Auburn Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs Stock Report, Who's Up, Who's Down?

Auburn Tigers head coach and quarterback Hugh Freeze make an appearance on the latest stock report that includes a defender who is playing his way towards a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft.

Sophomore defensive lineman Keldric Faulk is a budding star for the Auburn Tigers. / Photo by Austin Perryman, Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers fell to the Georgia Bulldogs for the eighth-straight time on Saturday. There were plenty of positive performances despite the 31-13 score, but there were some players who will need to step up moving forward.

Whose stock is up, and whose is down after the loss to Georgia?

Stock Up: KeAndre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith continues to be Auburn’s most reliable receiving target since… Ryan Davis? Darvin Adams? Lambert-Smith consistently gets open and catches the ball. It sounds easy, but he does it week after week (70+ receiving yards in each of the last four games), and he fits the mold of guy who will play on Sundays for several years.

Lambert-Smith is up to 24 catches for 510 yards and six touchdowns in his six games at Auburn. Combined with his four years at Penn State, he’s up to 150 career receptions for 2,231 yards and 17 touchdowns. Six touchdowns is a new career high for him.

Stock Down: Freshman Receivers

All three of the freshmen receivers who are in the rotation had chances for touchdowns on Saturday, and they all came up empty. Cam Coleman couldn’t get his hands on a jump ball, and he landed out of bounds anyway. Coleman hasn't looked like himself since injuring his shoulder in the final minutes against Cal.

Malcolm Simmons had his man beat and the ball simply went through his hands in the end zone. Perry Thompson had an opportunity late in the game on a pass from Thorne that was slightly underthrown and well defended.

Simmons should have made the play on his. Coleman and Thompson are going to be expected to come down with those “50/50” balls as their careers develop.

Stock Up: Keldric Faulk, Defensive Line

Keldric Faulk is playing at such a high level right now, as good as any Auburn defensive lineman since Derrick Brown in 2019. Faulk caused issues for the Georgia ground attack all day, and he also had a pair of solo sacks on Carson Beck in the second quarter. Brown went on to be the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 draft, and Faulk is on his way to being a high-first rounder as early as the 2026 Draft.

First-year defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin has settled into a three-man line in most first and second down situations to go with three linebackers, two corners and three safeties. Running that type of scheme up front calls for defensive tackle-sized ends at 285-295 pounds, or even 322-pound Isaiah Raikes. Faulk is obviously excelling in that role at 6-6, 288.

True freshman Malik Blocton is one of the first men up at end at 6-3, 291. Philip Blidi (6-3, 284), Quentrail Jamison-Travis (6-4, 293), Zykeivous Walker (6-4, 291) are the others.

So where does that put Auburn five-star freshman Amaris Williams? He’s listed on the roster at 6-2, 269. Buck Jalen McCleod lines up sometimes with his hand on the ground as a traditional rush end, but he also plays a stack-backer on other downs. Backup Buck Keyron Crawford is used mostly as a third-down pass rusher, which is where Williams could soon fit into until he's gained enough weight.

Speaking of Blocton, he’s one of two true freshmen on the defensive side of the ball playing well early in his career despite not being highly rated by the recruiting gurus. Kaleb Harris is already a fixture in the lineup at safety and is often on the field ahead of veterans.

The final score of 31-13 seems rather lopsided, but from one play to another Auburn is closer to Georgia from a talent perspective than it has been since 2019 or 2020. And that talent gap is only going to get closer and closer as Hugh Freeze recruits to the level that Kirby Smart’s program has.

Stock Up: Jarquez Hunter

Running back Jarquez Hunter was one of the better players on the field, consistently gaining extra yardage on second effort. Part of his success was because the offensive line was good enough in the run game. Hunter carried just 13 times but for 91 yards and a score. Backup Damari Alston carried four times for 22 yards. It continues to be a wonder why they don’t get more carries when they’re effective.

The good news for Hunter as he moves to the NFL, he won't have the wear and tear other college backs might. He only had 104 carries last year, and he's only got 89 in six games in 2024.

Stock Down: Auburn Pass Protection

In previous meetings the difference between Georgia’s defensive front and Auburn’s offensive line was huge. The gap has closed since the likes of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter have moved on to the NFL. But it hasn't been completely closed.

That showed up in the pass game on Saturday. That Auburn’s starting offensive line consists of a transfer from Mississippi State, a former transfer from Tulsa, a true sophomore and a former JUCO transfer showed on occasion in the pass game. Twice early in the game Percy Lewis missed his block, Thorne was sacked, and Lewis looked around.

Often times the talent disparity will be more apparent on special teams, and on Saturday it was obvious on the final play of the first half. Georgia defensive back Dan Jackson blew up Auburn offensive lineman and Akron transfer Ronan Chambers on the edge of field goal protection to block a Towns McGough kick.

Stock Down: Payton Thorne / Hugh Freeze

Quarterback Payton Thorne continues to make decisions that leave everyone wondering why he did what he did. And also, Freeze and Thorne continue to have conflicting statements with the media about Thorne’s assignment on certain plays.

Yesterday on a 4th and 1 in Auburn territory, Thorne faked the handoff to Hunter and was swarmed under in the backfield. Five plays later Georgia put the game out of reach at 28-10. Freeze said it was supposed to be a hand off to Hunter. Thorne said he had three options on the play.

It was eerily similar to the week prior when Freeze said he needed to be more clear with Thorne in certain situations, like killing the clock against Oklahoma. There's a saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Auburn has a very timely week off to try and sort the quarterback/coach relationship before heading to Missouri. At 2-4, the season clearly isn't off to the start the Freeze and the Tigers were expecting, but this team isn't as bad as their record indicates.

Cut out the self-inflicted wounds and this team can play with anyone, including the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs on the road. However, if they don't turn it around soon, the season could crater with two SEC road games and a suddenly dangerous looking Vanderbilt team on deck.