AUgryphon

I agree that Bruce's first priority was making sure his son got the job. Honestly, if 5 years ago he made a deal with the administration that he would stay at Auburn 5 more years, but at the end of it Steven became HC, I would be ok with that. Steven may or may not be great, but if a couple of years of Steven as an average HC is the price we pay for basketball relevancy, it was worth it.

There is also value in keeping Bruce engaged at Auburn, and this is the only way that happens.

However, we shouldn't kid ourselves. Bruce was unique and he knew how to get the best out of coaches and players. He also knew how to get the fans to buy in when there was nothing worth buying into. Steven won't have that. My hope is he doesn't need it and that he brings his own personality to the job of leading the program.

Mel Gibson's ability to craft a villain and get you emotionally invested is on full display here.

Many have said they wouldn't change anything, but I have always wished they either cut the jaguar attack scene, or did a better job with the effects on that scene. It's the only "that looks fake" moment in an otherwise perfect movie.

DB's- depth upgraded from last year, and Crawford's emergence as a lockdown leader make this group look very good.

Safeties- They added lots of talent in form of 2 freshmen, GT safety, and Texas A&M impact safety (who isn't even a factor yet). Champ Anthony is a safety now and we've seen what he can do when healthy. Kaleb Harris in 2nd year should be an upgrade. Ironically other starting safety is a guy I forgot was on the team who transferred from Colorado last year (originally at Alabama). I'm confident that whoever starts had to beat out some dudes. Massive upgrade from last year.

LBs- I was worried, but all reports are that the gambles on the LSU kid and 3-star Deas have paid off. But I need to see it before I claim this room upgraded. I don't doubt we are super fast and athletic at this position in ways we haven't been since pre-Covid, but LB is a more mental position. Calling it a push, and could be a downgrade.

Edge/Buck- Mcleod was very good. We have added a couple of intriguing players and some others who have grown up (Amaris Williams). On paper there are several guys who could make us elite at these positions. But only Faulk and to some degree the Ark State kid have produced anything. I expect it to be an upgrade because someone new is going to be an impact player, and Ark St kid was already upping his game at end of last season. If we can get 3 guys plus Keldric making a difference, it will be a big upgrade.

DL- I was really really worried about these positions. There is very little proven production at the P4 level returning. But the practice reports indicate that they hit big time on a lot of guys, including the freshmen. Once again, we need to see it. No one really knows. If our defense is going to be elite, then this group needs to be the biggest upgrade of all. (For those who didn't catch the Jason Caldwell practice report where he talked about the NFL scouts, he relayed that the scouts were very interested in Dallas Walker from before he came here, and they kept asking who Jourdin Crawford was while watching the DL practice. There is hope that DL could be much more than serviceable).

Verdict: Auburn lost their top 4 tacklers from last year, but somehow they are probably better. Certainly faster and deeper. Out future depends on some young guys from last year improving a lot as sophomores. Best since 1914? No. That would require all the question marks being elite.

Being critical of the playcalling situation is justified. Hugh's offense has been bad, and he hasn't changed much within the offensive staff to make me believe that he has fixed all the problems. The Nix hire was clearly a signal that Hugh was taking full control of the offense, and I hoped that would turn things around, but it didn't. And nothing changed from last year to this year other than players, and four major player changes are transfers for whom this is the first year in our playbook.

So when we listen to Hugh attempt to elevate Nix and Austin and their contribution to the offense as if there will be 3 guys on the mic discussing the next play, I can't tell if he understands what is broke. Seems like he doesn't. I don't want this year to be an offensive failure, so it isn't going to satisfy me when he is fired for fielding an incompetent offense. I'd rather Auburn be good. It's OK to voice displeasure when you see losses coming due to choices being made now.

I also want Freeze to figure it out and get the program rocking. I like everything he is doing with the program except gameday coaching and I'm not crazy about his management of the offensive coaching staff. He could make me forget about both those issues this year.

Part of my optimism for this year is that the consequences of mediocrity would be devastating to Auburn Football. I don't want to even consider how hopeless our program would be if we had to fire Hugh.

"Not so fast, my friend." - Trump

What does it all mean?

So many problems with the new system

1. 20.5 milli9n doesnt seem like very much to split between all athletes.
2. Are under the table benefits back? Otherwise what would really differentiate one offer from another?
3. A committee to decide which nil deals are legit? I hate it. Auburn will for sure play it safe while our rivals call the ncaa's bluff.
4. Auburn seems to want to avoid early bid wars. I dont blame them, but now we have to have an extremely aggressive closing strategy since we will be relying on flips. I think having the recruit on your commit list will prove more reliable than coming in late with aggressive bids.

Recruiting problems in order of likelihood:

1. Rumor is that there is heavy negative recruiting around Hugh's cancer diagnosis. That combined with possible termination for performance has made everyone worry that Freeze won't return next year.

2. There is clearly some aspect of the new NIL/Shared revenue situation that Auburn either is not dirty enough to exploit or is not smart enough to exploit. Another way of looking at it is that we are following rules some other teams are ignoring amidst unclear NCAA guidance.

3. Auburn has been bad for a long time.

4. The loss of Charles Kelly may be more significant than we realize. Aldridge as well.


The problem is that even if we are very good this year (please let us be good), we may be so far behind the recruiting 8 ball that we can't recover well. A weak class is not the end of the world, but it sucks in the moment, especially when it could have been an excellent class. If we win a lot of games I'm sure Hugh will grab some high caliber flips, but the number of blue chips just won't get very high.

I wouldn't mind Bruce grabbing a small twitchy point guard. If Magwood isnt ready, then that position becomes an issue.

I have come to appreciate "I have a Dream" and "Mother Knows Best" more and more with time. Also, Zachary Levi's performance as Flynn was perfect.