Kayin Lee – Syndication Server

Gallery: Arkansas topples Auburn, 24-14

Here are the best images from Auburn’s tough loss to Arkansas on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn football welcomed Arkansas to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the 2024 SEC opener on Saturday and walked out disappointed.

The Tigers committed five turnovers, including four interceptions in its 24-14 loss to Arkansas.

After a successful first career start last Saturday vs. New Mexico, quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] was benched following his first-half performance, which saw him complete 7-of-12 passes for 72 yards and three interceptions. [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] provided a shot in the arm to the Auburn offense by passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns with one interception during the second half. Thorne completed touchdown passes of 10 yards and 67 yards to [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] in the game.

Defensively, [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag] led the team in tackles with eight while [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] each picked off passes from Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green.

Overall, Saturday was disappointing for the Tigers. However, there were plenty of great photos taken of the action. Here are the best photos from Auburn’s 24-14 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.

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.

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 cornerback suffers torn ACL, will miss 2024 season

A tough injury has hit the Auburn defensive backfield, a unit that is looking to rebuild.

Auburn football’s defensive backfield will need to be reconstructed this season, and the project took a giant hit Monday as it was announced that a young cornerback will miss the season.

Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live reports that [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag], a redshirt freshman from Austell, Georgia, will miss the entirety of the 2024 season after sustaining a torn ACL. Scott signed with Auburn as part of its 2023 signing class, and will still have four seasons of eligibility remaining beginning in 2025.

Scott appeared in four games last season for Auburn, most recently playing in Auburn’s Music City Bowl loss to Maryland. He ended his season with two solo tackles, one against Maryland and Ole Miss. According to Pro Football Focus, Scott participated in nine total snaps in 2023.

After losing [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] to the NFL draft, Auburn need new players to step up at the position. [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] bring the most experience to the room this season, and Alabama transfer Antonio Kite will aim to break into the rotation.

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__

Former San Jose State CB schedules official visit to Auburn

Following the departures of DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett to the NFL, Auburn looks to bring in experience to the cornerback position.

Following the departures of [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] to the NFL, Auburn looks to bring in experience to the cornerback position.

[autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] is the most experienced returner at the position, but who will join him on the other side? Auburn will look to find the answer within the transfer portal by bringing former San Jose State cornerback [autotag]Jayvion Cole[/autotag] in for a visit. The former Spartan will be on campus Monday, May 6 according to Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live. Auburn will be Cole’s second stop. He will visit the Plains after taking in a stop at Texas this weekend.

Cole was active in his first season at San Jose State in 2023. In 13 games, he made 38 stops with three going to a loss. He also hauled in three interceptions with 13 pass deflections. According to Pro Football Focus, he was San Jose State’s highest-graded defensive player last season with an 86.2. He graded higher than 82 in run defense, pass rush, and coverage. Receivers caught 49% of passes (26-of-53) when guarded by Cole, and he allowed just one touchdown in 697 snaps.

Auburn has eight cornerbacks on its roster, with Keionte Scott and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] providing the most experience. The Tigers added [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] from the transfer portal, but he played just 25 snaps at Alabama in two seasons. Adding experience to the defensive backfield will be important this offseason as the unit becomes depleted. Cole would be a valued addition to the program due to his ability to disrupt the opponent’s passing game in several ways.

Auburn loses a pair of cornerbacks to the transfer portal

Colton Hood and Tyler Scott depart after spending one season with the program.

Auburn football’s departing transfer portal class grew Tuesday as two young cornerbacks have elected to take their talents elsewhere.

[autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag], a pair of cornerbacks who signed with Auburn’s 2023 recruiting class, announced Tuesday that they will be entering the transfer portal. The duo joins defensive lineman Brenton Williams, wide receiver Jay Fair, linebacker Wesley Steiner, and cornerback JD Rhym as spring transfer portal entries.

Hood, nephew of former Auburn cornerback Roderick Hood, joined Auburn’s 2023 class as a three-star according to 247Sports. The McDonough, Georgia native was the No. 48 cornerback and the No. 45 overall recruit from Georgia.

A fellow Georgian, Scott signed with Auburn as a safety before moving to cornerback this spring. He was the nation’s No. 20 cornerback and the No. 19 prospect from Georgia, signing with Auburn out of Pebblebrook High School in Mableton.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hood and Scott combined to play 53 snaps over five games. Hood saw the most action between the two by appearing in four games with 44 total snaps played.

There are now seven cornerbacks on Auburn’s roster following the departures of Hood and Scott. [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] headline the position as returners while [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] joins the team as a transfer from Alabama.

Report: Auburn CB JD Rhym no longer with team

Rhym is reportedly leaving the program and will enter the transfer portal.

The Auburn secondary will enter the 2024 season depleted of experience, and one of its experienced members is no longer with the team.

According to a report from Auburn Undercover, cornerback [autotag]JD Rhym[/autotag] is no longer with the program. The report by Nathan King shows that Rhym is expected to enter the transfer portal after being dismissed from the program last week.

Rhym sustained a leg injury, as well as a suspension, which limited him to play in three games last season. In two seasons on the Plains, he recorded 20 total tackles with one pass deflection and an interception. His lone interception came in Auburn’s 45-13 win over Samford on Sept. 16.

Rhym took part in 54 snaps this season according to Pro Football Focus, and graded out at 70.2, which ranks No. 13 on the team. He was one of the best-graded tacklers on the team by grading out at 80.9, which was fourth-highest on the team.

With the departure of Rhym, Auburn has eight cornerbacks on its’ spring roster. The headliners this season are [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag], who combined to record 62 tackles last season with 11 pass breakups.

Former Alabama defensive back Antonio Kite transfers to Auburn

For just the second time in the modern football era, a former Alabama recruit has transferred to become an Auburn Tiger.

Former four-star cornerback Antonio Kite announced his intention to sign with Auburn on Wednesday, giving the Tigers immediate help in a depleted defensive secondary set to lose [autotag]D.J, James[/autotag], [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] and others.

An Anniston, AL native, Kite joined more than 20 of his teammates when he entered the transfer portal after Nick Saban announced his retirement.

The defensive back played sparingly during his time in Tuscaloosa but still has three years of eligibility remaining. His playing time should increase immediately with [autotag]Kionte Scott[/autotag], [autotag]Kayin Lee,[/autotag] and Texas transfer [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] listed as the only likely starters.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 182 pounds, Kite could be a candidate to fill a nickel-back role if the Tigers decide to move the aforementioned Scott to the outside in 2024.

If anything, Auburn’s newest addition provides depth and youth in a secondary desperately needing a rejuvenation.

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Auburn adds former Texas safety Jerrin Thompson from transfer portal

Thompson recorded 105 tackles and five interceptions in four seasons with the Longhorns.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] needs to replenish his defensive backfield, and is on the right track to doing so by adding an experienced safety from the transfer portal.

Former Texas safety [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] paid a visit to Auburn over the weekend, and ended the trip by pledging his commitment to Freeze and the Tigers.

Thompson has been a vital part to the Longhorns’ secondary over the last four seasons, and he has played in 48 games since arriving to Austin in 2020. In four seasons, he has recorded 105 total tackles and has picked off five passes. He has recorded at least 14 tackles in every season that he has played, and made a career-high 83 stops in 2022. Last season, he made just 38 tackles, but pulled in a career-high three interceptions. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown.

In his most recent game, Thompson made three tackles in Texas’ 37-31 loss to Washington in the Sugar Bowl, which was a College Football Playoff semi-final game. In the Longhorns’ 34-24 win over Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 9, he made four stops and recorded and interception.

Thompson ranks No. 9 in Texas’ defensive grades from Pro Football Focus with a 73.1. His strong suit is pass coverage, which he graded out at 77.1, third-highest among Longhorn defenders. Opposing receivers hauled in 58.1% of passes when guarded by Thompson, or 18-of-31. He would also break up five passes.

The Tigers will lose plenty of experience from its defensive backfield in the likes of [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag]. The defense does however return [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Wooden[/autotag], and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag]. Adding Thompson to complement Wooden at safety will be a great addition.

Auburn announces changes to football staff

One longtime Auburn coach’s departure makes way for an Auburn alum to return home.

The first major shakeup of the 2023 offseason has officially taken place.

Before Auburn’s TransPerfect Music City Bowl loss to Maryland on Saturday, it was announced that former Colorado defensive coordinator and Auburn alum [autotag]Charles Kelly[/autotag] would join the staff as a co-defensive coordinator.

Sunday, it was reported by TexAgs that Auburn secondary coach [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] is expected to take on a defensive role on Mike Elko’s staff at Texas A&M, thus paving the way for Kelly to replace him.

Kelly joins Auburn’s staff after building a successful track record at Alabama. Tennessee, Florida State, and Georgia Tech. Before joining Deion Sanders’ initial staff at Colorado in 2023, Kelly served as the assistant defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Alabama for four seasons. During that time, Kelly worked with several great athletes such as DeMarcco Hellams, Brian Branch, Jordan Battle, and Xavier McKinney. He was also a part of the 2020 staff that led Alabama to a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2020.

Kelly is also known as an avid recruiter. According to 247Sports, Kelly was responsible for being the head recruiter for nine five-star recruits during his coaching career. Several recruits he has worked with in the past include Caleb Downs, Will Anderson, Isaiah Bond, and Aaron Beasley.

McGriff departs Auburn after completing his third stint as a defensive assistant coach. He was responsible for being the secondary recruiter for recent Auburn signees such as [autotag]Amon Lane-Ganus[/autotag], [autotag]Kensley Faustin[/autotag], [autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag], and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag].

Instant Analysis: Auburn falls victim to Texas A&M’s second half explosion, drops SEC opener

A tight first half defensive battle turned into an Texas A&M offensive clinic on Saturday.

Auburn’s SEC opener against Texas A&M began as a defensive battle before ultimately turning into a second-half offensive clinic by the Aggies.

Texas A&M outgained Auburn 281-81 in the second half to pull away and earn a 20-10 win over Auburn at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

Leading 6-3 at halftime, Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) owned a small advantage in the yards department, 121-112. Auburn (3-1, 0-1 SEC) held the advantage in rushing with 66 yards while Texas A&M passed for 70 yards.

In the second half, Aggies quarterback Max Johnson stepped up for the injured Conner Weigman and threw for two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to create separation in the second half.

Texas A&M scored on their first drive, but it was a win for Auburn. The Aggies only gained 46 yards on the initial drive with [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] recording a tackle for loss. The Aggies jumped out to a 3-0 lead with 9:23 to go in the first quarter.

The Aggies’ next drive provided trouble for Auburn, but the defense turned up intensity within the red zone, thus forcing Texas A&M to kick another field goal. Texas A&M extended their lead to 6-0 with 5:31 remaining in the 1st quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Randy Bond. The key play of the drive was a 36-yard rush by Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss to set them up at the Auburn 23-yard line.

An otherwise successful drive turned into a near disaster for Auburn on their second possession. Running backs [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] combined to rush for 45 yards on the drive before a supposed fumble was recovered by Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and turned into a 63-yard touchdown. However, after video review, it was determined that [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] attempted a forward pass to Alston, which fell incomplete. The drive ended with an Auburn punt.

Auburn’s only points of the half came in the final seconds when [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] nailed a 53-yard field goal to cut into Texas A&M’s lead, 6-3.

The third quarter got off to a great start for Texas A&M. Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman was ruled out for the second half due to an injury he suffered late in the first half. Max Johnson stepped in and ended his first drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Jake, to push Texas A&M to a 13-3 lead with 9:42 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Johnson would connect on all three passes in his first drive for 44 yards.

Johnson extended the Aggies’ lead again with his second passing score of the game with 6:22 remaining in the quarter. He connected with wide receiver Evan Stewart from 37 yards out to advance Texas A&M’s score to 20-3.

Auburn’s first touchdown of the game would occur with 12:16 remaining in the contest. [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] forced Aggies running back Reuben Owens to fumble, with the ball ultimately landing in the hands of [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag]. Asante would return the turnover 67 yards to cut Texas A&M’s lead to 20-10.

The final blow from Texas A&M came with 3:59 remaining in the game when Le’Veon Moss scored from four yards away to push Texas A&M to a 27-10 lead.

Auburn looks to bounce back next Saturday against No. 1 Georgia. The next edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry will commence at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised live on CBS.