After bringing in top 10 recruiting classes for the past two years, Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze has a stockpile of young talent on the roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers got a big homecoming win on Saturday against the South Alabama Jaguars, and quite a few of the younger players got their chance to see game action.
In the 31-15 win, 14 freshmen made their way onto the field throughout the game, according to AL.com, and Freeze told the publication the staff believes in those young kids.
“No question all of those young kids we were playing -- the 13 guys we played together -- we believe they have bright futures,” Freeze said. “Their development is just now beginning, really. To see them go out -- this is where the real learning happens."
The Tigers' head coach sounded off with a list of freshmen who impacted the game in drives that were not unimportant to the outcome of the game.
“There’s no better teaching than that experience, and it wasn’t like the game was over," Freeze said. "Those were critical drives at the end. You see a bunch of freshmen out there in [Eric Winters], [AnQuon Fegans] and [Blake Woodby] at nickel.
“I know [Elijah Melendez] was out there, so was [Bryce Deas]. I just named off a bunch of true freshmen that were on the field on critical drives. That experience is nothing that can be replaced."
On the offensive side of the ball, freshman running back Omar Mabson II got plenty of reps behind starter Jeremiah Cobb, playing a physical game and racking up 20 rushing yards.
The Tigers will now prepare to open SEC play on the road against Oklahoma next week, marking quarterback Jackson Arnold's return to his former school. Auburn and Oklahoma will kick off at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday.