Auburn football has relied heavily on freshmen through six games. Two of those newcomers were recently recognized by On3.
Charles Power, On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings, recently dropped his picks for the Midseason Freshmen All-American Team and included two Tiger defenders, defensive lineman [autotag]Malik Blocton[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Kaleb Harris[/autotag].
Blocton, a freshman from Pike Road, has registered seven tackles through six games with one sack. Outside of true tackles, Blocton has become a threat to opposing quarterbacks in his short time on the Plains. According to Pro Football Focus data, Blocton has created five pressures, four being registered as quarterback hurries. In Auburn’s most recent game at Georgia, Blocton graded out at 78.8 overall and 80.6 in rush defense.
Harris is the team’s best tackler according to PFF. The freshman from Alabaster grades at 90.1 in the category and is No. 2 in coverage with 77.8 as opposing receivers have caught just three of nine passes when guarded by Harris. He has accumulated 15 tackles to this point of the season and has swatted four passes.
Blocton and Harris have earned their place on Power’s midseason team, but several others missed an opportunity to also earn the honor.
Freshmen receivers [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] are No. 2 and No. 3 in receiving for the Tigers with a combined statline of 27 catches for 472 yards and three scores. Cornerback [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] has also had a great start to his collegiate career by making six tackles and holding opposing receivers to a 33.3% catch rate.
Watch out for Blocton, Harris, and the rest of the Auburn freshmen as they look to play an instrumental role in the team’s second-half success in 2024.
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