Auburn Tigers News: 2024 signees participate in bowl practice, Tigers opt-out of in-helmet communication
In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, several 2024 signees are already participating in practice ahead of the bowl game, and the Tigers opt out of using in-helmet communications
The Auburn football team is gearing up to face the Maryland Terrapins in the Music City Bowl this weekend, and several signees from the 2024 class are participating. The signees cannot participate in the game, but they can participate in practices to get a head start on what they'll be doing in the spring.
According to The Montgomery Advertiser, the Tigers held their first practice in Nashville earlier this week on Vanderbilt's campus. The 2024 signees spotted in action were linebackers Demarcus Riddick, Joseph Phillips, and DJ Barber, defensive lineman Malik Blocton, wide receiver Bryce Cain, and safety Kaleb Harris.
Auburn football opts out of using in-helmet communications
The upcoming Music City Bowl is one of at least 14 bowl games that will offer the use of in-helmet communications and tablets on the sidelines for instant replay to test the technology for permanent use in college football. With the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, much attention has been brought to the need to modernize the sidelines.
While the Maryland Terrapins will be trying out the in-helmet comms, Auburn football will not. The Tigers will utilize the sideline tablets, but head coach Hugh Freeze had bigger things to worry about than setting up tech in helmets, per Opelika Auburn News:
“It was just a lot of things in a short amount of time to try to process,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said Wednesday. “I said, 'Look, I'm OK. We've signaled now for 12 games. I think we'll be OK for a bowl game.' It doesn't bother me at all if Maryland chooses to do that. It just felt like an awful lot of conversations were having to be had, and I was in the middle of recruiting and trying to get ready for a bowl game, and I didn't want to meet with these different manufacturers. I just said, 'It's just not that important to me for a bowl game.'”
After securing a top-ten recruiting class in his first full cycle on the Plains, Auburn fans will understand Freeze's decision to prioritize recruiting.