When it comes to Auburn football, for the past few years the tight end position has been dominated by the presence of John Samuel Shenker. In former head coach Bryan Harsin’s first year on the Plains, Shenker set all sorts of records, including setting the career record for tight end receptions for the Tigers.
Heading into the 2023 season, the Tigers will be without their record-setting tight end but they will be ushering in the Hugh Freeze era with Ben Aigamuau taking over coaching responsibilities for the tight ends.
Despite the absence of Shenker, Aigamuau is still inheriting a position group full of upperclassmen veterans, including seniors Luke Deal and Tyler Fromm, who have both had big plays for the Tigers in recent seasons. Also returning are senior Brandon Frazier, redshirt freshmen Micah Riley-Ducker and Camden Etheridge, and sophomore Grant Hidalgo. Landen King is listed on the 2023 roster as a wide receiver, but could spend time at both positions.
The biggest shakeup to the position group will be the arrival of Rivaldo Fairweather, a junior transfer from FIU. Even with his status as a newcomer, Fairweather is widely expected to earn a starting position this fall.
As for what Coach Aigamaua is looking for in his players, versatility is an important quality, per Auburn Rivals:
"“We don’t want to be stuck with somebody that only gives us one dimension because that limits our play-calling,” said Aigamaua. “We’ve been very successful with our tight ends at Liberty and Ole Miss and Arkansas State. For us, we have to find those guys because it puts defenses at a disadvantage when you have two or even three that can do all of those things.”"
Auburn football’s tight ends, as well as the rest of the players, will spend the spring learning Hugh Freeze’s offense ahead of the 2023 season, and from there Coach Aigamaua will be able to really dig in and get to know the athletes in his position group as well as their capabilities.