Tag: Zakoby McClain

Eugene Asante named to Bednarik Award watch list

Asante earns the honor after recording 86 tackles with 8.5 for loss last season.

Auburn star linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] was named to the 2024 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List on Monday. The award, presented annually to college football’s most outstanding defensive player, has been won by an SEC defender in seven of the last 14 years. However, an Auburn Tiger has never claimed the honor.

Asante is coming off a breakout junior season at Auburn in which he accumulated a team-high 86 tackles with 5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and one fumble recovery touchdown. The 23-year-old registered double-digit tackles on 3 occasions in 2023, including 12-tackle performances against Cal and LSU.

A likely team captain this season, Asante has the chance to become the first Tiger to register 100+ tackles in a season since [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] wrapped up 113 opposing players in 2020. If Asante can pass that threshold while improving on his sack and TFL numbers, the Alexandria, Virginia native could make a strong case to become the first Tiger to ever claim the award.

The current watchlist of 90 players will be whittled down to a single-digit list of semifinalists on  Nov. 12, 2024. Three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled two weeks later, four days before the Iron Bowl, on Nov. 26, 2024.

Asante will have the first chance to make his case as the best defensive player in college football when the Tigers host Alabama A&M on August 31.

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Ottawa RedBlacks select former Auburn WR Nick Mardner with 1st round pick

Mardner is heading to Canada to continue his football career after spending one season on the Plains.

Wide receiver [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] spent just one season on the Plains, but it was enough time to catch the eyes of Canadian Football League scouts.

Mardner, who played for Auburn during the 2023 season after transferring in from Cincinnati, was selected in the 1st round of the CFL draft on Tuesday, going 2nd overall to the Ottawa RedBlacks. As a native of Oakville, Ontario, Mardner is the first Auburn player in history selected in the CFL draft due to his national designation.

Following his selection, Mardner becomes teammates with former Auburn wide receiver [autotag]Eli Stove[/autotag] on Ottawa’s roster. He is also the sixth former Auburn player on an active CFL roster joining [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] (Saskatchewan), [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag], [autotag]TD Moultry[/autotag] (Montreal).

Mardner had a solid career as a wide receiver at Hawaii and Cincinnati before transferring to Auburn for his final collegiate season. He totaled 81 catches for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns at his two previous stops but failed to record a catch at Auburn. According to Pro Football Focus, he appeared in four games last season for 37 total snaps. He was the most active in Auburn’s loss to Georgia on Sept. 30, where he participated in 18 snaps.

Mardner now joins a long list of former Auburn players who have also played in the CFL including Darvin Adams, Nick Coe, Nick Marshall, and  Ryan Davis.

Missing the cut: Which Tiger could have been on the cover of NCAA Football 22?

Which Auburn Tiger would you have picked?

Many sports video game fans across the country (including myself) were excited to learn that the NCAA Football franchise is on track to return to our lives in the summer of 2024, which will be re-named “EA Sports College Football.”

Plans for the game were threatened to be delayed due to a lawsuit from The Brandr Group, citing that the franchise’s $500 million pool, which would give each athlete represented in the game $500, was considered to be “far below market value.”

Despite the setback, EA Sports remains on schedule to release the game next summer.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring back an authentic college football experience for fans and athletes that have shown such passion for the franchise, and we’re looking forward to delivering it in Summer 2024,” an EA spokesperson tells On3’s Pete Nakos.

It has been ten years since the release of the last game, NCAA Football 14. It has us at Auburn Wire thinking… which Auburn athletes missed out on being a cover athlete for the famous video game franchise?

The 2020 season was the end of an era for Auburn, the Tigers went 6-5 in the COVID-shortened season and after the end of the regular season, they decided to fire head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag].  While it was a disappointing end to his tenure. one positive from the 2020 season was the emergence of running back [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] who is the clear choice to be on the hypothetical NCAA Football 22 cover.

The freshman quickly established himself as Auburn’s top running back, rushing for 834 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. He averaged an impressive 6.0 yards per carry and rushed for over 100 yards in a game four times, including a herculean effort against Mississippi State where he ran for 192 yards on 26 carries to lead Auburn to victory.

While Bigbsy is the top candidate, several other players also had impressive seasons, including linebacker [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] who made 113 tackles and forced a fumble. [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] had a breakout season at corner, defending 10 passes and picking off one.

Before taking a look at the best photos of the contenders, here is a look at each of our previous hypothetical covers.

Missing the cut: Which Tiger could have been on the cover of NCAA Football 21?

We really missed out on using the Bo Nix-Seth Williams combo in dynasty mode.

Many sports video game fans across the country (including myself) were excited to learn that the NCAA Football franchise is on track to return to our lives in the summer of 2024, which will be re-named “EA Sports College Football.”

Plans for the game were threatened to be delayed due to a lawsuit from The Brandr Group, citing that the franchise’s $500 million pool, which would give each athlete represented in the game $500, was considered to be “far below market value.”

Despite the setback, EA Sports remains on schedule to release the game next summer.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring back an authentic college football experience for fans and athletes that have shown such passion for the franchise, and we’re looking forward to delivering it in Summer 2024,” an EA spokesperson tells On3’s Pete Nakos.

It has been ten years since the release of the last game, NCAA Football 14. It has us at Auburn Wire thinking… which Auburn athletes missed out on being a cover athlete for the famous video game franchise?

The college football world was introduced to [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] during the 2019 season. The true freshman passed for 2,549 yards and 16 touchdowns, which would be his best season in an Auburn uniform.

Sure, he kicked off his college career in a big way, but was he worthy of being the cover athlete for the hypothetical NCAA Football 2021 video game? He’s a close second, in my opinion. The true winner was the guy on the receiving end of most of his passes, [autotag]Seth Williams[/autotag].

Like Nix, the 2019 season was Williams’ best at Auburn. He hauled in 59 passes for 830 yards and eight touchdowns. He had several memorable games over his career, but his last-minute touchdown catch in the 2019 opener against Oregon stands out the most. With 16 seconds remaining, Nix launched a 26-yard pass to Williams, which resulted in the go-ahead touchdown to put Auburn ahead, 26-21.

Other worthy candidates include [autotag]Jeremiah Dinson[/autotag], who led the team in tackles with 88, and [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], who made 55 stops and a pick-six.

Before you take a look at the best photos from each of the contenders, here are the previous hypothetical covers.

Missing the cut: Which Auburn Tiger could have been on the cover of NCAA Football 20?

Three Auburn defenders had cases to be on the cover of NCAA Football 20 if it had been released.

Many sports video game fans across the country (including myself) were excited to learn that the NCAA Football franchise is on track to return to our lives in the summer of 2024, which will be re-named “EA Sports College Football.”

Plans for the game were threatened to be delayed due to a lawsuit from The Brandr Group, citing that the franchise’s $500 million pool, which would give each athlete represented in the game $500, was considered to be “far below market value.”

Despite the setback, EA Sports remains on schedule to release the game next summer.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring back an authentic college football experience for fans and athletes that have shown such passion for the franchise, and we’re looking forward to delivering it in Summer 2024,” an EA spokesperson tells On3’s Pete Nakos.

It has been ten years since the release of the last game, NCAA Football 14. It has us at Auburn Wire thinking… which Auburn athletes missed out on being a cover athlete for the famous video game franchise?

Auburn entered the 2018 season with high expectations after winning the SEC West in 2017 and started the year off 4-1 with a win over No. 6 Washington. They were unable to keep it going though and went on to finish the season 8-5.

It was the defense that led the way for the Tigers and the leader of the group was linebacker [autotag]Deshaun Davis[/autotag] and he is our choice to appear on the hypothetical NCAA Football 20 cover.

Davis did it all for Auburn’s defense, he led the team with 112 tackles and 15.0 tackles for loss. It was the first time an Auburn defender made over 100 tackles in a season since [autotag]Johnathan Ford[/autotag] made 118 in 2015 and only [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] has done it since.

Other worthy candidates include [autotag]Nick Coe[/autotag], who led the Tigers with 7.0 sacks to go with 13.5 tackles for loss. [autotag]Derrick Brown[/autotag] also made his presence felt along the defensive line, making 48 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and constantly eating double teams to free up his teammates to make the play.

Before you take a look at the best photos from each of the contenders, here are the previous hypothetical covers.

Eli Stove to make gridiron return in USFL

The former Tiger wideout is set to make his return to football by debuting with the New Orleans Breakers on Sunday evening.

Former Auburn Tigers wide receiver [autotag]Eli Stove[/autotag] is set to make his return to the game of football for the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL against the Pittsburgh Maulers on Sunday in Birmingham.

Stove was an effective receiver for the Tigers during his five years with the program. Stove rushed for 554 yards and four touchdowns off of 55 carries and caught for 1186 yards and six touchdowns off of 136 catches.

Stove was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. Injuries prevented Stove from ever making it to the Chargers’ minicamp.

Stove is one of four former Auburn players that will begin the season on a USFL roster. Several notable former Tigers include OT [autotag]Broadarious Hamm[/autotag] (Michigan Panthers) and C [autotag]Xavier Dampeer[/autotag] (Pittsburgh Maulers.) New Orleans leads all USFL teams with two former Auburn players on its’ roster. Stove is teammates with former Auburn LB [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], who played for the Tigers from 2018-21.

The Breakers game against the Maulers is set for 5:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday at Protective Stadium. FS1 will have the television broadcast of the game.

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Browns bring in 6 for tryouts including Bubba Bolden, Antoine Brooks

The Browns continue on their weekly trend of holding tryouts near the end of the week. This time they brought in six players for workouts.

As the Cleveland Browns continue to prepare for a tough matchup with the Buffalo Bills in Detroit, they have brought in six players for tryouts. This has been common practice for the Browns this season, as they have seemingly held workouts consistently.

The Browns have even signed two players to their practice squad from these tryouts in safety Mike Brown and wide receiver Cyril Grayson (even though Grayson has already been released from the practice squad). This makes it worth getting to know the players the Browns have brought into Berea.

Here are the six players the Browns worked out today.

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Former Tiger included in “rising star coaching” list

Do not be surprised to see Travis Williams’ name linked to future head coaching vacancies.

During the mid-2000s, Auburn linebacker [autotag]Travis Williams[/autotag] was considered to be one of the best at his position.

Now, he is considered to be one of the best assistant coaches in the nation.

Williams was recently included in a list titled “25 assistants deserving strong head coach consideration” from On3 for his success in leading UCF’s defense as well as recruiting efforts.

Following a successful playing career at Auburn, Williams began his coaching career on the Plains, serving as an analyst from 2009-11. He spent time away from Auburn during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, gaining experience in on-the-field roles. He returned to Auburn, re-uniting with coach Gus Malzahn in 2014, where he would serve a variety of roles until 2020, when Malzahn was relieved of his coaching duties.

Williams was not retained on the staff once current head coach Bryan Harsin was hired, which allowed Williams to follow Malzahn to UCF, which is where he resides today.

One of Williams’ strong suits is recruiting. While at Auburn, he was responsible for bringing players such as [autotag]KJ Britt[/autotag], [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag], and [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], as well as players that are still on Auburn’s roster including [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] and [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag] to the Plains.

During his career on the Plains from 2002-05,  Williams recorded 214 tackles, 22.5 of those were for a loss. His best season came during Auburn’s undefeated season in 2004, Williams made 80 stops with 9.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions.

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Colby Wooden has high confidence in Auburn’s defense

Auburn defensive end Colby Wooden believes that Auburn’s defense could be the best in the SEC this season.

Auburn junior defensive end [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], like every member of the 2022 roster, has seen the lack of confidence that the media has in Auburn, as they voted the Tigers to finish last in the SEC West during SEC Media Days last month.

“We aren’t going to say too much about it, and we are going to handle it on the field,” Wooden said during a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “I can definitely say the camaraderie and brotherhood definitely got better this offseason dealing with everything we have dealt with. We are ready to show that.”

The locker room seems to be more invested in head coach Bryan Harsin as he begins year two on the Plains, which looks to translate to the field. Wooden says that Auburn’s defense could be the best in the conference, and says that they have the units to confirm the claim.

“We have me and [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] returning. We added a big presence with [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] (transfer from Oregon). We have [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag] coming off the edge, two very good pass rushers,” Wooden says. “I don’t see why we can’t the best and most dominant SEC group.”

Wooden enters his fourth season on the Plains in 2022, carrying 107 total tackles with him. He comes into 2022 as the team’s leading returning tackler, as he made 61 stops, 8.5 being for loss. He was fourth on Auburn’s defensive leaderboard behind [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], [autotag]Chandler Wooten[/autotag], and [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag].

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Auburn defensive tackle among nation’s top-10

One of Auburn’s top defensive weapons made the cut for On3’s top-10 most impactful defensive tackles.

One of Auburn’s top defensive weapons has earned national recognition.

[autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], Auburn’s returning top tackler from 2021, has been listed as one of the nation’s top defensive tackles according to On3.

On3 has listed their top-10 most impactful players at each position since the beginning of the summer and recently released their picks at defensive tackle. Wooden checks in very high, claiming the No. 3 spot behind Clemson’s Bryan Bresee and Jalen Carter of Georgia.

Wooden’s versatility is what makes him so valuable, says On3.

Wooden has some versatility, able to play both inside at tackle and outside at end. He has racked up 107 career tackles, 18.5 tackles for a loss, 9.0 sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick. He ranks No. 72 in the NIL 100 rankings, carrying a current valuation of $434,000.

Wooden joined [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] by recording over 90 tackles for the Tigers last season. Wooden made 94 stops, just one less than McClain’s 95. This is the second time that an Auburn Tiger has made On3’s top-10 list, which meshes team impact plus NIL value. On3 ranks [autotag]Tank Bigsby [/autotag]at No. 7 on their top-10 list.

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