War Eagle Daily

We are officially 30 days away from Auburn’s season opener. It’s an exciting thought that in less than a month we’ll be tuning in to ESPN+ to see Auburn for the first time this year. If you think about how quickly the months have gone by this year, this one is sure to fly by as well. Today we look at wide receiver Demetris Robertson.

Demetris Robertson is a 6’0, 200 lb wide receiver from Savannah, Georgia. Robertson started off his college football career by signing with the University of California. He was ranked the #13 overall player in the recruiting class of 2016, and the #1 ranked receiver, and cemented himself as a 5-star recruit. In two seasons at Cal, Demetris had 57 receptions for 837 yards and 7 touchdowns. Robertson transferred to Georgia, where over three seasons had 42 receptions for 443 yards and 3 touchdowns. Last month, he announced his decision to transfer to Auburn to play his final college season. Robertson will be a sixth year senior. With quick speed and great hands, Demetris could be a huge factor for Auburn this year considering they lack experience and production from the other receivers on roster. He will likely start at slot receiver for the Tigers this year. Robertson isn’t on campus yet, but should be in the next few days. He’s been a solid receiver for whoever he’s played for. But Robertson has yet to have a 1000 yard receiving year. Can 2021 be his breakout year and path to the NFL? We’ll find out very soon. It’s unknown what number Demetris will wear for Auburn, but expect it to be #0. War Eagle.

We’re now exactly a month away until the Tigers face Akron in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Like I said in yesterday’s article, I will be writing a short but detailed article about some of Auburn’s most important players. Yesterday was Tank Bigsby. Today, it’s Roger McCreary.

Roger McCreary is a 6’0, 200 lb cornerback from Mobile, Alabama. As a junior in 2020, McCreary had 6 pass deflections, 38 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble. McCreary is one of the best returning defensive backs in the SEC. As a recruit, McCreary was ranked 989 in the country, and the 34th best recruit in Alabama. The only player from the top recruits in Alabama from the 2018 class to have more success than McCreary is Clemson receiver Justyn Ross, who was ranked as the best player in Alabama. Roger has certainly outperformed his rankings as a college football player. He has the quickness and stableness to hang with some of the quickest and most agile receivers in the country. McCreary is excellent at squaring his shoulders to the ball when attempting to make a play on the ball. He is Auburn’s top returning cornerback, and could be considered one of Auburn’s best defensive players of this decade with a strong senior season. Look out for #23 this year. He’s poised to perform well. War Eagle.

Auburn will kickoff on September 4th against Akron for the season opener. Everyday until kickoff, I’ll be posting a quick but detailed inside look at some of Auburn football’s most important players. First up in the series, Tank Bigsby…

Tank Bigsby is a 6’0, 210 lb running back from Callaway High School in LaGrange, Georgia. As a freshman last year, Tank steamed his way to 834 rushing yards with 5 touchdowns. Bigsby enters his sophomore season projected as the best running back in college football by Pro Football Focus. Arguably Auburn’s best player, Bigsby has an explosive first step, combined with excellent field vision and shifty elusiveness. His speed and grit along with his power is unmatched in college football. Auburn hasn’t had a 1000 yard runner in a single season since Kerryon Johnson in 2018. Will Bigsby end the cold streak? Yes, most likely, as long as he can stay healthy. Tank’s real name is Cartavious. “When I was younger, I played rec ball and my mom told me that I run the ball like a tank. I used to just hit people with my head, so she gave me the nickname Tank and I’ve been called that ever since.” Tank’s name is among college football’s best names. Expect a huge year from #4. War Eagle.

Former Auburn star Sharife Cooper is expected to be a first round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. There’s an interesting team that may be targeting Cooper.

Recently, the Boston Celtics traded their point guard Kemba Walker (#8 in the picture above) to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 16th overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Sharife Cooper, a point guard, is expected to be taken anywhere from the 15th pick to the 25th pick. The Celtics reportedly hosted Cooper for a workout recently. Now with the 16th pick, could Boston be targeting him?

The Celtics are a young team, with rising stars. One thing they seem to lack is a commanding point guard who can stretch the floor and make any pass in the books. Cooper fits that description. Is Cooper perfect? Not at all. His three point shooting and his defense need work. But his passing, court vision and ball handling are all done at an elite level. Taking Cooper in the draft could be a huge long-term reward for whoever takes him.

So who will take Cooper? Right now, I’d put my money on the Boston Celtics.

Road games are almost always difficult against a worthy team. Let’s take a look at the hardest atmospheres that the Tigers will play in this year.

1. Penn State // Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions are known for their “white out game” This is the game where Penn State invites every fan who attends the game, to wear white. The Auburn game will be the white out game. Teams that walk into Beaver Stadium, which is blanketed in white, usually lose. Hopefully that’s not the case for Auburn. But Penn State will be a hostile environment regardless.

2. LSU // Death Valley. Death Valley is always tough to play in. The very name of it is intimidating. LSU and Auburn are not the most obvious rivals, but still have a strong hatred for each other. This game is going to be wild. Especially if former LSU quarterback TJ Finley plays in this game.

3. South Carolina // Williams-Brice Stadium. Auburn lost to South Carolina last season, when Bo Nix threw multiple interceptions. The crowd definitely affected the game. It’s a place that nobody likes to play in.

4. Texas A&M // Kyle Field. Auburn hasn’t lost to Texas A&M in Kyle Field in a while. But this is still a rough atmosphere.

5. Arkansas // Razorback Stadium. Auburn usually has no competition against Arkansas, except for last year. With Arkansas on a slight uprise, it may be a tougher environment than usual.

Auburn received huge boosts in both Basketball and Football this past week.

On Wednesday, Bruce Pearl gained a huge pickup with Georgia transfer K.D. Johnson. The 6’1 guard from Decatur, Georgia is a huge pickup for Auburn Basketball. With 13.5 points per game last season, Johnson shot the ball effectively, proving he belongs in the SEC. With Sharife Cooper leaving for the NBA Draft, this pickup was a significant one. Johnson can play both point guard and shooting guard.

Unfortunately, Auburn missed out on 5-star superstar point guard Scoot Henderson this past week. Henderson committed to the g-league Ignite, becoming the second top recruit to choose the g-league over Auburn. But it is what it is.

JT Thor’s draft decision should be announced very soon. Auburn is likely done in the portal for now, regardless of whether Thor returns or not.

Bryan Harsin added a very solid athlete to the program also on Wednesday. Donovan Kaufman, a Vanderbilt safety transfer committed to Auburn. Since he only played two games last year due to injury, Kaufman will have all four years of college remaining. Expect him to start at safety, opposite of Smoke Monday. Kaufman had 15 tackles and 1 pass deflection in the two games that he played. Pretty impressive.

Auburn will likely add LSU quarterback transfer TJ Finley tomorrow at 11 CT. He is down to Auburn, Alabama, Houston, and Penn State. It is believed that Auburn and Penn State are the leaders. Expect Auburn to land him.

War Eagle.

Quarterback Chayil Garnett, defensive end Jaren Handy, defensive tackle Jay Hardy, safety Chris Thompson, and cornerback Kamal Hadden all entered the transfer portal in recent weeks.

Thompson committed to USC and Handy committed to Indiana, while all the others remain looking for a new school.

None of these losses for Auburn are very significant. None of these players were starters, and most of them were lost in the shuffling order of their position.

Auburn began ramping up its recruitment on transfers via the portal. The Tigers were able to gain UAB defensive lineman transfer Tony Fair, and SEMO safety transfer Bydarrius Knighten. Both will be seniors for Auburn.

At UAB, Tony Fair recorded 56 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery and 3 forced fumbles.

Bydarrius Knighten had an incredibly productive career at SEMO recording 262 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, and 23 pass breakups.

Earlier this year, Auburn landed Northwestern transfer Eku Leota, and West Virginia transfer Dreshun Miller.

Bryan Harsin is still seeking players from the transfer portal. Here are some of his targets…

LSU QB transfer TJ Finley has expressed interest in Auburn. “There is an opportunity there,” said Finley. “A lot of people in the organization there since the new staff got there believe I can come in and compete for the starting job. It ain’t like me going there to be a backup,” Finley struggled against Auburn last year. But in 5 games for LSU, Finley recorded 941 passing yards with 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He had a 57.1% completion percentage. Penn State, Texas, and Auburn are the programs that Finley is most interested in per reports.

Vanderbilt safety transfer Donovan Kaufman is announcing his decision on Wednesday next week. As a freshman for Vandy, Kaufman had only 15 tackles and 1 pass deflection. Nut he only played two games due to injury. So those numbers are actually very impressive considering he only played two games. Kaufman’s top choices are Auburn and Texas.

CMU running back Jordon Ingram, who’s stats are unavailable, is expected to announce a decision soon. He would be a big boost to the running back depth.

Ke’Shun Brown from Texas A&M has Auburn’s attention. Last year as a freshman Brown didn’t play. Brown is an inside linebacker.

Kansas defensive lineman Marcus Harris is on the Tiger’s radar. He had 29 tackles and a forced fumble in two years at Kansas. The Montgomery native will be a redshirt sophomore in 2021.

Auburn is slowly but surely addressing its needs. War Eagle.

The NFL Draft was a wonderful event this past weekend. Filled with surprises and interesting storylines, four Auburn players heard the phone ring.

Anthony Schwartz, the fastest player in the draft, was taken 91 overall in the third round by the Cleveland Browns. The former Auburn receiver ran a blazing 4.26 forty yard dash time. He will team up with former LSU receivers Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry. Expect an incredible offense for the Browns this season. Former Heisman winner from Oklahoma Baker Mayfield is the quarterback, along with former Georgia star Nick Chubb at running back.

Jamien Sherwood was taken 146 overall at the top of the fifth round by the New York Jets. Sherwood, who was a safety at Auburn, will play linebacker for New York. This is due to his lack of speed. Sherwood doesn’t have the elite speed needed to play safety in the NFL. However, he is a downhill hard hitter, so linebacker will be a great fit for him.

KJ Britt came off the board in round five as well. He was picked 176 by the Super Bowl Champs, Tampa Bay. Britt, who was injured most of last season, may have been picked higher had he not been hurt. Britt, a linebacker, will join former Auburn stars Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean, who both play defensive back.

Seth Williams sled into round six. The 219 pick was drafted by the Denver Broncos. Williams will remain wearing an orange and navy jersey. Williams would’ve probably benefitted by returning for his senior year. However, he will join a very balanced offense, which includes former Alabama star receiver Jerry Jeudy.

Jordyn Peters signed with the Jets and will join Jamien Sherwood. Eli Stove signed with the LA Chargers, where he will catch passes from former Oregon superstar Justin Herbert.

War Eagle!

Small talk has big interest. You can get really excited just based off of small talk and small rumors.

There’s small talk that Bruce Pearl has been in contact with yet another transfer. Izaiah Brockington entered the transfer portal recently. The junior from Penn State averaged an impressive 12.6 points a game and 4.9 rebounds per game while going 43% from the field.

Brockington has posted his junior season highlights on his YouTube channel. And wow, this guy can play basketball. He’s 6’4 and has a lot of explosiveness. He isn’t afraid to take contact. Brockington is one of the most impressive finishers at the rim that I’ve ever seen. He’s a pretty steady three point shooter and can intercept passes on defense. His awareness and court vision really standout.

I’ve yet to mention what position Brockington is. That’s because he doesn’t really have one. He can play the 2, the 3, and the 4. He’s a very hybrid player. Brockington is an impressive defender. His play style would make him the heart and sole of Auburn’s team next year. He’d be a great replacement for Trey Alexander who decommitted last week, and JT Thor, who will likely leave for the NBA draft.

The problem is, multiple other teams are targeting Brockington. He’s on everyone’s radar. Auburn seems to be the best program out of all the schools talking to him, but will that be enough? Never count Bruce Pearl out. If there’s anyone that can land a big time transfer, it’s him.

War Eagle.

It’s been a wild past few days for Bruce Pearl’s program. Both good and bad.

On Tuesday, Auburn received news from Allen Flanigan that he would return for his junior season.

“As many of you know, playing in the NBA has always been my lifelong dream, but I also have other goals and dreams, like becoming an All-SEC player or award finalist and leading this team to something special like an SEC championship or NCAA Tournament,” Flanigan wrote on Instagram. “With that being said, I will no longer be focusing on the 2021 NBA Draft. I’m coming back! The journey continues… let’s be great!”

Flanigan stepped up to the plate, averaging 14.3 points per game last year. Flanigan played out of position at point guard for a chunk of last year due to Justin Powell and Sharife Cooper’s absence. Flanigan is the son of former Auburn point guard and current Auburn assistant coach Wes Flanigan. He is expected to be a first round draft pick in the 2022 NBA draft next year.

Also on Tuesday, Auburn landed Arkansas transfer Desi Sills. The 6’2 shooting guard announced his commitment to the Tigers via Instagram and Twitter.

“I’m going somewhere I can be Desi Sills and not be (held) back,” he said on Instagram when he entered the portal. “That’s that on that. I’m a certified (bucket), y’all will see in the near future.”

Sills had a up and down year at Arkansas. He finished the year with 7.5 points per game and was an average 31.8% from three point range. While his points per game aren’t impressive, keep this in mind. Sills was injured around mid season last year. His points per game before injury were just under 15 per game. Since the injury sidelined him, it allowed others to step up for the Razorbacks as Sills’ playing time decreased when he was back from injury. It was apparent also that the injury played a factor in him being less efficient shooting the ball. The left handed Sills, injured his left shoulder, which obviously effects his shot.

If Sills can get back in form, and return to being as great a scorer as he has in the past, he may push for a starting spot. Sills will be a senior on the Plains, as he spent three years in Fayetteville.

Auburn faced some down news on Thursday. 4-star shooting guard signee Trey Alexander re-opened his recruitment, meaning he won’t join the Tigers after all. Alexander committed in November of last year, and signed a week after. Alexander is a fantastic shooter, which would’ve helped Auburn tremendously. Sills’ commitment may have been the factor in his decision to decommit.

Some good, some bad. Overall, the Tigers are in amazing shape. There’s still a couple of spots open on the roster. Pearl can still add more if he chooses.

War Eagle.