Jalen McLeod – Syndication Server

Auburn freshman EDGE Amaris Williams plans to enter transfer portal

A five-star EDGE from the 2024 signing class, Williams departs after just one season on the Plains.

Auburn’s second-highest-rated signee from its 2024 recruiting haul is projected to leave the Plains after just one season.

According to a report by Hayes Fawcett of On3, Auburn EDGE rusher [autotag]Amaris Williams[/autotag] has filed the paperwork necessary to enter the transfer portal. The news of his plan to enter the transfer portal comes a day after EDGE coach Josh Aldridge’s announced departure from the program to become the defensive coordinator at East Carolina.

Williams signed with Auburn as the No. 5 EDGE of the 2024 recruiting cycle, trailing wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] for the top spot in Auburn’s recruiting haul. He appeared in five games for the Tigers during his freshman campaign in 2024, where he logged seven tackles and 0.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams participated in 120 snaps this season and created five quarterback pressures.

Williams was expected to play a larger role on defense in 2025 following the departure of [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag], who graduates after making 106 stops in two seasons at Auburn with 13.5 sacks. Should Williams elect to play elsewhere, Auburn will look to rising senior [autotag]Zykeivous Walker[/autotag], redshirt freshman [autotag]Jamonta Waller[/autotag], and 2025 signee [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag] to fill the void left behind by McLeod and to team up with rising junior Keldric Faulk to continue Auburn’s run of dominant EDGE play.

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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.

Auburn linebacker Jalen McLeod accepts invite from Senior Bowl

McLeod joins Eugene Asante and Jarquez Hunter as players representing Auburn in the game.

Auburn senior linebacker Jalen McLeod may have played his final game in an Auburn uniform following the Tigers 28-14 loss in the Iron Bowl, but the Washington, DC native will still have a final chance to campaign for his NFL draft stock this winter.

McLeod accepted an invitation to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl on Monday, joining fellow linebacker Eugene Asante and running back Jarquez Hunter as Tigers set to compete in the game. The senior finished his 2024 regular season as one of the key contributors on Auburn’s defensive front, breaking out for 19 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in the Tigers final two, and most important, games of the season against Texas A&M and Alabama.

On the season, the 6-foot-1, 236-pound linebacker registered 56 tackles and a team-leading 8 sacks on the campaign. He finished his Auburn career with 13.5 sacks and 106 total tackles over the course of two seasons. While most experts don’t provide mock drafts past the third or fourth rounds, McLeod is likely projected as a ‘Day 3’ pick in the upcoming NFL Draft this spring. He’ll have the chance to heavily jump up draft boards across the league with a strong showing against the best seniors in the country in a few short months.

The 2025 Senior Bowl is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, February 1 of 2025. The game will be played in Mobile, AL and can be viewed on NFL Network at 1:30 CST. The 2025 NFL Draft takes place just under two months after the game, on April 25.

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ESPN predicts the winner of Auburn vs. ULM

Will Auburn handle business on Saturday against ULM?

The Auburn Tigers return to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday for the first time since Sept. 28 when they host ULM to close out the nonconference schedule.

Auburn (3-6, 1-5 SEC) dropped its most recent game to Vanderbilt on Nov. 2, 17-7, erasing the momentum built from its first SEC win on Oct. 26 at Kentucky. The Tigers look to take momentum back on Saturday against ULM (5-4, 3-3 Sun Belt) as they enter the most important stretch of the season.

Will Auburn handle business? ESPN’s matchup predictor favors Auburn in a major way by giving the Tigers a 96.2% chance to beat ULM on Saturday.

Auburn needs to win its final three games to qualify for a bowl game and a win over the visiting Warhawks will push them in the right direction. ULM is in a rough patch, dropping three straight contests by an average margin of 18.3 points after beginning the season with a 5-1 record.

Auburn will look to win the game by stopping ULM’s run game. The Warhawks rank No. 8 in the Sun Belt in rushing by averaging 172.1 yards per game. However, ULM’s run blocking is no match for [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag], and the rest of the Auburn defense. The Warhawks’ average grade in run blocking is 60.9 according to Pro Football Focus and has not graded above 69.1 in the category. On the contrary, Auburn averages 76.6 in run defense and has graded above 80 four times this season.

Auburn football hosts ULM on Saturday for an 11:45 a.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

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.

What did we learn from Auburn’s victory over Alabama A&M?

Auburn fans have plenty to be optimistic about this season after a stellar showing against Alabama A&M on Saturday night.

Auburn football had a lot of questions to answer heading into the 2024 season, but many fans got an early feeling of how they would be answered on Saturday night.

The Tigers posted a dominant week one 73-3 victory over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, tying the most points Auburn has scored since 2003.

There were many loud moments in this game, many of which came in the first half from the new receiving corps.

After all the action was said and done in Jordan-Hare Stadium, here is what we learned about this Tigers squad after the victory.

For starters, the group of new wideouts that head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] brought in will put opposing defenses in a lot of trouble if they are not defended correctly.

All six of Auburn’s receiving touchdowns last night were from players not on the roster last season. Transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] led the crew with two of his own, including a 67-yard bomb early in the first quarter.

Connected to that, quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was composed throughout the entire game.

While this game was against an FCS opponent, what fans hardly ever saw last year was Thorne throw the ball up with ease and have the confidence to hit a receiver in stride. He finished 13-for-21 with 322 yards and four touchdowns on the night.

Tying the offense together, having the depth from the skill positions helped everyone to stay fresh. Freeze constantly pushed a different rotation of receivers and running backs on the field in order to get players rested and not have fatigue in the heat and humidity of the early season.

As for the defense, the tackling has easily improved from 2023 and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] is going to lead the front four both vocally and physically.

McLeod posted five tackles on the night, with two being tackles-for-loss and one was a sack. He was one of four players to post four or more tackles on the night.

While no turnovers were forced, the physicality is there. The defensive front constantly forced Bulldogs quarterback Cornelious Brown IV into bad decisions due to the pressure it brought.

All of these things will need to be in full motion next week when the Tigers welcome the California Golden Bears to town after beating them last year in Berkeley, 14-10.

From the look of things though, fans have a lot to be optimistic about after an impressive showing on the Plains.

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Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. Alabama A&M

Will a dive into the tale of the tape show Alabama A&M has a higher chance of shocking the college football world than the experts believe?

In-state SWAC opponent Alabama A&M travels onto the Plains this weekend to open the season against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

While the Bulldogs aren’t nearly as fierce of a rival as the more well-known SEC squad with the same mascot, Alabama A&M did finish 2023 with a respectable 5-6 record.

As for the home team, Auburn went bowling last season after finishing the regular season slate 6-6. Unfortunately the Tigers played a tune on the world’s saddest violin in the Music City Bowl, losing in blowout fashion to Maryland to finish the year.

Hugh Freeze’s Tigers have a new-look heading into 2024, as the receiving core and secondary have undergone a new complete overhaul. While familiar faces still exist at the quarterback, running back, and linebacker positions, much of Auburn’s roster is going to look different this season.

Even with all the roster movement, Auburn comes into the opener as a near 7 touchdown favorite according to BetMGM.

ESPN’s FPI doesn’t like the Bulldogs chances of pulling off an early-season miracle either, as the Football Power Index gives Auburn a 99% chance to claim victory on Saturday.

Will a deeper dive into the tale of the tape show Alabama A&M has a higher chance of shocking the college football world than the experts believe? As we did last season, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Auburn senior signal-caller enters his second season on the Plains after a turbulent first year in the Hugh Freeze offense. After starting off the season poorly, [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] had a superb stretch of play in early November against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas, totaling 753 all-purpose yards and 9 touchdowns over that span. Unfortunately the 22-year-old struggled against New Mexico State, Alabama, and Maryland to end his season, once against casting doubt over his status heading into 2024.

In total, the junior finished 2023 with 1,755 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He added 515 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground as well. Head coach Hugh Freeze has displayed confidence in his “QB1” throughout spring and summer camp, and Thorne will once again have the keys to the Tigers offense.

On the other side, Alabama A&M quarterback [autotag]Cornelious Brown IV[/autotag] enters his sixth season of college football on his third team. Still with two years of eligibility remaining, the junior has struggled to stay on the field throughout his career, as he’s only attempted more than 30 passes twice in five years. While Brown IV has plenty of experience, including games against Vanderbilt and UNC, the clear edge in the quarterback matchup goes to Auburn’s Payton Thorne.

The Tigers have an even clearer edge in the skill position battle. Alabama A&M’s best player on the offensive side of the ball is easily running back Donovan Eaglin. In an interesting twist that has become more common by the season in the NIL and transfer portal era, the running back started his career with Payton Thorne at Michigan State before transferring to Alabama A&M in 2022. Since then, the 5-foot-11 bruiser has averaged a clean 5.3 yards-per-carry on his way to 1,568 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Eaglin, Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter is the much better back. Auburn’s longest-tenured offensive starter, Hunter rushed for 909 yards and 7 scores a season ago to vault his all-time rushing total to 2,170 yards. He enters 2024 just over 500 yards short the top 10 all time rushing leaders in Auburn history. While it would take a magnificent campaign for Hunter to pass Ben Tate’s top 5 mark of 3,321 yards, a solid season from the senior could vault him past Tre Mason (2,979) for the No. 6 spot on the list.

The largest skill-gap may be on the pass catching side of things. Auburn offers one of the better receiving quartets in the SEC, with transfer receivers [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] (673 yards, 2023) and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] (877 yards, 2023) joining five-star freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and 2023 receiving leader [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] (394 yards, 2023) as weapons for Payton Thorne.

In another unusual but increasingly common storyline, Lewis, who transferred from Georgia State this offseason, spent some time catching passes from Alabama A&M starting quarterback Cornelious Brown IV during their time as Panthers in 2021.

As for Brown IV’s weapons, Alabama A&M’s receiving core was mostly gutted by graduation and the transfer portal. The only returning players to accumulate over 100 yards a season ago are senior Jacolby Hewitt (516 yards, 2023) and junior Keenan Hambrick (386 yards, 2023).

Auburn has the clear edge on every aspect of the offensive side of the ball, including the offensive line which is simply bigger and more physically imposing than their SWAC counterparts.

The defensive side of things is much of the same. The Bulldogs do offer a pair of studs in the secondary in Emari Pait and Kaleb Dawson, but the Tigers duo of [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] still gets the edge due to their experience against more talented receivers.

The most glaring mismatch may be in the front seven, where Auburn holds one of the best linebacker duos in the country in [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag]. That duo, along with Tigers de-facto defensive line captain Keldric Faulk, combined for 11.5 sacks a season ago, which is more than half (20) of the sacks created by the entire Alabama A&M defense in 2023.

Throughout all the positional groupings, Auburn is simply better and more dominant on both sides of the ball. That’s not to say an upset can’t happen, but it’s just extremely unlikely.

Going into a game as 7 touchdown favorites may seem hefty, but the tale of the tape says the spread is just about on the mark. We’ll see if Alabama A&M can prove the doubters, and the tape, wrong when the two in-state opponents face off on Saturday at 6:30 PM CST.

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Asante, Hunter headline Auburn’s Senior Bowl watchlist representation

Auburn football is well represented on this season’s watchlist.

The coveted Senior Bowl watchlist has been released, and Auburn is well represented.

A total of 14 players on Auburn’s roster made the cut, with linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] and running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] headlining the representation.

Asante broke onto the scene last season by recording a team-leading 86 tackles with 8.5 going for a loss. He also tipped a pass and returned a fumble 67 yards for a touchdown in Auburn’s loss to Texas A&M. As for Hunter, he came close to reaching the 1,000-yard mark in rushing for the first time in his career last season. He ran for 909 yards and scored seven touchdowns while reeling in 18 passes for 118 yards.

Joining Hunter as offensive players to make the list are QB [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], WRs [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], and offensive linemen [autotag]Percy Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag].

Thorne is projected to take a step forward this season thanks to the additions of Lambert-Smith and Lewis, who were stars at Penn State and Georgia State respectively. Fairweather will be a great threat in the passing game as he returns after hauling in 38 catches for 394 yards and six scores last season. Finally, Lewis joins an experienced offensive line after spending the previous two seasons at Mississippi State. Wade’s 819 snaps were the most among Auburn offensive players last season. In that frame, he allowed just two quarterback sacks.

Six defensive players were also labeled. Outside of Asante, DLs [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag], LB [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag], and defensive backs [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] are also considered for a roster spot.

McLeod holds the highest grade among returning defenders from PFF with an 80.8, which was third-highest behind [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag], who has since departed for the NFL. Scott had a great season by leading all defensive backs in tackles with 42 with five pass deflections in 2023. He will team up with Thompson, who hauled in three interceptions at Texas last season, to provide experience to the Tigers’ defensive backfield. In two seasons at Auburn, Jones has complied 48 tackles with one registering as a loss.

The final representative on the Senior Bowl watchlist for Auburn is punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag]. Chapman recorded 61 punts last season for a career-high average of 44.6 yards.

The 2025 Senior Bowl will take place on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. The game will begin at 1:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted live on NFL Network.

Auburn senior linebacker Wesley Steiner enters transfer portal

After coming onto the Plains with heavy expectations, Steiner struggled to accumulate consistent playing time over four seasons as a Tiger.

The Auburn Tigers lost a veteran presence in the defensive front seven on Monday, as former 4-star linebacker Wesley Steiner announced he would be entering the transfer portal ahead of the upcoming season.

After coming onto the Plains with heavy expectations as a highly-touted freshman, Steiner struggled to accumulate consistent playing time over four seasons as a Tiger. The Warner Robins, GA native did rack up 46 total tackles in 2022 but managed just 39 over his other three seasons.

Steiner did manage a season-high 5 tackles in Baton Rouge last season, but unfortunately barely played after that game, ultimately not managing any defensive statistics after November 11 against Arkansas.

His career-high mark in the tackle department also came against LSU during his best season on the Plains, when he put up an 11-tackle outing in a four-point loss.

With the emergence of [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] in the middle of Auburn’s defensive unit, Steiner’s path to playing time this season was ambiguous at best. The senior will hope to find a home with a more direct route to snaps in the coming weeks.

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Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. Maryland

The Tigers are a touchdown favorite to win the Music City Bowl, but could this game be closer than oddsmakers expect?

The 6-6 Auburn Tigers return to action for the first time since losing the Iron Bowl later this week when they take on the 7-5 Maryland Terrapins in the Music City Bowl on December 30.

Auburn finished the regular season with back-to-back losses but managed bowl eligibility in the first season under new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

On the other side, Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland had an up-and-down season in the Big 10, winning 7 games in 12 tries.

The all-time leading passer in Big 10 history has opted out of this game, giving Auburn a significant edge according to oddsmakers. The Tigers are currently a full touchdown favorite on BetMGM.

ESPN FPI believes this game should be much closer, as Hugh Freeze’s squad has just a 52.4% chance to win according to the model.

Will the tale of the tape show us this game will be a Dixieland Delight for Auburn fans, or will Maryland fans be singing the Victory song on Broadway after the Music City Bowl?

As always we’ll start with the quarterbacks.

Tigers quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] initial season on the Plains was much like a Sky Dog at 2 AM. The junior was a bit disappointing, but ultimately got the job done for the most part.

Thorne finished the regular season with 1,671 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions as Auburn’s QB1(a).

Hugh Freeze’s QB1(b), [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], has joined thousands of other players in the transfer portal, leaving Thorne with the keys to the Honda Accord that is the Auburn offense.

With Ashford all but gone and incoming four-star recruit Walker White cooking in the background, Thorne has one final chance in game action to prove he can lead the Tigers into 2024.

As for the team up in Maryland, senior sensation Taulia Tagovailoa has chosen to opt out of this game, leaving sophomore quarterback [autotag]Billy Edwards Jr.[/autotag] and freshmen [autotag]Cameron Edge[/autotag] as the lone signal-callers on the Terps roster.

Both players combined for just 13 passing attempts this season although Edwards Jr. was used as a goal line quarterback, most notably rushing for 3 touchdowns against No. 1 ranked Michigan.

Maryland’s passing offense was explosive this season but the loss of Tagovailoa gives the edge to Thorne and the Tigers.

The skill positions across the offense are a different story. Auburn holds the edge at running back thanks to the electrifying [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] but the wide receiver gap is larger than Old Line State’s obsession with Old Bay.

Maryland often employs three-reciever sets with [autotag]Jeshaun Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Tai Felton[/autotag], and [autotag]Kaden Pranther[/autotag]. Those three combined for nearly 500 more receiving yards than Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] had in passing yards this season.

The Terrapins fourth target, tight end Corey Dyches, would have paced all Auburn pass-catchers as well.

Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather had a solid season but the edge clearly goes to Maryland, especially considering the Tigers will be without [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] in this one.

Auburn’s defense is clearly the better unit on that side of the ball, but defensive coordinator [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag] has some work ahead of him due to opt outs.

Cornerbacks [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] as well as defensive lineman [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] won’t be availbile for this one, leaving the 21-ranked defense according to ESPN FPI shorthanded in Nashville.

James and Harris were arguably Auburn’s two best players on the defensive side of the ball this season. It helps that linebacker [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] are staying on the Plains and will be playing, but the loss of Harris, James, and Pritchett will be felt.

Maryland’s defense on the other hand isn’t great but it’s not anemic either. The Terps were solid all year long, but did give up an average of over 30 points per game in losses this season.

Head coach [autotag]Mike Locksley[/autotag] isn’t dealing with any major opt-outs on that side of the ball, making the gap between these two teams closer than the stats say.

Still, Auburn gets the edge here.

There is a reason ESPN FPI has these two teams ranked next to each other in overall ranking. While the loss of Taulia Tagovailoa gives Auburn an edge in this game, the Music City Bowl could very well come down to the wire.

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