The Auburn Tigers are entering year number three without Gus Malzahn. The Brian Harsin experience didn’t work so the Tigers had to go in a different direction. Auburn brings in Hugh Freeze and all eyes are immediately back on Auburn again. Can Hugh Freeze get Auburn back on top? Here is the preview for the 2023 Auburn Tigers.
Offense
Freeze hit the portal hard once he was named the new head coach of the Auburn Tigers. First thing he did was find a quarterback. In comes Payton Thorne, the redshirt senior from Michigan State. With Freeze also bringing in a new offensive coordinator in Phillip Montgomery, the two are looking to create an effective RPO spread system. One of the big things that Auburn has is a dynamic running back room.
The running back room is led by junior running back Jarquez Hunter who averages 6.5 yards per carry in his collegiate career. Auburn bolstered their offensive line bringing in three transfers that’ll start right away for the Tigers. Left tackle Dillon Wade (Tulsa), center Avery Jones (ECU), and right tackle Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky) will all be viable starters for the Tigers in 2023. They also added threats that prioritized length via the transfer portal. Tight end Rivaldo Fairweather (FIU) and receiver Nick Mardner (Cincinnati) are the two big names that the Tigers brought in for offensive weapons. This offense could be good, but will the chemistry come together sooner rather than later.
Defense
The Auburn Tigers defense was abysmal in 2022. They were not up to the levels that we are accustomed to seeing from the Tigers. Now they bring in former Baylor defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. Roberts is going to want the Tigers to get back to wreaking havoc more than anything in 2023.
They restocked their defensive line that returns Marcus Harris by adding former Kentucky interior lineman Justin Rogers via the transfer portal. The Tigers needed help on the defensive end and brought in two transfers to do so: Jalen McLeod (Appalachian State) and Elijah McAllister (Vanderbilt). Those two names should help out their rush off the edge. Their back seven is led by a good secondary group that returns key pieces D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett. Those two came back from a top 25 pass efficiency defense from a season ago. If the Tigers can figure out their defensive line issues, they can bounce back in 2023.
Win Total Bet
The win total is set at 6.5 on the FanDuel Sportsbook. The over is set at -142 odds and the under is set at +116 odds. Auburn is indeed a bowl eligible team, that is for sure. I can see them getting over this 6.5 win mark. However, the odds are super high for me to bet on. I would stay away from this win total bet, because Auburn will finish 7-5 and as someone who loves a good under sweat, this will hurt a ton.
Schedule Predictions
Win vs UMASS (1-0)
Win at California (2-0)
Blowout Win vs Samford (3-0)
Loss at Texas A&M (3-1)
Loss vs Georgia (3-2)
Close Loss at LSU (3-3)
Win vs Ole Miss
Win vs Mississippi State (5-3)
Blowout Win at Vanderbilt (6-3)
Loss at Arkansas (6-4)
Win vs New Mexico State (7-4)
Loss vs Alabama (7-5)