The Auburn football injury report ahead of Week 4’s SEC opener against Texas A&M from Kyle Field in College Station is looking grim as of right now. Per On3’s Justin Hokanson, eight players — some of whom are top contributors for the Tigers on both sides of the ball — are banged up in some way, shape, or form following AU’s 45-13 victory over Samford on September 16.
“Big takeaway from the game is injuries — Kam Stutts, Nehemiah Pritchett, Donovan Kaufman, Keionte Scott, Izavion Miller, Jalen McLeod, Ja’Varrius Johnson, and Jarquez Hunter all either missed tonight’s game, were injured or further banged up during. Auburn has to get healthy ASAP,” Hokanson reported.
Kaufman, Scott, Stutts, and Larry Nixon III all picked up injuries against Cal. Pritchett has yet to make his debut, though he, Nick Mardner, and JD Rhym all dressed up in pads against the Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Hugh Freeze’s Auburn football recruitment about to be put to the test
If Auburn football enters SEC play struggling out of the gates, Hugh Freeze should be given a sliver of lenience considering he inherited a dumpster fire of a recruiting situation from the last guy; a guy who notoriously shunned his responsibilities on the trail and nearly tanked the Tigers’ blue-chip ratio after years of being a top 10 program in recruiting 4-star and 5-star athletes.
With that said, his transfer class, and the litany of flips he was able to bring the program, are about to be put to the test with all of the injuries across the roster.
Despite Texas A&M’s Week 2 loss to Miami, drawing the Aggies at home is an admittedly tough draw. Georgia, perhaps the last true College Football power that doesn’t look completely vulnerable in 2023, comes to town next.
AU could be 3-2 by the time the bye week rolls around, or Freeze’s depth can prove resilient and lead the Tigers to a 4-1, or if we really want to sunshine pump things up, a 5-0 start after knocking off the two-time reigning College Football Playoff Champions on the Plains.