Auburn football: Lineman and linebacker named Iron Men of the Week

Despite the flurry of SEC Media Days taking place this week, Auburn football’s first-year head coach Bryan Harsin still made time for the Iron Men of the Week announcement. Recognizing their hard work during the offseason, two Iron Men are honored weekly–one defensive and one offensive player.

Linebacker Cam Riley and offensive lineman Kilian Zierer are this week’s honorees. Riley is a rising sophomore who saw game action as a true freshman, while Zierer did not play at all during the 2020 season due to injury.

An Alabama native, Riley committed to play for Auburn football as part of the recruiting class of 2020. Riley was a 4-star out of high school and played in all 11 games of the 2020 season. He recorded nine tackles, four of which were in the Citrus Bowl versus Northwestern.

As a more experienced sophomore, Cam Riley will most likely be seeing the field a lot more in 2021 to help take the workload off Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain.

Kilian Zierer arrived on the Plains from JUCO College of Canyons. At the time of his transfer, he was ranked as the No. 1 JUCO prospect as his position by ESPN,  and the No. 11 overall JUCO recruit according to Auburn Rivals.

Though Auburn football’s offensive line is one of the areas of concern for the team heading into the 2021 season, Zierer is still expected to be a backup to the likes of Nick Brahms, Brodarious Hamm, and Brandon Council. The Tigers do not lack depth at the scrimmage line with nearly all the linemen returning–14 to be exact–but the issue will be in making sure that all 15 linemen are at the level they need to be to protect the quarterback.

War Eagle and kudos to Kilian Zierer and Cam Riley for being honored as this week’s Iron Men of the Week.