After a 31-20 home victory over Ole Miss on Oct. 20th of last year, Bryan Harsin’s first season at Auburn was looking like a resounding success as the team moved to 6-2. But then things spiraled out of control as the Tigers lost their final 5 games including a heartbreaking 24-22 four overtime loss to the Crimson Tide at Auburn. Harsin fired offensive coordinator Mike Bobo before the end of the season, and after the Birmingham Bowl, a 17-13 loss to Houston, defensive coordinator Derek Mason left to take the defensive coordinator position at Oklahoma State and a $400,000 pay cut. Mason wasn’t hurting financially, but still took a significant pay cut, so things seemed to be really dysfunctional at Auburn.

Then the offseason featured a controversial accusation that Harsin was having an affair with one of his support staff workers. The rumor was false and led to a lot of uneasiness at Auburn. Some of the Auburn boosters wanted to get rid of Auburn, but cooler heads prevailed and he was retained. Harsin recovered though he didn’t sign a player in the spring signing period of 2022, but landed a class ranking of 21 in the 2022 recruiting rankings by 247 Sports and had a solid spring practice. He seemed relaxed in the spring game, and last week at Media Days as he addressed the controversy and said it was totally inaccurate and had actually brought the team closer together. The Tigers lost 20+ players in the transfer portal, but return some talented guys, who can make this team a possible darkhorse in the SEC, though they do have the No.1 most difficult strength of schedule in the country according to the Football Power Index provided by ESPN. It always seems like the Tigers have one of the toughest, if not the toughest schedules in the country every year. But the team has some nice pieces at several position groups. I’ll dive into those in a minute and then go over the schedule and prognosticate what the Tigers can achieve this season in Harsin’s 2nd year.

Harsin has a new offensive coordinator in Eric Keisau and a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Schmedding. He has some former Auburn standouts on his staff in running backs coach, the great Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, and defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge. Both know what they’re doing, were exceptional players for the Tigers, and are terrific recruiters. Both Keisau and Schmedding worked with Harsin at Boise State where Harsin was 82-31 in 9 seasons with five, 10 win seasons and 7 bowl games. He had some mixed results at times, but was extremely solid in Boise. They brind his toughness and intelligence along with them. Harsin has great faith in his young coordinators.

Quarterback is the lingering question for the Tigers. Zach Calzada comes over from Texas A&M where he started 10 games in 2021 and was 184 of 327 passes, 56%, for 2,185 yards, 17 TDs and 9 ints. He’s got outstanding toughness as Jimbo Fisher alluded to in his talk last Thursday at Media Days. Fisher recalled the Auburn game last season in which Calzada had to leave the game as his non throwing shoulder popped out of place, and Fisher was nervous because all he had left was a walk on redshirt freshman quarterback. But Calzada popped his shoulder back in place and led the Aggies to the victory over the Tigers, 20-3. The Aggies defense had something to do with it, but Calzada is a warrior, and completed 21 of 31 passes for 285 yards, 3 TDs and 1 int in leading the Aggies to a monumental 41-38 upset of then No.1 Alabama. So Auburn fans have to like that. Calzada missed the spring as he rehabbed his shoulder, but is a full go right now heading into fall drills, and Tank Bigsby has been very impressed with Calzada’s attention to detail and his work ethic.

TJ Finley also returns after completing 70 off 128 passes, 55%, for 827 yards, 6 TDs and 1 int, in 6 games as a starter. He had a pretty rough Birmingham Bowl, and he’s not very mobile, while Calzada is better than average. Robby Ashford, a transfer from Oregon and a former Hoover High School product, is also in the mix. Ashford was the offensive MVP of the spring game completing 12-of-16 passes for 132 yards and having some nice scrambles and runs. Four star freshman Holden Gernier played well in the spring game. He was 9 of 11 for 71 yards and a TD. I really like Gernier’s future for the Tigers. He may not start this season, but he could very well be the long term solution for the Tigers in 2023 and beyond. The Savannah, GA. product is a really fine QB.

The great Bigsby returns at running back for his junior season. Tank rushed for 1,099 yards and 10 TDs last season and caught 21 passes for 184 yards. He’s a total weapon. Behind him is highly talented sophomore Jarquez Hunter, who showed signs of being a standout for the Tigers in his young career as well starting last season. Hunter rushed 89 times for 593 yards, 6.7 yards per carry, along with 3 TDs. He caught 12 passes for 61 yards and a TD as well. He’s a tough runner between the tackles and has exceptional breakaway speed and take it to the house ability on every carry. Sean Jackson is a redshirt freshman behind them. Jordan Ingram is a sophomore transfer and Damari Alston is a 4 star true freshman. So there is talent behind the dynamic duo.

The offensive line is loaded, big and talented. Nick Brahms, 6’4” 300 pounds, is the leader at center. He’s got 33 starts under his belt and is an unquestioned leader on the team. Left guard Brandon Council has 37 starts and is another valuable leader upfront and for the entire team. Council is 6’4”, 328. At left tackle, Kilian Zierer is a transfer and is 6’7”, 312. The Tigers are high on him. On the right side, Keiondre Jones is a redshirt junior who has 19 starts under his belt. Jones is 6’4”, 340. At right tackle, senior Alec Jackson is 6’5”, 321. And there is good depth behind those guys. So that is a position of strength for offensive line coach Will Friend, a stellar veteran coach, who’s coached a lot of excellent O Lines.

Tight end is a real position of strength for the Tigers. John Samuel Shenker, a 6’4”, 250 pound redshirt senior, caught 33 passes for 413 yards in 2021. He’s terrific. Luke Deal, 6’5”, 257, and Tyler Fromm, 6’5”, 243, are both outstanding players, who give Auburn that extra gear in the passing game to offset a relatively inexperienced wide receiver group. Junior Brandon Frazier, 6’7”, 262, is another guy who has a shot to do big things, and 4 star freshman Micah Riley-Ducker is a nice addition to the tight end room with a bright future.

Wide receiver may be a little inexperienced, but there is plenty of potential with good quarterback play. Six two, 230 pound Shedrick Jackson is the leader. Jackson is a senior who caught 40 passes for 527 yards and a TD last season. Malcolm Johnson Jr. Ze’Vion Capers, Ja’Varrius Johnson, Koy Moore and Tar’Varish Dawson Jr. are other players who are in the mix to be playmakers on the perimeter for the Tigers. If the quarterback can come through, this could be a solid unit for the Tigers.

On defense, the Tigers will be led by senior d end/Outside linebacker Derick Hall, junior defensive end Colby Wooden, senior middle linebacker Own Pappoe, junior corner Jaylin Simpson, junior free safety Zion Puckett, senior corner Nehemiah Pritchett and sophomore nickelback Donovan Kaufman. Hall is 6’3”, 256, had 52 tackles with 12 1/2 tackles for loss and 9 sacks. He will be a force. Wooden had 61 tackles in 2021 with 8 1/2 for loss and 4 1/2 sacks. They will be enforcers as bookends on the defensive line. Wooden is massive at 6’5”, 284. Pappoe was hurt a lot of the 2021 season but is a major talent and will lead the linebacking corps. In 5 games in 2021, he posted 23 tackles with 3 for loss. He’s a talented, physical player, at 6’1”, 225 with great leadership skills. Back to the interior of the D line, Marcus Harris is a 6’3”, 294 defensive tackle, and talented and physical Oregon transfer Jayson Jones, 6’6”, 328, will man the nose guard spot. At corner, Simpson had 27 tackles last season and an int in 2021, but is capable of multiple ints. He took a 100+ yarder back a couple of years ago in Auburn’s opening game versus Kentucky at home, a 29-13 Auburn victory. It was a pivotal play in the game and what an explosive play on defense. Zion Puckett posted 48 tackles last season and is another guy who can make game changing plays at free safety. Pritchett posted 27 tackles last season and is another leader at corner. Kaufman, a transfer last season from Vanderbilt, is a ballhawk and stellar, and very good in the punt return and kickoff return game. Wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson will also be a punt returner. Wesley Steiner, a 6’0”, 237 pound junior and transfer Eku Leota, 6’4”, 257, are some other linebackers who may start.

So the defense looks solid and could be spectacular.

Oscar Chapman returns at punter. He averaged 44.1 yards per punt last season. Anders Carlson returns as kicker after some mixed results last season, but with a ton of talent and a strong leg. He was 35 of 36 on extra points, but was just 14 of 21 on field goals, an off year for him. That’s 67%. He was 6 for 6 from 20-29 yards, 2 for 4 on 30-39 yds, 6 for 8 on 40-49 yards, very good, and 0 for 3 on 50+ yards. You expect Carlson to have a solid year in 2022. Ja’Varrius Johnson and Kaufman will return punts, so explosive potential there, and Pritchett, who averaged 31.3 yards per kick return, Hunter, who averaged 19.5 but has the ability for house calls with his immense speed, and Kaufman, who averaged 20.3 yards, will handle kickoff returns.

Schedule

The Tigers open with Mercer at home on Saturday, 9/3, with a 6 PM CT kickoff on SEC Network+ and ESPN+. Then San Jose State comes to Jordan-Hare on Saturday, 9/10, with a 6:30 PM CT kickoff on ESPNU. Penn State is next in a huge non conference tilt on Saturday, 9/17, at 2:30 PM CT on CBS. Next, Auburn hosts Missouri on Saturday, 9/24, with time and network to be determined. LSU is next at home on Saturday, 10/1, time/network to be determined. All of the rest of the games are also, time/network to be determined. @Georgia, Saturday, 10/8, @Ole Miss, Saturday, 10/15, off on Saturday, 10/22, Arkansas @home, Saturday, 10/29, @Mississippi State, Saturday, 11/5, A&M @ home, Saturday, 11/12, Western Kentucky @home, Saturday, 11/19, and @Alabama, Saturday, 11/26, with time most likely at 2:30 PM CT on CBS.

Auburn could be 4-0 heading into the LSU game in a game they have a very good shot at at home. Penn State will be a little tricky, but I like the Tigers there. Then @ Georgia and @Ole Miss in consecutive Saturdays (10/8 and 10/15) is tough, but 1-1 out of those two games would be highly acceptable. Arkansas, Mississippi State, A&M and at Alabama, wow, that’s another gauntlet. But that’s life in the SEC.

I look at the Tigers winning anywhere from 6 to 8 games. Staying healthy they could pull off 8 and then play in a bowl game, win it, and recruit relentlessly. Right now, the Tigers have 4 commits in the 2023 class. Five 11, 175 93 four star wide receiver Karmello English from Central-Phenix City, 92, 4 star running back Jeremiah Cobb, 5’11”, 185 from Montgomery, 91,, 4 star safety Terrance Love, 6’3”, 195 from Fairburn, GA., and 90, 4 star offensive lineman Bradyn Joiner from Auburn High School. Joiner is listed as interior lineman. He’s 6’2”, 319, so excellent size.

So I’m optimistic about Auburn’s season. The Tigers can have a solid year, and maybe an even better than solid season behind Tank and company and good quarterback play. I like Calzada to start, and stellar play from the defense with some stars on that side of the ball will be critical. Harsin has had to change the culture at Auburn. The players had become complacent under the previous coaching staff, but now seem to be bought in to Harsin and his plan. Harsin can’t have a 4 or 5 win season, but anything on the lines of 7 or 8 victories and a bowl victory would enhance momentum down on the Plains.

Monday or Tuesday of next week, 8/1 or 8/2, Georgia

Passing was at a premium, and Bryce Young wasn’t super, but Jalen Milroe, the presumptive backup, was stellar at times. Bryce is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and he should be fine in the fall, but Alabama fans had to be encouraged by Milroe’s performance in case Young sustains an injury and for the prospects of 2023.

Young put together a stellar 2021 campaign completing 366-of-547 passes for 4,872 yards, 47 TDs against 7 ints. He, Jameson Williams, John Metchie, Brian Robinson and the great Will Anderson Jr, more on him in a minute, put the Crimson Tide on their collective backs and carried the team all the way to the national championship game against Georgia, where they fell to a hungry Dawgs team, 33-18, though Williams was injured after a long catch and run in the second quarter. His presence could have changed the outcome of the game.

Young is a proven commodity, so once he gets cranking in fall workouts and the offensive line, which did get eaten up by Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell among others in the spring game, is a full go with some injured players back in the fall, Young’s results should be a lot better. He’ll have some new skilled players to work with as B-Rob, Metchie and Williams are all going to the NFL. Sadly, Metchie has suffered a form of leukemia, and will be out this year for the Houston Texans, but it’s not a malicious kind and he should recover. Whether he can play football again remains to be seen. He was quite a player at Alabama, and here’s hoping a fine young guy gets the opportunity he deserves in the NFL. As far as the draft went Big left tackle Evan Neal went to the New York Giants as the seventh overall pick. Jameson. Williams was the 18th overall pick in the draft by the Detroit Lions, and Metchie was an, early 2nd round pick by the Texans. Robinson was a third round pick by the Washington Commanders. All should be excellent NFL players. Phidarian Mathism who really came on strong last year with 10 1/2 TFLs and 9 sacks, was drafted be the Washington Commanders in the second round. There are several Alabama players on the Commanders including big defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, big d tackle DeRon Payne and safety Daniel Wright is in camp with the Atlanta Falcons, not drafted but capable of earning a spot on the Falcons’ depth chart. Former Alabama cornerback Jayln Armour-Davis is on the Baltimore Ravens and working to get on the roster and the depth chart

So now you have a new running back rotation with Georgia Tech transfer and former 95, 4 star Jahmyr Gibbs leading the way. Gibbs looks terrific. He rushed for 100 yards in the spring game including a 75 yard house call. He looks superb. Trey Sanders was his primary backup as Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are recovering from injuries, so the running back room should be in pretty good shape come the fall once McClellan and Williams return. Outside at wide receiver, Christian Leary was impressive in the spring game. He caught 5 passes for 106 yards and a TD, a 52 yard beautiful throw from Milroe. Milroe was 11-of-23 for 149 yards, the TD to Leary and 44 yards rushing. He showed flashes of brilliance. If he can become a consistent passer, the sky’s the limit. Jermaine Burton, the transfer wide receiver from Georgia, should make an immediate impact. He’s got the speed and the hands, to be a Metchie/Williams combo type receiver. Ja’Corey Brooks didn’t play in the spring game, but caught 15 passes for 192 yards and 2 TDs in 2021, including the huge 25 yarder from Young @Auburn that tied the game up late and allowed the Crimson Tide to pull off what looked like an improbable victory on the road against its archival. JoJo Earle had a few drops in the spring game, but like Leary and Brooks, was a 97, 4 star. Leary was 95 and Brooks was a 98, 5 star. Guys like Traeshon Holden, Thaiu Jones-Bell, 5 star freshman Aaron Anderson and two, 96 4 star freshmen, Shazz Preston and Kendrick Law, will add even more depth and talent at wide receiver. So the cupboard isn’t bare at the skilled positions. Cameron Latu is back at tight end, and he’s a big play player for the Crimson Tide. Could be a very valuable part of the offense. Young likes going to him a lot. Sort of a security piece for Young and the offense. He’s an important player this upcoming season. Robbie Ouzts and graduate Kendall Randolph are listed as the backups. And another addition to the wide receiving corps is a big one. The Crimson Tide added 91 4 star transfer Tyler Harrell from Louisville. He’s 6’0”, 165, He posted 18 receptions for 523 yards and 6 TDs for the Cardinals. Another Jameson Williams explosive, lightning fast receiver with excellent hands.

Strength Coach David Ballou has been working with the offensive line all summer and will throughout the season and first year offensive line coach Eric Wolford will try to develop them into a cohesive, dominant unit, which you have to have in the SEC. I’m looking for massive sophomore J.C. Latham to have an All-SEC, All-American type year. He’s 6’6”, 326 and was a 5 star in the 2021 class. He should be a dominant player at right tackle. Across the board you have left guard and the veteran and leader of the line, Emil Ekiyor (redshirt senior, 6’3”, 307, center Darrian Dalcourt, a 6’3”, 305, right guard Javion Cohen (Jr. 6’4”, 305), and new left tackle Tyler Steen, a 91 4 star transfer from Vanderbilt who is 6’5”, 317. He was an 85, 3 star out of high school, but really excelled at Vanderbilt. So, as Theo likes, there is some serious “size” at the tackle positions.. The Brockmeyer twins from Fort Worth, Tommy, a 6’5”, 304 5 star, who is a sophomore, and James, a 6’3”, 282, and s 92 4 star, should add depth and may challenge for starting jobs before it’s all said and done. Tommy is a left tackle and James plays center. Seth McLaughlin, a redshirt sophomore who is 6’4, 295, is a backup piece for now at center and could be a big contributor. There are others. S has recruited well on the line like everywhere else, so there are 12 to 15 guys who can contribute in 2022.

On defense, it’s about Will Anderson Jr. and his comrades on the edge. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has been around the block and coached a lot of terrific football players. He coached Tom Brady and the New England Patriots as offensive coordinator, he was head coach at Penn State and he was head coach of the Houston Texans. He said Anderson Jr. is the best football player he’s ever seen. The 6’4”, 243 pound rising junior tallied 34 1/2 tackles for loss for -148 yards and 17 1/2 sacks, both of which led the country. His tackles for loss number is the best ever nationally. He should have been in New York for the Heisman Trophy and if he continues his pace from last season he could win it this year. He dominated once again in the spring game with 2 sacks in the first half, and didn’t play any in the second half. He’s unblockable. You add the great Dallas Turner, who had 3 sacks in the spring game was the most valuable defensive player, and posted 10 TFLs and 8 sacks last season, and emerging star Chris Braswell, and you’ve got a sacking force. Braswell also took down the quarterback twice in the spring game. S wants to use all 3 at the same time this coming season. Good luck with that opposing offensive line coaches and coordinators. These guys are unstoppable. Braswell and Turner were both 5 stars in the 2021 class and play like it. They, along with Anderson Jr., will terrorize opposing quarterbacks in the fall. Another guy I liked a lot in the spring game was 6’3”, 309 defensive tackle Jamil Burroughs. He had a couple of sacks and looks like he’ll be a force playing with 6’3”, 300 pound senior D.J. Dale. Senior bookends Justin Eboigbe (6’5”, 292) and Byron Young (6’3”, 292) are looking for breakout seasons. Inside linebacker and a guy who should be a leader on the team, Henry To’o To’o (6’2”, 228), will return for his senior season. To’o To’o led the defense in tackles with 111, added 7 1/2 TFLs and 4 sacks. He’s an extremely valuable piece in the middle of the defense and will be calling the signals. Anderson Jr. also amassed 101 tackles last season just for good measure. What a player. Jaylen Moody, a redhshirt senior and 6’2”, 225, looked excellent in the spring game and is poised for a breakout year as well in 2022. In the secondary, S got stellar junior transfer Eli Ricks from LSU, a former 99, 5 star in the 2020 class and a standout for the Bengal Tigers, to play one corner. Kook Aid-McKinstry, the 5 star in 2021, is set to play the other. DeMarcco Hellams is back at free safety and looks to be a leader back there with Ricks and the great Jordan Battle. Bsttle and Hellams both had 3 picks in 2021, and Battle has been one of the elite Tide defensive players since he’s been in Tuscaloosa. He just has a propensity to make big plays and make pick six’s at the most clutch times in games. Brain Branch will play the Star and Malachi Moore will back him up. Battle and Hellams are seniors and McKinstry is a sophomore. Branch and Moore are juniors. Kristian Story, who backs up Battle at strong safety, had an interception in the spring game and looks stellar as well. Khyree Jackson, a senior transfer from East Mississippi Community College, is another capable player battling it out with Ricks at corner.

There is excellent talent and excellent depth on this defense. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding has got to love what he’s working with.

The outstanding Will Reichard is back to kick. S solved his kicking problems when he signed Reichard. He’s a senior. Jack Martin, a senior, is backing him up. Martin and Reichard both kicked well in the A-Day game. James Burnip is the punter and averaged 39 yards on punts last season. Reichard was 22-of-28 on field goals last season. He was 5-of-5 from 20-29 yards, 9-of-10 from 30-39 yards, 7-of-11 from 40-49 yards, and 1-of-2 from 50 or longer with his long being 51. He didn’t have to kick a ton because of Young and the offense. Earle is listed as the punt returner. And kick returner is to be determined. Gibbs is listed as one. Maybe Earle even Burton with his electric speed.

The 2023 recruiting class is ranked 8th in the country for now with 14 commits. Ninety Eight point 86, Five star cornerback Jahlil Hurley, 6’2”, 170 from Florence, and 98.78, 5 star safety Tony Mitchell, 6’2”, 180, are the highest rated players in the class. Ninety seven, 4 star Eli Holstein from Zachary, Louisiana is 6’4”, 222, and looks to have all the tools though the Crimson Tide, Georgia and others missed out on 100.00, 5 star Arch Manning, who committed to Sark and Texas. Manning is 6’4”, and one of the most heralds recruits in a long time. He is the son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson of Archie as most people know. If Texas’s season doesn’t pan out, Manning’s recruiting could open up again. But Holstein looks like a very good addition as well.

Schedule

The Tide opens with Utah State on Saturday, Sept. 3rd in T-town, at 6:30 PM CT on the SEC Network, then take a trip to Austin to face Sark and the Longhorns on Saturday, Sept. 10th at 11 AM CT on FOX. Interesting starting time. Those 11 AM games can be tricky. Texas will try to prove they belong in the Southeastern Conference eventually, but they’ll have a tall order. Then Saturday, Sept. 17th Louisiana-Monroe comes to Tuscaloosa for a 3 PM CT kickoff on the SEC Network. Saturday, Sept. 24th, Vandy comes to town. Time and TV is to be announced. Could be a long afternoon for the Commodores. They should be improved, but not enough to hang with the Crimson Tide. Saturday, Oct. 1, the Tide is @ Arkansas for a road test. Sam Pittman has recruited well and will have a solid team, so a challenge there as well, like Austin. Then Jimbo Fisher and his highly touted freshman class at Texas A&M comes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Oct.8th. There are no announced TV times, but I can guarantee that’ll be a 2:30 PM CT on CBS. While Fisher had the number one recruiting class in the country in 2022, they are freshmen, and it takes a “minute” for those guys to get acclimated to the college game. Alabama struggled with that a little last season. Fisher has recruited well and defeated Bama last season in a remarkable performance by now Auburn Tiger Zach Calzada at quarterback, so this one is circled by Saban and the team. With the offseason verbal barbs between Saban and Fisher about recruiting this should be even more interesting. A&M is still trying to find its quarterback between sophomore Haynes King, who was the starter last year, and talented left handed LSU transfer Max Johnson. Both are capable, so will keep you posted on who emerges there. That’ll be a tall order for the Aggies as well. Then the Tide has another challenge @Tennesee on Saturday, October 15. Josh Heupel has a good returning team in 2022, so that should be formidable. Then it’s Mississippi State at home on Saturday, October 22. That’ll be homecoming. That’s kind of a tough opponent on homecoming, but we’ll see if Mike Leach has developed his team well in his third season. The team is off Oct. 29, then on Nov. 5, it’s @ LSU. Very interesting to see if Brian Kelly has any more ability against Saban on the Bayou. He’ll have more talent to work with, but it’s another tall order for a new SEC coach, but there is plenty of talent on that roster. At Ole Miss on Saturday, Nov.12 is formidable as well. Lane will pull out all the tricks against S and the Tide, so big game in mid November. Ole Miss is trying to figure out its starter between USC transfer Jaxson Dart and returning sophomore Luke Altmyer. I’m looking at Dart to be the starter. He put up some pretty good numbers at SC last season. Austin Peay comes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Nov. 19th and Auburn comes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Nov. 26. I’ll have my Auburn preview later this week with a more in depth look at the Tigers. Wild offseason down on the Plains. Maybe Bryan Harsin can do well and survive both the SEC gauntlet and the Auburn gauntlet. That should be a 2:30 PM CBS game as always. The SEC Championship Game is Saturday, Dec. 3rd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The usual time is 3 PM CT on CBS.

So, the Crimson Tide looks to be a favorite in the SEC along with Georgia. Can Georgia maintain success after a tremendous season in 2021? That’ll be a major question. They’ll be loaded with talent as Kirby Smart has recruited at a high level, and while he lost a lot of key defensive pieces, 5 in the first round of the draft, he’ll return a very good offense and will reload with younger, 4 and 5 stars on defense. The Crimson Tide has challenges in their schedule, and Georgia is the favorite in the East with Florida having a new coach in Billy Napier, whom I expect to do well in the future. But South Carolina is better and Kentucky has been very good for a while now under Mark Stoops. Nationally, the Crimson Tide could see the likes of Ohio State, which is loaded. Penn State, which has a good team. USC under Lincoln Riley should be much improved. Clemson should be better and make a challenge nationally. Oklahoma has a new coach in Brent Venables, the long time defensive coordinator from Clemson. So another compelling 2022 season in college football and for the Crimson Tide. I expect them to be firmly in the thick of things come November and competing to play once again in the playoff and have another National Championship shot under Coach Saban.

Auburn Football 2022 coming up in the middle of the week

This is the fourth major on the LPGA Tour and it is being played at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains France. TV is during the morning (Thursday-Sunday) on the Golf Channel with CNBC and NBC helping out on the weekend. This is the 29th edition of the Evian, and the defending champion is Minjee Lee. Lee and Nelly Korda are 9/1 favorites. Jin Young Ko is 12/1. Lydia Ko is 14/1, Brooke Henderson is 22/1. Sei Young Kim is at 25/1, Jessica Korda is 30/1 and Inbee Park is 33/1. Anna Nordqvist is 45/1, and Georgia Hall is 45/1. Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang are not in the field this week. Kang is battling an injury and Thompson may be taking a mental break. Her grandmother, whom she was close to, just passed away.

Winner

I’m going to go back to the well where I went with my U.S. Women’s Open pick, which was successful. I’ll take the 26 year old from Perth, Australia. She’s the reigning U.S. Women’s Open Champion, played at Pine Needles in North Carolina in June , and I like her to go back to back at this pristine course in France. Should be fun viewing.

Minjee Lee

SEC Football

I told my text guys this, but just wanted to let you know that starting Monday I will be doing individual SEC team profiles for 2022 leading off with the Crimson Tide, then Auburn, Georgia, A&M, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Kentucky, etc.. This will take us up to the start of the season. After covering all the SEC teams, I will try to get to Clemson, Ohio State and Texas. If I have any more time, I’ll write Oklahoma, USC and Michigan. Not sure I can get it all in, but will give it my best. So a lot coming up in the ensuing weeks. I decided to do this instead of a mass blog each day this week on SEC Media Days which can get too confusing. Looking forward to it and hope you are too. Thanks.

Tonight at 7 on FOX

The American League has won 8 in a row.

Starting pitchers, AL, Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays, National, Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

Game at Dodger Stadium in LA

Juan Soto won the home run derby last night putting on a terrific performance as Pete Alonso was denied a 3 peat.

I’ll take the Senior Circuit tonight at familiar grounds in Dodger Stadium

National League 5, American League 4

MVP

Trae Turner, Shortstop, Dodgers

****Tomorrow, Will have S, Clark Lea, Mike Leach and Shane Beamer, Thursday, Sam Pittman, Kirby Smart, Billy Napier and Mark Stoops. Friday, Bryan Harsin, Josh Huepel, and Jimbo Fisher.****

Cameron Smith was on fire yesterday with his putter as he shot an 8 under par, 64 at the defenseless St. Andrews in overtaking Rory McIlory to win the 150th Open Championship. It was a clinic in putting. He finished with 29 putts, and sank putt after putt when he needed to. There was very little wind, so the players were pounding it down the fairway with the Open becoming a chipping and putting contest. St. Andrews had little to no resistance. American and rookie Cameron Young made it a little interesting at 18 when he sank his eagle putt to pull even with Smith, but the Mullet sank his 3 footer for birdie and Rory was Rory, another gag job by a guy who has won 4 majors, but hasn’t won one since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville. Rory disappointed his Great Britain supporters yesterday. He can win a regular event, but will he ever win another major? He’s still young at 33, but he keeps letting majors just slip through his fingertips. He finished second at the Masters to Scottie Scheffler playing an outstanding final round on Sunday, and had top 10’s at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, so he keeps knocking on the door. Can he get over the hump and capture his first Masters, or more majors for that matter? He could, but he hasn’t in a while. Smith had the round of the year in the majors, and he was not going to be denied. Rory shot a round of 70, 2 under par, and had a 4 shot lead entering the day, he was tied with Viktor Hovland. One would think that that would be enough, but Smith was just too good with his putter, and McIlroy was not. Smith had nine less putts for the tournament. Rory has plenty of more chances, but it’s fair to ask if he’s a gagger. He either gets too far behind early in the majors or can’t keep it up on Sundays. Maybe he’s just not mentally focused enough to overcome pressure, and he seems to be OK with that. So, McIlory’s majorless saga continues.

Day 1 SEC Media Days

Commissioner Greg Sankey led it off and talked about the important issues in college football, the NIL’s, the transfer portal, the Playoff and expansion. I’ll go in reverse. Sankey likes the fact that the conference added Texas and Oklahoma and says it was a superior addition to what the Big Ten did adding USC and UCLA, I would agree with that. USC may be strong soon under Lincoln Riley and there’s no guarantee that Sark or Brett Venables will excel at Texas and Oklahoma respectively, but adding two key teams nationally that have won championships and adding another Texas school to the SEC footprint and a major player in college football forever it seems like in Oklahoma is far superior than adding teams that are not so swift, at least UCLA. USC can be elite if Riley can keep recruiting like he did at Oklahoma and he could have a very good team with key transfers in this season. But you gotta like the rivalries that Texas and OU create with Texas-Texas A&M, Texas-LSU, Oklahoma-A&M, Arkansas-Texas, Oklahoma-Arkansas and Alabama or Georgia against either one of those schools. They’ll be coming to the SEC in 2025, July of that year and start playing that season, though it could be sooner if they can figure out a way to exit the Big 12. I do like the Big 12 and want them to remain viable. I like the PAC-12 and would like the same for them. Just a complex deal right now with expansion, a lot of moving parts. People have talked about Clemson and Florida State joining the SEC eventually and Sankey was noncommittal on that, but didn’t rule it out. So, a lot of energy with that issue.

As for the playoff, it’s at 4 teams until the contract finishes up in 2025. Sankey was the leader in proposing a 12 team playoff with 6 automatic qualifiers and 6 at large teams. The issues with that for me are how do you handle the academics, like when will the players take exams. Also, the injury factor. Teams playing 3 or even 4 games may be too banged up for the National Championship Game if they were to get that far. So, it’s complicated too. The 4 team playoff has worked out. Maybe 8 teams, maybe 12 teams, but there needs to be more thought put into the academic and physical factors of those expanded playoffs.

The transfer portal and the NIL’s need to be regulated at some point. I don’t see how you can regulate the transfer portal. It’s just the landscape now. I did like the sit out a year rule, that would make players pause a little more. With the NIL’s, Lane Kiffin called it, “legalizing cheating,” and it does seem to be that way. Sankey has approached the U.S. Congress about it, and they haven’t done anything, as expected from that group. There needs to be some sort of regulation in NIL’s. I don’t have the answers right now, so I’ll need to think about it some more and check back with you on that. A uniform NIL rule where each player gets the same amount is an idea, but I don’t agree with that. Some players are more important than others. A salary cap for teams like they do in baseball is a pretty good idea. The players can benefit, but there can be some regulating and not a free for all, which has the boosters determining how good a team will be. It needs to be addressed because it is a problem. The good thing about it is it may keep players from leaving earlier when they are not ready to play in the NFL, and coming back and bettering their skills and improving the quality of college football.

I’m going to dig into the teams more in the upcoming weeks, but from what I got from Brian Kelly of LSU, Lane of Ole Miss and Eliah Drinkwitz of Missouri, is there needs to be a stellar starting quarterback and better defensive play for their respective teams to excel. LSU has 4 guys competing. Myles Brennan missed 6 games in 2020 and all of the games last season, but has thrown for 14 TDs and only 3 ints. Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels is loaded with talent, can run it well and throw it pretty well, but can be inconsistent. Garrett Nussmeier played a lot last season for the Bengal Tigers and has good talent. The 4th quarterback is freshman Walker Howard. Kelly and his staff are undecided. Brennan may sling it the best, but Daniels brings the entire package, and Nussmeir can throw it well and looks to be a real leader. The freshman will have to wait most likely. Kelly’s defense looks pretty formidable with edge rusher BJ Ojulari leading the way. He had 7 sacks last season, and Maason (that’s the way its’ spelled) Smith is a 6’5”,325 stellar defensive tackle. Kelly likes his secondary, and linebackers. His offensive line needs to develop. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte could be a potential All American and looks to be a high draft pick when he comes out, a top 10 guy, maybe even a top 5. He’s a game changer. Jack Bech is another stellar receiver who can line up at tight end or out wide. John Emery Jr. has shown signs of his 5 star ability at running back, but wants to put it all together in his senior season. There is good depth there. I’ll have more on the Bengal Tigers coming up in another column on them in the upcoming weeks.

Greg McIlory said Ole Miss could go either 4-8 or 10-2. Greg considers them a mystery. I would agree with that. Lane has added 14 guys in the transfer portal, and there is excellent talent. Zach Evans is a transfer running back from TCU and he’s a total stud. Sophomore Luke Altmyer and USC transfer Jaxson Dart are battling it out for the starting quarterback job. Dart put up very good numbers in 6 games at USC last season. He’s a talent. Altmyer is a little more unknown. One of them has to replace the great Matt Corral, who is now on the Carolina Panthers. Ole Miss has the tools to be another prolific offensive team, but can they answer the bell on defense. They have several transfers who are experienced. If the Rebels can hold their own on defense they can win a lot of games because the offense is always going to good under Lane. More on the Rebels coming up in the weeks ahead as well with a more thorough analysis of their squad.

Eliah Drinkwitz has recruited well to Missouri and added some nice pieces in the transfer portal. He’ll have 4 guys competing for the quarterback job with Jack Abraham a transfer from Southern Miss the most experienced. Brady Cook played some last year. It should come down to those two. It’s tough for Missouri, but I liked what Drinkwitz had to say about his team. They’ve got excellent team unity according to Drinkwitz and a lot more talent this season. Five star freshman receiver Luther Burden III is going to turn a lot of heads this season. Their defense must produce as well. More on the Tigers coming up as well.

The most interesting stat I saw today was the conference’s strength of schedule rankings. In the West, Auburn has the No.1 most difficult schedule in the country, Mississippi State is No.2, A&M is 6, Alabama is 7, LSU is 10, Arkansas is 12 and Ole Miss is 15.

In the East, Vanderbilt is 3, Tennessee is 5, South Carolina is 8, Florida is 14, Missouri is 22, Georgia is 23, and Kentucky is 31. Eight of the 10 toughest schedules in the country are in the SEC.

There is a lot to get excited about it with SEC Football in 2022. As I’ve said before. I don’t like SEC football, I love it.

Home Run Derby prediction, at 7 PM CT today on ESPN

Contenders

Pete Alonso, 23 homers, 2 time defending champion for the Mets.

Ronald Acuna Jr. 8 home runs this year, been hurt some of season. Hungry for this.

Albert Pujols, What? 5 homers this year, but 684 in his career in the regular season. Plays for Cardinals

Juan Soto, 17 homers this season, has had to survive and thrive on a really bad team. Another hungry player who wants to knock off Alonso. Washington Nationals.

Kyle Schwarber, 28 home runs, longest 468 feet. Has been a power hitter for a while now on Phillies.

Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners, 15 homers, an emerging superstar, but first Home Run Derby and All Star game.

Jose Ramirez, Clevelend Guardians, 17 home runs.

Corey Seager, Texas Rangers. Former Dodger with 21, could thrive at his old stomping grounds at Dodger Stadium where the All Star game is being played.

Winner

I’ll take the 28 year old from Charlotte, North Carolina to knock Alonso off his perch.

Corey Seager

What a venue for the 150th playing of the Open Championship. St. Andrews will host the Open for the 30th time and the excitement for this major is electric. The Old Course will be playing 7,313 yards and a par 72. Tiger Woods is a 2 time champion at the Old Course winning in 2000 and 2005. He’s got the bad wheel, so it’ll be tough once again for the great champion to emerge victorious, but Tiger has defied the odds before. Some of the fellas on my text group thought this could possibly be Tiger’s last competitive tournament and that he’ll retire if it doesn’t go well at St. Andrews. He’ll be 47 in December, but I won’t go that far. I still think he wants to play in another Masters. He’s just too competitive a guy not to want to. Tiger may be the greatest competitive athlete of all time. I’d put Tiger at 1, Tom Brady at 2, Michael Jordan at 3, Jack Nicklaus at 4, Rafa Nadal at 5, Joe Montana at 6, Larry Bird at 7 and Magic Johnson at 8, Novak Djokovic at 9 and Roger Federer at 10. A lot of great ones, but Tiger stands the tallest in my judgment.

But does he have a shot this weekend? It’ll be tough. He’s hitting it well, but with his banged up leg still bothering him and with his short game not nearly up to his standards, I’m not seeing it. Golf Channel’s Paul McGinley said a top 20 would be excellent and a top 10 superb. I would agree with that. I also loved what Tiger said about the LIV players, that they made their choice and they may not get a shot at playing majors after this season. I really liked Tiger telling it like it is. If you’re going to go for the guaranteed contracts, huge sums of money, then you’re going to have to sacrifice playing for legacy, history and very significant cash as well. So, Tiger won the week with his comments. I loved’em

The defending champion is Collin Morikawa. Morikawa won it at Royal St. George’s last year outlasting Jordan Spieth and Louis Oosthuizen. Morikawa is always a factor. He’s a sensational talent. If he’s putting well, he’ll be right there. U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is another name to watch. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and PGA Champion J.T. are certainly in the mix. Rory is the 9/1 favorite, and he’s certainly due since he hasn’t won a major since 2014, at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. Kind of head scratching. But he seems to have his game and his head right where it needs to be.

The key hole on St. Andrews is the historic and highly difficult 17th, ‘The Road Hole.” The drive is over a hotel with a blind tee shot, it’s 495 yards and there are 8 bunkers in the fairways that a player does not want to get in. These 112 bunkers on the Old Course can be catastrophic if you get in them and there will be plenty of players hitting it into the bunkers. The player who can stay relatively clear of the bunkers and have a stellar short game, may well emerge victorious. The road runs behind the 17th green and if a player overcooks his approach, he could be facing a shot off the road. It’s considered the hardest hole on the PGA Tour with the highest stroke average on any hole on tour.

The course is playing as fast as it’s ever been played in the now 30 times the Open has been played at St. Andrews. Golf Channel analysts Brandel Chamblee and McGinley debated what was more important, overpowering the course, or being stellar around and on the greens. Chamblee is convinced the power players will have the advantage and a power player will win it. McGinley likes the short game wizards to win. I agree with both, but I side with McGinley in that the stellar chippers and putters always fare well at majors. Pins could be diabolical, on slopes, behind traps, on nobs. The Royal and Ancient (R&A, the PGA of the European Tour) can make this as tough as they want to. The winds look around 20 each day, but that could change dramatically in Scotland. The weather is dry for the most part with temperatures reaching 70 on the weekend. There are chances of rain on Saturday and Sunday, but overall it looks nice for the competition.

Key tee times with odds on Thursday

2:03 AM CT

Cameron Smith, 25/1, certainly a factor with his outstanding talent. Brooks Koepka, 35/1. Seamus Power, 80/1

2:14 AM CT

Francesco Molinari, 150/1. Tommy Fleetwood, 35/1,.Justin Rose, 50/1

2:36 AM CT

Zach Johnson, champion at St. Andrews in 2015 but not getting much credit from Vegas, 250/1. Billy Horschel, 90/1. Corey Conners, 80/1.

3:58 AM CT

Collin Morikawa, 25/1, Rory, 9/1, Xander Schauffele, last week’s winner at the Scottish and also a winner at the Travelers Championship 3 weeks ago, riding a hot hand, 14/1.

4:09 AM CT

Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, 22/1. JT, you just see him with a good shot every time out these days, 18/1. Viktor Hovland, hasn’t done a lot lately, but a stellar talent, 40/1.

4:20 AM CT

Will Zalatoris, is he ready to knock down the door after losing to JT in a playoff at the PGA and finishing second to Fitzpatrick at the U.S. when he just barely missed a 14 footer that would have sent it into a playoff? 25/1. Hideki Matsuyama, 40/1. Vegas isn’t giving Hideki a great shot, but like Hovland, a terrific talent and the 2021 Masters champion. Tony Finau, 50/1. Certainly has the tools to overpower the course, but can he win a major? He can, but the competition is so fierce.

7:15 AM CT

Dustin Johnson, 35/1, hasn’t played real competitive golf since playing on LIV, but he’s a two time major winner so could step up. Adam Scott, 80/1. A little older now at over 40, but still solid. Marc Leishman. 80/1.

8:59 AM CT

Tiger, 60/1, longshot. Matt Fitzpatrick, 18/1. The U.S. Open champion a shot on his home continent. Max Homa, 50/1. Won twice on tour this season, and an outstanding player.

9:10 AM CT

Jordan Spieth, 16/1. Vegas somewhat bullish on the gunslinger. Can he just keep his head in the game and not lose his cool and focus? If he can, he can win his second Claret Jug. He won in 2017 at Royal Birkdale. Jon Rahm, 14/1. Always has a shot, much like JT. and Rory. Can he keep his wits about him and not lose his cool either? That’s his question mark as well. Harold Varner III 100/1. Longshot, but won in Saudi Arabia in February. He could do well.

9:21 AM

Patrick Cantlay, 25/1. Got the short game for it. If he can stay out of the traps, and if his putter is hot, he certainly could hoist the Claret Jug. Sam Burns, 40/1. Another stellar talent. Went back to back at the Valspar Championship in 2021 and 2022, and also won the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth at the end of May. Mito “Mike” Pereira. 100/1. Had his chance at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in May before mentally collapsing and double bogeying 18 and letting JT steal it away from him. Not much of a shot.

TV Coverage

Thursday-Friday, 12:30-3 AM CT, Peacock, 3 AM-3 PM CT, USA.

Saturday, 4-6 AM CT, USA, 6 AM-2 PM CT, NBC.

Sunday, 3-6 AM CT, USA, 6 AM-1 PM, NBC.

Winner

I’m going to take the 30 year old from Long Beach, California. by way of UCLA. The 2021 Fed Ex Cup champion has all the tools to win his first major and he finished tied 4th at the Genesis Scottish Open last weekend shooting 69, 67 on Saturday-Sunday, respectively. Give me “Patty Ice”.”

Patrick Cantley

Sleeper

I’m going to take the 35/1, 31 year old from Southport Merseyside, England. I liked him last week as a sleeper at the Scottish, and I like him again this week at St. Andrews.

Tommy Fleetwood

Next Week

The Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers will be featured on the blog as SEC Media Days commences in Atlanta next Monday through Thursday. S will be talking on Tuesday first thing, 8:05 AM CT, and Bryan Harsin will speak on Thursday at 8:05 AM CT. The blog will have S, Harsin, their teams, and the rest of the SEC covered. Will check back with you then. The SEC Network will broadcast.

Enjoy the Open. Will be spectacular.

With the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews on the horizon next week, many of the top names in the game are competing this week at the Genesis Scottish Open trying to capture some key momentum for the final major championship of 2022. Rory and Tiger will not be in the field as they are preparing on their own, but all the other big names will be honing their games at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. The Renaissance Club is close to Muirfield, which is an Open rotation site and where Phil Mickelson won in 2013 to capture his fifth major championship. It’s only 20 miles from St. Andrews as well. The Old Course will put on another classic Open Championship next week. Can’t wait.

The defending champion is Min Woo Lee who defeated Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Lee is a 23 year old native of Perth Australia, and his older sister, Minjee, is a two time major winner on the LPGA circuit at 26 years old. Lee has won twice on the European Tour and is in the field this week. He’s 125/1. Could be a good choice with his odds.

Weather

Thursday, 70, mainly sunny, wind W 18 MPH

Friday, 67, windy, low chance of rain, wind west 20-30 MPH.

Saturday, 68, Partly cloudy, wind W 10-20 MPH.

Sunday, 70, Partly cloudy, wind W 14 MPH.

TV

Thursday-Friday, 7:30-12:30 PM CT, Golf Channel.

Saturday-Sunday, 9-11 AM CT, GC, 11 AM-2 PM CT, CBS.

ODDS

Jon Rahm, 11/1

Justin Thomas, 12/1

Scottie Scheffler, 12/1

Xander Schauffele, 18/1

Matt Fitzpatrick, 18/1

Patrick Cantlay, 22/1

Cameron Smith, 25/1

Collin Morikawa, 25/1

Sam Burns, 28/1

Will Zalatoris, 28/1

Jordan Spieth, 30/1

Hideki Matsuyama, 30/1

Viktor Hovland, 35/1

Sungjae Im, 35/1

Joaquin Niemann, 40/1

Billy Horschel, 40/1

Ryan Fox 45/1

Max Homa, 45/1

Tommy Fleetwood 45/1

Corey Conners, 50/1

Justin Rose, 50/1

Cameron Young, 50/1

Keegan Bradley, 50/1

Tyrrell Hatton, 60/1

MIto Pereira, 65/1

Aaron Rai, 65/1

Brian Harman 65/1

Harold Varner, 65/1

Keith Mitchell, 65/1

Lucas Herbert, 65/1

As you can see, the field is stacked.

The course is a 7,293 yard, par 70. There are 3 Par 5’s, the 600 yard 3rd, the 594 yard, 10th, and the 576 yard 16th. If the wind is a factor, as it is predicted to be, these will be healthy holes. The 7th is a 505 yard par 4. The 15th is a 488 yard par 4 and the 18th is a 483 yard par 4. The 9th is a 218 yard par 3, the 12th is a 204 yard par 3 and the 17th is a 203 yard par 3. So if the wind is blowing the scores won’t equal last year’s winning total of -22. The weather changes quickly in Scotland, but if these windy conditions hold up, I’m looking at a 10-12 under par core winning.

Winner

I’m going to take the 25 year old from SF, Cali, by way of Wake Forest University. He went to a playoff with JT at the 104th PGA Championship at Southern Hills, OK in May, losing in the three hole aggregate and just missed a 14 footer that would have tied Matt Fitzpatrick on the 72nd hole at the 122nd U.S. Open at the Country Club at Brookline, MA. He’s so close to breaking through. I like him to employ his stellar ball striking skills this week and his better then advertised putting into a Scottish Open title and set himself up well for a shot at winning the Claret Jug at the 150th Open next week at St. Andrews.

Will Zalatoris

Sleeper

Not really a sleeper, but I’ll take 45/1 ,

Tommy Fleetwood

****I apologize for not getting the Auburn Football 2022 column out yet, but will have it out in the next couple of days. Have a super rest of your week.****