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 New Mexico State 10 ....................................................................Auburn Roster 12 ....................................................New Mexico State Roster 14 ............................... Opponent Outlook: New Mexico State 16 .............................................................. Auburn Traditions 18 ..................................................................... Depth Charts 20 .............................................................. Stat Comparisons 22-24 ....................................... Cover Feature: Keionte Scott 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: Arkansas 50 ........................................ University News: Lowder Center 52 .............................................. On the Plains: Nick Mardner 54 .......................................... Jordan-Hare Stadium Diagram 56-57 .............................. Jordan-Hare Stadium Parking Map 60 .................................................. Heisman Trophy Winners 62 ................................................................... All-Americans 64 ............................................On the Plains: Kassidy Woods 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: Baseball 103-104 ......................................... Auburn Sports Properties Cover: Keionte Scott and Ja’Varrius Johnson 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 .........................................................................6-4 (1st Season) Career Record ...................................................................81-52 (13th Season) vs. New Mexico State .........................................................................................3-1 AUBURN (6-4, 3-4 SEC) 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..............................................L, 20-27 Oct. 14 ................................at #22 LSU ....................................................L, 18-48 Oct. 21 ................................#13 OLE MISS .............................................L, 21-28 Oct. 28 ...............................MISSISSIPPI STATE ................................W, 27-13 Nov. 4 ..................................at Vanderbilt ...............................................W, 31-15 Nov. 11 .................................at Arkansas ................................................W, 48-10 Nov. 18 ................................NEW MEXICO STATE ...............................3 p.m. Nov. 25 ...............................#8 ALABAMA .........................................2:30 p.m. TIGERS SEEKING A MILESTONE n Auburn hosts the New Mexico State Aggies of Conference USA for a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Nov. 18, played at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The SEC Network will televise the 3 p.m. CT contest, as the Tigers look for program win 800. n Fans sitting in the upper level of Jordan-Hare Stadium Satur- day are asked to wear blue, while those sitting in the lower level are asked to wear orange. Recognitions include the 2023 James Owens Courage Award winner William Andrews and Auburn distance runner Sara Pacer, the 2022-23 Brad Davis/SEC Com- munity Service Leader of the Year. SERIES HISTORY n Auburn leads the all-time series with the Aggies by a 3-0 count. All games in the series have been played at Jordan-Hare Stadium. n Auburn won the first meeting by a 55-14 score in 1993. In 2007, the Tigers were 55-20 winners. Auburn took the most recent matchup, played in 2012, by a 42-7 score. n In non-conference play, Auburn’s all-time regular season record since 1933 is 263-71-6 (.783). Before the 2022 Penn State game, Auburn had won 17 straight home games against non-conference opponents dating back to 2016. n Auburn’s all-time record against teams currently in Confer- ence USA is 38-5-1. That includes games against Jacksonville State (1-0), Liberty (1-0), Louisiana Tech (12-0-1), New Mexico State (3-0), Southern Miss (18-5) and Western Kentucky (3-0). KICKOFF COVERAGE n The Tigers are seeking their 800th win in program history. They would be just the 13th FBS team to reach that mark. Auburn is 799-464-47 in 131 years of football. n Auburn leads the SEC in red zone defense (.742). Auburn is third in the SEC in pass efficiency defense (124.28) and in third- down defense (.290). n The Tigers have forced a turnover in 19 straight games dating through last season, the second longest active streak nationally behind Toledo (21). n Auburn leads the SEC in turnovers forced with 17 (11 intercep- tions, 6 fumbles recovered). Those 11 interceptions are second to Vanderbilt for the most by an SEC team this season. n Lou Groza Award semifinalist Alex McPher- son’s current string of 17 consecutive made field goals broke Daniel Carlson’s Auburn record (16). n With four interceptions, Jaylin Simpson, a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist, is among the nation- al FBS leaders in picks per game this season. Simpson was named a midseason All-American by the Associated Press, ESPN, CBS, Fox, 247, The Athletic, USA Today, PFF, Sporting News and Reese’s Senior Bowl. n The Tigers rank third in the SEC and ninth na- tionally in rushing offense, averaging 207.2 yards per game. They have the third longest current streak with 16 games of 12+ rushing yards, behind Air Force (50) and Oregon State (24) and tied with New Mexico State. SCOUTING AUBURN AUBURNTIGERS.COM Jalen McLeodCommitted 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 NEW MEXICO STATE HEAD COACH Jerry Kill (Southwestern, 1983) New Mexico State Record ......................................15-9 (2nd Season) Career Record .........................................................173-113 (2nd Season) vs. Auburn .....................................................................................................0-0 NEW MEXICO STATE (8-3, 6-1) Aug. 26 ..........................UMASS ....................................................L, 30-41 Sept. 2 ............................WESTERN ILLINOIS .......................W, 58-21 Sept. 9 ............................at Liberty ..................................................L, 17-33 Sept. 16 ..........................at New Mexico ....................................W, 27-17 Sept. 23 .........................at Hawai’i ................................................L, 17-20 Oct. 4 ..............................FIU ............................................................W, 34-17 Oct. 11 .............................SAM HOUSTON ................................W, 27-13 Oct. 18 ............................at UTEP ...................................................W, 28-7 Oct. 24 ...........................at Louisiana Tech...............................W, 27-24 Nov. 4 .............................at Western Kentucky .....................W, 38-29 Nov. 18 ............................at Auburn ...................................................3 p.m. Nov. 25 ...........................JACKSONVILLE STATE ......................3 p.m. PICK SIX n For the first time since the 1965 season, the New Mexico State football team has won eight games, a feat that it has now accomplished just five times in program history. n With a win last Saturday, the Aggies became bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 63 years when they did so in the 1959-60 seasons. n Last Saturday’s win over Western Kentucky means the Aggies have now clinched a spot in their first-ever conference championship game. n Jerry Kill currently ranks 10th in total wins among active FBS head football coaches with 173 wins to his name. n New Mexico State has now rushed for 170 or more yards in each of its last 14 contests, including going over the 200- yard mark in three of the last four games n Saturday’s meeting with the Tigers marks the fourth time that New Mexico State and Auburn have met on the gridiron. QUICK NOTES n With Saturday’s victory over Western Kentucky, New Mexico State clinched a spot in the CUSA title game in just its first season in the re-construced league. This marks the first time in history that the Aggie football program will play in a conference championship game and a win would give New Mexico State its fourth conference title in program history. n With the Aggies qualification for the CUSA Championship game, New Mexico State is now guaranteed to play 15 games this season, a number that is two greater than any other Aggie team in program history. n On Saturday versus Western Kentucky, redshirt junior safety Mehki Miller became the first Aggie to score a defensive touchdown this season when he intercepted a pass and returned it 57 yards for the score. n New Mexico State wide receiver Trent Hudson is amid one of the more impressive seasons for an Aggie wideout in recent history. With his impressive one-handed touchdown grab on Saturday against Western Kentucky, Hudson now has seven total receiving touchdowns this season - a mark that is good for third among CUSA pass catchers and 31st among all FBS receivers. n Linebacker Keyshaun Elliott has made big strides and is currently coming off his second game of the season with double-digit tackles. Elliott currently paces the team in tackles with 79 which is 19 more than the next-closes Aggie defender. Elliott also consistentlly causes havoc in the opposing team’s backfield as he is the team’s leader in tackles for loss with 7.5 on the season. n Saturday will mark the 28th time that the Aggies will line up against an SEC opponent. Currently, the Aggies are 0-27 all-time against the Power Five conference. n With its win last Saturday, New Mexico State pushed its win streak to six games - something that it had not accomplished since the historic 1960 season when the Aggies finished the season with a perfect 11-0 record. This is also just the fourth time in program history that the Aggies rattle off six wins in a row. n The win over UTEP in El Paso coupled with the win over New Mexico in Albuquerque earlier in the season helped NM State accomplish something it hadn’t done since 1923. The pair of victories marked the first time that the Aggies knocked off both of their rivals on the road in the same season in 100 years. However, the 2023 season is just the first time since 1999 that the two tilts came on the road as most years the Aggies host either the Lobos or the Miners. n With 15 wins under his belt at NM State, Jerry Kill is the tenth winningest active coach in FBS football. Of note, three of the top 10 coaches on the active wins list lead CUSA programs as K.C. Keeler (ranked 4th) and Rich Rodriguez (ranked 9th) lead Sam Houston and Jacksonville State, respectively. SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Diego Pavia Please 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 >