Andy Burcham, the voice of the Auburn Tigers discusses what he saw from the first fall camp scrimmage on the Plains and players to look out for this fall
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We're going to get to Andy Burcham and discuss the Auburn Tigers. We know Andy joins us each and every week. Thanks to our friends at Crane Works. Andy, good morning. How are you doing today? Good morning, Cole. How are you? I'm just talking to you from Nashville, Tennessee this morning. Spoke to the Greater Nashville Auburn Club last night.

So you're my first order of business today, and then I'm going to the Pancake Pantry. What is their – by the way, it's exceptional. I've been a few times, so it's tough to beat. Yes, it is. What's the temperature of the Auburn fans there in Nashville and then some of the others that you've spoken to? I do feel like there's sort of a lot of momentum building. Maybe some of the expectations becoming a smidge unrealistic for some Auburn fans.

Well, I think that's natural. You know, when you've had a couple tough seasons, and Auburn certainly has had that, and you see what the recruiting has done for the last two recruiting cycles and what continues to be outstanding recruiting, it appears, from Hugh Freeze, and you get a wide receiver class like you have now, which Auburn hasn't had in a while, Cole, and you see some improvement offensively and defensively.

You see some guys starting to produce defensively. Granted, it's preseason and everything. But yeah, the expectations are certainly there for Hugh Priest. I think he is trying to be very measured with those expectations. But the fans, on the other hand, they're ready for Auburn to return. So I can understand that. They were very, very excited to hear about Auburn football last night. I talked last night just about

what what Nashville meant to Auburn a year ago with the game that Auburn played at Vanderbilt in football and the enormous Auburn crowd and it was a bigger Auburn crowd than Vanderbilt and then coming back on an icy night during basketball season and again seeing a big Auburn crowd out and then back for the SEC tournament last March

culminated with the SEC Tournament Championship. And it was a big Auburn crowd on that Sunday and that win against Florida. But to answer your question, yeah, expectations are there probably for some that are talking nine, ten wins. That may be a little, we may be surprised if we get there, but I can understand why folks are optimistic about this Auburn football team going in. It sounds, Andy, like

There are parts of the defense, at least, that are coming on, so to speak. We know, we've heard all the buzz about the receivers. Peyton Thorne apparently making some improvements. A particular side of the offensive line looking really good. I think that staff's pretty confident they'll be able to run the football. But it sounds like parts of the defense are coming on. If this Auburn defense is very good,

At any point in time in this season, what do you point to right now that has to be happening or an individual who has to be playing great for that to take place for DJ Durkin this fall? Well, I think this, and it's like this whether you're talking offense or defense, you've got to stay healthy. Auburn still isn't to a point, I think, from a depth perspective,

where it can overcome big injuries. So I think that's the bottom line problem. And I thought the defense had the upper hand Saturday in the scrimmage and all the different reports that came out. And I talked about it with you guys the last couple weeks. And when I say a question mark, it wasn't because I don't think these guys could play. We just hadn't seen these guys yet. But I loved the way the internal defensive line played defensively

Saturday and they will need to continue to do that with transfers Isaiah Rakes, Trill Carter, Gage Keys, Phillip Bleedy. Add another one at the buck in Kieron Crawford the transfer from Arkansas State a true freshman in Jamonta Waller as well. Amaris Williams is another freshman that I think Auburn needs to continue to produce but

I was pleased with those guys up front. And the reason that I questioned wasn't that they're talented, it's just we've not seen those guys. I mean, Rakes transfers in from A&M. Trill Carter transfers from Minnesota. Gage Keys transferred from Minnesota. Phillip Bleedy transfers from Indiana. Kieron Crawford transfers in from Arkansas State. Auburn feels that it has some depth in the middle defensively.

But those guys have got to produce. Those guys have – and whatever the rotation that we see from Bontrell King-Williams with that defensive line, those guys have to produce. I think Auburn still has to work on its depth at linebacker behind Austin Keyes and Eugene Asante and Dorian Moussey because there's not a lot of depth. There's not a lot – depth is the right word. There isn't a lot of experience behind those guys.

Marcus Riddick's going to have to play for Auburn at linebacker as a true freshman. Now, he is a heralded recruit coming in. He was one of the big first recruits that Hugh Free signed in that first recruiting class, the 24 recruiting class, and he's going to have to produce. So that's just a couple of the areas I think defensively. They got after it Saturday in the scrimmage, and I thought they showed –

the aggressiveness that we've heard about this defense in the first week or so of practice under D.J. Durkin as a coordinator. Andy Burcham with us on the Buyers' Right Hotline, going to join us every week. Thanks to our friends at Crane Works. If I told you that there is a standout up front that has sort of morphed into a disruptor with this Auburn defense, who would you kind of project that that individual or individuals could be today?

Well, I think there's two guys that seem to have, at least in the first week or so, have kind of taken that step forward.

One is Isaiah Rakes, who transferred in from Texas A&M. Already has his bachelor's degree. He's working on his secondary or his master's degree right now. And then Phillip Leidy, the transfer from Indiana. They give you some size up front. Rakes 6'2", 323. Leidy 6'3", 284. Those guys have to continue to prove. But let me add one more guy that is back.

from Auburn a year ago, and that's Jalen McLeod. And he transferred in in Hugh Freeze's first class of the transfer portal from Appalachian State, but he came in and he was injured a good portion of last season at that buck role for Auburn. And we saw glimpses of what Jalen can do, and they need that from Jalen on one side. Obviously, what you want to see out of Calvary Buck,

On the other side at defensive end is, you know, a guy that continues to get better. He had a really good freshman season, and they need him to take a step forward as a sophomore as well.

I don't think there's any doubt about that. One thing, Andy, we played a couple of clips from Hugh Freeze earlier with Marty and McGee that began to surface yesterday and got to thinking about some of the things that he said late in the season last year. I feel like his self-scouting or personal awareness, he talked about, hey, if I was a smart of a coach back then, what would happen against a certain Alabama team and

I feel like that's come a long way. And there have been portions, Andy, where we have said on this show, like, is he being too honest about either some of his guys or some of his staff or how they've managed things? Have you sort of picked up on that from Coach Freeze in maybe an area that he's made a lot of improvement or had a lot of growth, not just since he's been the Auburn coach, but maybe just over the course of his career? Yeah, and I can't really speak to Coach Freeze until he got to the Plains because I really didn't.

He wasn't Auburn's coach, so it's not like I dealt with him before he came to Auburn. Here's the one thing, and he is transparent and almost to a fault as the Auburn football coach. And it's not just how the team has played on a certain day or how they practiced or how they coached. He's very transparent about himself.

as well. And, you know, I did the postgame show after the bowl game last year. Listen, that wasn't a good day of football for Auburn. And it capped off a disappointing end to the season with New Mexico State, which still baffles me, and all the credit to New Mexico State. The absolute heartbreak of, you know, the loss to Alabama, and then you go into a bowl game, and you just don't play well.

But in talking with him after that game, he was immediately talking about culture. He was immediately talking about being a better coach. Of course, they were about to go through a bit of a coaching change as well at both coordinator spots and a couple of other guys that were moving on as well. So if you ask Hugh Freeze a question, you're not typically going to get coach speak from the man.

And we have seen that for a long, long time from a number of coaches. And that's just not the case with Hugh Freeze. And he talks about it himself. I've seen the clip of the Grave Digger play. And, you know, it's easy to point a finger at the defensive back on that play or not being able to feel the punt. But the first thing he said, if I'm not mistaken, Cole, was we needed to coach that better.

He's talking about himself and his staff. I don't think we're going to see a case where Hugh Freeze is throwing someone else under the bus. I think he's very transparent about that. At times, you wonder if he shouldn't maybe give us a little bit of coach speak from time to time, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Hugh Freeze. Andy Bertram joins us every Tuesday. Thanks to Crane Works, Talking Everything Auburn Athletics.

He also has stated in the last couple of days multiple times, Andy, that he feels like the continuity, the chemistry is a little bit better. The locker room is a little bit better. And we know that can go a long way in making a football team improved. Is there something that you could share with the listeners, something that you could point to that, I guess, gets you on board with that or that kind of outside of taking his word for it forces you to believe that? Well, just talking with the players. And hats off to Coach Freeze, Daryl.

and his staff and Shelly Poe and Kirk Sampson in sports information and media relations. They've made lots and lots of players available. I think we'll get to talk with some defensive coaches this week and almost to a man. And listen, I know we're a week and a couple days into practice and, you know, everyone should be optimistic about things, but

I think back to that post-game interview that I did with Hugh Freeze here in Nashville after that loss to Maryland. And one of the first things he talked about was culture and how this program needed to improve on its culture. And in talking with a number of players on both sides of the football, new guys, freshmen, transfers, Luke Deal, guys that have been here for a number of years,

They all talk about the culture on this team, and Hugh Freeze is a big culture guy. And I'm not saying that other coaches aren't. I'm just saying that this man is. And I've seen it out of this team. I've seen it. Listen, what happens when you get that first bit of adversity, either in the preseason or during the season, because it's coming. We all know it is. How does this team react? How does this team respond is a better way to put it, I think.

We'll find out, but I think this team is better equipped to face that this year than perhaps it was a year ago, Cole. I don't think there's any doubt. Andy, always great stuff. Thank you for joining us, and we look forward to catching up with you again next week.

My pleasure, bud. Have a great day. Thank you. Andy Burcham joining us on the Buyer's Right Hotline. He is with us each and every week. Thanks to our friends at Crane Works. For all your insurance, financial, and HR needs, it's Buyer's Right Insurance, a Higginbotham partner. It's time for Bob's Dare to Compare. You get style. You get features.

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