The 2007 college football season officially got under way today on the Plains with freshmen and veterans reporting for the first practice of the fall. To ease the freshmen into two-a-day life, Auburn coaches split the practice groups in two, with freshmen and less experienced players practicing in the morning and veterans taking the field in the afternoon. Both groups practiced for two hours in helmets and shorts...
While most everyone looks good in shorts, highly touted freshman Kody Burns has already caught the eye of Tommy Tuberville.
"You can always tell about a quarterback," Tuberville said. "He's what we thought. He can throw it and he can pull it down and run it. He's exactly what we are looking for. He has a lot to learn, but he looked good," said Tuberville...
Auburn will follow the same practice schedule on Friday. Again, the team will be broken into two groups with freshmen practicing at 10:00 a.m. CST and the veterans practicing at 4:30 p.m. CST. Both practices will be held on the Intramural Fields...
A quick reminder that fan day will be held next Saturday, August 11 at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum from 3-5 p.m. CST...
In case you missed it, Sports Illustrated writer and Mobile native Ivan Maisel wrote a great column on ESPN.com yesterday about the freshmen experience at Auburn. Tommy Tuberville gave him total access to the team on Wednesday as freshmen reported for duty. It’s a good read...
Much of the talk over the summer was about the alleged grade changing scandal involving Mobile cornerback and Auburn signee Ryan Williams. It was a favorite topic of Bama fans this summer hoping that Auburn would get caught up in it.
After all the hype and numerous newspaper articles and calls to radio shows by the Bama Nation, Williams quietly arrived in Auburn on Wednesday with the rest of the freshmen class. He participated in practice this morning. So much for bringing Auburn down.
Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp believes Williams got a raw deal. "Ryan is a great kid," Muschamp said. "It's unfortunate he has been a victim of some circumstances he had not control over and absolutely nothing to do with. We are glad he's here. He's a bright, intelligent kid, and we look for him to contribute for us.
"He'll compete at corner, as well as nickel and dime. He has good coverage skills, can be a punt and kickoff returner for us. He can be pretty special with the ball in his hands," said Muschamp...
Finally, news out of Tuscaloosa tonight is that Bama wide receiver Tyrone Prothro has been placed on a medical scholarship, meaning his career is most likely over. Alabama coach Nick Saban said today that Prothro would be unable to play this season.
I think everyone saw it coming. You hate to see a player go through what Prothro has experienced. Everyone at Bama says he's a quality guy and we certainly know what kind of football player he was at his peak. We at Track'em Tigers wish Tyrone only the best.