Tag: Sylvester Smith

Auburn reveals jersey numbers for freshman summer enrollees

Here’s a look at what number each of Auburn’s freshman summer enrolles will wear.

Auburn put some finishing touches on its roster Tuesday with the announcement of the jersey numbers for the transfers and freshmen who enrolled during the summer.

Eleven freshmen enrolled over the summer and were officially added to the roster including running back [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag], the highest-ranked offensive player from [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s transitional class.

While Cobb has a chance to contribute immediately, quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag] will likely need time to develop before they are ready to see the field.

They also got some much-needed reinforcements in the secondary with cornerbacks [autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag], [autotag]JC Hart[/autotag], [autotag]Champ Anthony[/autotag], and [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag], in addition to safeties [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Terrance Love[/autotag], and [autotag]C.J. Johnson[/autotag] all making it to the Plains.

They also welcome defensive lineman [autotag]Darron Reed Jr.[/autotag] who can play anywhere across the defensive line for the Tigers.

Two members of the 2023 recruiting class are still missing from the roster, freshman wide receiver [autotag]Daquayvious Sorey[/autotag] and JUCO defensive lineman [autotag]Quientrail Jamison-Travis[/autotag].

Here is a look at each number the freshmen summer enrollees will wear their first season at Auburn.

Number Name Position
15 Hank Brown QB
18 Colton Hood CB
19 Sylvester Smith S
20 JC Hart CB
23 Jeremiah Cobb RB
24 Terrance Love S
25 Champ Anthony CB
27 Tyler Scott CB
29 C.J. Johnson S
45 Darron Reed Jr. DL
79 Tyler Johnson OL

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Auburn football assigns jersey numbers to early enrollees

Here’s a look at which 2023 signees are on campus, and what number they will wear this season.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] turned in one of the biggest recruiting turnarounds in just three short weeks.

Since taking over the role of Auburn football’s head coach on Nov. 28, 2022, Freeze signed 12 prospects which ultimately boosted the class from the low 60s to No. 18 by December 21.

Several of those famous “flips”, including [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] and [autotag]Connor Lew[/autotag], have arrived on campus and are currently going through spring practice. Auburn also has several players that will join the team in the summer including [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag], [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag], and [autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag].

Ahead of A-Day on Saturday, April 8, here’s a look at which freshmen are on campus, and what number they will be wearing this upcoming season.

Auburn signee Keldric Faulk shares reasoning behind switch from Florida State

Faulk was one of many “flips” Hugh Freeze performed before December’s early signing period.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] performed many recruiting wonders in a short time.

In a three-week span, Freeze improved Auburn’s 2023 recruiting class from one of the lowest in the SEC to a top-20 haul. He did so by convincing several talented prospects to flip their decision to Auburn from other programs.

One of the most important “flips” of the period was that of [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag], the state’s No. 12 recruit who committed to Florida State over Auburn in July. Faulk elected to sign with Auburn on Dec. 21, the beginning of the early signing period, and instantly became the top recruit of Auburn’s 2023 class.

On January 12, Faulk was honored by the Alabama Sportswriters Association as the Class 2A Lineman of the Year after recording 89 tackles for Highland Home in 2022. In an interview with Ben Thomas of AL.com, Faulk shared his reasoning for committing to Florida State in July as opposed to the in-state program.

“Auburn was really my No. 1 school for two or three years in a row, but there were certain coaching changes that just didn’t fit me personnel-wise,” Faulk said.

When Freeze was hired on Nov. 28, 2022, one of his first priorities was winning over Faulk. He did so by calling Faulk in for a visit in an effort to get to know him better. Faulk says that the connection he built with Freeze and staff made it seem as if he’s known them “for a couple of years.”

“(Freeze) just told me if I was destined to be an Auburn man, I need to be an Auburn man, but if I’m not just to let him know,” Faulk said. “He’s a real straightforward dude, and he wanted me to be straightforward with him.”

What will Faulk’s role be for Auburn? He says that he could be used in several different ways depending on the situation.

“They are going to try me at end and at the jack position,” Faulk said. “They are going to play me at both. I think I can play either. On third or fourth-down situations, it could go either way. I think I can go in at D tackle or D end or the jack position. I can play anywhere they want me to play.”

Faulk is one of eight four-star signees that has joined Auburn’s roster from the 2023 recruiting cycle, which includes [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Darron Reed[/autotag], and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag].

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CB Tyler Scott committs to Auburn during All-American Bowl

Zac Etheridge and Wesley McGriff have landed yet another impressive player for Auburn.

Auburn has landed one of its top remaining targets in cornerback [autotag]Tyler Scott[/autotag].

Scott, who signed with Auburn during the early signing period, announced his commitment Saturday during the All-American Bowl.

He may be a three-star prospect but has an offer list that shows just how coveted he was. Auburn beat out Alabama, Tennesee, USC, Texas, Michigan, and other top programs for the Mableton, Georgia product.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Scott originally committed to Arkansas State back on June 15 but blew up during his senior season and backed off his pledge. He is the No. 446 overall player and No. 43 cornerback in the 247Sports Composite ranking.

He is also the No. 46 player from Georgia but after a strong showing at the All-American Bowl, he could be soon getting a bump.

He joins an impressive defensive back class for Auburn that is headlined by four-star cornerback [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag]. Three-star prospects [autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag] and [autotag]JC Hart[/autotag] round out the haul at cornerback.

Secondary coaches [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] and [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] also landed four-star safeties [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Terrance Love[/autotag] to round out the defensive back room.

With the addition of Scott, Auburn now has the No. 19 recruiting class in the 247Sports team recruiting ranking.

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UAB head coach Trent Dilfer aims to out recruit Auburn

Dilfer stated his goal of making UAB “the next best option” for in-state recruits outside of Alabama.

Newly named UAB head football coach Trent Dilfer has an accomplished career in the sport.

He played 13 NFL seasons where he threw for 113 touchdowns, and led the Baltimore Ravens to a championship in Super Bowl XXXV. He now takes on a new role, leading a college football program.

He, like Hugh Freeze, had three weeks to maintain UAB’s 2023 class following the departure of Bryant Vincent, who served as interim head coach for the Blazers following the sudden retirement of Bill Clark in June.

The Blazers reeled in the No. 98 recruiting class of the 2023 cycle after the early signing period ended, signing five players from the state of Alabama. The Blazers’ class was the third-best from Alabama, trailing Alabama and Auburn, and beating Troy, South Alabama and Jacksonville State.

Following the end of the early signing period, Dilfer stated he wants UAB to be a strong candidate for in-state talent. He even stated his goal of out-recruiting in-state programs, such as Auburn.

“We’re looking for the best players in Alabama,” Dilfer said following the early signing period. “If they go to the University of Alabama, that’s awesome. But we’re going to be the next best option.”

If [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] were still the head coach at Auburn, I could definitely see this goal being realistic. After all, Harsin missed on the opportunity to land Quinshon Judkins, the Pike Road running back who rushed for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman at Ole Miss in 2022.

Harsin also did not give four-star safety [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] the time of day. He failed to close the deal on four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag]. Luckily, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and staff worked hard over a three-week span to keep those top prospects from Alabama within the borders.

Dilfer will work hard to make that dream a reality. But if Freeze and company continue to recruit in-state talent at a high level, it will be quite a climb. It will be a battle to keep an eye on.

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Zac Etheridge among top recruiters for 2023 cycle

Auburn signed 18 high school prospects during its’ early signing period window on Wednesday. Etheridge had a hand in at least half of those.

Outside of his amazing recruiting efforts in a short amount of time, Hugh Freeze has made two great decisions since being named Auburn’s head football coach on Nov. 28… retaining both [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] from the previous staff.

Both Williams and Etheridge have developed key relationships with high school recruits, which was instrumental in keeping the 2023 class together for the most part, and even helped in flipping talent who had previously committed elsewhere. Because of this, the latter is deemed one of the best recruiters in the country.

Auburn managed to sway several players away from other programs such as four-star EDGE [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] (Florida State), four-star safety [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] (Tennessee), and four-star cornerback [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] (Ohio State) thanks to the efforts of Etheridge. Once the dust settled from the opening day of the early signing period on Wednesday, Etheridge found himself ranked No. 12 among the top recruiters for the 2023 cycle according to 247Sports.

Out of Auburn’s 18 high school signees, Etheridge had a hand in eight of them. He also was the primary recruiter of four-star running back [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag], who will sign with Auburn in February. His efforts played a part in Auburn signing the No. 20 recruiting class according to 247Sports.

Etheridge joins the likes of Alabama assistants Freddie Roach and Robert Gillespie, Ohio State’s Brian Hartline, and Clemson‘s Nick Eason as assistant coaches who rank in the top 15 of college football’s best recruiters.

Here’s a look at the 2023 signees that were recruited by Zac Etheridge.

Hugh Freeze flips Vols’ 2023 commit to Auburn

Hugh Freeze flips Vols’ 2023 football commit to Auburn.

2023 safety prospect Sylvester Smith committed to Auburn on Sunday. He visited Auburn on Saturday.

“I’m home,” Smith announced.

Smith decommitted from Tennessee on Saturday.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Smith is from Munford High School in Munford, Alabama.

He initially committed to the Vols on April 26.

Hugh Freeze was introduced as Auburn’s head coach Nov. 28.

The early signing period for the 2023 recruiting class will take place Dec. 21-23.

No. 6 Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) will play No. 7 Clemson (11-2, 8-0 ACC) in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

Kickoff between the Vols and Tigers is slated for 8 p.m. EST (ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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Four-star safety Sylvester Smith commits to Auburn

He is already the fourth flip of the Hugh Freeze era.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s first recruiting class will be defined by the flips he and his staff have been able to pull off.

The latest is four-star safety [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] who flipped his commitment from Tennessee to Auburn Sunday morning. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Smith started his visit Saturday as a Volunteer, by Saturday night he was decommitted and on Sunday morning he became a Tiger.

Announcing the flip with a Twitter graphic, he simply captioned it “I’m home.”

The Munford, Alabama product is ranked as the No. 222 overall player and No. 17 safety in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 16 player from Alabama.

He is now Auburn’s third-highest-ranked commit, trailing four-star running back Jeremiah Cobb and four-star defensive lineman Darron Reed.

He is the Tigers’ fourth defensive back commit of the 2023 recruiting class, joining four-star safety Terrance Love and three-star cornerbacks Colton Hood and JC Hart.

Freeze has now landed four commits since taking over Auburn and all have been flips. Smith from Tennessee, Hood from Michigan State, offensive tackle Tyler Johnson from Texas Tech, and center Connor Lew from Miami.

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Four-star safety decommits from Tennessee following visit to Auburn

It appears that “flip season” on the Plains is far from over.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] appears dissatisfied with the number of flips he has produced since taking the head coaching job at Auburn in late November.

After Freeze successfully flipped three-star cornerback [autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag] from Michigan State and three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag] from Texas Tech, another talented prospect could be on his way to The Plains after decommitting from an SEC rival.

[autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag], a four-star safety from Munford who has been a Tennessee pledge since April 26, surprisingly backed off his commitment to the Volunteers late Saturday after paying a visit to Auburn.

He announced his change of heart on Instagram. In his post, he thanked Tennessee for giving him an opportunity to continue his career as a student-athlete, but that Knoxville was not the place for him.

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One could infer that his decommitment from Tennessee while on a visit to Auburn means good things for the Tigers. But, to confirm the smoke, Auburn received crystal balls on Saturday from Ryan Callahan of GoVols247, Jason Caldwell and Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover and 247Sports Director of Football Recruiting, Steve Wiltfong.

Smith is the No. 17 safety from the class of 2023, and the No. 16 overall prospect from the state of Alabama. According to 247Sports, Smith’s visit to Auburn was his first since taking an unofficial visit on Sept. 4, 2021.

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Reaction of Sylvester Smith committing to Tennessee

A look at reaction of Sylvester Smith committing to Tennessee.

2023 safety prospect Sylvester Smith announced his commitment to Tennessee on Tuesday.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Smith is from Munford High School in Munford, Alabama.

He holds Power Five offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina and Texas Tech.

Tennessee now has nine commitments for its 2023 recruiting class: Quarterback Nico Iamaleava Jr, tight end Ethan Davis, offensive lineman Ayden Bussell, defensive lineman Trevor Duncan, safety Jack Luttrell, edge rusher Nathan Robinson, wide receiver Nate Spillman, edge rusher Caleb Herring and safety Smith.

Tennessee’s 2023 football commitment tracker

Before announcing his commitment to the Vols, Smith pulled out a Florida hat. The 2023 prospect then put on a Tennessee hat and made his Vols’ commitment official.

Reaction to Smith’s commitment is listed below.