Tag: Trill Carter

Sophomore Keldric Faulk talks leadership at SEC Media Days

The Tigers’ defense is full of new faces, which gives the 6-6, 290-pound sophomore a unique opportunity to have his voice heard. 

Auburn defensive lineman [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] made history a few weeks ago after his coaches selected him to be one of Auburn’s representatives at SEC Media Day, the first-ever Auburn sophomore to earn such honor.

The second-year Tiger told media members the designation “means a lot…It shows that I’m becoming a leader on my team, and I’m leading the right way on my team.”

A sophomore becoming a leader on a squad as capable and talented as Auburn is a rare feat, but Faulk, who won’t graduate from his teenage years until this fall, has taken command of a defensive front full of new faces. Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has taken notice,

“Keldric has just had an incredible voice that people listen to — because he’s wise for his age and his work ethic is incredible,” Freeze said.

That work ethic and wiseness has been imperative for Faulk to lead a defensive line filled with transfers and freshman. The current Tigers unofficial opening depth chart features just two incumbent Tigers in the top six of the defensive line rotation. Besides Faulk and senior tackle [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag], transfers [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag], [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag], [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag], and [autotag]Gage Keys[/autotag] are all expected to soak up snaps up front on the Plains.

Despite the college football experience from the aforementioned quartet of big men, none have played a snap with the Tigers, giving the 6-6, 290-pound sophomore a unique opportunity to have his voice heard.

Faulk will not only try to build off an impressive freshman campaign in which he registered 36 tackles and a sack, but he’ll also look towards replicating the qualities of his former Tiger mentors from a season ago.

“Guys like Marcus Harris and Justin Rogers, those two guys, they showed me that being a leader is more than just showing people how to do stuff,” Faulk said. “It’s getting people to follow you in the right way.”

An Alabama native, Faulk’s leadership on the field will be put to the test as camp rolls on in early August before Auburn kicks off the season at the end of the month against Alabama A&M.

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Hugh Freeze breaks down Auburn’s most notable position battles ahead of season

Rotations will be key for the Tigers this season, and Freeze wants the best players possible to be involved.

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers took the stage at SEC Media Days Thursday and one of the many topics up for discussion was position battles within the program.

The most notable battle, at least in the eyes of those outside of the program, is at wide receiver. The Tigers have a revamped wide receiver room which will feature three transfers, four true freshmen, and two returners. However, the most contested battle is on the other side of the line.

Freeze told reporters Thursday that the defensive line will feature a steady rotation this season.

“The most contested, we have six guys on defensive line you might say it’s contested, but I think we need to rotate all six of them,” Freeze said.

Auburn’s defensive line will be experienced as [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] returning with the additions of [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Raikes[/autotag], and [autotag]Gage Keys[/autotag] joining the program from the transfer portal. Experience will not be an issue, but it will be up to Freeze and defensive line coach [autotag]Vontrell King-Williams[/autotag] to find the perfect combination to give the Tigers the best chance to succeed.

Another position group of concern is at safety, which was ravaged by the NFL draft. [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] is out, meaning Auburn will need to look to transfers and new faces to fill the role.

“I’d probably say safety. You are going to have Keionte (Scott) and Kayin (Lee) getting the bulk of reps at corner, but we really need (Antonio) Kite and (Jaylin) Crawford, Amon Lane (Ganus), some of these younger guys to get ready to play there,” Freeze said. “(Jerrin) Thompson is the vocal leader there, but we need other pieces to give us depth there.”

Freeze went on to mention that [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will get the nod at quarterback and that the rotation of running backs will feature [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. At receiver, Freeze calls for six receivers to step into the rotation. Freshmen [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], as well as transfers [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], look to be prime candidates to earn steady playing time at the position.

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Auburn dubbed a ‘transfer portal winner’ by The Athletic

Auburn has reeled in several notable additions from the transfer portal to fill key areas ahead of the 2024 season.

Auburn’s coaching staff is working hard to fill key areas with transfer portal additions, and are currently succeeding.

The Tigers will have added a talented wide receiver, a sturdy offensive lineman, and several solid defensive additions which should help boost its stock in the upcoming 2024 season. The haul has been impressive so far, and outlets such as The Athletic are taking notice.

Manny Navarro of The Athletic recently revealed his winners and losers from the SEC when it comes to their activity in the transfer portal. At the front of the “winners” list is Auburn. Navarro says the Tigers’ transfer additions have outweighed their departures.

Auburn’s recruiting has been on the uptick since Hugh Freeze took over. The 2024 class ranks No. 8 after the early signing period and the Tigers are also bringing in quality talent in the portal. Among the notable additions are former Georgia State standout receiver [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] (70 catches, 877 yards in 2023), ex-Mississippi State left tackle [autotag]Percy Lewis[/autotag] (seven starts in 2023), former Texas and Minnesota defensive tackle [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag] (31 career starts), ex-Duke linebacker [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag] (27 starts) and former Texas safety [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] (31 starts).

Those pickups outweigh the losses of 2022 starting quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] (South Carolina) and linebacker [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Donovan Kaufman[/autotag], who both ranked in the top 11 on the team in tackles last season and haven’t found new landing spots yet.

[autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] (CB-Alabama), Jerrin Thompson (S-Texas), Percy Lewis (OT-Mississippi State), and [autotag]Rico Walker[/autotag] (TE-Maryland) are the most notable transfer additions for Auburn so far, as they all join the roster as four-star transfers according to 247Sports.

Joining Auburn as “winners” include Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri. Arkansas and Florida were teams who “broke even”, while Alabama, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt joined the “losers” category.

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Texas DB Jerrin Thompson to visit Auburn

The former Longhorn recorded 38 total tackles and three interceptions during the 2023 season.

Following the departures of [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], the Auburn secondary will be seriously depleted of experience ahead of the 2024 season.

The Auburn coaching staff is looking to solve that issue by hosting a defensive back with four seasons of experience this weekend.

According to a report by Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live, former Texas defensive back [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] is set to pay a visit to Auburn on Friday. Thompson was one of Texas’ most productive defensive backs over the last four seasons by totaling 175 tackles, four interceptions, and 18 pass deflections.

Thompson’s most productive season was in 2022 as a junior. The safety recorded 82 total tackles with seven pass deflections and and interception. However, he was a threat to opposing passing games in 2023. He picked off a career-high three passes last season, which included a pick-six in the Longhorns’ 31-10 win over Wyoming on Sept. 16.

In Texas’ College Football Playoff semi-final loss to Washington on New Year’s Day at the Sugar Bowl, Thompson made three stops.

Auburn has landed seven roster additions from the transfer portal since the first window opened on Dec. 2, 2023. Among those is Thompson’s teammate at Texas, defensive lineman [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag].

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Veteran Texas DL transfer Trill Carter commits to Auburn

Auburn has landed a second veteran defensive linemen in Trill Carter, who played at Texas and Minnesota.

Auburn has landed the veteran defensive linemen that it was looking for in Texas transfer [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag] who committed to Auburn Monday on social media.

Carter started his career at Minnesota before spending one season at Texas. Appearing in 46 games, he has made 49 tackles, 4.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss between the two schools. The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder will have one season of eligibility at Auburn.

He joins Memphis transfer [autotag]Gage Keys[/autotag] as additions alone the defensive line as Auburn works to offset the loss of three-year starter [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] to the NFL.

Carter is Auburn’s sixth addition overall and second today from the transfer portal after Maryland tight end Rico Walker picked the Tigers earlier Monday.

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Texas DT Trill Carter enters transfer portal

Trill Carter’s portal entrance was unexpected.

Texas suffered a surprise entry to the transfer portal. Defensive tackle Trill Carter has entered his name in the portal. Continue reading “Texas DT Trill Carter enters transfer portal”

Texas Football: Players with new jersey numbers ahead of 2023

Several players will be sporting new numbers this season.

The time has come where we finally know what jersey number each player on the Texas roster will be rocking in 2023. Continue reading “Texas Football: Players with new jersey numbers ahead of 2023”

Texas lands commitment from standout Minnesota DL transfer Trill Carter

Minnesota defensive line transfer Trill Carter is taking his talents to Texas.

Minnesota defensive line transfer Trill Carter is taking his talents to Texas. Carter announced his commitment to the Longhorns on Monday after taking visits to Arkansas, Ohio State and Illinois.

Carter joins the Longhorns with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

A two-year starter at Minnesota, Carter tallied 55 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2022.

Carter adds another critical piece to Texas’ defensive front. He joins Byron Murphy, T’Vondre Sweat and Alfred Collins on the interior defensive line. The quality of depth allows Texas to rotate snaps, keeping everyone fresh.

Texas has utilized the transfer portal to make serious roster upgrades this offseason. The Longhorns have added wide receiver AD Michell, defensive back Jalen Catalon and cornerback Gavin Holmes from the portal thus far.

Carter is going to have a substantial role in the Longhorns’ defense in 2023. He is an excellent run-stopper and a difficult matchup for opposing offensive lines.

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Texas will host massive Minnesota DT Trill Carter this week

Minnesota transfer DT Trill Carter will be in Austin this week.

Texas might have found impact depth in the portal at defensive tackle. The team is hosting mammoth sized defensive lineman Trill Carter this week.

There isn’t much in the way of production to support any claim in the player making a huge impact. The Minnesota tackle compiled a total of 19 total tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. Albeit, he looks to have the build defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski can make use of inside.

Carter stands a solid 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 300 pounds. Kwiatkowski can make do with a frame that big. Like offensive line coach Kyle Flood, the defensive play caller prizes big humans of his own up front. Texas will need imposing players up the middle to protect its linebackers from getting caught up in opponents’ blocking schemes.

Whether or not Carter would be a transformative player or a rotational contributor is still to be seen. Nevertheless, Texas is wise to adopt the philosophy of always adding talent.

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