Hugh Freeze – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Five-star quarterback Deuce Knight signs with Auburn over Ole Miss

Auburn signs the five-star QB from Mississippi despite late flip attempt by Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels.

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels worked tirelessly to flip Auburn commit [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] in the days leading up to the early signing period. However, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will get the last laugh at the end of the day.

Knight, a five-star quarterback from Lucedale, Mississippi, flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to Auburn in October. On Wednesday, he honored his commitment to the Tigers by signing during the first day of the early signing period, spurning Kiffin and his home-state Ole Miss Rebels.

Knight visited Ole Miss several times after committing to Auburn, most recently for the Rebels’ win over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl last Saturday. Talks of a possible flip began with David Johnson of 247Sports submitting a “crystal ball” prediction for Knight to flip to Ole Miss in November. However, Auburn never waivered and ultimately ended up with Knight in their 2025 recruiting haul.

Knight had a spectacular senior season at George County High School, where he passed for 2,082 yards and 24 touchdowns, throwing just five interceptions. On the ground, Knight added 450 yards and nine touchdowns to his overall total. In 26 total games as a high school quarterback, Knight completed 57% (324-of-560) passes for 5,618 yards and 50 touchdowns while adding 1,282 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground.

Knight is a 6-4, 206-pound quarterback from Lucedale, Mississippi, and is the No. 4 quarterback from the 2025 class according to 247Sports composite rankings. He will compete alongside [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Walker White[/autotag], and a possible transfer quarterback for the role of QB1 next fall for the Tigers.

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Auburn football lands five-star DL Malik Autry. Why he signed with the Tigers

Auburn fights off Ohio State and Florida to sign the five-star DL from Opelika. Why did Autry elect to stay home?

Auburn football has secured one of its important commitments as [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag] has officially signed with the Tigers.

Autry, a five-star defensive lineman from nearby Opelika, signed with Auburn on Wednesday morning, choosing [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s program over schools such as Ohio State and Florida, who made a late push to snag Autry away from Auburn.

How did Auburn beat out the Buckeyes and Gators? Last week, Autry publicly shut down his recruitment, citing that his time at Opelika High School prepared him for the situation he will endure at Auburn.

“Going to all the other schools made me realize what I really wanted,” Autry said in an interview with Auburn Undercover ($). “My high school, my sophomore year we went 5-5, my junior year we went 4-6 and this past year we went 9-3 with a second round exit but just to see our team turnaround really shows me that — I had opportunities to go play for Central-Phenix City and IMG and all those big-time programs — but to stick it out and fight with your brothers and fight for a place you really love does mean more than just joining something that’s already established. That’s kind of been my mindset and helped me narrow down my decision and let me know that Auburn was home.”

Autry joins a long list of recruits that have officially signed with Auburn for the 2025 cycle including five-star EDGE [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag] and four-star safety [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag]. He is a 6-5, 320-pound defensive lineman from Opelika, Alabama, and is the No. 5 defensive lineman in the nation according to 247Sports composite rankings.

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Auburn, Hugh Freeze preparing for ‘best’ version of Jalen Milroe

Auburn will need to slow down Alabama QB Jalen Milroe to steal a win in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

Auburn football’s most important game of the season will take place less than 24 hours from now in Tuscaloosa.

Not only will Auburn look to win the 89th Iron Bowl to earn bragging rights over rival Alabama for the next year, but they will earn bowl eligibility after starting the season 2-5. One of their key focuses this week will be Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, the lifeblood of the Alabama offense. Milroe has experienced inconsistency this season, but that is not stopping Auburn’s head coach from preparing his team for the best version of Milroe.

During his weekly preview press conference, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] broke down Milroe’s ability and what his team should prepare for this Saturday.

“You look at the good. That’s what (Milroe is) capable of. I hope we get the lesser-than version. In a game like this, I would think – I don’t know him personally, but everything you see, he’s made of the right stuff and he competes at a high, high level in some of the biggest games. I would think he’d be determined to bounce back. So I think we’ve got to plan to get his best. I feel confident they’ll use him as a runner. That’s when they’ve been the most dangerous, and we’ve got to have a plan for that.”

Milroe enters Saturday’s game vs. Auburn with 2,396 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Milroe is also the Crimson Tide’s leading rusher with 615 yards and 17 touchdowns on 135 carries. His rushing ability will make or break Alabama’s success on offense.

In Alabama’s eight wins, Milroe has rushed for 587 yards and 16 scores. In Alabama’s three losses, Milroe has been held to 28 yards on 36 carries with just one touchdown. In last week’s loss to Oklahoma, Milroe was limited to seven rushing yards on 15 carries while being sacked once.

Milroe has not faired well in “bounce back” games, either, In Alabama’s win over South Carolina following its loss to Vanderbilt, Milroe rushed for 36 yards on 18 carries. In the Crimson Tide’s win over Missouri, Milroe gained 50 yards on the ground on 11 carries.

However, he has managed to pass well in said “bounce back” games. Two of Milroe’s top-five passing performances of the season have taken place following a loss. Milroe passed for 215 yards in Alabama’s win over Missouri and 209 yards vs. South Carolina.

Auburn will look to slow down Jalen Milroe and the Alabama offense on Saturday when it faces the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on ABC.

Auburn jumps one spot in SEC Power Poll following win over Texas A&M

Auburn gained ground in Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread’s weeky power rankings after stunning Texas A&M last Saturday.

The Auburn Tigers earned their fifth, and most impressive, victory of the season last Saturday night under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad took down the College Football Playoff hopeful Texas A&M Aggies in four overtimes, now giving themselves a chance to earn a postseason bowl game with a win over Alabama next week.

The win was spectacular and impressive for an Auburn team that has been searching for a statement victory for what has seemed like a decade. Despite the showing, Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread only jumped the Tigers up one spot in his SEC Power Poll. Auburn is now two spots ahead of last place, with No. 15 ranked Kentucky replacing Auburn for the second-to-last place spot. Texas A&M meanwhile dropped just one spot as well, from No. 6 to No. 7, in this week’s poll.

Auburn’s victory may have not jumped the Tigers drastically up Goodbread’s power poll, but a victory over No. 5 ranked Alabama likely will. Other than Alabama, Ole Miss (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 3) , Georgia (No. 2), and Texas (No. 1) make up the top 5. The Tigers are highly unlikely to finish the season anywhere near the top 5, but a win this week and a victory in an eventual bowl game could help Hugh Freeze and company finish in the upper half of the conference.

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Five-star DL Malik Autry shuts down recruitment

Malik Autry is one of Auburn’s top commits for the 2025 cycle. How strong is his commitment to Hugh Freeze and the Tigers?

The drama surrounding college football recruiting is about to heat up ahead of the early signing period, which begins next week.

How many of Auburn’s 27 commits will fulfill their pledges? How many more will join? Those questions will fill every Auburn fan’s mind until the period ends on Friday, Dec. 6. However, one of Auburn’s top commits has chosen to ease the minds of Auburn fans and coaches by shutting down his recruitment and will with [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s program next week.

[autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], a five-star defensive lineman from nearby Opelika High School, announced Monday that he is shutting down his recruitment and will sign with Auburn next Wednesday. When asked about his decision to focus solely on Auburn, he reflected on his time as an Opelika Bulldog and compared it to the progression of Auburn’s current state.

Autry’s shutdown is a great sign for what’s to come for Auburn ahead of early signing day. Several 247Sports recruiting analysts recently forecasted a flip to Ole Miss by top commits [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag]. However, forecasts from several sites including Steve Wiltfong of On3 suggest that Alabama’s top recruit for the 2025 cycle, [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], could flip to Auburn from Ohio State.

Recruiting will be a hot topic over the next week, so having Autry’s firm commitment is a sigh of relief for Auburn fans everywhere.

Auburn vs. Texas A&M injury report: Final update, news for Saturday

Here is the final update on Auburn’s injury report ahead of its week 13 game vs. Texas A&M.

Kickoff between the Auburn Tigers and the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies is less than two hours away, and the final SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report has been released for the game.

Auburn’s report features six players, four of whom are nursing season-ending injuries. Tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] has been added to the report with a “game-time decision” tag.

One player, kicker [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag], has been ruled out due to an ongoing gastrointestinal illness. Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will look to walk-on kicker [autotag]Ian Vachon[/autotag] to handle kicking duties on Saturday following his debut performance in Auburn’s win over ULM. In that game, he connected on all six of his extra-point opportunities and went 2-for-2 on field goal chances, connecting on a long of 26 yards.

Freeze complimented Vachon’s performance during Monday’s preview press conference by saying that it would be tough to remove his duties.

“It’d be hard to take it from him at this point. Again, I think Towns (McGough) is going to be outstanding. He’s just a young freshman. All of our freshmen are making mistakes that are playing. Kickers probably get more magnified than a DB or defensive lineman. I want to be sure everybody hears me loud and clear, I think his future is extremely bright. You don’t get that type of leg strength often. Currently, Ian (Vachon) is batting 1,000. Those have been critical plays in some of our losses that had we made those the whole dynamic of that game at that point kind of changes, so we’re not going to take the ball out of his hands right now. I’m proud of him. It’s a great story. He came through when he got his number called Saturday, so he’ll get another chance.”

Here is a look at the final SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of Auburn’s game vs. Texas A&M, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Auburn injury report

OLB Jamonta Waller (Out)
DB Tyler Scott (Out)
DB Champ Anthony (Out)
K Alex McPherson (Out)
TE Brandon Frazier (Out)
TE Rivaldo Fairweather (Game time decision)

Texas A&M injury report

RB Reuben Owens (Out)
WR Cyrus Allen (Out)
DB Tyreek Chappell (Out)
RB Le’Veon Moss (Out)
OL Mark Nabou Jr. (Out)
QB Jaylen Henderson (Out)
OL Chase Bisontis (Game time decision)

Caleb Wooden injury update

Wooden was listed as questionable for Saturday’s game on Wednesday’s initial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report due to an undisclosed injury that kept him sidelined for last week’s game vs. ULM. He has been cleared to play according to the final report released Saturday, and will provide key depth to the Auburn defensive backfield.

Caleb Burton injury update

Burton has not appeared in a game since Auburn’s loss to Arkansas on Sept. 21. It was reported that Burton had missed several weeks of action due to concussion protocol. However, he is no longer listed on Auburn’s availability report, and will be available to play against Texas A&M.

Five-star CB Na’eem Offord plans surprise visit to the Plains

Will Auburn close the deal and flip the top in-state recruit from his pledge to Ohio State?

The Early Signing Period is less than two weeks away, and Auburn has been given the opportunity to win over one of the top recruits in the nation.

[autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], Alabama’s top recruit from the 2025 recruiting cycle, is paying a visit to the Plains for Auburn’s game with No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday, giving [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] another opportunity to flip Offord from his pledge to Ohio State.

According to a report from Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover, Offord’s visit surprises Auburn’s coaching staff as his name was not originally on the visitors list for Saturday’s game. Saturday will also mark the fourth time the five-star CB from Birmingham has visited Auburn this season.

Offord joins four-star RB and Georgia pledge [autotag]Ousmane Kromah[/autotag] and three-star RB [autotag]Zion Johnson[/autotag] as 2025 recruits who are taking unofficial visits to Auburn this weekend while five 2025 recruits, including five-star DL Justus Terry, are on official visits according to Auburn Undercover.

Offord is the No. 11 recruit from the 2025 cycle according to 247Sports, and is the No. 2 cornerback in addition to being the No. 1 recruit from Alabama. Auburn holds a “flip” prediction from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy. Will Auburn close the deal this weekend?

Auburn Tigers HC Hugh Freeze praises Texas A&M’s roster

Hugh Freeze knows planning for Texas A&M is difficult task at home or not

The one thing Texas A&M has not lacked is talent over the last decade, but it has not also translated well onto the field. This 2024 football team under Mike Elko is showing signs of growth in his first season which usually takes longer when dealing with a team with so many new faces.

There are still a few hiccups, but the team has looked like a top-25 team even while learning a new system on both sides of the ball. Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze acknowledged during the SEC Teleconference that A&M has a roster full of athletic players making it one of the best in the conference.

“It’s a complete SEC roster. I don’t see any weaknesses. It rivals those from my previous stints here and the two years I’ve been back in the league. This roster rivals some of the best I’ve seen in the league.”

When talking about the defense specifically he was right to the point about what issues they present with physical traits alone.

“They’re long. They’re big. They’re quick-twitch. And their scheme is really good. They’re really tough to prepare for.”

However, just like in South Carolina, playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium at night can be intimidating for any team and when the crowd gets rocking it can be heard for miles away. Auburn wants to play spoiler for Texas A&M as a slip of the tongue has the internet wondering if the Aggies are looking pass the Tigers.

The Texas A&M vs. Auburn game starts at 6:30 pm CST and can be seen on ESPN.

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Hugh Freeze shares update on Payton Thorne’s status ahead of ULM game

Will Thorne lead the offense on Saturday when the Tigers battle the ULM Warhawks?

Will Auburn be without its signal-caller for its game with ULM on Saturday?

During this week’s preview press conference on Monday, Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] shared that quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was limited during bye week practices due to shoulder issues stemming from the Tigers’ loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 2.

Freeze was hopeful earlier this week that Thorne would be ready to play, but his tune changed Wednesday during the SEC teleconference saying that Thorne was “not as far along as I’d hoped.” However, a report from Auburn Undercover revealed that Thorne will get the nod for Auburn’s game against ULM on Saturday.

Freeze said Auburn’s backup quarterbacks got plenty of reps during bye-week practices in place of Thorne, giving Freeze several options to fill the void should Thorne’s shoulder issues blend into the ULM game.

“The second open week we actually got the other guys quite a bit of reps in the three practices we had. Then we had a little scrimmage to close it out,” Freeze said. “Offense versus defense, other guys that don’t typically get reps, and offense won that scrimmage on a pass play from Walker (White) to one of the young receivers. It was good to see them get reps. We got Holden (Geriner) and Hank (Brown) quite a few also.”

Thorne ranks No. 8 among SEC quarterbacks with 1,825 yards and is tied for 6th with 13 touchdowns. Two other quarterbacks have seen action this season, [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. Brown started two games for the Tigers this season while Geriner has seen action in two games.

Auburn faces ULM at 11:45 a.m. CT on Saturday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Auburn flips 2025 CB Shamar Arnoux from USC

The Carrollton, Georgia native had been committed to join the Trojans in Los Angeles since early summer.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Shamar Arnoux[/autotag] flipped his commitment from USC to Auburn on Thursday. The Carrollton, Georgia native had been committed to joining the Trojans in Los Angeles since early summer.

A consensus top 40 cornerback in the 2025 class, the 6-2, 175-pound defensive back is the ideal replacement for the recently flipped [autotag]Dante Core[/autotag], who [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] lost to Ole Miss earlier this week. Although Arnoux had been committed to USC since June, Hugh Freeze and his staff continued trying to flip him throughout the late summer and fall.

He was recently on campus for Auburn’s home loss to Vanderbilt, and although the Tigers lost, he may have seen some of the optimistic signs on the defensive side of the ball that fellow four-star recruit Jared Smith saw. Arnoux’s commitment to the Tigers brings Auburn’s number of cornerbacks set to join the team next season up to four.

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class now sits at 28 players heading into National Signing Day next month. With the possibility of more commitments and flips, Hugh Freeze has the chance to further improve on a class currently ranked in the top-five according to 247Sports. It would not be surprising if the majority of the 2025 class sees ample playing time as soon as next season on the Plains.

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