In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, former WR Sammie Coates becomes a high school coach, and Bruce Pearl provides an update on Johni Broome
Another former Auburn football player is stepping into the coaching space. Former wide receiver Sammie Coates has been hired as the head football coach at Columbia High School in Huntsville. Coates will have his work cut out for him as the Eagles are currently suffering a 91-game losing streak, per Mike Farrell Sports.
Coates played at Auburn from 2011-2014, helping the Tigers win an SEC Championship and make an appearance in the BCS National Championship. Over his four-year career on the Plains, Coates racked up 83 receptions for 1,757 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The former Tiger was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft and played professional football for nine years. He also spent time with Houston, Cleveland, and Kansas City as well as in the XFL and CFL.
Update on Johni Broome
The Auburn basketball team is gearing up for a big matchup this weekend when the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers make their way to the Plains. The Tigers have survived two ranked conference opponents without star player Johni Broome, but will he return to take on the Vols?
While the Auburn area has been dealing with intense winter weather this week and the Tigers had a bye and did not play a midweek game, head coach Bruce Pearl has encouraged the team to take advantage of the small break to get their bodies right.
According to head coach Bruce Pearl, Broome will only return if he is feeling 100%.
"This is a good time for him because he can spend the whole week trying to get back," Pearl said, per Auburn Undercover. "For him, it's all about how comfortable he is on that thing. You don't want him to rush back. You don't want an 80 or a 90 percent Johni out there. We want Johni at 110 percent, where he's ready to play at the highest level.
"The timetable is still kind of up in the air. We're going to let Johni make that decision."
The Tigers and the Vols will tipoff from Neville Arena at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.