Tag: luke deal

Auburn lands Maryland TE transfer Rico Walker

Auburn has landed Maryland tight end Rico Walker.

Auburn has addressed a key need in the tight end room with the addition of [autotag]Rico Walker[/autotag], who announced his commitment to the Tigers Monday on social media.

Walker spent one season at Maryland before entering the transfer portal. He appeared in eight games, catching four passes for 28 yards.

Walker’s father Ricardo played defensive line an Auburn in 1990’s but Auburn was never a serious contender for Walker as a high school recruit under the previous staff.

A great athlete at 6-foot-4 and 248 pounds, Walker has three seasons of eligibility left and is a developmental project for tight ends coach [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag].

With [autotag]Ricardo Fairweather[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] both out of eligibility after the 2024 season, Walker gives the Tigers another promising young player to go with [autotag]Micah Riley[/autotag].

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Maryland transfer TE Rico Walker nearing decision after Auburn visit

Decision time is approaching for Auburn transfer tight end target Rico Walker.

[autotag]Rico Walker[/autotag]’s time in the transfer portal could be coming to a close.

The former Maryland Terrapin visited Auburn on Thursday and after his upcoming visit to USF, it will be decision time, he told On3’s Cole Pinkston. He also revealed what stands out about Auburn.

“Facility for sure,” Walker said. “Coach (Hugh) Freeze, and of course Coach B ([autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag]). They’re good, honest people. I can tell they’re family-oriented too.”

An Auburn legacy, Auburn recruited Walker in the 2023 recruiting cycle but he ultimately signed with Maryland. He appeared in eight games, catching four catches for 27 yards and will have three seasons of eligibility at his next stop.

His youth plus his ability to be a hybrid tight end, serving as both a blocker and pass catcher, make him a perfect fit for Auburn. The Tigers have not signed a high school tight end since [autotag]Micah Riley[/autotag] in 2022 and will likely lose [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] after this season.

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Miami transfer TE Jaleel Skinner ‘really enjoyed’ his visit to Auburn

Auburn was the first visit for Jaleel Skinner since he entered the transfer portal after starting his career at Miami.

With it looking unlikely that Auburn will sign a high school tight end in the 2024 recruiting cycle, they have decided to dip into the transfer portal to add some youth to the position.

Former Miami Hurricane [autotag]Jaleel Skinner[/autotag] has become the top target and he took an official visit to the Plains over the weekend. The trip reminded him of his hometown and made quite an impression on him.

“It’s been fun,” Skinner told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente. “Auburn, this is the first time I’ve ever been down here and I was like telling my dad riding around and experiencing it all it looks like Greer (South Carolina) to me. It looks like home. I really enjoyed my time here.”

Auburn is Skinner’s only visit so far but he was willing to name then his early leader.

“Auburn’s up there at the top by itself,” he said.

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Auburn TE target Roger Saleapaga commits to Oregon

Auburn is still looking for a tight end to add to its 2024 recruiting class.

Auburn will have to keep looking for a pass-catching tight end after [autotag]Roger Saleapaga[/autotag] committed to the Oregon Ducks Friday night.

The Orem, Utah, product has been one of [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag]’s top targets in the 2024 recruiting cycle after the Tigers’ offered him a scholarship back in May. Saleapaga made the cross-country trek to the Plains twice, once for the Samford game and again for the Iron Bowl on an official visit.

He is the No. 440 overall player and No. 25 tight end in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also the No. 4 player from Utah

Auburn currently has one tight end committed in three-star [autotag]Martavious Collins[/autotag] but he is not expected to end up in Auburn’s class.

The Tigers have been linked to Amir Jackson (Florida), Kylan Fox (UCF) and Micahel Smith (South Carolina) in the past but they all appear to be solidly committed to their schools and tough to flip.

Auburn did get good news at the tight end position this week when [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] announced he would return for a sixth season next year.

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Tight end Luke Deal announces return to Auburn football

Deal says that “unfinished business” is the reason that he is coming back to Auburn for a sixth season.

One of Auburn’s most experienced offensive players has announced that he will return to the program for the 2024 season.

[autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], a former three-star tight end from the 2019 recruiting cycle, revealed Thursday that he will return to Auburn next season for his sixth season of eligibility.

Deal spoke with Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover shortly after announcing his decision. He tells Caldwell that he is strong enough to play for another season and is excited to see the progress that the team is expected to make. He also wants to take care of some “unfinished business” before he departs from the program.

“There’s a couple of games, the Georgia game and Alabama game, but especially the Bama game. That will stick in my mind for 364 days,” Deal said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “That’s something I can’t quite let go yet. My wife and I are here and we love it here. I’m blessed with another year of eligibility. I’m ready to lead this team next year. We’re going to have some serious dudes and we’re going to win some serious ballgames next year.”

His return makes him one of Auburn’s most experienced players. Since arriving in 2019, he has been involved in 1,302 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He has also participated in 52 games with 16 starts over the last five seasons.

He was a part of Auburn’s 2019 class that was ranked No. 13 according to 247Sports. [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag], and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] join Deal as members of the class who are still on Auburn’s roster. The class was headlined by linebackers [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] and [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], as well as former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag].

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Auburn Football names captains for 2023 Season

Four players have been announced as captains this season, including two transfers.

The Auburn Tigers have their leaders for the 2023 football season. Offensive lineman [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag], quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], and defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] were named the team’s captains on Tuesday.

The decision to make Stutts and Deal captains for the 2023 season is far from surprising, as both players have been with the team since 2019. The slight surprise on this list are [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag], both of whom attended other schools in 2022. It speaks to both Thorne and McAllister’s character that the coaching staff saw enough from them in such a short period of time to make them captains of their peers.

[autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag] has been with the Tigers since 2019, playing sparingly his first few seasons before starting at both guard positions a season ago. He was also one of the Auburn players made available to the media on Monday, showing the staff’s confidence in him to be the face of the line in front of the press. The fifth-year senior earned his bachelor’s degree last spring, and will begin working towards a master’s degree in business administration this fall.

Like Stutts, tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] is entering his fifth season with Auburn. The former high school quarterback has never seen much action on the field, but his consistent leadership off of it has defined his Auburn career. Deal was also made available during Monday’s media session. Like a true leader, Deal spent the majority of his time with the media praising his teammates, specifically the running back room.

Over the previous five years, only twice has the Auburn coaching staff named their starting quarterback a captain; ([autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] in 2020 and [autotag]Jarrett Stidham[/autotag] in 2018)  In both of those cases, the quarterback was coming off a great season at Auburn in which he had the whole previous year to lead his teammates into battle every Saturday.

2023 captain [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has yet to play a snap for Auburn. That just alludes to the kind of leader that Thorne is, and can be, for this newly put-together Auburn team.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] is the fourth and final captain for Auburn’s football team in 2023. The senior from Asbury Park, NJ was “The Boss” during his time at Vanderbilt, serving as team captain twice and playing in 36 total games for the Commodores.

McAllister will go into the season as the starting EDGE linebacker for Auburn, or as they like to call the “jack.” He’ll have plenty of early opportunities against lesser competition to make a name for himself on Auburn’s defensive front.

The announcement of Auburn’s 2023 captains has officially buttoned up a long, active, offseason on the Plains. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s team finally gets to play a meaningful game in Jordan-Hare this Saturday at 2:30 CST vs. UMass.

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Luke Deal is excited about Auburn running the ball

Auburn tight end Luke Deal is a believer in Auburn’s running game.

Auburn’s running backs have had a great offseason and are expected to be a strength of the offense, however, their success has some wondering if they are that good or if Auburn’s run defense needs improvement.

“We’ll find out more Saturday.” [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] said Monday. Are we effective running the football kind of team against other opponents or has our defense made us look that good? I think when you start getting into a game week and start game planning and you figure out that this is what we’re going to try to do, hopefully we’ll be in the right spots and play well on both sides. That’s the hope.”

Senior tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] is confident that Auburn’s running backs are just that good and that Auburn will have success running the ball this year.

“I think our running game is really good. I think you guys have seen it, even in the past. There are some familiar names in that running back room who have done some really great things at Auburn so far. Jarquez (Hunter) is an incredible back, that entire room, Damari (Alston), Sean (Jackson), even Jeremiah (Cobb), a young guy coming up, (Brian) Battie all those guys are really really good players.

“We’ve got such a talented room that I would lean on the side that we have a really good run game and we’ve seen production in the past. I’m excited to see how that works out against another defense.”

“Hopefully, our defense stops that run too against UMass.”

Auburn’s five running backs each bring something different but together they give Auburn a deep and talented rotation that should be able to keep all of them fresh during the game. They are also set to benefit from Auburn’s reworked offensive line, which has three transfers set to start.

UMass has already played one game on the season, a 41-30 win over New Mexico State, and struggled to stop the run. The Minutemen allowed 222 yards and one touchdown on the ground as the Aggies rushed for 5.8 yards per carry.

Auburn will look to enjoy similar success when they face UMass on Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game is set to start at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be on ESPN.

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Five Tigers named to preseason All-SEC third team

Georgia and Alabama led the way with 14 selections, followed by LSU.

Five Auburn Tigers were selected to the preseason All-SEC third team on Tuesday.

Running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], offensive guard [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag] received the honor after being selected by SEC coaches. No players on Auburn’s roster cracked the first or second team.

[autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] may be the name most familiar to Auburn fans. The junior tailback is coming off a strong season in 2022, totaling 899 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. He should be a focal point of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s offense in 2023, and it wouldn’t be a very big surprise to see him jump up to the second, or even first team by season’s end.

Senior tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] has yet to see significant playing time during his Auburn career but brings leadership and experience to an Auburn locker room filled with new faces. Deal also has an opportunity to break out with [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], who threw for 546 passing yards and four touchdowns to tight ends in 2022.

Guard [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag] has been locked in a positional competition all camp long. The sixth-year lineman was shaky in 2022 but will hope to have a starting role throughout the season on a revamped offensive line.

The lone Auburn defensive player to be selected by SEC coaches to the preseason All-Conference team, cornerback [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] has been a key member of Auburn’s secondary for the past three seasons, totaling 89 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 25 PD, and two interceptions in that span.

Aussie punter [autotag]Oscar Chapman[/autotag] rounds out the Auburn selectees. The senior punter’s boot has been electric at times during his tenure on the plains. Chapman averaged 43.9 yards per punt last year, sending 12 of them over 50 yards.

Auburn’s five selections to the All-Conference team were among the lowest in the SEC. Georgia and Alabama led the way with 14 selections a piece, with LSU closely trailing behind with 11 players selected.

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Hugh Freeze shares thoughts on the enhancement of receiver room

The Tigers needed a boost to its receiving corps, and got just that from the transfer portal.

The position group with the most buzz this fall camp is quarterback. However, a quarterback is only as good as his supporting cast.

In addition to enhancing the quarterback room by adding [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] from Michigan State, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] boosted his offensive line and receiving corps.

Auburn failed to have a receiver reach 500 yards last season and the last receiver to come close to a 1,000-yard season was [autotag]Darvin Adams[/autotag] in 2009 when he reeled in 60 catches for 997 yards.

As someone who is known for having solid receivers, Freeze knew that he needed to upgrade his receiver room for his team to reach its true potential.

“We needed to overhaul that room and improve it for sure,” Freeze said Thursday. “I say that and truthfully I don’t know, the evaluation sample was so small for most of them because this system is totally different than what they’ve played in.”

Javarrius Johnson returns as the Tigers’ leading receiver after reeling in 26 catches for 493 yards and three scores last season. [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] is back, as are several tight end options such as [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag], and [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag].

Freeze enhanced the group by adding [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] and [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag], who were Jackson State and North Texas’ leading receivers last season respectively. He also grabbed a tall target in [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag], as well as another tight end in [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag].

The potential is there, but it is time now for them to prove it on the field.

“I do think we’ve improved that room in recruiting, and I do think there are guys here that can be better than what they’ve shown,” Freeze said. “We’re excited to see, I think we’ve seen glimpses of that but now we’ve got to go and do it when it’s real and live. But we are excited about the fact that I think we’ve improved that room for sure.”

The receivers, as well as the offensive line, will use this two-week period of fall camp to prove that they are worthy of a starting position.

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Just how big of an impact has Cadillac Williams had on Auburn culture?

Auburn tight end Luke Deal says fans would be upset with Hugh Freeze if Williams wasn’t retained on staff. He’s not wrong.

[autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] is a special individual.

There is a reason why [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] was so desperate to keep Williams on staff when he took over the Auburn football program in December of last year.

Auburn tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] is one of many who have sung Williams’ praises since he helped revive the program in the second half of last season.

Deal made statements about the impact of Williams at SEC Media Days in Nashville and an On3 article written by Nick Kosko included some of them.

“You guys saw,” Deal said. “He was used to having the spotlight on him as a player, and whenever you saw he had the spotlight on him as a coach, you saw that positive energy. You saw that just positive light, that positive outlook on everything in life. That was something that energized us. It motivated us. That’s something that he brings every single day.”

The Tigers were in a rough spot when Williams stepped up as interim head coach, but the energy immediately improved.

Despite not having Williams as a position coach, Deal stressed how the impact of Williams reaches everyone.

“We’ve got a really good running back room, really, really good running back room,” Deal said. “Not only a good group of players, but a good group of guys. That trickles down from his leadership for sure and how he looks at every day as an opportunity.”

Deal also emphasized how upset people would have been if Freeze elected not to retain Williams on his staff.

“Oh, yeah. People are going to be pretty upset if you get rid of Cadillac Williams,” Deal said. “I know I would be. Coach Lac, he’s an incredible man, incredible ambassador for the school, has been for a long time. People with orange and blue in their blood, they want to see him around forever. That was definitely important for our success.”

Williams is a vital part of the Auburn program. From the players to the fans, his impact does not go unnoticed.
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