NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) celebrates his touchdown catch during the A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
The Auburn offense heads into the 2024 season after spending much of 2023 in a state of flux. While quarterback Payton Thorne showed flashes of competence, specifically in the late SEC season, his lack of explosive weapons and inexperience in the Hugh Freeze offense led the Tigers to one of the worst offensive outputs in the conference.
Still, Auburn was able to win six games behind a dynamic defense that was consistently ranked in the top 20 in ESPN’s Football Power Index. That defense lost some key pieces this offseason however, further creating a need to [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], Hugh Freeze, Derrick Nix, and the Auburn offense to carry a bigger load in 2024.
If the Tigers are going to have a successful campaign, the offense needs not only improve, but improve drastically. That needs to start on Saturday against Alabama A&M, and it starts with the pass catching threats on the outside.
Only two wide receivers eclipsed the 300-yard mark a season ago on the Plains. Those players, [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag], both play college ball for different programs now. Only two incumbent wide receivers that made a decent impact, [autotag]Caleb Burton II[/autotag] (226 yards, 2023) and [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] (110 yards, 2023) remain on the Auburn roster this season.
The Tigers do return tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and his team-leading 394 receiving yards from a season ago, but Payton Thorne needs to have faith in other weapons outside the numbers when Auburn kicks off its season in a tomorrow. Those weapons, which are all due to make their Auburn debut, have plenty of talent. On…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/brians-column-auburns-weapons-statement-200055725.html
Author : Auburn Wire
Publish date : 2024-08-30 20:00:55
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
