Auburn football player quotes of note ahead of 2024 season opener
The first game of the 2024 season is days away and the Auburn Tigers are ready for it
In just a few short days, the 2024 Auburn football team will hit the field in Jordan-Hare Stadium in front of thousands of eager fans. After head coach Hugh Freeze's first season on the Plains ended in a lot of disappointment, the anticipation for year two is high, especially with the new players that have been added to the roster.
Fans are looking forward to seeing the Tigers' newly-minted wide receivers in action, especially Cam Coleman, and they will be watching for improvements in quarterback Payton Thorne. There are a lot of changes to the team from last year, including the level of excitement.
Linebacker Eugene Asante told the media last week about DJ Durkin's "required enthusiasm" and it seems to be spilling over into all parts of the team. See the quotes below from Auburn football players who are raring to go.
Nickel Champ Anthony on his excitement for game one, per Auburn Rivals:
"It's like a volcano about to erupt," he said. "I can't hold my excitement. I'm in class thinking about football. I'm walking to the facility thinking about football. Thinking about running out there in Jordan-Hare. I'm real excited. It's hard to contain the energy."
Quarterback Payton Thorne on comparing this season to Michigan State's 2021 season, per Auburn Undercover:
"Absolutely. It is a similar feeling," Thorne said Tuesday. "There's a lot of things that I can look back on and compare to that season. And I've talked to guys about that. So it's a good feeling, and obviously it's different for me, because I hadn't started. I started one game going into that season, in my career and now I've started however many it is. And so I have a different comfort level with what I'm comfortable with doing personally, and the things that are going to happen this year are more so — I've seen it happen before. It's like I have something to lay on top of, versus 2021, where everything was pretty new.
Defensive lineman Keldric Faulk on team chemistry, per Auburn Rivals:
“I feel like it's more together,” said Faulk. “Last year, we had a lot of transfers. A lot of guys wanted to do their own thing. Guys didn't know each other well enough to play together.
“Now, we've got guys in their second years with each other. We came closer together. We do more team things together. Like, when we're on the field, it's like, I know this guy beside me, and I play harder for him.”
The Tigers will kick off the 2024 season, the second year under head coach Hugh Freeze, on August 31 against Alabama A&M in Jordan-Hare Stadium at 6:30 p.m.