College in Kansas, where he logged 50 tackles (15 for loss) and three sacks in two seasons. He was the nation’s top JUCO defensive lineman from the 2022 recruiting cycle, and chose Auburn over programs such as Tennessee, Miami, and Colorado.

He appeared in six games during his lone season in Auburn in 2022, where he recorded seven tackles with a sack and forced fumble. He made a season-best two tackles in Auburn’s 2022 season opener vs. Mercer and notched a sack and forced fumble in Auburn’s overtime loss to Mississippi State.

In two seasons at Purdue, M’ba recorded 46 tackles with a sack. This season, M’ba created 15 pressures with 12 quarterback hurries.

Auburn has one defensive tackle transfer to this point in the cycle, [autotag]Dallas Walker[/autotag]. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and staff will bring in four high school defensive linemen: [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag], [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag], and [autotag]Darrion Smith[/autotag].