< Previous20 STATS COMPARISONS AUBURNTIGERS.COM AUBURN STATS LEADERS (Final 2023 Statistics) RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Jarquez Hunter 159 909 5.7 7 67 75.8 Payton Thorne 134 515 3.8 3 61 39.6 Damari Alston 64 320 5.0 2 56 32.0 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Payton Thorne 162-265-10 61.1 1,755 16 135.0 Robby Ashford 14-27-2 51.9 145 2 14.5 Hank Brown 7-9-0 77.8 132 0 132.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Rivaldo Fairweather 38 394 10.4 6 53 30.3 Ja’Varrius Johnson 19 347 18.3 3 45 34.7 Jay Fair 31 324 10.5 2 36 24.9 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Eugene Asante 53 33 86 8.5-43 5.0-35 Larry Nixon III 29 22 51 2.5-21 0.0-0 Jalen McLeod 35 13 48 10.5-47 5.5-31 ALABAMA A&M STATS LEADERS (Final 2023 Statistics) RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Donovan Eaglin 142 765 5.4 7 67 76.5 Ryan Morrow 95 436 4.6 6 50 39.6 Xavier Lankford 56 294 5.3 6 45 36.8 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Quincy Casey 115-195-6 59.0 1,490 11 186.3 Xavier Lankford 81-144-5 56.3 904 8 113.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Jacolby Hewitt 32 516 16.1 4 49 57.3 Cameron Young 53 511 9.6 5 33 46.5 Keenan Hambrick 24 377 15.7 2 76 41.9 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Jordan Mitchell 39 34 73 8.5-28 5.0-18 Marvin Smith 33 29 62 2.5-13 0.0-0 Xavier Billingsly 16 41 57 8.0-32 1.5-19 Here is a quick look at the top team statistics for the Tigers and Bulldogs * Final 2023 Statistics Quick Look n Total Touchdowns 4343 n Rushing Yards 2,4571,689 n Passing Yards 2,1092,432Tickets available now! featuring Herbie Hancock • Borromeo String Quartet • The Piano Guys The Magic School Bus • Dear Evan Hansen • Straight No Chaser • Black Violin Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations • and many more 2024–25 season22 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Six years after they teamed up for 14 touchdowns in high school football in Illinois, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne and receiver Sam Jackson V are reunited on the Plains. If you’re looking for insight into Au- burn’s QB, ask his roommate. “Best roommate I’ve ever had,” said Jackson, who stayed at the Thornes’ home after games on Fridays in the fall of 2018, when Payton was a senior and Sam was a sophomore. “If you really get to know Payton, you’ll love him.” “One of the best people I’ve ever met,” Thorne said of Jackson, who re- turns to receiver this season after five years as a quarterback in high school and college. “An awesome guy with a great heart and a desire to win. He wants to win desperately. “Seeing the progress he’s made the past few months is crazy. I’m extreme- ly excited that he’s here and I’m going to have a chance to throw him the ball this year.” Thorne lived alone last season after arriving at Auburn in the summer fol- lowing his transfer from Michigan State. Jackson joined the program this season after transferring from the University of California. “It never gets boring,” said Jack- son, who reminisced this summer with Thorne about their glory days at Naper- ville Central in suburban Chicago. “We have super deep talks. We would go to the stadium, then stay up till 3 or 4 a.m., talking about us living the dream. “Everybody doesn’t get to do what we do on a daily basis. Having Payton as a roommate is crazy. That’s a great guy.” In his first season at Auburn, Thorne threw for 16 touchdowns and 1,755 yards while adding a career-high 519 yards rushing. Still, says Jackson, that “wasn’t Pay- ton.” Three years ago, as a sophomore at Michigan State, Thorne tossed 27 touch- down passes and threw for 3,233 yards. “You go back to 2021,” Jackson said. “That’s how Payton is playing now.” Why the change? Several factors, including an upgraded arsenal of re- ceivers, a retooled offense that matches Thorne’s strengths and experience, and a second season with many of his Au- burn teammates. “This is what I’ve done before that I believe in, too, and I know our other coaches do as well,” Thorne said. “I re- ally don’t look much at last year and ob- viously our personnel is a ton different, too.” Said Jackson, “We didn’t have a lot of juice in the room. Now we’ve got those guys and you see Payton flourishing. His cerebral part overrides all of the talent. Don’t get me wrong. He’s very talented. Payton knows where he’s going with the ball every single time.” COVER FEATURE AUBURN QB PAYTON THORNE ‘LIVING THE DREAM’ BY JEFF SHEARER Committed to playing with purpose. At Alabama Power, we share your passion for gameday and your pride in our community. We celebrate victories on and off the field that move the state forward. For over 100 years, we’ve shown that our collective achievements make us stronger. It’s Power for a Better Alabama. We proudly support the Auburn Tigers. alabamapower.com © 2024 Alabama Power Company24 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Thorne’s command of the play- book, decision-making and leadership impressed Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, who named Payton QB1 for the second straight season. “I’ve always believed in him,” Freeze said Monday in his first weekly press conference of the 2024 season. “I be- lieve in him even more today than I did in January because of what I’ve witnessed and what I hear in meeting rooms and film rooms. He’s excited to prove that to a lot of people.” A full offseason – winter workouts, spring practice, summer conditioning and self-directed passing sessions with Auburn’s receivers – increased Thorne’s confidence about what lies ahead. “A huge difference,” Thorne said. “Last year getting here in the middle of summer, obviously that’s not ideal going into a new offense, a new team, a new atmosphere. “Now we have a set plan. You’re famil- iar with everything. There’s going to be more confidence that comes with that. I think that good things are coming be- cause of that. We want to take it to that next level as a unit. “My confidence comes from the preparation that we’ve put in. I think it’s been a really good offseason. I’m excit- ed for what we have to come. We’ve got some new weapons.” Those weapons include KeAndre Lambert-Smith, like Thorne a former Big Ten standout, and five-star fresh- man Cam Coleman, one of four in-state newcomers at receiver. “I trust the guys we have out there and they’re making plays,” Thorne said. Coleman, the 6-foot-3 A-Day MVP, has impressed since enrolling in January as a 17-year-old. “He’s going to make a lot of plays for us this year, and Auburn is going to love him,” Thorne said. “He gives the ability to spread the field, both horizontally and vertically. Teams are going to have to re- spect that, and I can’t wait to be on the field with him.” After one throwing session with Coleman this summer, Thorne called his friend and former high school and college teammate Jayden Reed, who starred for Green Bay last season as a rookie, comparing Coleman’s leaping ability to that of Keon Coleman, a team- mate of theirs at Michigan State, now an NFL rookie. “I think he can jump higher than Keon can,” Thorne told his former teammate, who responded with skepticism. Thorne doubled down. “I’m pretty sure he can,” Thorne told Reed. “I’ve never seen somebody jump as high as he jumps in football. It’s hon- estly majestic. There are not many guys who can do what he does. “Keon had an elite mindset – I think Cam does, too. It’s going to be fun play- ing with Cam and seeing what he’s got.” Last season, Thorne frequently target- ed Rivaldo Fairweather, who set Auburn’s tight end record with 38 receptions. “I never threw to the tight end as much as I did last year,” Thorne said. “We’ll car- ry that over into this year. Now they can’t double-team him anymore. That will open up more of our passing game.” Working with offensive coordina- tor Derrick Nix and quarterbacks coach Kent Austin, Thorne feels empowered to change plays at the line of scrimmage based on the defensive alignment. “I have a really good understanding of what Coach Freeze and Coach Nix are trying to do, and what Coach Austin sees,” Thorne said. “If we’re on the same page, Coach is going to have confidence in me to change things up if I need to, be- cause that’s what he would do. “It’s been great. It’s been really fun. It’s a part of my game I didn’t get to use very much last year. I think we’re going to have that as a weapon this year.” Thorne begins his college football finale season Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT when Alabama A&M visits Jordan-Hare Stadium for Kickoff on The Plains. “We have incredible fans,” Thorne said. “It starts with our fans and how they pack the stadium and the energy they bring. They understand the impact they can make, and they do it. Our fans are outstanding. “When that third and fourth quarter comes around, it’s jumping, and it’s go- ing to be loud. I love our stadium, I love playing in front of our fans, and you can expect more of that this year. “I’m just excited for what’s to come this year. I’m excited for the fanbase and for this program.” Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at Au- burnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @ jeff_shearer COVER FEATUREPARTOFTHEFAMILY Y O U R T E A M S . Y O U R T E A M S .Y O U R S T A T I O N S . Y O U R S T A T I O N S . WINGSFM.COM CATCHAUBURNFOOTBALL,MEN’SBASKETBALLANDTIGERTALKONWINGS94.3 ANDAUBURNWOMEN’SBASKETBALLANDBASEBALLONAU100. Auburn-Opelika’sOfficialFlagshipStationsoftheAuburnTigers AU100FM.COM28 HEAD COACH HUGH FREEZE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Hugh Freeze became the 31st head football coach in Auburn history in No- vember, 2022. Freeze has nearly three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching experience that has led to conference titles, nation- ally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career. In Freeze’s first season at Auburn, despite a shorthanded roster, the 2023 Tigers posted a 6-7 record and earned a Music City Bowl berth. Every home game was sold out as fans embraced Freeze’s brand of football and Auburn garnered a top 10 recruiting class for the 2024 campaign. Freeze came to Auburn from Liber- ty University, where he was head coach from 2019-22. Freeze led the Flames to four bowl games and a 34-15 record. Freeze experienced similar success at each of his head coaching stops prior to Liberty that include Lambuth Univer- sity (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16). Freeze led each school to double-digit win seasons, while helping Ole Miss to a top 10 national fin- ish in 2015. His on-field coaching record in 13 seasons is 109-54. Liberty was just one of five FBS teams in the country to win a bowl game each season from 2019-21, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana. It was the second team in NCAA history to win a bowl game during its first three full sea- sons at the FBS level, all coming under Freeze’s leadership. Freeze guided Liberty to a 10-1 overall record in 2020 and the team’s first-ever national ranking as it finished No. 17 in the country. That season, Liberty had the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and de- feated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his efforts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Col- legiate Coach of the Year Award. Known for his fast-paced offensive style, Freeze’s 2020 Liberty team set a school record for rushing yards in a sea- son in 2020 (2,776) and ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 nationally in total of- fense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in total defense (317.7 yards per game). The Flames were one of three teams in the country to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense in 2020, joining Clemson and BYU. Spearheading Liberty’s outstand- ing offense in 2020 was former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis, who burst into the spotlight leading the nation in rushing yards (944) and touchdowns (14) by a FBS quarterback. Willis earned All-America honors, was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2020 and was on the 2020 Maxwell Award watch list. The Flames posted an eight-win sea- son in 2021 after facing eight bowl-eli- gible teams during that campaign. Lib- erty’s defense finished the 2021 season ranked No. 7 nationally in passing yards allowed, No. 11 in total defense and No. 24 in scoring defense. Offensively, Lib- erty finished 2021 ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring offense and No. 8 in passing yards per completion. Leading the charge for the Flames in 2021 once again was Willis, who was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Na- tional Quarterback Award and the Max- well Award and a top 10 candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Willis was a third-round draft pick of the Ten- nessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2022, Liberty finished the regu- lar season 8-4 with wins over Arkansas and BYU; three of the four losses came by a combined five points. The Flames earned a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl. While head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze took the Rebels to bowl games in three of his five seasons, including wins in the 2013 Music City and the 2016 Sugar bowls. Freeze’s time in Oxford was highlight- ed by a 10-3 campaign in 2015, the pro- gram’s first 10-win season since 2003. The Rebels won their first four games of the 2015 season, including a 43-37 road victory over No. 2 Alabama, Ole Miss’ first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988. The Rebels were ranked as high as No. 3 in the national polls in both 2014 and 2015 and finished in the national Top 10 for the first time since 1969 after the Sugar Bowl win. Ole Miss was ranked in the top 25 for 45 weeks over Freeze’s five-year tenure, including a string of 27 straight weeks in the polls for the first time since 1957-62. Freeze collected four nationally ranked recruiting classes at Ole Miss. In 2013 and 2016, his recruiting classes ranked in the top five nationally, the best in program history. Freeze and his staff developed 20 players who earned all-SEC honors, in- cluding All-Americans Cody Prewitt, Senquez Golson, Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil, Evan Engram, Laquon Treadwell and Trae Elston. Treadwell was Ole Miss’ first ever SEC Freshman of the Year in 2013 and became HUGH FREEZE HEAD COACHNext >