Auburn Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024

Auburn College Football Preview 2024

This is when Hugh Freeze has to come up with a great SEC season again.

He made his name - and cemented himself as the must-have head coach for every SEC opening - thanks to a few wins over Nick Saban and Alabama during the 19-7 run at Ole Miss in 2014 and 2015.

He almost did it again last year in his first season at Auburn, and then Jalen Milroe did that .

Freeze is now 45-32 in five years as an SEC head coach - after one great season at Arkansas State and a fantastic four-year run at Liberty - but 2015 is a long time ago. That’s the last time he had a winning season in the SEC. He should’ve had one last year but …

New Mexico State 31, Auburn 10. Maryland 31, Auburn 13 in the Music City Bowl. It was a solid start under Freeze, going 6-4 with all four losses acceptable - and then the wheels came off at the end.

But with so many replacements on defense, and with the offense needing to be far better, this Tiger team isn’t a sure thing to bust through a rough four-year stretch of mediocrity - but it will come up with something stronger.

For a program that’s used to expecting really, really big things, going 23-26 since 2019 doesn’t feel right.

Freeze really is a good head football coach, the transfer portal should help with the depth, and there should be enough improvements for the Tigers to be better.

The passing game will be far, far more dangerous, the kicking game is among the best in the nation, and the defense has the coaches and promise to be okay.

Combine that with a not-that-bad schedule - at least for the modern world of the SEC - and this is when Freeze should show that he’s bringing the great program back.

Auburn Football Preview 2024: Offense

- Auburn’s offense was like my golf game - lousy, but at least it moved fast. It averaged just 357 yards and 26 points per game, was bad on third downs, and the line couldn’t seem anyone out of the backfield.

The quick pace and inability to move the chains killed the time of possession battle, and now it’s up to Tyrone Nix - coming in from Ole Miss as the new offensive coordinator - to get this all moving.

That starts with Payton Thorne, a solid all-around quarterback who was second on the team in rushing and did a decent job throwing it after coming over from Michigan State. He didn’t bomb away like he did in East Lansing, but it’s his gig, and his experience will matter because …

- Auburn welcomes in a new receiving corps - and it’ll be fantastic. Super-recruit Cam Coleman should be instantly devastating on the outside, Robert Lewis (Georgia State) is extremely quick, and former Penn State veteran Ke’Andre Lambert-Smith should be a steady producer.

TE Rivaldo Fairweather came in from FIU and was terrific, leading the team with 38 catches for 394 yards and six scores.

- The offensive line has the experience to be a lot better. There will be plenty of shuffling in fall camp, but the configuration will be stronger. Dillon Wade is more of a guard than a tackle, Connor Lew is a great-looking sophomore center, and Percy Lewis should lock down a tackle spot after coming in from Mississippi State.

Among all of the decent parts to play around with, 333-pound guard Jeremiah Wright might turn into the star of the bunch with a little time.

They have a great back to block for in Jarquez Hunter. Great for the offense in the dog days of last season with three straight 100-yard games, he should be a 1,000-yard rusher. Second-leading running back Damari Alston returns after running for 320 yards averaging five yards per carry.

Auburn Football Preview 2024: Defense

- Former Maryland head coach DJ Durkin goes from handling the Texas A&M defensive coordinator duties to working with a not-that-bad Auburn D. This group needs more disruption up front and has to be better against the run, but it was great on third downs.

The key will be the interior of the line that lost the massive Justin Rogers and top pass rusher Marcus Harris. Texas transfer Trill Carter and Gage Keys from Kansas aren’t huge and weren't anything great last year at getting behind the line, but they’re quick.

Hybrid Jalen McLeod from Appalachian State was Auburn’s second-leading sacker and should do even more, and Keldric Faulk has a world of upside on the other side. The depth is a tad thin - the development has to come.

- The linebackers will be a big plus … eventually. Eugene Astante was a star with 86 tackles with five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. He’s strong on the outside, Austin Keys is back in the middle after missing a chunk of last season, and the transfer portal and recruiting class will take over the depth in a YOUNG group.

- The secondary needs the new corners to shine. Auburn had two great ones in Nehemiah Pritchett and DJ James, but there’s talent on the outside. Keionte Scott was fourth on the team with 44 tackles as a safety, but now he should be fine at one corner, and sophomore Kayin Lee should be a breakout star on the other side.

Texas transfer Jerrin Thompson will step in and take over one safety job after making 176 tackles and five picks in four seasons, and there are a few questions at the other two spots. This whole group is a tad inexperienced in starting roles, but there are enough options to be okay early on.

Key To The Auburn Football Season

Don’t let passing games get going.
The 2022 Tigers were 2-5 when allowing 200 passing yards or more, and 3-2 when giving away fewer. Last year was more of a problem.

Auburn allowed seven teams to get to more than 170 passing yards, and went 0-7. It gave up 14 touchdown passes in the losses, and allowed just five scores - and fewer than 170 passing yards in each game - in the six wins.

Auburn Key Player

Trill Carter, DT Sr.
The defense overall should be fine, but it might take a little time.

The Tigers need the new tackles for be stars right away, and it begins with the Texas transfer on the nose. The 6-0, 299-pound veteran started out with Minnesota where he was a disruptive force, and last year he was part of the Longhorn rotation but didn’t do much with just nine tackles.

Smart, strong, and experienced, if he can grow into a true anchor and the main man on the nose - even if he’s not another Justin Rogers - the rest of the line will fill in.

Auburn Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR Sr.
Auburn did a fantastic job of loading up through the transfer portal, especially for the receiving corps.

Georgia State’s Robert Lewis is dangerous, Maryland TE Rico Walker is a strong get, and former TCU and Cal quarterback Sam Jackson will give it a shot at receiver.

Lambert-Smith should make the biggest impact. The fifth-year senior caught 126 passes for 1,721 yards and 11 scores in his time at Penn State.

Top Transfer Out: Robby Ashford, QB Sr.
Ashford struggled with his accuracy, but ran for over 700 yards with seven scores in 2022 and saw a little time rushing for five touchdowns last year.

He wasn’t going to be the starter, but it would’ve been nice to have him around as a veteran emergency backup option. Now he’s at South Carolina.

Auburn Key Game

Oklahoma, Sept. 28
If everything goes according to plan at home, Auburn should be 4-0 before facing Oklahoma for just the third time ever.

The last meeting was in the 2017 Sugar Bowl - a 35-19 Sooner victory - and the first game between the two was a 40-22 Auburn loss in the 1972 Sugar.

Realistically, lose to the Sooners, and be out of the SEC race before September is over. After this Auburn doesn’t have another home game until November, and has to deal with Georgia and Missouri next.

10 Best Auburn Football Players

1. Eugene Asante, LB Sr.
2. Jalen McLeod, EDGE Sr.
3. Jarquez Hunter, RB Sr.
4. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR Sr.
5. Payton Thorne, QB Jr.
6. Rivaldo Fairweather, TE Sr.
7. Cam Coleman, WR Fr.
8. Robert Lewis, WR Sr.
9. Keionte Scott, CB Sr.
10. Jeremiah Wright, OG Jr.

Auburn 2023 Fun Stats

- Field Goals: Auburn 13-for-13, Opponents 14-for-20

- Penalties: Opponents 91 for 778 yards, Auburn 71 for 570 yards

- Punt Returns: Auburn 10 yards per try, Opponents 5.29 yards per try

Auburn Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

Can this be the year when Auburn busts through all the mediocrity?

It’ll be a great start, and there will be more than enough wins to easily get bowl eligible, but going on the road to deal with Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri is nasty. Not that the Tigers can’t compete with anyone, but those three will obviously be a problem.

Everything else is gettable.

There’s no LSU or Texas. This year, not playing Ole Miss is great, missing Tennessee is a big plus now, and AU missed Florida, Mississippi State, and South Carolina.

Alabama A&M, Cal, New Mexico, and Arkansas - 4-0 is a must before dealing with Oklahoma. Oklahoma is a home game before going on the road four three straight dates - the team isn’t home all of October. But there’s a payoff.

Vanderbilt and ULM are almost certain wins before getting Texas A&M for the regular season home finale.

Be really, really disappointed with anything less than seven wins. This year, getting to eight would be a strong step forward.

Set The Auburn Win Total At … 7.5

Likely Wins: Alabama A&M, New Mexico, ULM, Vanderbilt

50/50 Games: Arkansas, Cal, at Kentucky, at Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Likely Losses: at Alabama, at Georgia

2024 Auburn Football Schedule

Aug 31 Alabama A&M
Sept 7 Cal
Sept 14 New Mexico
Sept 21 Arkansas
Sept 28 Oklahoma
Oct 5 at Georgia
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 at Missouri
Oct 26 at Kentucky
Nov 2 Vanderbilt
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 ULM
Nov 23 Texas A&M
Nov 30 at Alabama

Missing: Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas