Auburn football: New Year’s resolutions the Tigers must make to break losing skid
Hugh Freeze came within a miracle play at the end of the Iron Bowl of recording a signature win in his debut season at Auburn. Instead, the Tigers settled for a 6-6 regular season and a return to the postseason after a year absence that broke a streak of 9 consecutive bowl game appearances.
No, the Music City Bowl didn’t go well; Auburn fell 31-13 to Maryland to finish with its 3rd consecutive losing season — the first time that happened since 1975-77.
Freeze will seek to reverse that trend next year. Here are the New Year’s resolutions for Auburn as we look ahead to the 2024 season.
1. Improve the QB room
Though prior to the Music City Bowl, Freeze had indicated that he was satisfied with his QB room, but that tune changed following the loss to Maryland. And Freeze has already made one move in that regard, plucking former Cal QB Sam Jackson V. In a 14-10 loss to Auburn early last season, Jackson threw for 126 yards, completing 14-of-27 passes with 2 interceptions. The sophomore played in 5 games last season for the Bears, throwing for 556 yards and 5 TDs. Quarterback is a position that Freeze must upgrade if the Tigers are to be competitive in 2024.
2. Replenish the WR corps
Four receivers are in the transfer portal, including Ja’Varrius Johnson, the Tigers’ 2nd-leading receiver. Leading receivers Rivaldo Fairweather and Jay Fair remain and that’s where Freeze will again lean heading into the 2024 season. The pair combined for 649 yards and 8 TDs on 63 receptions. (Johnson finished with 347 yards and 3 TDs.) But Freeze was proactive in recruiting to replenish the WR corps, flipping 5-star receivers Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson from Texas A&M and Alabama, respectively.
3. Put together a d-line
Senior tackle Marcus Harris will be tough to replace, and players like Keldric Faulk, who had a sensational freshman season last year, must continue to grow up in a hurry. The Tigers got a lift when they flipped 4-star d-linemen Jamonta Waller and Amaris Williams from Florida.
4. Highlight the freshman class
Freeze’s impact was felt with his recent first signing class, Auburn’s best in years. The haul ranked 7th nationally and was highlighted by a handful of flips, including 5-star LB Demarcus Riddick, a former Georgia commit.
With 2 5-stars, both receivers, and another 13 4-stars, it was an excellent start to the Freeze era and hopefully just the beginning to the building of the program. Using the talent for immediate impact would help entice future recruits as well as enhancing the overall team strength.
5. Feature the run game with Jarquez Hunter
Hunter led the Tigers with 159 rushing attempts last season. But he barely carried it more than quarterback Payton Thorne (134). Backup QB Robbie Ashford also had 46 carries. With Ashford in the transfer portal, as well as backup RB Brian Battie, it’s time to highlight Hunter and give him the bulk of Ashford’s attempts from last season.
That’s not to say there aren’t any other talented running backs on the roster. Damari Alston ran for 320 yards and 2 TDs. Freeze has the horses to put together another solid running game. The Tigers were 3rd in the SEC last season, averaging 198.42 yards per game.
6. Rebuild the corners
Another area Freeze and his staff must revamp is at cornerback. Both corners, D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett, are headed to the NFL while a trio of freshmen, led by Kayin Lee, vie for one starting spot in 2024. They will be among those looking to lift the Tigers secondary, which ranked 8th in the SEC against the pass, yielding an average of 222.2 yards per game.
7. Split 4 conference road games
This could actually be a bigger task than going undefeated at home. Winning on the road in the SEC is as tough as it gets. After starting the season with 5 home games, the Tigers hit the road for 3 consecutive conference road games. They include trips to Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky in succession. Then later on down the road, the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa closes the season. A split of those 4 games would be quite an accomplishment for any team.
8. 8 wins in 2024
Obviously, you want to win them all, but a 2-game improvement over the 6-6 regular season would be a nice step in the right direction. With all 4 nonconference games at Jordan-Hare against inferior opponents Alabama A&M, California, New Mexico and UL-Monroe, if their heads are screwed on correctly, they should be halfway there. Splitting the 8-game conference schedule would give the Tigers an 8-win season and a continued upward trend for the program. That likely means beating Kentucky or Missouri on the road.