Auburn's path to a huge turnaround in 2023

Recently On3’s J.D. PicKell did a breakdown of the Auburn Tigers’ 2023 season expectations. The college football expert also gave his prediction for their record to end the season, 6-6, and his reasons for seeing the Tigers finishing the year with that mark.

At the same time, PicKell sees a way for Auburn to exceed those expectations and compete for the right to represent the SEC West in the conference championship game. And according to him, it will take a much improved defensive performance along with a key acquisition this offseason to step up for the Tigers’ offense.

“The talent level is there, but my concern is that talent level being improved is great, but you still have a defense that allowed over 180 yards rushing game last year,” said PicKell. “You can’t do that in the SEC and expect to be successful; you just can’t do it.”

Last season, Auburn’s defense was the weak point of their team. The Tigers could not stop opposing offenses, whether it be on the ground or through the air. Auburn allowed 172.7 rushing yards per game and 222.7 passing, conceding nearly 400 yards a game. With the level of talent Auburn typically recruits, the defense did not play up to the expectations of the program at all.

This season, PicKell believes the Auburn defense will be even better and filled with more talent, especially after Hugh Freeze successfully recruited out of the NCAA transfer portal. Now it’s only a matter of when they can put everything together on the field.

“The talent level is better, but even so, there’s still a lot of cats that were a part of that defense last year that you’re going to count on. So there’s that side of it. And then Payton Thorne getting up to speed. But if the defense is better, figures it out, doesn’t allow the kind of rushing yards allowed last year, and those new transfers kind of put their foot down, make something happen, and Payton Thorne just makes me look like an idiot saying it’s gonna take some time to get up to speed, and he goes bonkers, whole conversation Auburn changes.

The last piece of the puzzle for Auburn to have a huge turnaround in the upcoming college football season rests with Thorne picking up the offense quickly and taking this game to another level. But for him to do that, somebody else must also step up in the Tigers’ offense. And PicKell believes that that could be one of Auburn’s talented receivers on the outside.

“Now, if Payton Thorne does ball out, the other thing that’s probably true about Auburn this coming season is you have a big dog at wide receiver step up. Whether it is Kameron Brown, (or) Nick Mardner. Like whoever it is, that would have to be true. I think it goes hand in hand with Payton Thorne excelling and excelling quickly in this offense.”

PicKell is a fan of the direction the Auburn football program will go under the direction of Freeze, which is why he predicted their record to be 6-6. But that is the floor of what he believes the Tigers can do in 2023. If the things PicKell outlined above take place for Auburn, the Tigers have a real chance of exceeding expectations in a big way.