Auburn briefing: Tigers land biggest flip in a long time

Auburn flipped a commitment away from the Georgia Bulldogs.

Author:
Lance Dawe
Publish date:
Jun 15, 2023 8:55 PM EDT

In this story:

Hugh Freeze is sending a message.

Freeze and the staff have hit the ground running in his first offseason on the Plains, recruiting better than Auburn has in possibly half a decade... or longer.

Auburn has brought in talented offensive linemen, gotten a legitimate quarterback, added depth in places they've needed to through the transfer portal - and now that the 2023 team is set, they've turned their attention to next year's class.

And what do you know, they've flipped a linebacker from Georgia.

Joseph Phillips, a four-star linebacker from Tuskegee, Alabama, committed to Auburn Thursday afternoon. All the way up until Wednesday, Phillips believed he was committing to Georgia. The Tigers got him to flip, and now have six four-stars in their 2024 recruiting class (eight players total).

Stealing a player away from Kirby Smart and the Dogs is sending a message - one that hopefully is built upon in the coming months. Hugh Freeze has the ability to bring Auburn back to where they were just a few years ago.

If he continues to recruit like he has thus far, the fans will have something special to watch in the coming seasons.

We wrote it

Seldom discussed are the coaches that make Auburn's star tailbacks shine. Recently, however, Auburn associate head coach and running backs coach Carnell "Cadillac" Williams was been named one of the best running backs coaches in the country.

Big Game Boomer, a college football social media influencer, constantly releases lists, rankings, and tier lists of players, teams, and fanbases. He recently posted a graphic of his top 50 RB coaches in college football. Cadillac Williams is listed at No. 2.

Read about the list here.

When taking the time to select a significant breakout playmaker from the 2023 haul of high school and transfer portal players Auburn fans have been afforded a litany of options.

These range from significant upgrades across the offensive field with additions like Dillon Wade from Tulsa, and Payton Thorne from Michigan State to upgrades across the defensive board with the additions of Austin Keys from Ole Miss, and Justin Rogers from Kentucky. Any of these players alongside several others have equal opportunity to become break out performers for the Auburn Tigers in the upcoming 2023-2024 season.

New Auburn Daily writer Joshua Collins wrote about why Rivaldo Fairweather could be the breakout player Auburn is looking for this upcoming season. Read about it here.

Tweet of the day

Auburn basketball is out putting in the work this summer. The Tigers' social media team released a couple of videos from a scrimmage - featuring new Auburn point guard Aden Holloway.

The Tigers kick off the 2023 season on September 2nd at home vs UMass at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Here's a look at the entire 2023 schedule:

Sept. 2nd vs UMass

Sept. 9th at California

Sept. 16th vs Samford

Sept. 23rd at Texas A&M

Sept. 30th vs Georgia

Oct. 14th at LSU

Oct. 21st vs Ole Miss

Oct. 28th vs Mississippi State

Nov. 4th at Vanderbilt

Nov. 11th at Arkansas