Auburn football recognizes Iron Men of Week 3 amid program chaos

It’s an uncertain time for the Auburn football program. After the first losing record since 2012 and a disappointing National Signing Day, things went downhill to the point where head coach Bryan Harsin’s job hangs in the balance and seems to be in the hands of Auburn’s Board of Trustees.

However, despite the chaos, athletic director Allen Greene’s message to the team has been to continue operating normally and focus on what you can control despite the lack of clarity in regards to Harsin’s situation.

Since then, Greene has reportedly met with players, but earlier this evening a group of team leaders made an appeal to meet with President Jay Gogue and the Board of Trustees in support of Harsin. At the end of the day, no one is more important or has more to lose in this situation than the guys that put on the jerseys and go out on the field, and that should not be lost in this mess.

In an effort to maintain normalcy, the Auburn Strength Twitter account checked in to recognize the Iron Men of Week 3, an honor given to one defensive player and one offensive player to acknowledge their hard work in the offseason. This week, two underclassmen received the honors:

Freshman running back Jarquez Hunter had a great 2021 season, consistently seeing the field alongside Tank Bigsby and Shaun Shivers. Hunter was named an SEC All-Freshman and ranks ninth among all-time Auburn rushers. The RB recorded 89 carries for 593 yards and three touchdowns in 2021 in addition to 12 receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown.

Sophomore defensive lineman Marcus Harris transferred into the program from Kansas this past season and earned several starts for Auburn football in 2021. He recorded 27 total tackles including six tackles for loss as well as two sacks and one fumble recovery that led to a touchdown.

Both athletes will be key members of Auburn football’s roster moving forward and have been honored this week for their hard work in the offseason.