Bowl Projections

• ESPN.com: Schlabach and Feldman predict Independence Bowl vs. Texas A&M
  
• Chris Low agrees with Auburn to the Independence Bowl.
• CBS projects Auburn vs. Iowa State in the Independence Bowl.
• CFN projects Auburn vs. Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl.

Dakota Mosley Commits!

Three star tight end and teammate of Michael Dyer, Dakota Mosley has committed to Auburn. More to come.

Iron Bowl Chat

Weekend Weather

Don't Get Scammed!

Beware of counterfeit Iron Bowl tickets. AuburnTigers.com tells you all the signs to look for here!

Iron Bowl Replays

On ESPN Classic this week:

• Tuesday, 1 PM CT: 1984, Alabama 17 Auburn 15
• Tuesday, 4 PM CT: 1982, Auburn 23 Alabama 22
• Wednesday, 1 PM CT: 1985, Alabama 25 Auburn 23
• Wednesday, 4 PM CT: 1983, Auburn 23 Alabama 20

More On Freeman

Eltoro Freeman took "mental reps" at practice today. Chizik went on to say that his answer to any Freeman questions will remain "day-to-day" until game time.

Big Recruiting Update

• Rivals tells us that Auburn will have many visitors for the Iron Bowl.
• The first name is Brandon Mosley (who could play LB, DL, OL or TE). This guy out of Kansas has visited Auburn's campus before and will take an official visit this weekend. He also plans to take officials to Ole Miss and Florida State according to AuburnSports.com.
• JUCO corner Mike Harris will also be officially visiting. This California JUCO four star has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Miami (his hometown), among many others. Alabama is currently leading for him and he will also officially visit Ole Miss.
• Antonio Goodwin may be wavering on his commitment. He visited Georgia this past weekend. He will visit Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina before making his decision. His commitment is anything but solid in my opinion right now.
• Other official visits this weekend include Roszell Gayden, Akeem Cunningham, C.J. Mosely and Cody Parkey.
• Other unofficial visitors include Vic Beasley and Laurence Gibson, a huge Hargrave lineman who recently picked up an offer from the Tigers.
• Ahmad Dixon tells Auburn Undercover that Tennessee is now his leader along with Baylor. Due to playoffs, he will not be able to visit this weekend but still plans to take an official visit to Auburn after the season.
• Robert Johnson will visit Auburn in January.
• Auburn legacy Davis Dudchock has changed his commitment from Vanderbilt to Stanford.
• Other commitments who will be in Auburn this weekend include Chad Slade, Jawara White, Jeremy Richardson, Kenneth Carter, Shaun Kitchens, Demetruce McNeal and LaDarius Owens.
• Obviously high school playoffs are hurting Auburn's chances at landing some targets on campus Friday.
• Jay Hughes will take an official visit to the Plains January 21-23.
• Marcus Lattimore's high school teammate Nick Jones has committed to South Carolina.
• Michael Dyer rushed for over 200 yards but his team still came up short this weekend in his state semi-finals loss to Greenbrier.
• Info thanks to AuburnSports.com, AuburnUndercover and TechSideline.
• More to come later this week.

Team Updates

• Eltoro Freeman is working his way back from an ankle injury. Gene Chizik says he hopes he will be back in the next couple of days and says Freeman has "made some headway". Freeman may have practiced tonight.
• Freeman has been seen walking in a boot this past week.
• Chizik: "I think your chances of winning a huge rivalry game is in direct proportion to how you prepare for it."
• Charles Goldberg writes that Walt McFadden planned on giving the message boards some trash talk to post about but he has decided against it.
• Not a whole lot else has been coming out lately. Chizik may still comment on tonight's practice later.
• ALSO: A-Day has already been set for April 17, 2010.

Injury Updates

• Eltoro Freeman missed practice yesterday with a lingering injury from the Georgia game. While some news outlets have stated he had a concussion, I have been told that the more serious injury is actually an ankle injury. My sources say it is somewhat minor though and he could be back soon but that has not been confirmed by Gene Chizik. Chizik says Freeman is day-to-day.
• Onterio McCalebb is looking good according to Gus Malzahn. The three day break seems to have been a big relief for McCalebb. Malzahn said McCalebb was playing on only one foot in the fourth quarter against Georgia.
• Former Tiger and current Miami Dolphin Ronnie Brown is out for the season with an ankle/foot injury.

Tuesday News and Notes

• The Auburn team has had Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off of practice.
• Practice will begin for the Iron Bowl tomorrow.
• Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News has confirmed recent rumors regarding the Eric Smith case. Two other football players were involved in the incident but were not named. The plaintiff contends that two unnamed players began the altercation by punching his friend.
• Right now bowl projections have Auburn going to the Liberty Bowl vs. Houston, Outback Bowl vs. Wisconsin, Music City Bowl vs. UNC, Chick-fil-A vs. Clemson and Cotton vs. Oklahoma State.
• Eltoro Freeman's injury has been stated as either a concussion or a tweaked ankle. No word yet as to if he will return for the Iron Bowl and the way Chizik handles injuries, it is unlikely we will know before kickoff.
• According to the Austin-American Statesman, USC could now be the team to beat for Lache Seastrunk but he still appears to be wide open. According to Rivals, he is NO LONGER visiting for the Iron Bowl. He will be spending time with his family for Thanksgiving.
• New offensive line prospect Adrian Hubbard appears to be gone just as quick as he came onto Auburn's radar. He has narrowed his choices to FSU, South Carolina and Alabama.
• According to Auburn Undercover, Jay Hughes will take an official visit to Auburn in January.

Washington Honored

Demond Washington has been honored by the SEC as the Special Teams Player of the Week. Washington had 202 total kickoff return yards (school record) and 229 total return yards. The highlight was obviously his 99 yard kickoff return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Auburn vs. Georgia Chat

Reed Chooses Auburn!

Four star wide receiver commitment Trovon Reed announced his intention to play for Auburn over LSU and Oregon this morning. The top player out of the state of Louisiana is Auburn's 21st commitment for the 2010 class. Reed is an Army All American and had offers from nearly every school nationwide. He is ranked the 5th best receiver for 2010 and the 37th best player nationally by Rivals.

Reed To Announce

Trovon Reed now will announce his college decision tomorrow at 10:15 am according to Rivals, AuburnUndercover and ITAT. He will do it in similar fashion to Michael Dyer, announcing after receiving his U.S. Army All American invitation. Reed will choose between Auburn, LSU and Oregon. He seemed to be leaning toward Auburn until his visit to Oregon but I have heard Auburn still has a great shot.

Vote For Tate

Vote for Ben Tate to receive an official vote for the Doak Walker Award. Click here.

Channel Set

Auburn vs. Georgia has been set to be televised on ESPN2.

Malzahn Speaks

Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn spoke to Evan Woodbery about head coaching openings and gave a quote that will bring a smile to Auburn fans' faces. "I'm flattered if my name gets thrown around, I guess, but I'm extremely happy here...we've got big goals, big dreams here. I'm committed to that. That's the only thing on my mind."

Vote For Auburn

Click here to vote for Auburn to play in the 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl.

Byrum A Lou Groza Semi-Finalist

Junior kicker Wes Byrum has more than made up for a mediocre sophomore season. Byrum is now among the 20 finalists for the Lou Groza Award which is given out for the top collegiate kicker. He is among 5 SEC kickers who made the cut. He is 13 for 14 on the season in the field goal department and 43 for 43 on extra points.

Full list of semi-finalists here.

Memphis Not Interested In Malzahn

According to FootballScoop.com, Memphis is not interested in Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn for their opening at head coach. While their local media is speculating Malzahn, FootballScoop says sources close to the school has denied these rumors.

Former, Current AU Coaches Are HC Possibilities

With November upon us, struggling teams begin to weigh their head coaching options. Just 11 months ago, Tommy Tuberville was seemingly nudged out of the way in Auburn to make room for a fresh, new staff. Now teams that are in similar situations to the 2008 Tigers are beginning to scout their options.

CoachesHotSeat.com lists the top 10 hottest seats for NCAA football coaches with first year Hawaii head man Greg McMackin at number one. Today came the news that number five on the list, Tommy West of Memphis, would not be returning next season.

None of Auburn's coaches were on the coaching staff last year and a few shake ups could occur again this season. Current assistants for the Tigers have had their names rumored to be the next rookie head coach pretty much all season.

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn gained instant attention this season with Auburn, jumping out to a 5-0 start and being ranked near the top in most offensive categories. Malzahn, just four years removed of being a high school head coach, has been dubbed an offensive mastermind and has had his name float around Memphis and Louisville of late. Gus led the nation in total offense in 2007 and 2008 while offensive coordinator at Tulsa. He rose to fame after being hired out of Springdale High School (AK) by Houston Nutt to head the Arkansas Razorbacks' offense. While there, he got immediate attention running the 'Wildcat' formation with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones and helping lead the Razorbacks to their fourth ever SEC West championship.

Another Auburn assistant who will get serious looks, according to FootballScoop.com, is wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor. The young coach has gained an instant cult-like following at Auburn with his sideline energy and the sale of the "Trooper Towel". Taylor, also the assistant head coach, is a stud recruiter bringing in starting safety Daren Bates and potential future star wide receiver DeAngelo Benton in 2009 and three of Auburn's top 2010 commitments. Trooper played defensive back for the Baylor Bears and has since coached at Baylor, New Mexico, Tulane, Tennessee and Oklahoma State, coaching possibly the best receiver in the nation in Dez Bryant.

Auburn has been a stepping stone to head coaching jobs in recent years. Last season's defensive coordinator, Paul Rhoads, took over the head coaching job at Iowa State after Gene Chizik's departure and has the Cyclones at 5-5 right now looking to make their first bowl since 2005. Chizik himself left Auburn after 2004 to lead the Texas Longhorns' defense to a National Championship in 2005 and then took over as head coach at Iowa State in 2007. Will Muschamp left the Tigers after the 2007 season to become defensive coordinator for the Longhorns and now appears to be the head coach in waiting.

Auburn's previous two head coaches, Tommy Tuberville and Terry Bowden, have also been rumored for some of the Division I jobs. Tuberville has spent this season working with ESPN and relaxing with family while waiting for a tempting head coaching job to open. Terry Bowden jumped back into head coaching this season for the first time since 1998, which was his last season at Auburn. Bowden had the North Alabama Lions football team at 10-0, ranked number one in the nation in Division II until losing Saturday to West Alabama in four overtimes.

It remains to be seen if Gus Malzahn would leave Auburn after just one season. It seems inevitable for Malzahn to be a great head coach but the job has to fit him. I do not believe Tommy Tuberville would be a good fit at Memphis either and I would expect him to hold off for a school such as Virginia, if Al Groh is let go after an underwhelming stint with the Cavaliers. Tuberville has also been rumored to be quite interested in the possibility of coaching at UCF.

Memphis seems to have real interest in Trooper Taylor but in recent interviews Taylor seems to want to stay put in Auburn for a while. I feel pretty good about keeping the key members of the current Auburn staff together for at least one more season.

Bowl Projections

ESPN.com

• Mark Schlabach - Auburn vs. Oklahoma State - Cotton Bowl
• Bruce Feldman - Auburn vs. Iowa - Capital One Bowl
• Chris Low - Auburn vs. Big 12 - Cotton Bowl

CBS.com

• Auburn vs. Oklahoma State - Cotton Bowl

Scout.com

• Auburn vs. Oklahoma State - Cotton Bowl

Updates

• Trying something new...since I have links to recruits and not actual players...I will now link players to their previous stories on the blog.
• No word on Travante Stallworth's knee injury he suffered on Saturday. If I had to guess, I would say he misses this weekend's game at Georgia.
• Onterio McCalebb will likely be back this weekend after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.
• It appears linebacker Adam Herring will likely miss the rest of the regular season with an undisclosed injury.
• While we saw Anthony Gulley in a ton of different positions this weekend (receiver, running the ball, corner back), Gene Chizik says not to expect to see him thrown into the action at corner in these big games. Gulley definitely proved himself worthy down the road to get some serious PT on offense or defense.
• You could, however, see Gulley returning punts this weekend. After Philip Pierre-Louis' mishap this weekend and Gulley proving his athleticism, I like Gulley to return the first punt from the Bulldogs. He fielded substantial punts in practice Sunday.
• Auburn is down to four healthy scholarship linebackers (Freeman, Bynes, Stevens and Evans).
• Let's take a look at recruiting...
• Rivals tells us star receiver Trovon Reed has delayed his public announcement from early this Friday to anytime from immediately following the game on. Auburn Undercover tells us Reed may be leaning toward Oregon over Auburn and LSU following an official visit last weekend.
• AuburnSports.com, Scout.com and Auburn Undercover reported about Vanderbilt commitment Bradley Roby visiting the Plains this weekend. Don't be fooled by him being committed to Vanderbilt nor his three star ranking, Roby is a stud. He previously listed Auburn his leader before committing to Vandy. He says he has renewed interest in Auburn and make take an official visit to the Plains but will not be able to make it for the Iron Bowl.
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Auburn Cracks Top 25

The Auburn Tigers returned to at least one top 25 ranking this weekend with a dominating win over Furman. The Tigers came in at number 25 in the USA Today Poll. Auburn is currently at 28th in the AP poll. Auburn and Virginia Tech are the only two 3-loss teams in the USA Today top 25.

Auburn vs. Furman Chat

Sorry there was no chat last weekend. Here ya go:

Top Running Back Chooses The Tigers!

The top running back in the nation according to ESPN.com, Michael Dyer, has announced his intention to play football at Auburn. The all time leading rusher in the state of Arkansas chose Auburn over Arkansas and Tennessee but held offers from just about every school in the nation.

Dyer is Auburn's biggest commitment thus far for the 2010 class. He named Auburn his leader very early in the process and the Tigers never really lost the lead. He even announced he would be committing to Auburn last Thursday but wanted to hold off on an official announcement for this morning after receiving his invitation to the Under Armour All American Game. His teammate, Dakota Mosley, has also named Auburn his leader.

Dyer Decision Tomorrow

The number one running back recruit in the nation, according to ESPN.com, will announce his college choice tomorrow between Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas. Michael Dyer, who recently set the Arkansas state rushing record, will likely announce for Auburn tomorrow morning at 9:30. He will first accept his invite to the Under Armour All American Game and then make the announcement.

ALSO: Trovon Reed has set an announcement date for next Friday. It appears Auburn is in great shape to land him.

Q&A with Tuberville

OnlineAthens had a pretty interesting Q&A with former head coach Tommy Tuberville. Click here.

Latest On Etheridge

Photo: Jay G. Tate

• Zac Etheridge was walking in a neck brace and shoulder harness. Will have to wear the brace 24/7 for the next 3-4 months.
• Thanks Auburn fans for support and prayers.
• Damaged ligaments in neck and cracked 5th vertebrate.
• He has not undergone any surgeries but will meet with the doctors again.
• Hopes to play again and says the doctors think he will be able to.
• He called Rodney Scott to thank him for his actions (or no actions) but Scott was in class. Had a conversation with Houston Nutt.
• He has not decided on if he will finish classes this semester.
• Says he was paralyzed for the first couple of minutes after the hit.

Etheridge Released; Full Recovery Possible?

Zac Etheridge has been released from the hospital after suffering a neck injury during the Ole Miss game. Etheridge was reportedly walking and Chizik said the medical staff is optimistic Etheridge will make a full recovery.

A Few Bowl Projections

• ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman project Auburn vs. Wisconsin at the Outback Bowl.
• CBSSports.com projects Auburn vs. Miami in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
• Scout.com projects Auburn vs. Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
• The Rivalry, Esq. blog projects Auburn vs. Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

John Thrower, Dead At 56

Local radio personality and regular on SportsCall has been found dead of natural causes. Thrower was an attorney, SportsCall regular and writer for the Auburn Villager. More to come...

Article from the Villager here.

Auburn-Georgia Set For Night

Auburn will face the Georgia Bulldogs at night in two weeks on either ESPN or ESPN2. Kickoff is set for 6 PM CT.

NOTE: ESPN will decide between this game and the Alabama-Mississippi State game for which will be shown on ESPN or ESPN2...

Two Tigers Honored

Two Auburn Tigers were honored by the SEC for their play on defense this weekend.

• Walt McFadden was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week with 5 tackles (1.5 for loss), and 2 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown).
• Antonio Coleman was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week with five tackles (four for loss), 2 sacks, one forced fumble, four QB hurries and one blocked kick.

Former Signee To Tennessee

Former Auburn signee Ken Adams has committed to Tennessee according to VolQuest.com. Adams, a defensive end and tight end at Copiah-Lincoln Community College signed with Auburn out of high school in 2008 but failed to qualify. He was not a top priority for the new staff.

Zac Etheridge Update

Sources close to Zac Etheridge are saying he will miss the rest of the season and may have to give up football. Etheridge suffered a neck injury on Saturday and spent the night at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.