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 UMass 10 ....................................................................Auburn Roster 12 .....................................................................UMass Roster 14 ................................................ Opponent Outlook: UMass 16 .............................................................. Auburn Traditions 18 ..................................................................... Depth Charts 20 .............................................................. Stat Comparisons 22-24 ............. Flip the Script: Hugh Freeze Inaugural Season 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: Fall Camp 50 .................. University News: Improving Health in Alabama 52 ........................................ Meet the Coaches: Ron Roberts 54 .......................................... Jordan-Hare Stadium Diagram 56-57 .............................. Jordan-Hare Stadium Parking Map 60 .................................................. Heisman Trophy Winners 62 ................................................................... All-Americans 64 ...................................Auburn Being Auburn: Eagle Flight 66 ..............................................Postseason Trophy Winners 68-69 .........................................................Tigers in the NFL 73 .....................................On the Plains with Elijah McAllister 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: Soccer 102-103 ......................................... Auburn Sports Properties Cover: Head Coach Hugh Freeze 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 ..............................................................0-0 (1st Season) Career Record ........................................................75-48 (13th Season) vs. UMass .....................................................................................................4-0 AUBURN (0-0, 0-0) Sept. 2 ............................UMASS .................................................2:30 p.m. Sept. 9 ............................at Cal .....................................................9:30 p.m. Sept. 16 ..........................SAMFORD .................................................6 p.m. Sept. 23 .........................at #23 Texas A&M .......................................TBA Sept. 30 .........................#1 GEORGIA ................................................TBA Oct. 14 ............................at #5 LSU .......................................................TBA Oct. 21 ............................#22 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 ...........................#4 ALABAMA ..............................................TBA IT’S KICKOFF ON THE PLAINS n Auburn opens the 2023 football campaign, its 131st season of college football, hosting the UMass Minutemen on Satur- day, Sept. 2, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. ESPN will televise the 2:30 p.m. CT non-conference matchup. n Fans are asked to wear white to the season opener. Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame inductee Will Herring and retired radio analyst Stan White will be recognized during pregame ceremonies. SERIES HISTORY n This will be the first meeting on the gridiron between the Tigers and the Minutemen. UMass is the 86th team of 130 current FBS members that Auburn has played. Of the 85 FBS teams Auburn has played previously, the Tigers have defeated 78 at least once; the only exceptions: Minnesota, Oklahoma, Rice, SMU, South Florida and Texas Tech. IN SEPTEMBER n Auburn is 184-60-5 (.749) all-time in the month of Sep- tember; the Tigers are 118-23-1 (.835) all-time at home in September, and 66-37-4 (.632) away from Auburn in that month. Since 1970, the Tigers have had a winning record in the month of September in 45 of 52 seasons. n The Tigers are 4-1 all-time in games played on September 2 and 4-0 in Auburn on that date. IN SEASON OPENERS n Auburn is 101-27-2 (.785) all-time in season openers. The Tigers have won 15 of their past 17 openers dating back to the 2006 season; last season, Auburn defeated Mercer 42-16 in the season opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium. n Auburn is 55-8-1 (.867) in season openers at home, 16-5-1 (.750) in openers on the road and 30-14 (.682) in openers at neutral-site locations. n Auburn’s total of 101 season-opening victories is behind only Alabama (103) and tied with Arkansas (101) for the most among current SEC schools. KICKOFF COVERAGE n Hugh Freeze begins his inaugural season as head coach of the Tigers, the 31st head football coach in Auburn history. n Auburn’s 2023 campaign will be its 131st season of college football. The Tigers have 793 wins all-time, 13th-most among FBS schools. n With five 2023 opponents in the 2023 AP preseason Top 25, no team faces more ranked teams this season than Auburn. Those include Georgia (1), Alabama (4), LSU (5), Ole Miss (22) and Texas A&M (23). n Auburn season ticket sales set a record with 63,500 purchased this summer. The previous Auburn record was 62,900 season tickets sold before the 2014 campaign. n Preseason all-SEC Tigers as selected by the league’s coach- es include P Oscar Chapman, TE Luke Deal, RB Jarquez Hunter, CB Nehemiah Pritchett and OL Kam Stutts. n Auburn is 101-27-2 (.785) all-time in season openers. The Tigers have won 15 of their past 17 openers dating back to the 2006 season. n The Tigers are 104-16-3 (.858) all-time in home openers; no games were played in Auburn in 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1937 and 1938. SCOUTING AUBURN AUBURNTIGERS.COM Nehemiah PritchettCommitted 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 UMASS HEAD COACH Don Brown (Norwich, ‘77) UMass Record..........................................................45-30 (7th Season) Career Record ........................................................97-56 (14th Season) vs. Auburn ..................................................................................................0-0 UMASS (1-0) Aug. 26 ..........................at New Mexico State .......................W, 41-30 Sept. 2 ............................at Auburn ............................................2:30 p.m. Sept. 9 ............................MIAMI (OHIO) ..................................2:30 p.m. Sept. 16 ..........................at Eastern Michigan ................................1 p.m. Sept. 23 .........................NEW MEXICO ..................................2:30 p.m. Sept. 30 .........................ARKANSAS STATE..........................2:30 p.m. Oct. 7 ..............................TOLEDO ....................................................12 p.m. Oct. 14 ............................at #7 Penn State ...............................2:30 p.m. Oct. 28 ...........................at Army ........................................................11 a.m. Nov. 4 .............................MERRIMACK ....................................2:30 p.m. Nov. 18 ............................at Liberty ....................................................12 p.m. Nov. 25 ...........................UCONN ..........................................................TBA SERIES HISTORY n Massachusetts and Auburn will be meeting for the first time. n The Minutemen most recently faced an SEC opponent last season when they traveled to College Station, Texas and dropped a 20-3 decision to the Aggies. UMass had three fumble recoveries in that game to keep it close into the fourth quarter. n Prior to the visit to Kyle Field, the Minutemen last faced an SEC opponent on November 17, 2018 when they fell at fifth- ranked Georgia 66-27. In 2017, UMass played at Tennessee (Sept. 23) and at 21st-ranked Mississippi State (Nov. 4), near- ly pulling off the upset at Neyland Stadium but falling 17-13 in a game that saw UMass total 12 TFLs against the Volun- teers. The Bulldogs were then able to earn a 34-23 victory. n After a two-year transition period, UMass formally joined the FBS ranks in 2013 and are 0-9 against the SEC since moving to FBS. UMASS IN 2023 n The 141st season of Massachusetts football kicked off with the road win at New Mexico State on August 26. n Massachusetts was one of 14 teams to play a week zero game and started fall camp on July 28. n UMass began a two-year Football Bowl Subdivision transi- tion in 2011, becoming bowl eligible in 2013. SEASON-OPENING ROAD WIN n Massachusetts opened the season with a 41-30 win at New Mexico State including putting up an impressive 28 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. n In his UMass debut, redshirt junior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh threw for 192 yards on 10-for-17 passing, while rushing for a team-high 96 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. n Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams totaled 79 yards on 15 carries and found the end zone twice. Anthony Simpson also contrib- uted a TD and had 27 yards on the ground to go along with three receptions for 65 yards. n Defensively Isaiah Rutherford pulled down a pick six, one of three turnovers recovered by UMass on the day. n Tyler Rudolph led the squad with eight tackles and a sack, while Marcus Bradley had six tackles, including five solo stops. Michael Oppong grabbed an interception and Billy Wooden recovered a fumble to help the Minutemen win the turnover battle, 3-0. n The 28-points UMass scored in the fourth quarter matched the most points the team has posted in one quarter in the program’s FBS era. The Minutemen also scored 28 vs. Char- lotte in the first quarter on September 22, 2018 and 28 in the first quarter vs. Georgia Southern on October 21, 2017. n The 41 points marked the highest offensive output for UMass since defeating Liberty 62-59 in 3OT on November 3, 2018 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. n Massachusetts improved to 1-0 to start the season for the first time since 2018 when it beat Duquesne 63-15 to open the year on August 25 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium (second time UMass has been 1-0 in its FBS era). n It was also the first road win for the Minutemen since 2018 at UConn (24 games). SCOUTING UMASS AUBURNTIGERS.COM Taisun PhommachanhPlease 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 >