Latest news with #AuburnTigers
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
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Bruce Pearl Reacts to Unfortunate News About Star Auburn Player on Saturday.
Bruce Pearl Reacts to Unfortunate News About Star Auburn Player on Saturday. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Unfortunate news hit the Auburn Tigers basketball program on Saturday, just months after the team wrapped up an impressive 2024–25 season with an SEC regular season title and a Final Four appearance. Star guard and key returner Tahaad Pettiford was arrested early Saturday morning on a DUI charge in Lee County, Alabama, according to jail records. Pettiford was later released, but the arrest is concerning—particularly as he is just 19 years old. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl addressed the situation briefly, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter. 'We are aware of the situation, and we will handle it internally with Tahaad and his family,' Pearl said in a statement to ESPN. 'We take these matters seriously and will learn and grow from it moving forward.' Just a few weeks ago, Tahaad Pettiford announced his decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Auburn, where he's widely considered a serious contender for SEC Player of the Year. With Johni Broome now in the NBA, Pettiford is expected to take over as the catalyst for the Tigers' roster. "I was happy to go through the process and get feedback from NBA teams," Pettiford said after deciding to return. "Going back to Auburn is a better situation for me. I see myself being a higher pick next year. It wasn't 100% this year, so I didn't want to take that chance." Last season, Pettiford averaged 11.6 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 36.6% from three-point range. During Auburn's five-game NCAA Tournament run, he elevated his play, averaging 15.2 points per story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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Hugh Freeze Opens Up About Mounting Pressure Before Crucial Season
Hugh Freeze Opens Up About Mounting Pressure Before Crucial Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The 2025 college football season could be crucial for many prominent coaches at major universities. If these coaches are unable to secure wins this season, they may find themselves looking for new jobs after the season ends. This is the situation for Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze. The Tigers are on a four-season losing streak, with two of those seasons occurring under Freeze's leadership. This type of losing streak hasn't happened at Auburn in over 70 years. The Tigers also haven't won more than six games since the 2019 season. Freeze appeared on the podcast "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack," where he discussed the pressure he faces heading into the upcoming season. "I don't even have a seat at the table to write the story," Freeze said. "I don't even have a pen to write the story. It's not mine to write. I approach it like that. I don't have the pressure or any of that. At the same time, I'm a realist, and Auburn's a place that has to win. I believe we're going to. I think we finally have enough depth and talent." Freeze has a record of 11-14 in his two seasons at Auburn. However, he has a proven ability to win, particularly in the SEC. During his five seasons as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, he achieved a record of 39-25. Freeze understands that this is a crucial year for him to demonstrate that he deserves to remain as coach. If he is dismissed after the season, he will be entitled to 75 percent of the remaining value of his contract, with no offsets. He signed a six-year deal before the 2023 season, which began at $6.5 million and increases by $250,000 each year. This season, he is slated to earn $7 million, which would total almost $17 million by the end of the 2025 season. 247Sports reports that there is reason for optimism regarding the Tigers, who have secured the No. 8 recruiting class as well as the No. 8 transfer portal class. Among their notable additions from the transfer portal are quarterback Jackson Arnold and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. In his first season as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma, Arnold passed for 1,421 yards, throwing 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions across 10 games. It is important to note that he was benched midseason after a performance that included turnovers. Singleton Jr. had an impressive season at Georgia Tech, accumulating 754 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He was also ranked among the top five players in the transfer portal. Another positive aspect for Freeze is that, despite his seasons not going as well as hoped, ESPN's Paul Finebaum does not see any increasing pressure from Auburn's athletic department. He recently stated that he does not believe Freeze is in a critical situation. Finebaum noted that Freeze is well-liked by the Auburn community and has support where it really matters. However, he described Freeze's first two seasons as quite underwhelming. Auburn opens the season on Aug. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET, facing the Baylor Bears on the story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wilson Zierer, brother of former Tiger Kilian Zierer, announces Auburn football commitment
AUBURN — Wilson Zierer, a blue-chip prospect in the 2026 class and an Auburn football legacy, announced his commitment to Hugh Freeze's program Thursday. Rated as a four-star prospect by both 247Sports and Rivals, Zierer chose the Tigers over Alabama and Florida State. He's the 10th addition to Auburn's 2026 class, which still sits low in the national rankings. He's also the younger brother of Kilian Zierer, who was an offensive tackle for the Tigers from 2020-22. A former undrafted free agent signing with the Houston Texans, Kilian Zierer signed a reserve/future contract with the Atlanta Falcons in February 2025. Wilson Zierer's pledge gives the Tigers their fourth 2026 blue-chip pledge based on 247's composite ratings, alongside edge rusher Hezekiah Harris, quarterback Peyton Falzone and linebacker Adam Balogoun-Ali. Still, Freeze's latest class is lagging, especially in comparison to his previous two signing classes. Zeier's commitment moved the Tigers to No. 63 nationally in On3's listings, and up to 75th in 247's. It does, however, take Auburn's class out of last place in the SEC, past Missouri and up to 15th. Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@ or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football legacy Wilson Zierer announces commitment to Tigers
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'I expect nothing less': Hugh Freeze says Auburn football will be in CFP conversation
ATLANTA — In the span of months, Hugh Freeze has significantly reshaped his postseason expectations for Auburn football. Freeze caught flack in May for saying that Auburn has "to go to a bowl game" in 2025, but Tuesday at SEC media days, his postseason stance sounded mightily different. "I truly believe that in the playoff run we're going to be in this discussion, because I love this team," Freeze said. "We've got to stay healthy, and we need the ball to bounce our way a couple times this year instead of against us, I'm sure, but that's our full expectation. We embrace the fact that that is what Auburn should be, in those talks year in, year out. "It takes a little time to build it, and we've been doing that. Certainly I wish we would have won more games a few times, but the future is very bright in my eyes. We've been blessed everywhere we've been to win, and I expect nothing less than that at Auburn." 2025 ALL-SEC FOOTBALL See the USA TODAY Sports Network's All-SEC football predictions for the 2025 season here It's not unreasonable for an SEC stalwarts to maintain CFP aspirations, regardless of its current state, but Auburn still feels far away from reaching such status. Freeze has only won 11 games at Auburn, which included missing out on a bowl berth in 2024. Could Auburn football actually make the College Football Playoff in 2025? With the 12-team playoff format still in its infancy, the brief history shows that Auburn could technically follow in the footsteps of some other teams, but the examples don't much resemble the Tigers. Last season, two of the 12 teams to make the CFP did so after missing the postseason in 2023. Arizona State and Indiana saw eight-win swings after going 3-9 the previous season. The Sun Devils, in their second season under former offense coordinator Kenny Dillingham, went 11-2, and the Hoosiers soared under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, who led them to an undefeated 11-0 campaign. Neither, however, won a CFP game. Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@ or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Hugh Freeze expects CFP conversation to include Auburn football
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Auburn earns surprising historical ranking despite recent lull
The Auburn Tigers have not really been as nationally relevant in recent years. They haven't won a title since Cam Newton dragged them through the SEC in one of the single most impressive runs of all time. They've had good seasons since 2010, but haven't really ever reached that height again. Despite that, their historical success cannot be counted out. So when assessing a value for a hypothetical trade, The Athletic's Matt Baker accounted for that. There will never be a sale since these schools cannot operate like NFL teams no matter what the transfer portal and NIL do to college sports, but if there was a sale, the Tigers would bring in an impressive $1.06 billion, the 13th-best mark among all programs. That's more money than the Oregon Ducks, Florida State Seminoles, and Michigan State Spartans would bring in despite Auburn seemingly falling on hard times lately. They're far from the caliber of program they once were, but that doesn't matter as much with the Tigers. "Like Florida, the Tigers have been in an on-field funk. The national championship trophy Auburn won with Cam Newton is almost old enough to get its driver's license," Baker said. "We slotted the Tigers behind the Gators because Florida remains the flagship school of a large, still-growing state. Auburn is No. 2 in Alabama, a state with a quarter of the residents (5.2 million)." So despite a run that has yielded double-digit wins just twice since 2010 and has four seasons under .500 in that frame, the Tigers are still a supremely valuable college football program.
