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‘I like what I see so far’: Maalik Murphy enjoys recent visit to Auburn

Auburn made quite the impression on Murphy during his two-day visit.

Duke transfer quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag]’s recent visit to Auburn is credited as a success.

Auburn was the first stop on Murphy’s quest to find a new home after a successful redshirt freshman season at Duke. Murphy spent two days exploring Auburn’s campus and football facilities and meeting Auburn’s coaching staff. Murphy spoke with the media during his visit, where he broke down his positive experience on the Plains.

“This has been great,” Murphy said Wednesday. “Being here, being able to meet all the coaches, and be around the facilities, see the place for my first time. I’ve never been to Auburn before, and I like what I see so far.”

While on campus, Murphy spent time getting to know Auburn’s coaches and learning how he would be used in the offense should he sign with the Tigers. He listed that aspect of the visit as a positive as well.

“That’s huge for a quarterback, being able to relate to his head coach, and him being the guy that’s calling your play,” Murphy said. “So it’s been good to see it and kind of take mental notes of how I can see myself in the offense and produce.”

Murphy passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns for Duke in 2024, his lone season following his transfer from Texas. According to Adam Cole of The Montgomery Advertiser, Murphy’s only scheduled visit so far and there is no timetable for a commitment. Auburn is looking to fill the void left behind by two-year starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], as well as departing transfers [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. Auburn is also scheduled to host Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold for a visit this week.

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__

Auburn football to host former UCF defensive back for visit

Hugh Freeze is interested in bringing in a talented freshman to fill its needs at defensive back.

A defensive back with connections to former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is scheduled to visit the Plains as a member of the transfer portal.

According to a report by Auburn Undercover, Auburn will receive a visit from [autotag]Chasen Johnson[/autotag] this week. Johnson signed with UCF as part of its 2024 signing class and played in seven games during his true freshman season.

In his debut season, Johnson recorded 18 tackles as a cornerback with two pass deflections. He made at least one tackle in all seven games, with his best game coming against Utah on Nov. 29, when he registered five tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson allowed 15 catches in 26 opportunities last season while allowing just two touchdowns.

Should Johnson sign with Auburn, he would add experience to an already-loaded unit. Players such as [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] return to the unit next season, while [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag] are expected to return from their season-ending injuries.

The winter transfer portal window opened Monday, Dec. 9, and will close on Dec. 28.

Auburn football releases 2025 schedule, dates

Which games are you looking forward to watch next season?

Auburn fans, great news! You can begin planning trips to see your Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium and on the road.

The SEC revealed every member institution’s 2025 football schedule on Wednesday, including Auburn. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will look to improve upon the Tigers’ 5-7 record in 2024 by making a giant leap in year three of his era.

Next season’s conference slate will feature the same opponents as the 2024 schedule but flipped. So Auburn will host Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, and Kentucky while visiting Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. In non-conference play, Auburn will face a Big 12 opponent, Baylor, on the road. Auburn will also play host to Ball State, Mercer, and a first-time opponent in South Alabama.

Opponents-wise, the schedule provides plenty of chances for Auburn to earn important wins. However, will the schedule structure give Auburn the necessary breaks to be successful?

Here is a look at Auburn football’s 2025 schedule

Aug. 30 at Baylor
Sept. 6 vs. Ball State
Sept. 13 vs. South Alabama
Sept. 20 at Oklahoma
Sept. 27 at Texas A&M
Oct. 4 OPEN
Oct. 11 Georgia
Oct. 18 Missouri
Oct. 25 at Arkansas
Nov. 1 vs. Kentucky
Nov. 8 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 15 OPEN
Nov. 22 vs. Mercer
Nov. 29 vs. Alabama

Sun Belt’s leading rusher schedules visit to Auburn

Auburn’s quest to find its next start running back begins with ULM’s Ahmad Hardy.

Auburn football is out to find its next premier running back and will dip into the Sun Belt Conference to begin its journey.

According to Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live, Auburn will host ULM running back [autotag]Ahmad Hardy[/autotag] for a visit next Monday. Hardy entered the transfer portal after a stellar freshman season at ULM, where he rushed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns on 237 carries.

Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] departs the program after rushing for 3,371 yards and 25 touchdowns, and the Tigers will look to re-shape the running backs room without his presence. [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] return as scholarship running backs and Alvin Henderson will join the roster as a true freshman ahead of the 2025 season. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will look to add a running back through the transfer portal to bring their scholarship total to four.

Hardy will be a solid addition to the rotation should he commit to Auburn. Hardy set the Sun Belt world on fire last season as his 1,351 rushing yards led the conference, while his 13 rushing touchdowns tied him with South Alabama’s Fluff Bothwell for the conference lead.

He rushed for over 200 yards in two games for the Warhawks in 2024 while rushing for over 100 yards in six additional games. According to Pro Football Focus, Hardy recorded 34 rushes of 10+ yards, and 63 of his touches resulted in ULM first downs. He gained 1,034 yards after initial contact and forced 96 missed tackles.

Auburn is not the only Power Four program that is interested in Hardy’s services. Ole Miss, Michigan, Kentucky, and Oklahoma are just a few programs that have contacted Hardy in the transfer portal’s early stages.

Auburn signee Donovan Starr crowned Mr. Football in Tennessee

Starr was able to bring Ravenwood High School its first ever ‘Mr. Football’ award

Auburn four-star defensive back signee [autotag]Donovan Starr[/autotag] was named 2024 ‘Mr. Football’ in his home state of Tennessee this week.

The No. 1 ranked recruit from the Volunteer State in the 2025 cycle, Starr chose the Tigers over Vanderbilt and Alabama, among others.

A consensus top 21 cornerback in the class, Starr is expected to compete for a large snap share as soon as she steps onto the Plains for spring practices in 2025, especially considering the Tigers are set to lose a pair of safeties to graduation and the transfer portal. In his senior season with Ravenwood, the 6-foot-0 defensive back tallied 41 tackles, 2 interceptions, and a sack while also accumulating 446 receiving yards on offense.

Despite it being just his fourth year of organized football, Starr was able to bring Ravenwood High School its first ever ‘Mr. Football’ award, and more importantly, vault himself into one of the premier prospects in the entire nation while doing so. One of the newest Tigers spoke about his “newness” to the game of football during the award ceremony earlier this week. “It’s crazy. It’s definitely a blessing,” Starr said. “I put in a lot of hours for this, probably a lot more hours than a lot of guys, because I obviously started from scratch, I hadn’t played football before. It all worked out in the end so I’m grateful.”

Tennessee’s Mr. Football joins an already young and talented Auburn secondary featuring standout freshman Jay Crawford and sensational sophomore Kayin Lee. Other than Starr, four-star safeties Anquon Fagens and Eric Winters along with four-star cornerback Blake Woodby are among the talented first-year college athletes set to join Auburn next season.

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LSU WR CJ Daniels schedules visit to Auburn

Daniels played receiver for Hugh Freeze at Liberty before transferring to LSU ahead of the 2024 season.

Is a reunion between [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and one of his top receivers from Liberty in order?

According to a report by Pete Nakos of On3, Auburn is scheduled to host former LSU wide receiver [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] for a visit this Friday. Before transferring to LSU for the 2024 season, Daniels played three seasons at Liberty, including two under Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze.

Daniels hauled in 48 receptions for 849 yards and ten scores during the first two seasons of his career. However, he broke out in 2023 by being the top target for quarterback Kaidon Salter during Liberty’s undefeated regular season. He ended the 2023 season with 1,067 yards and ten touchdowns on 55 catches.

He did not find similar success at LSU in 2024, but he registered many meaningful snaps. He participated in 598 snaps this season for the LSU Tigers, reeling in 42-of-56 targeted passes for 480 yards with zero scores. He did not record a drop this season and added 169 yards after catch.

Daniels is another high-profile wide receiver who will visit Auburn during the winter transfer portal window, joining Georgia Tech’s Eric Singleton. Auburn will look to add experienced wide receivers from the transfer portal to pair with freshmen playmakers [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] and will use it as a strong selling point in its efforts to sign a transfer quarterback.

At the time of this post, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold and Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy have scheduled visits to Auburn. Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels is also tied to Auburn, as Steve Wiltfong of On3 has submitted a prediction in favor of Auburn landing him.

In five collegiate seasons, Daniels has caught 148 passes for 2,434 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Auburn football to host former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold

Hugh Freeze looks to make a splash with the former five-star quarterback.

Former Gatorade Player of the Year and five-star quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is in the transfer portal, and [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is getting a chance to persuade him to join the Auburn Tigers.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], formerly of the Oklahoma Sooners, is scheduled to visit Auburn on Friday according to Steve Wiltfong of On3. The Tigers are in a stiff competition with Mississippi State in the race to win his transfer.

Arnold began the season as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, where he passed 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions while rushing for 444 additional yards. However, he struggled to keep his starting job throughout the season and was in constant competition with Michael Hawkins Jr.

John Williams of Sooners Wire broke down what went wrong for Arnold during his time at Oklahoma:

The 2024 season didn’t go as planned for the Oklahoma Sooners on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries at wide receiver and along the offensive line and the relative inexperience and talent deficiency that came with that put a damper on what had a chance to be a good offense for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Arnold, was left to try to pick up the pieces of the offense. It was a rough season for the former Gatorade National Player of the Year, who struggled with turnovers and, at times, indecision as a passer. Arnold was benched in the first half of the loss to Tennessee after three turnovers in the first half.

He regained the starting job after a solid performance against South Carolina in relief of Michael Hawkins Jr., but could never put it together as a passer given the circumstances.

Arnold’s debut season saw him pass for over 200 yards twice and rush for over 100 yards in the Sooners’ win over Alabama. Arnold is one of two “starter-worthy” quarterbacks set to visit this week, joining Duke’s Maalik Murphy. Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels is projected to transfer to Auburn, but the Tigers hope to bring in a quarterback who is ready to start immediately and become a role model in the development of freshmen quarterbacks [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] and [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag].

Former Auburn QB Hank Brown to visit Big Ten program

The former Auburn QB will look to find another starting opportunity at a fellow Power Four program.

Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] is looking for a new home and could find a suitor in the Big Ten.

According to a report by Pete Nakos of On3, Brown will visit Iowa on Thursday, his first known visit of the window.

Brown entered the transfer portal this week after spending two seasons on the Plains. He played in one game as a true freshman, completing seven passes for 132 yards in Auburn’s Music City Bowl loss to Maryland. He saw action in three games as a redshirt freshman in 2024, earning two starts. He excelled in his first start against New Mexico by passing for four touchdowns. However, he was removed from his start against Arkansas one week later after throwing three interceptions in the first half.

Brown signed with Auburn as a three-start quarterback from the 2024 recruiting cycle. Originally committed to play for Hugh Freeze at Liberty, Brown followed Freeze to Auburn by committing to the program one day before signing with the Tigers on Dec. 21, 2022. His Auburn career ends with 403 passing yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Brown joins [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] as an Auburn quarterback currently looking for a new home in the transfer portal. [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] returns to the unit, while [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] is set to join the program as a true freshman ahead of next season. Freeze will look to add two quarterbacks from the transfer portal in this window to fill the void left behind by Brown and Geriner.

Former Duke QB Maalik Murphy to visit Auburn this week

Murphy threw 26 touchdowns and passed for nearly 3,000 yards for the Duke Blue Devils in 2024.

Auburn football hopes to improve its quarterback room ahead of the 2025 season and is reaching out to several experienced targets to fill the void.

One candidate is former Duke quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag], who entered the transfer portal following a successful first season as the Blue Devils’ starting quarterback in 2024. Multiple reporters from 247Sports, including Tom Loy and Matt Zenitz, reported Tuesday that Murphy will visit the Plains on Wednesday.

Murphy originally signed with Texas as part of its 2022 signing class. He was a four-star rated quarterback from 247Sports and was the No. 9 quarterback in a class that included Georgia‘s Gunner Stockton, Penn State‘s Drew Allar, and Clemson‘s Cade Klubnik. After falling behind talented quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, Murphy transferred to Duke, immediately becoming the starting quarterback.

In his only season in Durham, Murphy led the Blue Devils to a 9-3 record behind a 2,993-yard, 26 touchdown season. He passed for at least 200 yards in all but one game for the Blue Devils and threw multiple touchdown passes in nine games this season.

Auburn has been linked to several quarterbacks, including Stanford’s Ashton Daniels. Hugh Freeze and staff will need to bring in at least two quarterbacks this window, with Daniels being seen as the “backup option.” This leaves one spot open for an experienced quarterback who can start immediately. Murphy is a candidate for that role following a strong season at Duke.

Outside of Auburn, Miami is another strong player in the recruitment of Murphy says Pete Nakos of On3.

Former Jax State DB Zechariah Poyser schedules visit to Auburn

Auburn will look to fill a need in the secondary by hosting a talented athlete in Poyser.

Auburn football will look to improve upon its 5-7 record by adding experienced players to their secondary. Could a defensive back from an in-state program help Hugh Freeze and his program achieve that goal?

Former Jax State defensive back [autotag]Zechariah Poyser[/autotag] shared on social media this week that he has scheduled visits to three SEC programs, including Auburn.

Poyser was a part of a three-headed monster at safety for the Gamecocks this season. He, in addition to fellow safeties [autotag]Fred Perry[/autotag] and [autotag]Antonio Carter[/autotag], recorded 269 tackles, 13 pass deflections, and four interceptions. Individually, Poyser made 75 stops with eight pass breakups and three interceptions.

Poyser would be a great addition to a safety unit without Jerrin Thompson (graduation) and Colby Wooden (transfer portal). Several players, including [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Harris[/autotag], and [autotag]Kensley Louidor-Faustin[/autotag], return to the unit. Adding Poyser, a safety that produced a 47.8% catch percentage last season, will boost Auburn’s chances at slowing down opponents passing numbers next season.