Healthier People are Happier People Staying active keeps us healthier and socializing makes us happier. That’s why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama is proud to sponsor athletics across the state. Learn more about getting healthier and happier at AlabamaBlue.com/Happy.Make escape part of your winning game plan. Escape every day at Wind Creek Casino and on the Casinoverse app. Aruba • Atmore • Bethlehem Chicago Southland • Curaçao Montgomery • Wetumpka (866) 946-3360 | WindCreek.com ©2023 Wind Creek Hospitality.4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 .................................................................... 2023 Schedule 6 .................................................................Scouting Auburn 8 ................................................................Scouting Georgia 10 ....................................................................Auburn Roster 12 ...................................................................Georgia Roster 14 ............................................... Opponent Outlook: Georgia 16 .............................................................. Auburn Traditions 18 ..................................................................... Depth Charts 20 .............................................................. Stat Comparisons 22-24 ........................................ Feature: 1983 Team Reunion 28-30 ........................................... Head Coach Hugh Freeze 32-36 ........................................................ Assistant Coaches 38 .................................... University News: Facilities Updates 40 .............................................................Auburn University 42 ..................................................Auburn Board of Trustees 44 ..........................................................University President 46 .......................................................... Director of Athletics 48 ............................................ Through the Lens: Texas A&M 50 ................................... University News: Future of Farming 52 ..................................... Meet the Coaches: Jake Thornton 54 .......................................... Jordan-Hare Stadium Diagram 56-57 .............................. Jordan-Hare Stadium Parking Map 60 .................................................. Heisman Trophy Winners 62 ................................................................... All-Americans 64 ..............................................Auburn Being Auburn: Spirit 66 ..............................................Postseason Trophy Winners 68-69 .........................................................Tigers in the NFL 73 .................................................Auburn Tigers Superlatives 75 ...................................... University News: Auburn at Work 77 .................... Cheerleaders, Tiger Paws and Marching Band 79-90 ........................................................... Auburn Players 91 ............................ University News: Everybody Loves Aubie 93 ......................................................... Undefeated Seasons 95 ................................. University News: Alabama Extension 97 .................................................Southeastern Conference 99 .................................Olympic Sports Update: Swim & Dive 103-104 .........................................Auburn Sports Properties Cover: Kam Stutts, Elijah McAllister, Luke Deal and Payton Thorne TABLE OF CONTENTS AUBURNTIGERS.COM2023 AUBURN SCHEDULE 5 AUBURNTIGERS.COM THE RIVER REGION'S OFFICIAL BROADCAST PARTNER OF AUBURN ATHLETICS IF YOU'RE NOT THERE, LISTEN HERE 9.2 UMass Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium 9.16 Samford Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium 10.28 Mississippi State Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium 9.9 Cal Berkeley, Calif. California Memorial Stadium 10.21 Ole Miss Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium 10.14 LSU Baton Rouge, La. Tiger Stadium 9.23 Texas A&M College Station, Texas Kyle Field 11.4 Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. FirstBank Stadium 9.30 Georgia Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium 11.11 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium 11.18 New Mexico State Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium 11.25 Alabama Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium Blue - Home Orange - Away 2023 AUBURN SCHEDULE6 SCOUTING AUBURN HEAD COACH Hugh Freeze (Southern Miss, 1992) Auburn Record .........................................................................3-2 (1st Season) Career Record ..................................................................78-49 (13th Season) vs. Georgia .................................................................................................................1-1 AUBURN (3-1, 0-1) Sept. 2 ................................UMASS ........................................................W, 59-14 Sept. 9 ................................at Cal ..............................................................W, 14-10 Sept. 16 ..............................SAMFORD .................................................W, 45-13 Sept. 23..............................at Texas A&M ...............................................L, 10-27 Sept. 30 .............................#1 GEORGIA............................................2:30 p.m. Oct. 14 ................................at #13 LSU .............................................................TBA Oct. 21 ................................#20 OLE MISS ...................................................TBA Oct. 28 ...............................MISSISSIPPI STATE .........................................TBA Nov. 4 ..................................at Vanderbilt ........................................................TBA Nov. 11 .................................at Arkansas ...........................................................TBA Nov. 18 ................................NEW MEXICO STATE ...................................TBA Nov. 25 ...............................#12 ALABAMA ...................................................TBA THE DEEP SOUTH’S OLDEST RIVALRY n Auburn hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in the 128th renewal of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. The teams square off Saturday, Sept. 30, in a 2:30 p.m. game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. CBS will televise the matchup. n The 1983 SEC champion Auburn team (11-1) will be recognized on its 40th anniversary during pregame festivities; other recogni- tions include the latest PNC Achievers, the 2022 NCAA qualifier volleyball team and Auburn’s 2023 SEC legend Ed King. n In all-time SEC play, Auburn holds a 335-269-18 mark (.553) back through 1933. In SEC games played in Auburn, the Tigers are 144-66-6 (.681) all-time; away from Auburn, the Tigers are 191-202-12 (.487) overall. n In SEC home openers, the Tigers are 58-26-2 (.686) all-time, including a 17-14 overtime home win over Missouri last season. Auburn is 3-1 in its last four SEC home openers. SERIES HISTORY n Auburn trails the all-time series 56-63-8; the Bulldogs have won 17 of the last 22 games. Auburn owns a winning record in Athens (18-17) while Georgia has a winning mark on the Plains (18-12-2). Auburn is 17-23-1 against ranked Georgia teams all- time (8-9 in Athens), while the Bulldogs are 15-28-1 vs. the Tigers when they are ranked (13-6 in Athens). n The series is older than the Georgia-Georgia Tech (115 games) and the Auburn-Alabama series (87 games). Auburn and Georgia first met in 1892 at Atlanta’s Piedmont Park; each first played its in-state rival in 1893. The two teams did not play in 1943, because Auburn did not field a team due to World War II, and did not play in 1917 and 1918 because of WWI and the subsequent influenza outbreak. With those exceptions, Auburn and Georgia have played continuously since 1898. n The Auburn-Georgia series is tied for the second-most played series in college football, behind only Wisconsin-Minnesota (131) and tied with North Carolina-Virginia (127) entering this season. IN SEPTEMBER n Auburn is 187-61-5 (.750) all-time in the month of September; the Tigers are 120-23-1 (.837) all-time at home in September, and 67-38-4 (.631) away from Auburn in that month. Since 1970, the Tigers have had a winning record in the month of September in 46 of 53 seasons. n The Tigers are 7-3 all-time in games played on September 30, 6-3 in SEC games and 2-0 in Auburn on that date. KICKOFF COVERAGE n Hugh Freeze, the 31st head coach in Auburn football history, is 3-1 in his inaugural season with the Tigers. n Auburn leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally in red zone defense (.556). The Tigers are second in the SEC in team pass efficiency defense (106.23). n This is the first time the Auburn-Georgia game has ever been played in September. n The Tigers lead the SEC in turnovers forced with eight through four games (5 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered). Auburn is one of 11 FBS teams that have returned a fumble and an INT for a TD and is one of 19 teams with multiple defen- sive scores this season. n Jaylin Simpson is one of 16 FBS players tied for the national lead with three interceptions this season. He was the first Tiger with intercep- tions in three consecutive games since Jerraud Powers in 2007 (vs. Tennessee Tech, Georgia and Alabama). SCOUTING AUBURN AUBURNTIGERS.COM Jaylin SimpsonCommitted to playing with a purpose. We’re all about that gameday energy. At Alabama Power, we share your passion for the team— and your pride for where we live. We love big wins, but celebrate all victories that push our state forward. For over 100 years, we’ve been committed to proving what we accomplish together, on and off the field, makes us stronger. It’s Power for a Better Alabama. We proudly support the Auburn Tigers. alabamapower.com © 2023 Alabama Power Company8 SCOUTING GEORGIA HEAD COACH Kirby Smart (Georgia, ‘98) Georgia Record ........................................................85-15 (8th Season) Career Record ..........................................................85-15 (8th Season) vs. Auburn ........................................................................................................7-1 GEORGIA (4-0, 1-0) Sept. 2 ............................UT MARTIN ...........................................W, 48-7 Sept. 9 ............................BALL STATE ..........................................W, 45-3 Sept. 16 ..........................SOUTH CAROLINA ........................W, 24-14 Sept. 23 .........................UAB .........................................................W, 49-21 Sept. 30 .........................at Auburn ............................................2:30 p.m. Oct. 7 ..............................KENTUCKY ...............................................6 p.m. Oct. 14 ............................at Vanderbilt .................................................TBA Oct. 28 ...........................vs. Florida ............................................2:30 p.m. Nov. 4 .............................#23 MISSOURI ............................................TBA Nov. 11 .............................#20 OLE MISS .............................................TBA Nov. 18 ............................at #21 Tennessee .........................................TBA Nov. 25 ...........................at Georgia Tech............................................TBA BULLDOGS FACE FIRST SEC ROAD TEST n Top-ranked Georgia goes on the road for the first time this season when it visits Auburn Saturday in the 128th playing of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Kickoff will be at 2:30 pm CT (CBS). Last Saturday, Georgia improved to 4-0 with a 49-21 win over UAB. Meanwhile, the Tigers fell 27-10 to Texas A&M in College Station. Georgia won its SEC opener, beating South Carolina 24-14 in Athens on Sept. 16. n The Bulldogs have won six in a row over the Tigers and hold a 63-56-8 advantage in the series. Auburn’s last win came in 2017 when the No. 10 Tigers upset then No. 2 Georgia 40-17 on the Plains. The Bulldogs avenged that defeat three weeks later in the SEC Championship Game, winning 28-7. The Bulldogs are 18-12-1 all-time at Jordan-Hare Stadium. One of the wins came in 1996 in the first ever SEC overtime game, a contest that the Bulldogs won 56-49 in 4OTs. That matchup featured both head coach Kirby Smart (DB) and offensive coordinator/QBs coach Mike Bobo (QB) playing for Georgia. QUICK NOTES n Georgia is on a school record 21-game winning streak that began with a 34-11 win over Michigan in the 2021 CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. n Georgia is enjoying a school record streak of 31 consecutive regular season victories that dates to a 31-24 home triumph over Mississippi State on Nov. 21, 2020. n Georgia has won 20 regular season SEC games in a row dating back to a 31-24 win over Mississippi State on Nov. 21, 2020. The Bulldogs school record for consecutive SEC wins is 23, which was set during a stretch from 1980 to 1983. n The Bulldogs are 33-1 in their last 34 games including back- to-back national championships. n All-American and 2022 Mackey Award winner junior Brock Bowers returns as one of the nation’s top talents. Bowers moved to third in school history for receiving touchdowns (22) and ninth in receiving yards (2,079). In his career, Bowers has 141 receptions for 2,079 yards and 22 touchdown catches. The school record for touchdown receptions is 30 by Terrence Edwards while A.J. Green is next with 23. Also, Bowers has 15 rushes for 169 yards and five touchdowns. n Georgia has had 34 players drafted over the past three seasons including 19 on defense and eight of those defenders have gone in the first round. n The Bulldog defense has yet to allow any points in the third quarter this season (UGA has outscored opponents 56-0), and the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 87-17 in the second half. n Since the arrival of Kirby Smart in 2016, the Bulldogs have featured talented defenses and twice led the nation in scoring defense. This season, Georgia is ranked 10th nationally allowing only 11.3 points/ game. Glenn Schumann is in his second season as the Fain & Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator. Also, the 2023 defensive staff features Will Muschamp (co-Defensive Coord.), Fran Brown (DB), Tray Scott (DL) and Chidera Uzo-Diribe (OLB). n The Bulldogs return 12 players who have starting experience on defense from a group that ranked fifth nationally in 2022 allowing opponents only 14.3 points per contest. n The Bulldogs carried a shutout to the fourth quarter during their first two games of 2023 and allowed just 10 total points. UT Martin scored a TD with 6:39 left in the contest. Ball State kicked a field goal with 9:05 remaining. In game three, South Carolina was blanked in the second half. After scoring 14 points in the first half, USC’s second half possessions ended with three punts, once turned it over on downs and two on interceptions. The Bulldog defense allowed a season-high 21 points versus UAB last week. Last year, Georgia shut out four teams in the second half. SCOUTING GEORGIA AUBURNTIGERS.COM Jamon Dumas-JohnsonPlease visit our website at www.vcom.edu/outcomes for a copy of our Outcomes Report. ©2023 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. All rights reserved. www.vcom.edu to become a physician? The Auburn campus of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine was created with a clear purpose to alleviate the physician shortage in Alabama. VCOM-Auburn constantly works to recruit students from rural and underserved areas. It is our hope that they will return home to serve their community and improve health outcomes across the state. Visit us online to find out how we are inspired to make a difference in our communities and beyond.Next >