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Auburn Football: Will Hastings an Exciting Return for the Tigers

By Shea Brennaman

AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 7: Wide receiver Will Hastings #33 of the Auburn Tigers runs the ball in for a touchdown over safety Macon Clark #37 of the Tulane Green Wave at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 7, 2019 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 7: Wide receiver Will Hastings #33 of the Auburn Tigers runs the ball in for a touchdown over safety Macon Clark #37 of the Tulane Green Wave at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 7, 2019 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Will Hastings is a player Auburn has missed not just for his play-making abilities but for his spirit. This season he has excelled returning to the field.

Two knee surgeries. That’s what sidelined Will Hastings last season after he tore his ACL. He was coming off a hot 2017 season where he caught 26 passes for 525 yards and helped Auburn go to the SEC Championship game. Hastings has since returned, and the veteran has started off hot for the Tigers with 113 catching yards in the first two games.

His play-making abilities are undeniable. Against Tulane I watched in the press box as Hastings reeled in what appeared to be an uncatchable ball. I also saw him score his first touchdown since 2017.

My heart filled with elation for him after knowing what all he’s had to endure in the last year, and my same heart nearly skipped a beat when he took an illegal hit by Tulane’s Macon Clark. Clark would be ejected for targeting but Hastings laid there on the field a few minutes after the hit. The stadium fell silent as trainers ran to the field to tend to the injured Hastings and help him off the field.

“That was definitely one of the harder hits I’ve taken,” Hastings said with a smile in the post-game press conference. Hastings was cleared to play after being helped off the field, but coaches did not let him return and opted to run the ball and clock out.

He wanted to be out there to close this game out. That’s just the kind of spirit he has.

Fellow wide receiver Eli Stove was also sidelined last season for a torn ACL. The two rehabbed every morning at 5:45 together and were a constant source of inspiration for each other. Stove said that he was “really happy” to see Hastings score a touchdown and that the two “went through a whole lot together.” Stove and Hastings both played a big role in Auburn’s victory over Tulane Saturday night with Stove helping the run game.

The Tigers fought through a series of misfires and meltdowns on offense before defeating Tulane 24-6. After Tulane Hastings was asked about Nix’s play and he never shied away from believing in his young quarterback, “he’s frustrated about his play but I see that fire in him and he’s young, he’s going to keep getting better.” He went on to say that he tells Nix to “smile more” to which the young quarterback appreciates but remains adamant that there’s always a time and place for that.

BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 14: Will Hastings #33 of the Auburn Tigers catches a pass and runs it in for a touchdown past Grant Delpit #9 of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 14: Will Hastings #33 of the Auburn Tigers catches a pass and runs it in for a touchdown past Grant Delpit #9 of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

I think we’d all benefit from smiling more but that’s just my input. Maybe Will’s onto something here. It might not be proven fact that smiling has any health benefits but I do know one thing and that is that Will Hastings is an Auburn man through and through and I’m thrilled to have him back for the Tigers.

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