Tag: Killian Zierer

Auburn football ranks last among Power Five teams in offensive line continuity

The Tigers will have plenty of new faces gracing the offensive line this season.

Out of all units that Auburn football will trot out onto the field in 2023, the offensive line will see the most changes.

It comes with good reason, as the Tigers’ line allowed 32 sacks last season, and they were only able to help their offense gain just 378 yards per game. Most of that was due to inconsistency within snap counts.

According to Pro Football Focus, only two offensive linemen were on the field for more than 700 snaps, [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag]. The next player on the list was [autotag]Austin Troxell[/autotag], who played in 482 snaps over eight games.

If those facts sound crazy, that is because they are. Auburn’s continuity rate among offensive linemen was super low last season. So low, that it was the worst among Power Five teams.

College Football Graphs recently shared its list of offensive line continuity, and Auburn ranks No. 69 among Power Five programs with a rate of 35.6%.

While only three players played more than 400 snaps on the offensive line last season, a total of six were able to play 345 or more snaps last season. Among the nine players who shuffled through Auburn’s offensive line last season, only three return to the 2023 roster: [autotag]Tate Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Wright[/autotag].

Hugh Freeze hopes to increase Auburn’s continuity rate in 2023 by sending several of his experienced transfer portal finds to pick up the slack. Several names that should contribute heavily to Auburn’s line this season are [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag], [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag].

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Desmond Tisdol finds new home with AAC program

Tisdol becomes the 10th former Tiger to find a new home since the end of last season.

Former Auburn linebacker [autotag]Desmond Tisdol[/autotag] has become the 10th player from last season’s roster to find a new home.

Tisdol announced Thursday that he will transfer to Florida Atlantic, which sets him up to be reunited with former Auburn special teams coordinator, Roc Bellantoni, who was named the defensive coordinator for the new-look staff at FAU under head coach Tom Herman.

Tisdol had a limited role with the Tigers during his three-year stint, as he recorded just 16 tackles in six appearances since the 2020 season. Last season was his most productive season, where he made 12 stops.

Tisdol was a member of Gus Malzahn’s final signing class in 2020. The class has since broken apart, as a majority of the class has transferred to other programs.

Out of Auburn’s 27 signees from 2020, only 10 remain on the Tigers’ roster. Several key members of the class include Ladarius Tennison and JJ Pegues, who are currently at Ole Miss, and Kobe Hudson, who has since reunited at UCF with Malzahn. [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] was the headliner of the class, and names such as [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag], and [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag] remain on the roster.

Tisdol is the second former Tiger to find a new home this week, joining defensive lineman [autotag]Jeffrey M’Ba[/autotag], who announced his commitment to Purdue.

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Best photos from Auburn’s Pro Day

The Tigers held their annual pro day and it was well attended.

Auburn held its 2023 Pro Day Tuesday and it was a star-studded event.

Not only were [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag], [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag], [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag], [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Bragg[/autotag], [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Marquis Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Caylin Newton[/autotag], [autotag]Morris Joseph[/autotag] in attendance but so was [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag].

The former Heisman winner and national champion was a late addition and threw for his brother. Cam Newton hasn’t been on an NFL team since 2021 after a brief stint with the New England Patriots.

The event gave Auburn’s draft hopefuls a chance to show what they can do in front of NFL scouts and potentially move up draft boards. Here are the top photos from Auburn’s pro day.

Jake Thornton set to join Hugh Freeze’s staff as offensive line coach

Thornton most recently served in the same role at Ole Miss for two seasons.

It appears that not EVERY coach at Ole Miss is safe from Auburn.

According to a report by Matt Zenitz of On3, Ole Miss offensive line coach [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag] is set to take on the same role at Auburn under Hugh Freeze. He joins [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] (tight ends coach), and [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] (defensive line coach) as new hires to the staff. [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], and [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] are the only coaches retained from Bryan Harsin’s staff.

Auburn’s biggest need on offense is an improvement to the offensive line, and Thornton has the capability to get that done. His offensive line at Ole Miss this season played a role in the Rebels’ gaining 491 yards per game, which is third-best in the SEC. Ole Miss gained an SEC-best 262 yards per game on the ground.

He will need time to develop Auburn’s linemen into the quality of Ole Miss’, as several of Auburn’s front will be graduating including [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag].

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Eight Aubun Tigers named to 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list

Here are the eight Tigers that made the watch list for the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The watch list for the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl was announced Wednesday and Auburn was well represented with eight Tigers making the cut.

Edge [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], tight end [autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] wide receiver [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag], edge [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and offensive tackle [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag].

The Senior Bowl is an annual all-star game and practice that is run by NFL personnel that is for seniors or graduating players.

Hall, Shenker, and Pappoe will be Auburn’s three permanent captains for the 2022 season and are expected to be leaders on and off the field for the Tigers.

Jackson is the most experienced wide receiver on the roster and is looking to build on a strong 2021 season where he caught 40 passes for 527 yards and one touchdown.

Pritchett is looking to become Auburn’s No. 1 cornerback now that Roger McCreary has moved onto the NFL while James is expected to be a key reserve in the secondary.

Leota is Auburn’s No. 2 edge rusher behind Hall and is looking to give the Tigers two fearsome rushers. Zierer has used a strong camp to lock down the starting left tackle spot.

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