August 2016

Lyle's Corner

Wednesday, August 31st, 2016

My last post for this month will begin with news that is unfortunate, yet hardly surprising.

Auburn defensive back Stephen Roberts has been suspended following his arrest last week. Consequently, he will miss the Tigers' season opener Saturday against second-ranked Clemson.

Roberts was arrested last Wednesday on charges of attempting to elude a police officer and possessing a firearm without a permit.

"I do feel good about the secondary we do have, specifically the safeties, the position he plays," head coach Gus Malzahn said. He will decide whether or not the suspension will extend beyond the opener on a week-to-week basis.

Malzahn also emphasized that he has a no-handgun policy on the team.

Roberts was arrested on Aug. 24 at 9:53 p.m. on Harmon Drive in Auburn, according to a police report provided by the Auburn Police Department. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told AuburnUndercover that the firearm was a pistol. Roberts, a junior, was in the passenger seat of a car during a traffic stop and fled from officers, according to Auburn Police Capt. Lorenza Dorsey.

According to Alabama state law, both charges are misdemeanors. Roberts was subsequently booked at the Lee County Detention Center on the two charges. He posted a $2,000 bond and was released shortly after his booking, Jones said. Roberts is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 17 at 8 a.m., according to Auburn Municipal Court records. The Tigers will square off against Alabama A&M on Nov. 19.

Roberts, an Opelika, Ala., native, started the last four contests of the 2015 campaign and is expected to contribute majorly in new coordinator Kevin Steele's defense this season at safety. Roberts went through unspecified issues last season, but said Aug. 9 he has since changed for the better.

"I think it was my things off the field," he reasoned. "When I have bad things off the field then it doesn't work for me on the field. When I had to get things good off the field, it started to work good on the field - and just my film study. I started studying film and, like I said, most people when they're on second team or they ain't playing they just move to the back burner. I didn't have that mindset. I just had the mindset that I got to keep working and make it work when I get my chance, I got to make something of it."

Roberts had 26 tackles and three pass breakups last year.

Malzahn described Roberts as one of Auburn's "leaders" Aug. 20.

One final note: Although Sean White has been named Auburn's starting quarterback, Malzahn said yesterday that there's a good chance that Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III will also see the field as the season goes on. Any one of them could come in at any time. That's no big shock to me, because that's the kind of coach Gus is. He always strives to treat every individual player as one of the guys.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Tuesday, August 30th, 2016

Five-star 2018 defensive end Xavier Thomas of Florence (S.C.) Wilson will visit Auburn on Saturday for the Tigers' season opener against Clemson, he tweeted yesterday evening.

The 6-ffeet-2.5, 249-pound Thomas stands as the No. 2 overall recruit nationally and the No. 1 strong side defensive end in the 247Sports Composite. However, he won't be the only 5-star 2018 recruit on The Plains. Justin Mascoll, a 5-star end from South Gwinnett (Ga.), also plans to attend the game.

Although this is obviously a bit premature, Clemson is perceived to be the front-runner for Thomas and that school leads in the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

In other news...

- Last week, former Auburn golfer Dominic Bozzelli got even more than what he was after. He didn't make it to the weekend of the WinCo Foods Portland Open, missing the cut by 12 strokes.

But that didn't matter. He finished seventh on the Web.com Tour's money list this season, totaling $214,307. That finish allowed him to earn his PGA Tour card, as the Top 25 on the Web.com's regular-season money list are automatically promoted. Upon the conclusion of the Portland Open Sunday, he returned to the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, where he was honored with his PGA Tour card along with the other 24 recipients.

Bozzelli has four top-10 finishes in 15 events on the Web.com tour this season, including a four-shot victory at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in June.

After beginning his college career at Central Florida, Bozzelli played for Auburn from 2011-13. He clinched All-America honors in 2012 and 2013.

Bozzelli joins Jason Dufner, Patton Kizzire and Blayne Barber as former Auburn golfers with PGA Tour cards for the 2016-17 campaign.

In closing, only four more days until the 2016 football season begins! Can you believe it? Personally, I can hardly wait for the big day.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Monday, August 29th, 2016

John Franklin III may have lost the battle for the starting job, but he's still a quarterback. Well, for now, anyway.

Yesterday, Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee was asked about the potential of moving Franklin III - a junior college transfer who was edged out by third-year sophomore Sean White in an intense showdown for the starting job - to another position. However, Lashlee replied it was too soon to discuss such a situation.

"The thing that is tough - again, like I've said to be fair to John - John wasn't even the starter on his junior college team last year," Lashlee said, referring to Franklin's time at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Miss. When we recruited him, we signed him as an athlete. And so we felt like we could take him as an athlete, give him a shot at quarterback and see how he progressed."

In that respect, Lashlee pointed out that he had "been very pleased" with Franklin's development.

"He's done a lot of good things quickly in a fast timetable," Lashlee said. "So I think there's nothing but positives to say about him right now. We'll just continue to try and bring him along."

While Lashlee didn't completely cancel out the potential of a position change, he said the coaching staff will strive to capitalize on Franklin's outstanding athleticism and explosiveness.

"He is a phenomenal athlete, so any ways we can use him to try and help, we will, but right now, he's still playing quarterback."

In other news...

- Another former Tiger is on the search for a new NFL home. Offensive lineman Reese Dismukes, who played for Auburn from 2011-14, was cut by the Carolina Panthers yesterday. Dismukes was a three-year starter for Auburn and won the Rimington Trophy in 2014, given to the country's most outstanding center. He also garnered First-Team All-SEC honors and was a consensus All-American in his final season.

Dismukes went undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in May. However, he was waived from the practice squad and went on to join the Panthers the following October.

- An Auburn University freshman was found dead in his dorm room yesterday afternoon, according to the Lee County Coroner's Office.

The Auburn Police Department received a 911 call at 3:13 p.m. yesterday for a welfare check on an Auburn University freshman student at a campus dorm whose parents could not get in touch with.

When Auburn Police and East Alabama Medical Center EMS arrived, they discovered an 18-year-old male student deceased in his dorm room. No foul play is suspected.

Lee County Coroner Bill Harris pronounced the student dead at the scene at 3:26 p.m.

The student, who was not identified, is not from the local area.

His body has been taken to the medical examiner's office at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The investigation of the incident is still ongoing by the Lee County Sherrif's Office, the Lee County Coroner's Office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

No other details have been released at this time pending notification of family.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Saturday, August 27th, 2016

Head coach Gus Malzahn announced after Thursday's practice session that senior Kevin Phillips will be Auburn's starting punter for the second straight year. Phillips beat out redshirt freshman Ian Shannon for the starting job.

"Ian really made it very competitive, but we decided to make the call with that," Malzahn said. "You could see Ian from time to time get some punts throughout the year. He's an outstanding punter; he's also an outstanding kicker."

Phillips recorded 55 punts last season, averaging 41 yards per kick. However, there was a sharp difference in his production as the season progressed.

In the Tigers' first three contests of 2015, Phillips punted 11 times, averaging 46.2 yards per kick. However, in Auburn's final five games, he averaged 38.4 yards per punt on 21 attempts.

In other news...

- Big news in the basketball department. This past Monday, the Tigers extended offers to three underclassmen, all of whom hail from Georgia. Two are in the 2019 class: shooting guard Isaac Okoro from McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga., and small forward Elias King of Shiloh High School in Snellville, Ga. The third is Sharife Cooper, a 2020 point guard who is Okoro's teammate at McEachern.

All three have yet to receive ratings from 247Sports.

I hope they all decide to don the orange and blue and take Auburn basketball to new heights.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Friday, August 26th, 2016

I have three major stories to cover today. Two of them involve quarterbacks, while the third involves yet another Tiger getting into a brush with trouble.

First and foremost, the agonizing wait is over. Decision made. Head coach Gus Malzahn announced last night that sophomore Sean White has won the starting job as Auburn's quarterback.

"It will be important he'll have a good full week just working with the ones," Malzahn stated Thursday.

White edged out Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III for the starting nod. The team was informed prior to yesterday's practice.

"Each individual situation is always different," Malzahn explained. "That's probably more of a testament to how good the competition was more than it was anything else...I didn't realize that was the longest."

The news was a tremendous relief to the Tigers. Running back Kerryon Johnson was reportedly being asked 20 to 30 times per day about the quarterback scenario on campus.

"It's a little bit of a relief," he said. "Now everybody doesn't have to keep asking the question. We all know who it is. At the same time, we're going to work the same, no matter who it is, no matter when they announce it. We've all been working through fall camp, through the summer, all the same with the same quarterbacks. At the same time, it's a guy who is going to lead us that we all have trust in."

White pressed on through a partial tear in the PCL in his left knee and suffered ligament damage in his left foot midway through last season. He completed less than 40 percent of his passes while hurt and over 64 percent of them while healthy.

White said he feels "a lot different" as a healthy signal-caller this season. He also said he feels more comfortable in the offense, which Malzahn vowed will return to its hurry-up, no-huddle roots after hindering the pace last season.

"Night and day difference for me," White lamented. "Last year, like I said, part of that might be on me, but before the season, I prepared hard, I wasn't slacking, but I wasn't preparing to go out and start and lead the team until my name was called on. This year, I had all spring, all preseason to prepare like I'm the starter. That's been a huge difference as far as timing with the receivers and just being able to go out there and run the plays, not think, and being able to lead everybody. With Ricardo (Louis) last year, he was out there for three years and it was like my first game. It's hard for me to get on him like, 'Hey, man. Do this Do this.' Now I feel comfortable out there where I feel like I can lead the offense, lead the team."

Let's all hope his inclinations are valid when Auburn takes the field in eight days.

- Amid all the hype with White getting the nod, however, an unspeakable tragedy occurred yesterday morning. The grandfather of quarterback Jeremy Johnson lost his life in a single-car accident.

Ojedita Johnson, 65, wasn't wearing a seatbelt when his pickup truck veered off the road and slammed into a tree, according to AL.com.

Johnson started seven contests for the Tigers last season and is 6-3 in his career as a starter. The senior has passed for 1,912 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while rushing for 177 yards and seven scores on the ground for Auburn.

Depending on the date of his grandfather's funeral, Jeremy may or may not be with the team for the season opener against Clemson next week. Regardless, I'll emphasize this lesson to all of you: ALWAYS wear your seat belts while on the road. This is why so many lives are senselessly lost in a vehicle. You and your seat belt go together like peanut butter and jelly, folks. You'll never regret wearing it! It could very well save your life!

- Lastly, bad news broke this morning. Junior defensive back Stephen Roberts was arrested by Auburn police Wednesday evening and charged with attempting to elude an officer and possessing a firearm without a license. According to James Crepea of AL.com, Malzahn is aware of the situation but has yet to publicly release any statements regarding the incident.

Both charges are misdemeanors in the state of Alabama.

Roberts was expected to start at free safety for Auburn in the opener against Clemson. Only time will tell if this incident changes his status with the defense. Roberts registered 26 tackles in seven games after appearing in every contest last season.

That's all for today. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Thursday, August 25th, 2016

One of Auburn's most iconic traditions is set to resurface this fall.

Tiger fans will once again be able to roll the trees at Toomer's Corner this season. The new oaks have been deemed healthy enough for rolling, Gary Keever, professor of horticulture at Auburn University, told OANow.com yesterday.

"The rolling itself doesn't have any impact on the trees," Keever stated. "We're going to remove the toilet paper by hand. There should be a minimal, if any, impact in contrast to the fire hoses that we used to use."

Keever also pointed out that Auburn will keep a black fence around the trees to keep fans off the root system while the tree continues to establish itself. But as long as fans respect the fence, the trees should continue to grow while keeping the tradition intact.

"We certainly don't want to experience the toilet paper being lit on fire," Keever said. "The tree, to a degree, is still stressed from transplanting, and if under drought conditions and the paper was lit on fire, it would be an additional stress that could be potentially harmful to the trees."

The current oaks were planted in 2014 to replace the two poisoned by Alabama fan Harvey Updyke in 2010. However, one of the replacement trees failed to take hold and was subsequently replaced by a live oak from Florida, according to CBSSports.com.

My sincere hope is that all Auburn fans who attend future games will have plenty of victories to celebrate, and more importantly, that nobody else will have even the slightest impulse to duplicate Updyke's act.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Wednesday, August 24th, 2016

Auburn's group of wide receivers got a crucial boost yesterday.

Freshman wideout Kyle Davis returned to the practice field for the first time this summer, joining the Tigers in preparation for their season opener against defending national runner-up Clemson.

Davis, 6-foot-2, 219 pounds, practiced for the first time since having foot surgery in July.

According to his Twitter account, Davis was upbeat following the practice session. "first day out da rehab. Godspeed" he tweeted.

As of now, Davis has only 10 days left to practice before the Tigers take on Clemson on Sept. 3 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Even so, he will be relied upon to carry quite a bit of responsibility on his shoulders for the Auburn offense.

In other news...

- Former Auburn defensive lineman Raashed Kennion, who left the team earlier this month, has reportedly transferred to Florida A&M to pursue a political science degree. Kennion played with the Tigers for two seasons, appearing in 12 games. He left having recorded nine tackles (one for loss) and a quarterback hurry.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

The Auburn secondary has finally gotten the boost that it's urgently needed for quite a while now.

Graduate transfer defensive back Marshall Taylor, who has been unable to practice at fall camp thus far due to an injury he sustained at a party he attended this summer with former running back Jovon Robinson, is back in action.

While Robinson got kicked off the team, Taylor was allowed to stay. According to James Crepea of AL.com, Taylor re-joined the team this past weekend and is expected to participate in practice this week. The Tigers will resume practice today.

Taylor recorded 109 tackles, three interceptions and 12 pass deflections in three seasons at Miami (Ohio) before leaving for Auburn.

In other news...

- Auburn's "Tiger Talk" radio show is moving back to Thursdays. The show aired on Tuesday nights last season, but the show with head coach Gus Malzahn will be broadcast on Thursdays again this season from Bob's Victory Grille in Auburn.

The first show is this week and will feature Ronnie Brown and Quentin Riggins. Meanwhile, Malzahn will make his debut on the show Sept. 1.

The show airs at 7 p.m. CT and is hosted by Rod Bramblett, the voice of the Auburn Tigers.

- Speaking of Rod Bramblett, his first book, Touchdown Auburn: Carrying on the Tradition of the Auburn Tigers, is due out today. Go to your local bookstore and try to get it! You can also find it at amazon.com.

I, for one, was especially elated to discover this book. I've already decided, however, that I'll put it on my Christmas gift list. Yeah, I know that may sound a bit silly, but my mind's made up.

Hey, I'm sure the wait will be well worth it. I'd like to believe that Rod will talk about his formative years, his journey to Auburn, and being abruptly thrust into the play-by-play chair when his predecessor, the one and only Jim Fyffe, left us with virtually no warning. I'm sure Rod will also tell us just how much Jim meant to him, and reminisce about his best and worst memories during his time behind the microphone.

And just for the record, I still have Jim's book, which was published 20 years ago. I have no intention to let it go.

- Former linebacker Cassanova McKinzy has hit a bump in the road in his NFL career. After signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in May as a free agent, McKinzy was waived by the team yesterday.

McKinzy played for the Tigers from 2012-15, tallying 263 tackles, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. He was a three-year starter for Auburn, and collected more than 70 tackles in each of his last three seasons.

The Birmingham, Ala., native amassed 74 tackles (10 for loss) and five sacks in 2015.

I wish Cassanova the best of luck as he tries to find a new home in the NFL.

That's all for today. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Monday, August 22nd, 2016

A word of advice to everyone who plans to attend Auburn's season opener against Clemson on Sept. 3: Take a pair of sunglasses along.

Why would I say that, you ask? Because word came out over the weekend that Auburn is calling for "orange out" in this particular game.

As we all know, both schools already share Tigers as their mascot, and now AU is apparently embracing the fact that both teams also wear orange.

Meanwhile, Clemson fans view this as an indication that they will feel at home in this 2016 opener.

This news was apparently first reported by Auburn fan site War Blogle, which posted an Aug. 4 blog with an image of the "pocket schedule" and the following message:

"You may have noticed that what I call 'pocket schedules' have been popping up around Auburn the last week or so. They are the true sign that football is getting real. It's close.

Well, I picked one up at the Great Clips over the weekend and noticed that a few things have changed with Auburn's clothing schedule. You see, for people that look for dumb, less important things to blogle about, these schedules are good for content. They usually tell us when the 'All Auburn, All Orange' and 'True Blue' games will be happening. This year, that has changed."

Unsurprisingly, Auburn and Clemson fans have already been having quite a bit of fun on Twitter talking about the "orange out." That's friendly competition for you. ("Friendly" is the key word.)

So be sure to bring those sunglasses. Otherwise, you may very well go color blind from all that orange.

In other news...

- Former Auburn basketball great Charles Barkley has undergone hip-replacement surgery and, despite being immersed in Olympic coverage at the present time, is eager for football season to arrive. Who can blame him?

- Jacksonville State can now add another former Tiger to its list. Former Auburn defensive end Justin Thomas-Thornton, currently at Northwest Mississippi Community College, has committed to JSU.

Thomas-Thornton, once a highly-touted four-star recruit from Mobile (Ala.) Vigor, and the No. 6 recruit in the state, signed with Auburn in 2014. He redshirted that season and saw minimal action in 2015.

Thomas-Thornton announced his departure from Auburn in June.

At Jacksonville State, he will team up with another former high-profile recruit who left The Plains this summer - running back Roc Thomas.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Saturday, August 20th, 2016

Jordyn Peters' passion for Auburn goes all the way back to his childhood when he attended the program's football games.

But come next autumn, Peters won't be in Jordan-Hare Stadium merely as a fan. Rather, he will run through the tunnel and onto the field donning an Auburn uniform.

Yesterday morning, Peters, a three-star safety from Muscle Shoals High School, publicly pledged to the Tigers over Ole Miss and Virginia Tech. He informed the Auburn coaching staff of his decision earlier in the week.

"It feels great," he said. "Everyone in my family is all in. They were a big part of this. I want to thank them for everything."

According to the 247Sports Composite, the 6-feet-2, 185-pound Peters is the No. 37 safety and the No. 28 overall recruit in the state of Alabama. With his commitment, the Tigers remain No. 12 in the 247Sports recruiting team rankings, but are now only one spot behind 11th-ranked Clemson.

Peters is Auburn's 14th commitment. He camped with the Tigers on July 16, which played a big factor in his decision.

He amazed the entire staff, first in testing with an incredible 4.45-second 40-yard dash time, followed by a 41-inch vertical. He was equally impressive in position drills.

The staff was so enraptured, in fact, that head coach Gus Malzahn offered Peters a scholarship.

"They told me they liked my film and my athleticism and speed," Peters said. "And the numbers I put up at the Nike Camp. Then, after they saw my one-on-one skills in the defensive back drills they were pretty sold on me."

That offer caught Peters' eye and he returned to the campus the following weekend after exploring multiple colleges that week.

"The first (visit) was huge because I received the offer, but then that second one just solidified my feeling of it," he stated.

Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand is Peters' area recruiter. Since the spring, he's also grown close to secondary coach Wesley McGriff, with whom he talks "daily."

Peters recorded 89 tackles with seven interceptions in 2015. He played his season opener last night, with Muscle Shoals losing to Gardendale 14-10.

On Sept. 3, Peters plans to be back at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the Auburn-Clemson showdown. While there, he'll soak in the experience - and do some recruiting.

"I'm very anxious," he said. "It's going to be a great game."

Let's all hope so.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Friday, August 19th, 2016

Today, I have yet another "good news/bad news" post to write regarding injuries.

First, I'll talk about quarterback Tyler Queen. He's been rebounding from shoulder surgery for the past three months. However, knowing that he's on the back burner in Auburn's three-man quarterback competition, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee sees no reason to push Queen too hard.

"He's in a position to where there's no reason to rush him," Lashlee said. "He had an issue (arise) when he got here, kind of overcame that, and then he got hurt again. So just kind of where we're at, I think it wouldn't make a lot of sense to push him back or re-injure it or have the setback."

While Queen has been able to wear full pads with the team, he has been on a "pitch count" since the procedure took place in May. But until he is fully recovered, Lashlee isn't going to press the situation.

"(We) just told him, 'Hey, go at the pace you need to go at,'" Lashlee stated. "When he's full speed, which should be sometime this fall, we'll treat him like he's full speed. But until then, I don't want to wear out his arm or anything."

Queen was a member of the Tigers' 2015 signing class, ranked as the No. 15 pro-style quarterback in the country according to the 247Sports Composite. He redshirted last season after having Tommy John surgery.

But while Queen is still on the mend, another fellow Tiger has returned to action.

Junior linebacker Tre' Williams has returned to the practice field after suffering a foot injury.

Williams missed most of the last two weeks due to the injury. However, the projected starter was back on the field practicing yesterday.

Linebacker Cameron Toney was fairly blunt about Williams' status. "He looks like the Tre' Williams he looked like before," he said.

Williams had been absent from full-contact drills since Aug. 7 with what head coach Gus Malzahn described as a "tweaked ankle."

Williams recorded 55 tackles (four for loss) and two quarterback hurries last season.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Wednesday, August 17th, 2016

Auburn signee Tashawn Manning has taken a large step toward his arrival on The Plains.

Today, an implanted port was removed from his chest. It was used to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia via chemotherapy treatments.

Manning's prognosis looked promising in June when he spoke to AuburnUndercover's Keith Niebuhr. Back then, chemo treatments were ending.

"I've got to wait at least a week, to get my port removed - that's the thing in my chest," Manning said July 12. "Once I get that out, my dad has gotten me a personal trainer. I'm going to be doing heavy lifting, trying to get back so I'm ready before I go to Auburn."

According to the 247Sports Composite, Manning was rated as the No. 61 defensive tackle in the country as a three-star prospect.

Manning, who lost more than 60 pounds during his chemotherapy treatments, is expected to enroll at Auburn in January.

Another Auburn signee, offensive lineman Brodarius Hamm, has endured a nearly identical journey. He was battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, but enrolled in summer classes and arrived at Auburn in June.

I'm glad that Tashawn is improving, and hope that he'll be able to set foot on campus soon. I'm confident that he'd be a great asset to our team in the years to come.

That's all for today. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

It didn't take long for former Auburn running back Jovon Robinson to find a new home. This time, he's in Division II.

According to GridironNow.com, Robinson is transferring to Valdosta State and will be eligible for his senior season. Robinson, who was expected to be the Tigers' starting running back in 2016, was dismissed from the team earlier this month. In his junior campaign, he racked up a team-best 639 yards and three scores on 117 carries.

Valdosta State now has six FBS transfers on its roster for this coming season. The Blazers finished 9-3 last season, though they were eliminated by West Georgia in the second round of the Division II playoffs.

Robinson will fill a major void for the Blazers at running back, as they lost their top five rushers from last year. The former Auburn running back was reportedly kicked off the team for repeatedly missing classes and team meetings, which he denied in an interview with AL.com, but would not state precisely why he was dismissed.

On a personal note, my family and I lived in southwest Georgia for a decade. I attended a private school from 6th grade until graduation. Many of my classmates and friends there (save for I) decided to attend or transfer to Valdosta State after graduation. It seems to be a very popular college choice in that area. Nowadays, I keep in touch with so many of them via Facebook.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Sunday, August 14th, 2016

Unfortunately, today's post covers bad news pertaining to two Auburn football players. One is hurt, while another has left the program (albeit for a very unique reason).

Over the past few years, Auburn cornerback Jamel Dean has traveled a rocky road. After enrolling at Ohio State last year, he was medically disqualified due to knee issues. Dean then transferred to Auburn, where he was given the green light from the Tigers' medical staff, and in particular, Dr. James Andrews.

Now, it looks like his college career will be put on hold even longer, as he suffered a knee injury in practice this past week that will require surgery, and could force him to miss the entire 2016 campaign.

"He was doing great," head coach Gus Malzahn said. "It was very unfortunate. That's a fine young man right there."

If there's any consolation, the injury is not to the knee that resulted in his medical disqualification from the Buckeyes. It's not beneficial that his other knee now has damage, but this injury most likely won't end his career.

Until the injury occurred, Dean was vying for a starting spot at cornerback. Now, Javaris Davis and Josh Holsey are competing for the starting spot opposite Carlton Davis in Auburn's defensive backfield.

Now, for the voluntary departure.

Junior defensive lineman Raashed Kennion has decided to leave the team "to pursue politics," according to Malzahn.

While Malzahn didn't elaborate on what that meant, Auburn Undercover's Brandon Marcello reported that Kennion is likely to transfer to another school.

The 6-foot-6, 237-pound Kennion, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., served as Carl Lawson's backup in 2015. That season, he played in eight games, tallying eight tackles. As a freshman in 2014, Kennion appeared in four games. However, he did not appear to be a strong contender for a starting spot this coming season.

"We wish him the best," Malzahn said.

I fully realize that God has a plan for everything and everyone, but with all of the injuries and departures that have happened for the team in the past several weeks, I can't help but begin to feel uneasy about how this season is going to turn out. Are you? Well, it's all in His hands.

That's all for today. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Saturday, August 13th, 2016

If you'll recall, I wrote about some pretty big news yesterday regarding new affiliates for the Auburn Sports Network coming this season. Well, today, I have something else to share pertaining to that subject that is perhaps even more significant.

As of this fall, the Auburn Network will have a new sideline reporter on the football broadcasts. He is a very familiar face.

Word came out yesterday via an official press release from the Auburn athletics department that former running back Ronnie Brown would take over the mic from Quentin Riggins, who has served in the role for 25 years.

"I am always excited to come back to the Plains, but I'm elated to be the new sideline reporter following in Quentin's footsteps," Brown stated in the release. "It's a great opportunity that I'm looking forward to, and I'm approaching it in the same manner as I did when I was an athlete."

For Riggins, a four-year letterwinner at linebacker for the Tigers from 1986-89, the news left him with mixed emotions. The past quarter-century was "a great run," according to him.

However, he was genuinely thrilled that Brown will now get his opportunity.

"He is an outstanding choice, and our audience will be blown away by his knowledge of the game," Riggins said. "I want to thank my Auburn Family for allowing me to come into your home, car or headset, and share my passion for our team with you. We have won a lot of games together, and we will win again together!"

Chris Davis, the vice president and general manager of Auburn Sports Properties, vocalized his appreciation for Riggins' 25 years of service.

"Quentin has been a beloved member of the Auburn Sports Network team for such a long time and his work has been appreciated," Davis said. "While it is difficult to replace someone like him, Ronnie Brown is a natural successor and his expertise will be a great asset to the broadcasts."

Riggins was a first-team All-SEC pick in 1988 and 1989, guiding Auburn to three straight conference titles from 1987-89. After a stint in the Canadian Football League, he returned to Auburn to pursue a broadcasting career, which eventually landed him his position on the Auburn Sports Network.

Brown played for the Tigers from 2000-04, amassing 2,707 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns. A member of Auburn's undefeated 2004 squad, Brown was chosen as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

He played in the NFL for 11 seasons, finishing with 5,391 rushing yards and 38 scores during tenures with the Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans. He then returned to Auburn to receive his communications degree, graduating in December 2014.

Riggins and Brown will appear on Tiger Talk on Aug. 25 alongside Rod Bramblett to preview the 2016 season.

In other news...

- Seven Auburn football walk-ons received scholarships yesterday evening. Among the seven new scholarship players are four defensive players. They are as follows:

- Junior cornerback Michael Sherwood

- Sophomore receiver Logan Rice

- Senior linebacker Greg Hall Jr.

- Junior holder Tyler Stovall

- Sophomore linebacker Josh Shockley

- Sophomore fullback Keenan Sweeney

- Redshirt defensive lineman Tyler Carter

Sherwood played in three games last season, recording two tackles.

At least one of the scholarships was made possible after Jovon Robinson's dismissal from the team last week.

The status of graduate transfer Marshall Taylor, a defensive back, remains in limbo. He has not joined the team in preseason camp since he was involved in an altercation in Columbus, Ga., according to a source. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said earlier this week that he expects Taylor to join the team soon.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Friday, August 12th, 2016

I don't like writing about injuries any more than you enjoy reading about them, but I'm afraid I have a bit more of news in that category.

The injury bug simply hasn't cooperated with Kyle Davis over the past year.

Prior to his arrival at Auburn as an early enrollee earlier this year, Davis, a four-star receiver, underwent shoulder surgery due to an injury during his senior season at Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Ga. As a result, Davis wasn't able to take part in contact drills during spring practice. On top of that, a few weeks before the Tigers kicked off preseason camp, Davis injured his foot. He hasn't participated in practice since.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee was posed a question yesterday after practice: Given that Davis hasn't practiced yet, how long will it be before he is ruled out of the season opener against Clemson?

"I don't know," Lashlee replied. "I mean, you know, the receiver position is such you'd like to get at least two weeks with guys. Full game plan week plus one...(But) every freshman is different."

In the end, if Davis wants to see time against Clemson, Lashlee said it's all in his hands.

"When you're going to have a small window," he said, "that's going to depend on him."

In other news...

- Auburn Athletics and Auburn Sports Properties have unearthed the Auburn IMG Sports Network affiliates for the 2016-17 season. The 54-station network covers seven states - Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and South Carolina. Tiger fans will also be able to access the broadcasts almost anywhere they are with the exclusive TuneIn app, SiriusXM satellite radio, auburntigers.com, and the Auburn Gameday app.

"It's an exciting time for Auburn Athletics on the radio," Director of Broadcast Operations and Voice of the Auburn Tigers, Rod Bramblett, said. Our network radio coverage this year is arguably the best we've ever had.

We cover more states than ever before with our over 50 radio affiliates."

NEW AFFILIATE FOR LISTENERS IN LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA: Tiger Communications, Inc. is the new "official" Lee County affiliate with WTGZ, 93.9 FM anchoring the coverage with a 25,000-watt signal that covers all of Lee County and reaches a half-million listeners. WQSI 95.9 FM, WQNR 99.9 FM, and WAUD 1230 AM will also carry games when there are multiple Auburn broadcasts at the same time. Tiger Communications, Inc. will be Lee County's home for Auburn football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, Tiger Talk and The Coach Flo Show.

For a complete listing of radio affiliates, here's what you do:

1. Go to www.auburntigers.com (that's all one word)

2. Find the "Connect" button at the top right corner of the page

3. Click the "Live Audio" link on the "Connect" drop-down list.

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the "Live Audio" page until you find the sentence, ""To find your local Auburn Sports Network radio affiliate, please refer to this listing."

5. Click the "this listing" hyperlink. You should see the full list on the next page.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Thursday, August 11th, 2016

Will the injury bug ever show the Auburn football team at least SOME mercy?

Offensive guard prospect Nick Brahms has reportedly broken his leg and torn ligaments in his leg.

Brahms said he injured his leg in a drill while training for the upcoming season.

"Someone fell on it from the side, and I broke my fibula and tore a few ligaments," Brahms stated, according to Josh Hyber of Northwest Florida Daily News. "I'm not sure how long I'll be out."

A four-star prospect, Brahms is currently ranked as the No. 3 offensive guard prospect in the country and the No. 68 overall recruit in the nation according to 247Sports.

This certainly doesn't benefit what is considered one of the best sets of offensive line commits in America in the 2017 class. Auburn also has commits from five-star tackle prospect Calvin Ashley and four-star offensive tackle Austin Troxell, Alabama's No. 2 prospect for the 2017 recruiting cycle.

I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record in saying this at this point, but I wish Nick well in what I'm sure will be a very difficult road to recovery. He probably has a lot of rehab ahead of him.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

First off, if you're a baseball junkie, this is big news for you.

A number of former Auburn players have been a part of the Atlanta Braves over the decades. Now, the team will celebrate Auburn Night at Turner Field on August 20 during a match against the Washington Nationals.

The first pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT.

Fans are advised to arrive early to socialize with members of the Auburn family at a pre-game gathering at the Club Patio at 5 p.m. CT. All tickets include a donation to the Atlanta Auburn Club Roy B. Sewell Memorial Scholarship Fund, and an Auburn-themed Braves hat.

Pricing is as follows:

- Terrace Reserved: $44

- Outfield Pavilion: $35

- Upper Box: $25

If you live in or near Atlanta, get a ticket and go have a great time!

Now, on to some football news:

- The Tigers held their first scrimmage of the fall yesterday...minus one notorious defender.

According to AL.com, junior linebacker Tre' Williams, who has dealt with an ankle injury, was held out of the scrimmage.

Even so, coach Gus Malzahn is hopeful that Williams will return to action soon.

"Still day-to-day," Malzahn stated. "The good thing about a scrimmage like this is that we know what he can do. It gave those guys a chance to show what they can do. They probably got a few more reps than they normally would, but he's day-to-day. I don't think it will be much longer."

Sophomore Montavious Atkinson stepped in for Williams and had an auspicious day.

While Williams' absence did boost Atkinson's confidence and game-readiness, the Tigers will be glad to see the junior linebacker back on the field as soon as possible.

- On the flip side, there was a bit of positive news from yesterday's scrimmage. Freshman running back Kam Martin got a chance to show the coaching staff what he can do in a live setting. Although Malzahn said he still has room for improvement, Martin did show flashes of potential that could secure playing time for him this season.

"He's a smart guy," Malzahn said. "He just needs more experience as far as the run game goes. He got a handful of carries."

What stood out about Martin's performance, you may ask? He secured the football.

"A freshman, that's what I'm always looking at, especially from a running back standpoint," Malzahn pointed out. "If they're going to play early, can they protect the football? And he did that today. That's really what stood out to me."

Martin, a native of Port Arthur, Texas, is undersized at 5-foot-10 , 177 pounds, but has "a lot of speed," according to Auburn H-back Chandler Cox. Martin's talent shined through plenty of times in high school. The ex-Baylor commit rushed for 3,500 yards and 44 touchdowns during his tenure at Memorial High School.

"(Speed is) something we need at running back," Cox said. "We're kind of a bigger group now, 230-plus guys. I think him - he's going to help us out, because losing (former Auburn running back) Roc (Thomas), he was our speed guy kind of, and Kam Martin has all that speed. I think he has a lot of potential, a lot of big things for him to come in the future."

My thought's exactly.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Tuesday, August 9th, 2016

Nine months after being the victim of a violent hit, Auburn defensive back Jeremiah Dinson is working his way toward recovery. Tigers secondary coach Wesley McGriff said that Dinson's rehab is going better than anticipated.

"He's doing a good job and he's a little bit ahead of schedule," McGriff reported yesterday. "So I'm looking forward to seeing him out on the grass full speed."

Dinson's chilling moment unfolded last November during Auburn's match at Texas A&M. In the third quarter, Dinson, then a freshman, was taken out on a bone-jarring hit by Texas A&M receiver Ricky Seals-Jones. The collision was so volatile that Dinson tore three ligaments in his knee, and dislocated his knee and shoulder on the play.

Now, Dinson is coming along toward recovery at a rapid pace. McGriff said this was partly due to the intelligence of Auburn's medical staff. However, most of the credit goes to Dinson himself.

"He's got a strong work ethic," McGriff stated. "He loves the game. So that's just an indication of how hard he's worked off the field to get himself ready to go on the field."

For the time being, Dinson is exclusively working in individual drills. But as he continues to show signs of returning to full health, McGriff said the team will start to work Dinson into other parts of practice.

Despite all of the struggles he's faced since that fateful November night, Dinson has never felt sorry for himself.

"He has a strong mentality," McGriff said. "You're talking about a kid that doesn't look back, doesn't worry about adversity. That kid doesn't make excuses. He deals with the situation at hand. He's strong. He's a mentally tough kid."

Dinson appeared in nine games last season, recording 15 tackles.

In other news...

- Former Baylor football coach Art Briles played a large part in running back Kam Martin's choice to sign with Auburn.

Martin, of Port Arthur, Texas, signed with the Bears out of Memorial High School. Yet when Briles was fired from his job, Martin was granted his release and signed with the Tigers in July. Now, he is vying for playing time as the team nears Gus Malzahn's fourth year as head coach.

Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton said Monday that Briles recommended Auburn to Martin.

"Kam Martin was going to Baylor," Horton said. "Kam Martin loved Baylor and still likes Baylor. He loves Art Briles. When all that went down, Kam is at Auburn to a great extent because of Art Briles. He decided he was going to leave. Art Briles thinks a lot of Coach Malzahn, thinks a lot of our staff and thinks he's a good fit offensively. He gave us a really good recommendation to Kam."

The 5-foot-10, 177-pound Martin rushed for 3,500 yards and 44 touchdowns in his high school career.

- One last bit of news that isn't Auburn-related: Tim Tebow is now apparently aiming for a career in Major League Baseball. No, seriously.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported yesterday that the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner at Florida is trying to make a comeback in professional sports, but this time on the baseball diamond.

Tebow's agent, Jimmy Sexton, told ESPN that he plans to hold workouts later this month for several MLB teams.

"Obviously, we support Tim in his pursuit of a baseball career, as we have in all his ventures," Sexton said. "Tim's athletic ability, his work ethic, his leadership and his competitiveness were evident in football, and will show in baseball. Knowing Tim's passion and desire, we won't be surprised by anything he accomplishes."

Tebow hasn't played baseball since his junior year of high school when he hit .494 and earned All-State honors.

"He had a strong arm and had a lot of power," Red Sox Florida scout Stephen Hargett told NFL.com in 2013. He had leverage to his swing. He had some natural loft. He had some good power. He was a good athlete. He had enough arm for that position. He was a left-handed hitter with strength and some size. He stood out. He was bigger and stronger than everybody...It was just easy for him. You thought, if this guy dedicated everything to baseball like he did to football, how good could he be?"

In my eyes, an appropriate response to that question would be, "Excellent." After all, any loyal Auburn fan knows that Gabe Gross' career took the same path.

That's all for today. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Monday, August 8th, 2016

Sometimes, it seems as if fate just won't give you a break.

First, Peyton Barber left early for the NFL. Then, Roc Thomas transferred to Jacksonville State. Then, Jovon Robinson got booted from the Tigers. Now, another Auburn running back's season has ended before it started.

Freshman Stephen Davis Jr. won't play this season, head coach Gus Malzahn announced Sunday.

Malzahn said that Davis was dealing with a lingering knee injury dating back to the conclusion of his high school playing career.

"He's just rehabbing and won't play this year," Malzahn stated.

Malzahn explained that Davis had knee surgery last year during his final season at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C. After consulting with Auburn's trainers, Malzahn said the team wasn't confident that the knee would hold up throughout the coming season. That's why they opted to start him on the road to recovery beginning with yesterday's practice, when he was seen working along the side of the indoor practice complex with the Tigers' other injured players.

In spite of Davis' misfortune, Malzahn was glad he would have plenty of time to regain his health. "He'll rehab, and (we) hope to have him back in the spring," Malzahn said.

Davis, who was initially recruited to play safety, moved to running back when the Tigers kicked off preseason practice last Wednesday. According to the 247Sports Composite, Davis, a three-star signee in the Tigers' 2016 recruiting class, was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the state of South Carolina.

I sincerely wish Davis nothing but the best on his journey back to full health. Still, I have to agree with what one article on this story said: If this pattern persists, the Tigers may very well have to hold student tryouts for a starting running back.

Heck, maybe we could get guys like Bo, Cameron Artis-Payne, Ben Tate, Kenny Irons, Rudi Johnson, Ronnie Brown - I could go on forever - back in the house. Heh, heh.

In other news...

- Malzahn announced yesterday that defensive back Marshall Taylor is expected to return to the team in the near future.

The transfer from Miami (Ohio) was recently involved in an altercation at a party in Columbus, Ga., recently, according to a source. Former running back Jovon Robinson, who was dismissed from the program last Wednesday, took him to the party.

Malzahn was asked if any injuries will hold Taylor back this season, but he responded, "I'm not ready to say that."

"You would hope a veteran guy that definitely has experience, has played in different defenses, you would think he would come back and not be too far behind," he added.

Taylor has yet to take part in any preseason practices.

- One final note: Malzahn also noted that a starting quarterback could be named this week.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Friday, August 5th, 2016

This may all seem like a moot point to you now, but today, new details have come to light regarding former running back Jovon Robinson's dismissal.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported that Robinson was dismissed for repeatedly missing classes and team meetings. Robinson, meanwhile, denied the report to AL.com, but did not state why he was kicked off the team.

Now, Brett Williams of Georgia Military College, Robinson's former coach, has revealed some new details explaining why Robinson is no longer with the program. He told Michael Niziolek of The Ledger-Enquirer that an incident in June between Robinson and fellow teammates made the staff "unhappy."

"It put him in a tenuous position early in the summer," said Williams, who did not elaborate on the incident.

While the incident did not lead to an outright dismissal, Robinson was given certain things to do in the offseason.

"He had some things he had to do to get back in the good graces of the team's leaders and coaches," Williams stated.

However, another incident in July is what Williams considers the end of the line. The July incident indicated to the staff that Robinson had not met the standards set to get back into the team's good graces.

"I do know he was a distraction," Williams said. "I can't speak to the level of distraction he was perceived to be by the coaches, but a head coach doesn't remove someone, especially a difference-maker, lightly."

This is true.

Now, on to a couple of other bits of football news.

- Although he arrived at Auburn as a defensive back, coach Malzahn said yesterday that Stephen Davis Jr. has been receiving reps at running back in the team's first two practices. Despite being raw, Malzahn said Davis is clearly talented.

"He's a big, athletic guy," Malzahn said of the freshman, who is the son of Auburn legend Stephen Davis. "We've seen him for two days. But he was a really good player on both sides of the football coming out of high school...He's a big guy that can run."

However, Malzahn emphasized that if Davis were to ever move back to defense, he would get a look at safety.

"But (we) decided to put him at running back first," Malzahn said. "We'll give him a chance to do that and we'll see how it goes."

According to the 247Sports Composite, Davis was rated as a three-star prospect in the 2016 class and the No. 7 prospect in the state of South Carolina.

- Auburn defensive back Marshall Taylor has not yet returned to the team, and his future with the program remains in dire straits.

Coach Malzahn pointed out that the graduate transfer from Miami (Ohio) is with the program "as of right now," adding "we'll see what happens" before he possibly re-joins the team.

Malzahn also assured that Taylor was not involved in an incident linked to Robinson.

"No," Malzahn said. "Marshall Taylor is taking care of some stuff and that's separate and that's just with him."

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Isn't it appalling how any athlete can be riding the gravy train one moment, and plunging into darkness the next?

That certainly holds true for Auburn running back Jovon Robinson. The Tigers' presumed starter on the ground was dismissed from the football team by head coach Gus Malzahn last night.

As is customary for him, Malzahn declined to go into specific details regarding Robinson's dismissal, saying it's "just between him and me." Despite that, multiple sources say that Robinson was axed for conduct detrimental to the team, as he repeatedly failed to comply with in-house rules.

Reportedly, ESPN's Brett McMurphy got a more in-depth scoop on the situation, saying that Robinson had been missing classes and team meetings, and was also "continuously inattentive to detail in everything."

Robinson, however, painted a completely different picture in an interview with AL.com. "Everything about (the) Auburn coaching staff is not what it seems," he wrote in a message to said source. "Just because I don't walk around with (a) fake smile, they feel like they (can) say or try to force anything. I was stereotyped and disrespected. The football players are not happy with this."

So the question remains: Why was Robinson let go? He said "it's nothing about me missing class or not paying attention" and also told AL.com he was not involved in an altercation.

AuburnUndercover was unable to reach Robinson on Tuesday evening.

Robinson rushed for 639 yards and three touchdowns and surpassed 90 yards or more in five of the last six games as he chewed into Peyton Barber's role on the team. He clinched MVP honors with a 126-yard outing in Auburn's 31-10 win in the Birmingham Bowl over Memphis.

Unsurprisingly, the players were shocked at Robinson's dismissal. even though they hid it from the media during their time with them yesterday. This actually marks Robinson's second departure from the Tigers. He's also the second top-ranked junior college player Auburn has signed and subsequently axed from the team in as many seasons. Duke Williams was let go after breaking the jaw of offensive lineman Xavier Dampeer in a fight in a bar last season.

Robinson arrived on The Plains in the summer of 2012 as a signee out of high school, but was declared ineligible by the NCAA when it was discovered a grade on his transcript at Wooddale High School in Memphis had been changed by a counselor. He left Auburn after a week and later enrolled at Georgia Military College,

where he rushed for 3,198 yards and 43 scores in two seasons before re-signing with Auburn in 2015.

Despite the obviously stunning news, receiver Marcus Davis has said that the team is trying to press on.

"It's tough but at the end of the day we have to respect what's going on as far as what coach Malzahn (wants)," he said. "Right now I feel like the team is in a good place because of the offseason we had and the brotherhood we created. We're going to go with what is best for the team."

How do I feel about this, you may wonder?

Well, on one hand, this obviously depletes an already thin backfield for the Tigers. Robinson was inevitably expected to carry a heavy load. However, I'm not going to throw in the towel, as some Auburn fans may be inclined to. Even with Robinson gone, we have quite a few talented youngsters who can get their shot, such as Kerryon Johnson, Malik Miller, Chandler Cox and Kamryn Pettway. I can tell you first-hand that all of these guys have gotten carries and/or caught passes here and there in the past couple of seasons (albeit some more frequently than others), so our offense can certainly still be productive and efficient.

As for Jovon, I wish him nothing but the best in the future. Still, I can't help but think that he'll look back on this down the road and wonder, "What could have been?"

William Shatner opened one episode of his long-gone TV show Rescue 911 by saying, "For some people, it takes a fatal mistake before they can learn to take responsibility for what they do." Those words can definitely apply to athletes who let a glorious opportunity slip through their fingers due to careless decisions.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016

Injuries are never pleasant occurrences...especially when your team is on the verge of preseason camp. Unfortunately, that scenario played out for the Auburn football team last night.

Offensive tackle Prince Sammons underwent foot surgery to remove a piece of bone from his left foot and is expected to miss the next four weeks of practices, a person familiar with the procedure told AuburnUndercover. The Tigers begin preseason practice this afternoon at the Auburn Athletics Complex.

Sammons arrived on The Plains on May 31 and was taking part in offseason workouts. He was rated a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite and was a late addition to the 2016 signing class thanks to his previous ties with offensive line coach Herb Hand, who recruited Sammons while at Penn State.

Sammons moved to the United States in late 2011 after spending most of his life in Nigeria. In early 2012, he was adopted by the Sammons family in Cincinnati, Ohio, and began playing football for Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. He received scholarship offers from 24 schools, including Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State.

Like any other Auburn fan, I wish Prince a full recovery, and hope to see him on the field before too long.

In other news...

- Corey Myers, who played a critical role in the rebuilding of Auburn's softball program, has been promoted to associate head coach, as announced by head coach Clint Myers yesterday.

Last year under Myers' guidance, the Tigers posted some of their best stats in years. Auburn pitchers won a program record 58 contests, and their team ERA of 2.19 was the lowest figure since 2012. The Tigers also recorded 19 shutouts, their highest mark in that category since 2008.

Auburn also amassed 286 strikeouts and only surrendered 142 earned runs, both the best by an Auburn pitching staff in five years.

Myers was responsible for developing the program's all-time winningest pitcher, Lexi Davis, who finished her Auburn career with 62 victories, 54 of which came under Myers.

In 2015, Myers led a pitching staff that had an ERA of 3.59 combined with 56 wins, 16 complete games and 10 shutouts. The 56 wins set a new Auburn single-season record as his pitchers threw for over 400 innings with 221 earned runs, 283 strikeouts and 203 walks, leading Auburn to its first ever Women's College World Series appearance and first SEC Tournament championship.

In his first season on The Plains, Myers led his pitchers to the most victories since 2005 (42). In 62 matches, his pitchers threw 391 innings and recorded 285 strikeouts.

Myers came to Auburn in August 2013 after being an assistant coach and director of player development for the Birmingham Thunderbolts 18 Gold softball team.

Success on the field is nothing new to him. He was a volunteer coach at Arizona State during their journey to the national title in 2008.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016

Like father, like son.

Yesterday, Auburn baseball gained a commitment from the son of an MLB legend.

Peyton Glavine, the son of former Braves and Mets pitcher Tom Glavine, pledged to the Tigers while he was on campus with his family.

"Blessed beyond belief to say that I have committed to play baseball at Auburn University!! #WarEagle," Peyton Glavine wrote in his personal Twitter account Monday afternoon, which included an emoji of a tiger.

The younger Glavine, a member of the 2017 recruiting class, is an outfielder and left-handed pitcher, according to his profile on Perfect Game. He attends Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Alpharetta, Ga.

I hope that Peyton can follow in his father's footsteps down the road.

Now, on to some football news. Preseason practice kicks off tomorrow afternoon for Gus Malzahn's troops. The Tigers are scheduled to practice for 12 of the first 13 days of fall camp. The team will practice for five consecutive days, including the first day in pads on Sunday, take next Monday off and then return for its first two-a-day practice Aug. 9th. Another two-a-day is slated for Aug. 13th.

The annual Fan Day will be held on Aug. 14th in Auburn Arena from 3:30-5:30 p.m. CT.

The team will be off on Aug. 16th for the first day of the fall semester.

The Tigers will be preparing for their 2016 season opener against Clemson on Sept. 3rd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

I'm hoping to have plenty to write about for the next several days once practice begins. More importantly, I'm also hoping that we can turn things around this year after regressing in the past two seasons. Otherwise, it may very well be the end of the line for Gus.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!

Monday, August 1st, 2016

Try not to be too shocked by this, folks, but 2018 Auburn quarterback commit Joey Gatewood of Jacksonville (Fla.) Bartram Trail has climbed up in the rankings.

As of now, he's a 5-star in the 247Sports Composite.

Thanks to some recent adjustments from the site used for the composite, the 6-feet-4, 223-pound Gatewood, who pledged to the Tigers last December, has ascended to No. 27 overall and is the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in America.

What follows is a list of where the major sites rank him:

- 247Sports: No. 63 overall, No. 3 dual-threat

- ESPN: No. 12 overall

- Rivals: 4-star

- Scout: 4-star

Gatewood shares time at quarterback for his team, because Bartram Trail already has an older - and talented - player at his position. He doesn't take every snap, and therefore doesn't have Earth-shattering stats.

Still, that does nothing to hide the fact that his ability and size make him an elite recruit. In fact, according to one source, when Gatewood committed to Auburn, both they and FSU had him, No. 1 on their respective quarterback boards for 2018.

Combined, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and FSU coach Jimbo Fisher have coached three No. 1 overall draft picks - all quarterbacks.

Even more amazing: The two schools run completely different offenses.

Let's hope that down the road, Joey gets his shot to see if he can pull a Cam Newton or a Nick Marshall.

In other news...

- If you're a movie buff (like me), here's something you'll likely find interesting: Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn were apparently seen dining at Hamilton's in downtown Auburn yesterday evening. Reportedly, they were screening their new film, Hacksaw Ridge, starring Andrew Garfield. Gibson directs the film.

While it's uncertain when the movie will be released, you may want to put that title down on your list.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!