Auburn briefing: Predicting the Tigers' RB room stats for 2023

How will Auburn's rushing attack perform statistically in 2023?

Author:
Lance Dawe
Publish date:
Aug 31, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Auburn Tigers

The Tigers' running back room is extremely deep this season.

Here's how we see Auburn's rushing attack stacking up statistically in 2023:

Jarquez Hunter

Attempts: 180

Yards: 1,026 (5.7 YPC)

Touchdowns: 11

Hunter took a dip in YPC as his freshman season progressed, but he broke out this past season with three hundred-yard performances over the final three games of the year - including two huge games against Texas A&M and Alabama.

His blend of power and explosiveness has provided Auburn with a fun compliment to star tailback Tank Bigsby - but now that Bigsby is gone, is Hunter ready to lead the way in the backfield?

All signs point towards yes, and there's reason to believe that OC Philip Montgomery and HC Hugh Freeze will be excited about using him.

However, Montgomery has been clear that Auburn will be playing running back by committee, so unless Hunter pushes past the 75-80 yards per game we project him to get this season, he should be on pace to scrape past the thousand-yard mark.

Damari Alston

Attempts: 123

Yards: 529 (4.3 YPC)

Touchdowns: 4

Alston was the newbie in the rotation this past season, and by default didn't see a lot of playing time - despite this, he finished inside the top 10 of PFF's individual offensive grades for the Tigers in 2022.

He has an almost identical frame to Hunter (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) but has a very different running style - his one-cut bruiser style approach to the game makes him a difficult matchup for opponents as a rotational back - there is no fun in trying to hold Jarques Hunter down and then immediately having to account for a back that does not shy away from contact. He had almost 2,000 all-purpose yards as a junior in high school and has the potential to be a solid option in years to come for Auburn.

Brian Battie

Attempts: 78

Yards: 406 (5.2 YPC)

Touchdowns: 2

Over his three year career at USF, Battie rushed for 1842 yards and ten TDs. Battie was also named an 2021 NCAA Consensus All-American at Kick Returner, just the 2nd All-American in USF program history, and followed that with a 2022 season that saw him rack up 1186 yards (at 6.7 yards per carry), eight touchdowns, and be named to Phil Steele's All-American team in an all-purpose role.

A former 3-star recruit from Sarasota, FL, the 5-foot-8 Battie should be able to get his when the opportunity presents itself. Injuries have held Battie back this offseason, so projecting him to be close to Alston's numbers makes sense.

Jeremiah Cobb

Attempts: 26

Yards: 114 (4.4 YPC)

Touchdowns: 1

This may be the most intriguing pickup of Auburn's 2023 recruiting class. Cobb was a monster at Montgomery Catholic High School, posting insane stats and displaying a well-rounded skill set. 247Sports noted in their analysis that "not one physical trait that stands out among the rest but (Cobb) possesses a well-rounded skill set and has a good feel for the position."

And a good feel he has. There have been several comps thrown out for Cobb, and one many recruiting experts come back to is Alvin Kamara, given his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and turn anything into a big gain. There's not a particular area of weakness in his game (outside of the fact that he's still raw, as any high school talent), which is great news for the Tigers, who would expect him to take over the starting role as early as 2024 if Jarquez Hunter were to declare for the NFL Draft.

Cobb has some serious potential to become a great weapon in Hugh Freeze's offense in the future.

Sean Jackson

Attempts: 9

Yards: 36 (4.0 YPC)

Touchdowns: 0

Jackson earned his scholarship as a redshirt freshman last season. He did not record a stat for the Tigers in 2022, but received 12 carries for 60 yards and one touchdown over the course of Auburn's first two games of 2021 (Akron, Alabama State).

He'll be on roster to provide depth in what should be a very talented and well-balanced running back room in 2023. Whether or not Freeze and Montgomery end up giving him any serious playing time is to be determined, but Jackson has been praised for his work ethic - hence his reception of a scholarship.

His bruising frame (5-foot-9, 230 pounds) could be utilized in short-yardage situations, if Freeze were to end up using him.

They said it:

Elijah McAllister recently joined The Next Round to talk about his leadership role, the team, and how he's never been apart of anything like Auburn in his life.

"I've never been part of something like this as a player," McAllister said. "The tradition, the Tiger Walk, the eagle flight, the amount of fans that is going to be there, it's already sold out. I'm just excited to be able to play at this university."

You can read his comments here.