< Previous20 STATS COMPARISONS AUBURNTIGERS.COM AUBURN STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Jarquez Hunter 36 273 7.6 2 34 91.0 Damari Alston 15 102 6.8 2 29 34.0 Payton Thorne 19 92 4.8 2 31 46.0 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Payton Thorne 27-48-4 56.3 487 5 243.5 Hank Brown 20-30-0 66.7 331 6 165.5 Holden Geriner 2-2-0 1.000 33 0 16.5 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G KeAndre Lambert-Smith 7 182 26.0 3 67 60.7 Cam Coleman 4 115 28.8 1 44 57.5 Perry Thompson 3 114 38.0 1 70 38.0 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Jerrin Thompson 10 4 14 0.0-0 0.0-0 Jalen McLeod 10 3 13 4.5-17 1.0-8 Champ Anthony 10 2 12 1.0-1 0.0-0 Dorian Mausi 10 2 12 2.0-3 3.0-16 ARKANSAS STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Ja’Quinden Jackson 47 397 8.4 6 46 132.3 Taylen Green 41 245 6.0 4 36 81.7 Rodney Hill 11 57 5.2 1 13 19.0 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Taylen Green 53-94-2 56.4 806 3 268.7 Malachi Singleton 8-10-0 80.0 120 0 120.0 KJ Jackson 4-4-0 100.0 59 0 59.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Andrew Armstrong 18 301 16.7 0 35 150.5 Tyrone Broden 7 101 14.4 1 18 33.7 Isaiah Sategna 7 128 18.3 0 34 42.7 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Xavian Sorey 10 13 23 3.0-12 1.0-5 TJ Metcalf 13 8 21 0.0-0 0.0-0 Jayden Johnson 8 8 16 1.0-1 0.0-0 Here is a quick look at the top team statistics for the Tigers and Razorbacks. Quick Look n Total Touchdowns 1818 n Rushing Yards 556777 n Passing Yards 851985Tickets 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 In any other position group, fifth-year seniors Rivaldo Fairweather and Bran- don Frazier would be the elder states- men. When the Auburn tight ends meet, Fairweather and Frazier rank second in seniority behind Luke Deal, who arrived on the Plains in 2019 and is in his sixth season with the Tigers. “They mean the world to not only me and my family, but I know they love Au- burn a lot,” tight ends coach Ben Aiga- maua said of the time-tested Tiger trio. “The standard they’ve set in that room from the get-go, they’ve set everything for the guys in the future. “I was very blessed to come into a room that had Brandon and Luke, then bringing in ‘Valdo and molding that group has been really good.” Fairweather and Aigamaua arrived at Auburn before the 2023 season with Rivaldo transferring from Florida Inter- national and his position coach accom- panying head coach Hugh Freeze from Liberty. Fairweather set records in his first season on the Plains, leading Auburn with 38 catches for 394 yards and six touchdowns, breaking John Samuel Shenker’s mark of 33 tight end recep- tions in 2021. After Fairweather’s first touchdown catch this season, a 26-yarder Saturday against New Mexico, he celebrated with an end zone leap, thrusting his arms by his sides as he landed, copying the post- goal routine of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. “That was for my older brother, his name is Ronaldo,” Fairweather said of the gesture. “He was in the military in Germany and last year, he wasn’t able to come to any games. This is his first year coming to games, so I told him I was go- ing to hit that for him.” Fairweather made three receptions for 37 yards and a TD on Homecoming, helping the Tigers improve to 2-1 with a 45-19 victory over the Lobos. “It was important,” Fairweather said. “We needed this big win to show that we’re in the SEC for a reason.” Frazier, after recording his first re- ception of the season against California, COVER FEATURE BY: JEFF SHEARER ‘THEY LOVE AUBURN’: SENIOR TIGHT ENDS LEAD TIGERS 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 injured his foot against New Mexico and had surgery Tuesday. “That was really tough,” Fairweather said. “He’s a great tight end for our team. He’s going to be missed.” “He will be out for an extended period of time, which hurts us,” Freeze said. “He was really playing at a high level for us, so that’s disappointing. I hate that for him, and I hope he can make it back for some key games down the stretch.” After several seasons contributing primarily as a blocker and on special teams, Frazier made a greater impact in the passing game last season, making his first two touchdowns catches. Even though he will be watching from the sidelines, Saturday’s Arkansas game carries extra meaning for Frazier, a native of McKinney, Texas, who originally com- mitted to the Razorbacks before signing with Auburn and enrolling in 2020. “Auburn’s been good to me,” Fra- zier said. “If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have come back for a fifth year. I’ve loved it ever since I’ve been here. I’ve loved the guys I’ve been here with throughout the years. I’m grateful for this place.” When Frazier, a December 2023 graduate of Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, married former Au- burn volleyball student-athlete Jackie Barrett in May, Deal was one of Bran- don’s groomsmen. “The business school is top-notch. Everything Auburn provides, it’s a bless- ing,” Frazier said. “It’s a family atmo- sphere. Everyone’s truly invested in Au- burn and all the sports.” While he recovers from surgery, Fra- zier will encourage his fellow tight ends, from veterans Deal and Fairweather to underclassmen Micah Riley and Rico Walker. “’Valdo is a real threat to the defense, he can stretch the field, run routes and catch the ball,” Frazier said. “He’s made some plays I’ve never seen before. He can also get in there in the run game. “Luke’s a leader, a two-time captain. He never misses a day, always consistent, speaking up when people need to get set straight. Two really good buddies of mine. I’m grateful for those guys. “Off the field, they’re the same. Great people of character and great people to be around ev- ery day.” Deal missed a few days during preseason camp, but his absence was not only excused, it was encouraged. On Aug. 14, Luke and his wife, Ansley, celebrated the birth of their son, Christopher James, named after Luke’s fa- ther, who passed away from ALS in 2022. “They were very un- derstanding,” Deal said. “My teammates have been helpful and sup- portive.” The Deals hope to raise CJ in Auburn. “We love Auburn,” Deal said. “That’s why I’ve been here for so long. We love this place, with so much extended family around you with the fanbase and Auburn people, there’s nothing like it. We’re very excited to bring our boy up in this envi- ronment.” After not making any receptions last season, Deal caught his first pass of 2024 against New Mexico. Tight ends accounted for half of Auburn’s four touchdown catches on Homecoming, courtesy of Fairweather and Riley. While the TD catches make the highlight reel, it’s the tight ends’ blocking that helps Auburn’s offense achieve the balance Freeze seeks. “All week, we challenged the guys to take pride in doing the dirty work, and then when your number gets called, make the plays,” Aigamaua said after Auburn’s Homecoming win. “The guys answered the bell tonight. Proud of the way they showed up. They had a great week of practice.” Three non-conference opponents have visited Jordan-Hare Stadium to this point. Southeastern Conference play kicks off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT when Arkansas comes to town. “Now it’s time for the big games,” Fairweather said. “Time to buckle up and great ready.” Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.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 >