Tag: Larry Nixon III

Jyaire Shorter included in College Sports Wire’s best SEC wide receivers list

Auburn secured several wide receivers from the transfer portal, and the former North Texas star is set to make an immediate impact.

Auburn will have a completely revamped offensive unit in 2023, as [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] performed a complete overhaul by using talent from the transfer portal.

One of the most talented additions to Auburn’s receiving unit is North Texas transfer [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag]. Shorter announced his transfer to Auburn the same day as fellow North Texas product, linebacker [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag], shared his intention to also transfer to Auburn. Shorter joins [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] as new wide receivers to the squad, and one college football analyst feels that he can become one of the SEC’s leading receivers by season’s end.

In his initial SEC wide receiver rankings, College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn listed Shorter as the No. 12 wide receiver in the conference. Conn feels that Shorter and quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will team up to create explosive plays for Auburn this season.

If you want explosive plays, keep your eyes on Jyaire Shorter of Auburn. He joins a team in desperate need of big plays on the offensive side of the ball. Shorter should be a big play threat with plenty of those explosive plays, as long as Robby Ashford isn’t the one throwing the ball.

Shorter snagged 23 passes for 628 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for the Mean Green. His 11 touchdowns led the team last season, with the next closest receiver only snagging five. He has a total of 58 catches for 1,1,320 yards and 20 touchdowns ahead of his final eligible season in 2023.

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Auburn is already benefiting from Hugh Freeze’s knack for recruiting

Despite only being on the job for seven months, Hugh Freeze has led Auburn to a top five spot in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings.

After dismissing [autotag]Brian Harsin[/autotag] in October of last year, Auburn hired [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in hopes that he would rebuild a program that had been steadily declining over the last two seasons.

He has yet to coach a game, but Freeze is already proving that he was the right choice due to his success on the recruiting trail. Auburn ended the 2023 recruiting cycle with the No. 18 class, and they did more damage within the transfer portal by landing the nation’s No. 3 overall class.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently broke down the top 10 transfer portal hauls of the 2023 cycle and has listed Auburn’s class as one of the most impressive in college football.

Crawford says that Freeze is proving his positive track record in recruiting already.

Auburn’s power brass knew of Hugh Freeze’s ability to recruit and he has made noise ahead of his first campaign. Freeze has convinced 11 four-star transfers to join him on The Plains ahead of the 2023 season, including several defensive linemen that will assist in Auburn’s all-new group of pass rushers. The Tigers landed a much-needed quarterback too in (Payton) Thorne, doing so after the two-week April window. A couple pass-catching additions will provide immediate assistance.

Crawford listed quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], DL [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag], OL [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag], and WR [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] as the “hot names” of Auburn’s transfer portal haul, but the Tigers reeled in several potential day-one starters in OL’s [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag] and [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag], LB [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag], and RB [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag].

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Mike Farrell talks Auburn’s ‘interesting’ additions of Jalen McLeod and Larry Nixon III

The College Football analyst is intrigued by Auburn’s LB additions from the transfer portal, and is interested to see how they pan out on the Plains.

When it comes to the transfer portal, Auburn football had just as much success in the spring window as it did in the winter by reeling in seven more players which included two linebackers.

Mike Farrell recently spent time breaking down transfer linebackers, and has listed Auburn’s additions of [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] from North Texas and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] from Appalachian State as “interesting moves.”

Farrell released his choices for the top five interesting linebacker moves of the spring transfer window and has included Nixon and McLeod in the mix. Starting with Nixon, Farrell says that he will have plenty of opportunities to earn playing time this season.

Having totaled 245 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks during his time with North Texas, Nixon now brings his productive experience to Auburn. He is part of a revamped linebacking group, being the fourth added by the Tigers during this cycle. While [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] and [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag] are also important returnees at the position, there is plenty of opportunity to earn playing time this fall.

He then mentions McLeod by saying that his production at Appalachian State will provide a quick boost to the position.

McLeod arrives at Auburn in a similar situation as the above-mentioned Larry Nixon. Coming off a season when he finished with 7.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks, his production and playmaking ability will be an immediate valuable asset for the Tigers. However, just like Nixon, he will have to battle with several returning players and other transfers for playing time which will make summer camp very interesting at the position.

Nixon and McLeod are among the seven valuable additions to Auburn’s roster from the spring window of the portal. Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag], and wide receiver [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] brings Auburn’s transfer haul to 21 total members, which is second in the nation behind Colorado.

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Auburn named a spring transfer portal winner

The Tigers have added eight transfers during the spring window, including quarterback Payton Thorne.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] inherited a roster that needed a massive injection of talent if the Auburn Tigers were going to compete in the SEC in his first year on the Plains.

Well, he went out and got the talent and on Thursday the Tigers were named a winner of the spring transfer portal by Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press.

Auburn has brought in quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] (Michigan State) and wide receivers [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] (Jackson State), [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] (Ohio State) and [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] (North Texas) to fix a passing attack that was one of the worst in the SEC last season.

While Thorne struggled last season, Russo points out that his 19 touchdown passes were over double the nine that Auburn managed.

The Tigers also added offensive lineman [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag], who started for offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] at Tulsa last season.

It wasn’t just the offense that got reinforcements though, they added linebackers [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] (App State) and [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] (North Texas) and defensive end [autotag]Stephen Sings V[/autotag] (Liberty) to shore up the front seven on defense.

McLeod and Sings are both expected to help rush the passer at the Jack linebacker spot as defensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Roberts[/autotag] looks to create more “havoc” plays.

Nixon, who made 105 tackles last season, will help shore up the middle of the defense.

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Twitter reacts to Auburn landing North Texas LB transfer Larry Nixon III

Auburn Twitter was fired up after the Tigers landed their second transfer of the day.

Auburn’s coaching staff has done a great job adding talent through the transfer portal and on Tuesday they added two more key pieces.

First was North Texas transfer wide receiver [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] but the Tigers were not done taking players from the Mean Green and just hours later former linebacker [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] announced his commitment to Auburn.

Nixon III is coming off a career year, where he made 105 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack in 14 games.

He is the fourth addition that linebackers coach [autotag]Josh Aldridge[/autotag] has made to his room this offseason, joining [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] (Ole Miss), [autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag] (LSU) and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] (App State).

The move fired up the Auburn fanbase which took to Twitter to celebrate the addition of Nixon III, here are the best reactions.

Former North Texas LB Larry Nixon III commits to Auburn

Nixon becomes the second transfer from North Texas that Hugh Freeze has landed this week.

How’s this for a Texas two-step?

A few hours after reeling in former North Texas wide receiver Jyaire Shorter, Auburn took in another former North Texas product in linebacker [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag].

The former was a bit of a surprise, but Auburn’s most recent commitment was anticipated after Nixon paid Auburn a visit last Thursday. Following his visit, he told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente that Auburn was high on his list.

“Right now, it’s up there right now,” Nixon III said. “Being in Auburn, it’s crazy. You can’t beat that stadium, being in the SEC.”

In four seasons at North Texas, Nixon has recorded 245 total tackles, with 11.5 being for a loss. His most productive season was in 2022 when he made 105 tackles, the second-highest total on the team. Pass rush was his strong suit last season according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him a grade of 78.0.

Auburn has now added four linebackers to their roster from the transfer portal. Nixon joins [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] (Ole Miss), [autotag]Demario Tolan[/autotag] (LSU), and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] (Appalachian State).

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Auburn offers veteran linebacker transfer Larry Nixon III

He made 105 tackles last season for the Mean Green.

The Auburn Tigers are continuing to try and upgrade their roster through the transfer portal and a new target has emerged at linebacker. The Tigers extended an offer to former North Texas linebacker [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] Saturday, he announced the news on Twitter.

Nixon III spent the past five seasons with the Mean Green and is a graduate transfer with one season of eligibility remaining. Auburn’s offer was the first he reported after entering the portal earlier Saturday afternoon.

RELATED: Live updates of Auburn Tigers in the portal

He redshirted in 2018 and improved each season before breaking out in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 236-pounder made 105 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack in 14 games last season. His efforts were good enough to be named first-team All-Conference USA.

Nixon III finished his career at North Texas with 246 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

The Tigers added two transfers in the first window in Austin Keys (Ole Miss) and DeMario Tolan (LSU) but are working to add to a room that saw reserve linebackers Desmond Tisdol, Powell Gordon, and Kameron Brown enter the transfer portal during the spring window.

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