Stanford Steve excited by Auburn offense, chances to improve in 2024

As the last little bit of the long offseason winds down, the time to make some final predictions for the 2024 season is here. And ESPN’s “ Stanford Steve ” recently joined the Andy Staples On3 show to give his predictions on Auburn .

The Las Vegas over/under win total is set at 7.5, and though Stanford Steve sees Auburn being a thoroughly intriguing team this fall, he isn’t picking Hugh Freeze and the Tigers to top that mark.

“I think it’s 7-5 and I think that’s a really, really good season for them where they can keep building, he can keep recruiting,” Stanford Steve said. “So I would go under, but I think that’s a super successful season at 7-5 with that schedule and what they have.”

One of the reasons the ESPN personality, who appears on the likes of College GameDay , among other programming, is the presence of a freshman phenom.

That’s five-star-plus receiver Cam Coleman .

“I’m really, really excited to see Auburn. I’m dying to see Cam Coleman and what I’ve heard from people that have seen him,” Stanford Steve said. “When I hear people, I’m like, ‘Oh God, he’s built like a Greek god, he runs like a deer.’ The whole package. And then you just think about how Auburn has never had a guy like that at wide receiver. Like go through Auburn’s wide receiver records, you’ll be blown away at how attainable they are if Cam Coleman is the real deal.”

Of course, Auburn’s passing game hasn’t been its strong suit in recent years. Quarterback Payton Thorne won the job convincingly last year, but he was up and down.

Some of that was simply his supporting cast. And that’s where the ESPN talent sees things starting to shift.

“I think Payton Thorne’s going to be way, way more efficient,” he said. “Having great players I think helps decision-making. Also where you get caught in a tough spot and you don’t have the best guys, what are you going to do? Bad things. Bad things are going to happen.”

They’re less likely to happen if you aren’t in those situations as frequently. A strong ground game usually helps.

That’s another area of emphasis for Stanford Steve. Hunter’s 2023 numbers were significantly different after Freeze took over play-calling.

“Probably the least talked, how do I say this, least talked about great player in that league is Jarquez Hunter ,” he said. “That guy’s a stud. An absolute stud. … You talk about making the most of his situation last year. Again, I mentioned Hugh takes that playcall, look at his numbers the last five games. I think they went over 250 against ‘ Bama . And that’s a week after that New Mexico State game, so there’s some resiliency built into Auburn, just because of how crazy they are, and I love that about them.”

Stanford Steve than pivoted to talking about how Auburn was highly successful against two of its toughest opponents last year: Alabama and Georgia .

The Georgia game, in particular, was a real eye-opener just in the fact that Auburn was competitive.

“It looked like they were put in that position because Hugh took the playcall that week and Payton Thorne was ripping off 40-yard runs like it’s nothing,” Stanford Steve said. “I think Payton Thorne, again, go back and look at his receivers at Michigan State . They were pretty good. They’re playing in the NFL.”

Can it all come together for Auburn and result in a season that tops Vegas expectations? Stanford Steve admitted that’s a real possibility.

It’s one of the reasons the Tigers are one of his most intriguing teams going into 2024.

“You just think about Hugh Freeze and who he’s had and the success that he’s had with players,” he finished. “I love this dynamic. He’s just crushing it on the recruiting front. I love that fanbase because of how crazy they are. And I want them. I really am rooting for Auburn and Florida this year in the SEC, because those are the teams we need. When they’re good it’s so much more fun. And I’m really hoping GameDay can get to Auburn. We haven’t been there in a while. It’s one of my favorite.”

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