Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL.
BY DANIEL LOCKE
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN —
The Auburn Tigers are just two days away from the annual A-Day scrimmage that marks the end of spring practice each season. It has been a year of transition for the program, but newly hired head coach Hugh Freeze has wasted no time trying to restore the Tigers to their status as a perennial contender in college football.
Auburn will be debuting a new format for the spring game this year. Instead of the traditional method of dividing the team in half and having a normal game structure, it will be the offense against the defense. The defense will start with a set number of points, with the opportunity to gain more through returning fumbles or interceptions for touchdowns. The offense will try to come back from the deficit.
“As it stands right now, I think we’re healthy enough to do that format,” Freeze said.
As for the players, Robby Ashford, the starting quarterback for most of last season, has missed some time in spring practice due to a shoulder injury, but is nearly back to full health.
“I thought Wednesday in practice he was fairly close to full speed,” Freeze said. “(He felt) well enough to take reps and I thought he had a good practice.”
Auburn’s tight-end position has been an important topic of discussion all off-season. Freeze has been known to use the position in his offense in the past and that is not likely to change. Auburn landed Rivaldo Fairweather, a 6-foot-5 tight-end from FIU, in the transfer portal and new position coach Ben Aigamaua has been coaching alongside Freeze for over a decade.
“There’s been some inconsistencies,” Freeze said. “I believe in our schemes offensively, the tight-end room has the most on their plate. It is the hardest job that our offense has.”
Quarterback has been the position with the most chatter surrounding it. Freeze praised redshirt freshman Holden Geriner early on in spring practice and has continued to speak highly of him.
“I think he has a real chance to be a solid quarterback,” Freeze said. “But I think the other two, again, had good days also. The interesting thing will be their response to the competition that is created and that will continue to go on. Being the quarterback to me, at an SEC school, at a place like Auburn carries a lot of weight with it. That weight doesn’t end when spring practice number 15 is over.”
Running back is another position that has the high expectations surrounding it in 2023. Jarquez Hunter will be in his junior season and is expected to lead the way after playing second fiddle to Tank Bigsby for the first two seasons of his career. Demari Alston will be expected to take more carries this season. South Florida transfer Brian Battie and incoming freshman Jeremiah Cobb will also have a role to play.
“I think Jarquez (Hunter) is special,” Freeze said. “I think he’s probably the best running back I’ve ever coached. I’m excited about his demeanor and the way he goes about his work, keeps his mouth shut and goes to work. If you want him to play kick-off team or punt team, he’s all “let’s go, let’s do it.
“I’m real excited about Damari (Alston) too. I think Brian (Battie) adds a different dimension to that group. Hopefully, we can stay healthy there.”
It will be interesting to see what exactly things look like in the first public viewing of the Hugh Freeze era of Auburn football. Freeze talked in a press conference this week about what he is ultimately looking to get out of A-Day.
“I want our fans to be excited about the momentum that is being created here,” Freeze said. “Do we still have a way to go? Yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be excited about where we are currently. Somehow, I have to figure out a way that I want all of those things to occur.”
Kick-off Saturday is set for 1 p.m. CT inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.